Archive for January 11, 2025

 

Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver

by D. Wallace Peach

 

 

Publication date: January 9th 2024
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

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“Already the animals starve. Soon the bonemen will follow, the Moss Folk and woodlings, the watermaids and humans. Then the charmed will fade. And all who will roam a dead world are dead things. Until they too vanish for lack of remembering. Still, Weaver, it is not too late.”

In the frost-kissed cottage where the changing seasons are spun, Erith wears the Weaver’s mantle, a title that tests her mortal, halfling magic. As the equinox looms, her first tapestry nears completion—a breathtaking ode to spring. She journeys to the charmed isle of Innishold to release the beauty of nature’s awakening across the land.

But human hunters have defiled the enchanted forest and slaughtered winter’s white wolves. Enraged by the trespass, the Winter King seizes Erith’s tapestry and locks her within his ice-bound palace. Here, where comfort and warmth are mere glamours, she may weave only winter until every mortal village succumbs to starvation, ice, and the gray wraiths haunting the snow.

With humanity’s fate on a perilous edge, Erith must break free of the king’s grasp and unravel a legacy of secrets. In a charmed court where illusions hold sway, allies matter, foremost among them, the Autumn Prince. Immortal and beguiling, he offers a tantalizing future she has only imagined, one she will never possess—unless she claims her extraordinary power to weave life from the brink of death.

In the lyrical fantasy tradition of Margaret Rogerson and Holly Black, D. Wallace Peach spins a spellbinding tale of magic, resilience, and the transformative potency of tales—a tapestry woven with peril and hope set against the frigid backdrop of an eternal winter.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

A wicker basket of colorful spools rested at my feet. I picked through the bewitched thread my mother had hand-spun long before my birth. No matter how many seasons passed, the spools unwound and unwound, and I no longer fretted about reaching their ends. There was no end to magic, no end to the seasons, no end to my place on the cusp of two worlds.

A delicate pink caught my eye, a color crafted from the cherry blossoms bordering my garden. I held it against the tapestry, testing its suitability for flowering plum trees and coral bells I’d stitch into the meadows and along the forest’s edge.

“Should you desire my opinion, Erith,” a small voice piped up, “it requires a touch of carnation and a shimmer of sunshine. On the dogwood blossoms as well.”

“I wondered about those.” My gaze rose to my knee-high hospet. He sat cross-legged on the hearthstone in front of our shrinking fire, cracking walnuts with his sharp teeth. The creature blinked at me with eyes as clear as spring water, his waistcoat buttoned, cheeks rosy, and cinnamon hair parted in the middle like a magistrate. Nobbin kept my wood and moss cottage tidy, expecting little beyond customary respect and an occasional outfit when his garments aged past mending.

He also took it upon himself to offer artistic advice since my mother had chosen to join my father in the underworld.

“I might leave them as they are,” I said. “Dogwoods are white.”

Nobbin’s eyebrows tilted up in an expression of devilish skepticism. “Spring’s princess will agree with me. Give it a brush of magic. I know you dabble when I’m otherwise occupied.”

“You spy on me?”

“I’m observant. And I’m charmed.” He flicked his handcloth at the window. “Snow doesn’t glitter like that without your touch, my girl. You added that sparkle to your mother’s tapestry, and it impressed the Winter King.”

“Do you think so?” A blush heated my cheeks. “From what I’ve gathered, he’s not one to dole out compliments.”

“None of them are.” Nobbin held up a nut as if inspecting a precious gem. “Such is the nature of immortals. Add a layer of royalty on top, and we are lucky they don’t dismember anyone or anything tarnishing their crowns.”

“Dismember?” I cringed at the grisly thought and drew my black shawl around my shoulders. “My mother told me the courtiers are kind and cruel in equal measure. Without good reason for either.”

Not one to speak with his mouth full, Nobbin raised a finger and swallowed a morsel of walnut. “Indeed, they’re notoriously whimsical. But you are their weaver, and every artist must begin somewhere. You will earn your place, Erith, though it is no simple task to prove your power and demand respect. Spring is the first tapestry you may claim as your own creation, and it is a glorious start. I have untold faith in you.”

I smiled gratefully and stifled a shudder at the challenge ahead. Despite Nobbin’s trust in me, my confidence wavered like a weathervane on a gusty day. I’d done my best, and it would have to serve. The seasons’ rulers wouldn’t dismember me on a whim. I hoped.

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About Author D. Wallace Peach:

Best-selling author D. Wallace Peach grew up surrounded by her father’s well-loved paperback books. Fantasy was a staple, but it was Tolkien’s The Hobbit that planted the seeds which would grow into a passion for writing.

Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.
In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.
Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Myths of the Mirror

 

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A Perilous Premiere (Stone & Steele Mysteries)
by Gail Meath

 


A Perilous Premiere (Stone & Steele Mysteries)
Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – California
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cranberry Pond Publishing (November 15, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 182 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8227660671
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZS3J93M

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Solving their own murders is the least of their problems…and the beginning of Stone & Steele, a reluctant yet surprisingly skilled investigative team.

The Golden Age of Hollywood, 1938

Vivian Steele moved to California to start a new life. She opened a fashion boutique in Beverly Hills, befriended Carole Lombard, the actress, and married a successful banker. But when her husband is murdered, Vivian discovers she isn’t the only one hiding a few secrets.

An anonymous phone call lures Vivian to a plush hotel room where she stumbles upon the dead body of a beautiful young actress – her husband’s mistress. To add fuel to the fire, she’s not alone.

Preston Stone, her adversary and Hollywood’s notorious playboy, is standing beside her. Suspiciously, they part ways only to find themselves alone again at a movie premiere two days later, and the message becomes brutally clear. They’re both the next targets of a cold-blooded killer.

Together, Vivian and Preston are thrown into a deadly race to find a missing collection of valuable coins and stop a vicious killer before they become the next murder victims. But first, they need to stop pointing their fingers at each other.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Finally, the elevator doors opened.  Two people got off, and Vivian stepped inside.  She pushed the fourth-floor button.  It was a good minute before the doors began closing, but just before they touched, a large hand slid in between, stopping them.

The doors slowly opened again, and Preston Stone stood there with an annoying twinkle in his dark eyes and his lips curled into a pompous grin.

“Hello, Vivian.  You’re looking well.”

She nodded her head in return and moved to one side of the elevator.

He got on and deliberately stood in the center.  “How is business at your fashion boutique?”

She glared at him.  “I don’t see any reason for us to make small talk.”

He tipped his head sideways, pretending to look hurt.  “I was hoping after all this time we could bury the hatchet.  It’s been close to a year now, hasn’t it?  I admit I behaved badly.”

Vivian thanked the powers above that the doors finally closed, and the elevator started moving.  “If that’s an apology, I’m not the one you should be talking to.”

His grin widened.  “Does Patricia still work at your shop?”

“No, after you broke my sister’s heart, she moved to the east coast.”

“Aw, poor kid.  Well, in my defense, I told her straight up that I wasn’t the type to settle down.”

Ooh, he really got under her skin.  “Don’t worry your swelled head about it, Preston.  You didn’t scar her for life.  She’s already engaged to a wealthy stockbroker.”

“Good for her!  See?  Sounds like she let bygones be bygones.  I think you should, too, Vivian.  After all, I didn’t break your heart…did I?”

If she were a man, he’d be lying on the floor right now with a black eye.

Luckily, the elevator slowed to a stop on the fourth floor.  The bell rang once, and Vivian impatiently waited for the doors to open just far enough for her to slip through them.  Once done, she saw the small sign hanging on the wall that gave the direction of the room numbers, and she quickly headed down the hall to her left.

Yet, she heard someone walking behind her and glanced around.  Preston had gotten off the elevator, too, and he was trailing her.  She picked up her pace.  “Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me?”

He chuckled.  “As much as I enjoy sparring with you, it just so happens that I’m meeting someone who is staying on this floor.”

Vivian reached room Forty-Four and waited for Preston to pass by her before she knocked on the door.  Instead, he ended up standing beside her.  She let out an exasperated groan.  “What are you doing, Preston?”

“Okay, now I have to agree with you that this is a little awkward.  The person I’m meeting is staying in room Forty-Four.”

Vivian flashed her eyes at him.  “You’re kidding me?”

“I wish I was,” he said.  “I’ll let you have the honor of knocking on the door.”

She had half a mind to walk away and forget about all this, but she was even more curious than before.  She lifted her hand and knocked.

The door fell open.

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A Perilous Premiere is the first book in this exciting new 1930s Stone & Steele mystery series starring a great cast of characters ranging from the rich and famous to Bella, a Boston Terrier, her new friend, Boris, a Saint Bernard, and a few other endearing folks. (A pretty clean read)

About Gail Meath

Gail Meath is the author of the multi-award-winning Jax Diamond Mysteries, the fun series about of a wise-cracking PI, his sweet German Shepherd partner, Ace, and his Broadway singing heartthrob, Laura, as they solve crazy crimes during the Roaring Twenties. She’s currently working on the first book in her exciting new 1930s mystery series, Stone & Steele Mysteries, takes place during the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. As always, she blends the most loveable characters with a good, solid mystery.

Gail also has a growing list of other award-winning historical romances, mysteries, westerns, and fictional biographies of true heroines. She lives in a small village in Upstate New York with her husband and their sweet, little Boston Terrier, and she spends loads of time with her grandchildren.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Goodreads / BookBub

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NKoboBookshop.org 

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 8 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – Frugal Freelancer – SPOTLIGHT

January 9 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

January 9 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

January 10 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

January 10 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

January 11 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

January 11 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

January 12 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

January 13 – Deal Sharing Aunt – SPOTLIGHT 

January 13 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

January 14 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

January 15 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

January 15 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

January 16 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

January 16 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

January 17 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

January 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.