Featuring Marianne H. Donley
October 2, 2026 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as Featured Author of the Month, Illusive Worlds, Marianne H. Donley, new release, The Confession of George Mullins
Featuring Marianne H. Donley
Marianne H. Donley makes her home in Pennsylvania with her husband, son, and a very very active dog. She is a member of Bethlehem Writers Group, The Charmed Connection, Sisters in Crime, The Guppies and Capital Crimes. When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor. She also could be knitting.
Illusive Worlds, Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC’s 9th anthology in the series Sweet, Funny, and Strange® Tales is available for preorder—both the print version and the ebook. The ebook is on sale for only 99¢ and will revert to the regular price of $3.99 on pub day—October 16, 2026.
Marianne’s short story, “The Confession of George Mullins,” deals with a nasty old man who has decided murdering his wife of sixty years is a great way to get “the state” to put him in jail and cater to his every wish—starting with his breakfast order of two eggs over easy, crisp bacon, hash browns and toast with tons of butter. Unfortunately for George, Detective Eleanor Reed and the ghosts of Mrs. Virtue and Uncle Walt are on the case, so he may learn to be careful for what he wishes.
About Illusive Worlds
Enter our worlds of imagination!
In this ninth “Sweet, Funny, and Strange”® anthology from the multiple award-winning authors of the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC, we explore everything from faraway galaxies to the vagaries of the human mind.
Our stories include ventures into the supernatural, meeting aliens and witches, experimenting in time travel, and encountering technology that is sometimes benign but at other times menacing. The blurred lines between human and machine, life and death, or illusion and reality have provided our authors more than sufficient inspiration to create myriad visions of science fiction and fantasy to pique your curiosity, spark your sense of humor, sometimes horrify you a bit, and occasionally bring delight.
In addition to tales from BWG’s inventive minds, we are excited to bring you six prize-winning stories from our 2025 and 2026 Short Story Award competitions. We know these authors will become some of your favorites—just as they have for us.
So please join us in our illusive worlds. We’re very happy to have you along for the ride.
Anthologies with more of Marianne’s Stories
**Free Book Alert** Totally Folked is Totally Free
October 1, 2026 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Spotlight tagged as Book Sale, free, Friends to Lovers, Penny Reid, romantic comedy, Totally Folked
TOTALLY FOLKED is a standalone, contemporary romantic comedy novel and book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.
★★Grab your copy TODAY!★★
💙 Free eBook Alert! 💙
Totally Folked by New York Times Bestseller Penny Reid is F R E E for a limited time only! If you’re looking for your next cozy, small-town romantic comedy for Fall, this is it! 🍂
★★Grab your copy TODAY!★★
★★Blurb★★
Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when getting laid starts to feel more like being waylaid. Could it be that Green Valley’s most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real?
Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting.
When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real.
‘Totally Folked’ is the first book in the Good Folk series and is a full-length, small-town, contemporary romantic comedy novel.
Other Books by Penny Reid
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Saved by the Vampire Thief New Release
September 29, 2026 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Spotlight tagged as A Dystopian Vampire Romance, Dark Wine Vampires, Jenna Barwin, new release, Saved by the Vampire Thief
Saved by the Vampire Thief
(A Dystopian Vampire Romance)
Jenna Barwin
Dark Wine Vampires Book 2
Release date: September 29, 2026
When vampire Chris Atherton—a former rock star—accidentally shoots a woman he was trying to help, he must do something he never thought possible: turn her into a vampire to save her life. But little did he know the surprise in store for him when she utters her dying words…
Christopher
I’ve spent years surviving alone.
Stealing from the ruins of the old world is easier than caring about anyone. Far less painful. After everything I’ve lost, I’ve sworn never to risk my heart again.
Then I break into an abandoned missile silo…and meet her.
Maria is fierce, beautiful, and determined to protect her daughter. When her arrow flies toward my heart, instinct takes over.
I shoot.
Maria
The man invading my home isn’t just a thief.
He’s a vampire.
I’ve buried two husbands. I won’t let my daughter become a monster’s next meal. But when his bullet tears through me, death is certain.
Instead of leaving me to die, he saves me.
Now I’m bound to a brooding vampire haunted by regret—a man who never wanted the responsibility of a widow and her child. Together, we’ll have to survive the dangers of a post-Collapse world…and the feelings for each other neither of us want.
Notes & Tropes:
The Dark Wine Vampires series features stand-alone vampire romances in an interconnected world. The stories are set a hundred years in the future in a dystopian world, and each full-length novel is a vampire romance featuring a new mortal/vampire couple with a guaranteed HEA!
Book 2 Tropes include: reluctant protector; wounded hero; protective single mother; forced proximity; found family; twisty secret surprises; character-focused romance; action and adventure
Jenna Barwin’s website: https://www.jennabarwin.com
Other Books by Jenna Barwin
Dianna Sinovic, Featured Author
September 27, 2026 by Dianna Sinovic in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Dianna Sinovic, Featured author, Scream of the Silent Sun
Author of the Month: Dianna Sinovic
Born and raised in the Midwest, Dianna has also lived in three other quadrants of the U.S. She writes short stories, poetry and novels. Her full-length novel, Scream of the Silent Sun, was a finalist in the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for first novel.
She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Horror Writers Association, The American Medical Writers Association, and The Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC.
Dianna helped edit Celebrating: 20 Years of Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales which includes her story, “Tommy.” She is a contributing author in the last four anthologies from The Bethlehem Writers Group, Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales, An Element of Mystery: Sweet, Funny and Strange Tales of Intrigue, Fur, Feathers, and Scales, Sweet, Funny Animal Tales and Untethered, Sweet, Funny & Strange Tales of the Paranormal. In addition to being Chief Editor of the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable ezine, she also contributes stories and articles.
Since writing and editing is clearly not enough work, Dianna is also a Book Coach. You can learn more about that on her website: https://dianna-sinovic.com/.
Dianna has a regular column here on A Slice of Orange, titled Quill and Moss, in which she frequently includes short fiction.
Dianna Sinovic’s novel and some of thebooks that contain her short stories.
Dianna Sinovic, Featured Author
September 15, 2026 by Dianna Sinovic in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as Dianna Sinovic, Featured author, Scream of the Silent Sun
Author of the Month: Dianna Sinovic
Born and raised in the Midwest, Dianna has also lived in three other quadrants of the U.S. She writes short stories, poetry and novels. Her full-length novel, Scream of the Silent Sun, was a finalist in the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for first novel.
She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Horror Writers Association, The American Medical Writers Association, and The Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC.
Dianna helped edit Celebrating: 20 Years of Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales which includes her story, “Tommy.” She is a contributing author in the last four anthologies from The Bethlehem Writers Group, Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales, An Element of Mystery: Sweet, Funny and Strange Tales of Intrigue, Fur, Feathers, and Scales, Sweet, Funny Animal Tales and Untethered, Sweet, Funny & Strange Tales of the Paranormal. In addition to being Chief Editor of the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable ezine, she also contributes stories and articles.
Since writing and editing is clearly not enough work, Dianna is also a Book Coach. You can learn more about that on her website: https://dianna-sinovic.com/.
Dianna has a regular column here on A Slice of Orange, titled Quill and Moss, in which she frequently includes short fiction.
Dianna Sinovic’s novel and some of thebooks that contain her short stories.
Featured Books
TO CATCH A TREAT
When a Dog-Snatching Scheme Leads to Murder, Carrie Must Sniff Out the Truth.
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