30th Anniversary of the 1994 Delta Ice Storm Edition
Thriller
Date Published: January 26, 2024
ISBN: 978-1958011096
Publisher: Hustle Valley Press, LLC
“Gritting, unexpected, and hard to put down.” – Midwest Book
Review
Rook’s on the run in the most dangerous storm in decades. When a brush with the law goes from bad to worse, can she escape druggies, crazies, and killers?
Abandoned by her now-ex-boyfriend at a dive bar in the middle of nowhere, the last thing resilient Rook Kellum needs is the local sheriff confiscating her I.D. when one phone call could expose her true identity and the reason she is on the run from the law. So when she’s trapped by a deadly ice storm that destroys the Mississippi Delta, the twenty-year-old fugitive has a plan: get everyone drunk, steal back her license (and a madman’s car), and get the hell out of town.
It is only when Rook escapes to a secluded cabin does she discover she isn’t the only one in need of rescue. As she fights her way out of one disaster just to get pounded with another, will Rook live to see the light of day?
One Icy Night is Taylor Adam’s No Exit meets Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs.
About the Author
W. A. Pepper writes suspenseful thrillers. You Will Know Vengeance was his award-winning debut novel. He is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Bestselling Author for his contribution to the business anthology Habits of Success. Under different names, (and his real one of Will Pepper) he has published in multiple academic journals, interactive e-books, anthologies, and online.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his wife Taddy (plus their dog Danger), started the publishing house Hustle Valley Press, LLC. Through it, they published four e-books that have amassed over one hundred five-star reviews. Further, the husband-and-wife team donated the first six months of revenue from the sale of each of those books to charity; this resulted in thousands of dollars raised for the reader-selected charities that support racial equality, COVID-19 relief, veteran affairs, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
He has a PhD in Management Information Systems or, as he calls it, Business Computing, from The University of Mississippi. He enjoys coffee, bourbon, snow skiing, Star Wars, comic books, and reading and watching thrillers. Finally, he, his wife Taddy, and their dog Danger split their time between Mississippi and Colorado.
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Children’s Book
Date Published: December 2023
In the heartwarming tale, “A Pug’s Tale: The Pawfect Match,” meet
Roy, an 8-year-old boy with a fervent desire for a loyal companion. His
dream of having a pug named Chug becomes an enduring journey filled with anticipation. Through the moments of hopeful waiting and the ticking of time, Roy’s wish is granted, and the enchanting story unfolds as he discovers the joy of finally having his pawfect match, a furry friend who becomes his inseparable companion and confidant. Join Roy on this touching adventure that celebrates the magic of friendship and the fulfillment of
dreams.
About the Author
Dr. Adam Palladino is a second-time author who wanted to publish a book
that would bring humor to his students. As a K-12 educator and
administrator, he showed his passion for learning and laughing by creating a
pun-filled book. He currently resides in New York with his wife, LisaMarie.
When he is not writing, you can find him studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,
watching movies, walking around Barnes and Noble or being adventurous with his wife.
Dr. Palladino’s first book, Terror in GuacamoleVille was a huge success,
and the popularity of it continues to grow. If you have not received your copy yet, please pick yours up now!
Dr. Palladino’s second book, A Pug’s Tale: The Pawfect Match is a wonderfully adorable book for children from infancy to 8 years old. Dr. Palladino will be traveling around the nation to promote both books, conduct read aloud, meet fans, and sign copies of his books. Please do not hesitate, get your copies today!
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Former police detective Michael McLaren arrives in Scotland, ready to immerse himself in the fun of the Highland Games and to enjoy a holiday with Melanie. But the old saying of plans oft going awry rears its ugly head: Simon Shaw, a member of McLaren’s folk group, dies. Murdered a year to the day following his uncle’s death.
McLaren is determined to find out who killed Simon. Needing justice for his friend is only half of his incentive. He also needs to appease his guilt for suggesting the group sing there in the first place.
As McLaren becomes immersed in the investigation, he wonders if the two deaths are linked, or have to do with the family or their clan. Perhaps Simon’s former wife killed him, bent on revenge more powerful than mere divorce. Or was the killing tied to an old hunt for diamonds? After all, diamonds aren’t only a girl’s best friend. Sometimes they birth greed and murder. And entrap the innocent.
Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout
camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and
finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University
with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes a British
mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries)—of which three books have
garnered the prestigious N.N. Light’s Book Heaven ‘Best Mystery
Novel’ three years straight. She also writes a Missouri-based cozy
mystery series (The Cookies & Kilts Mysteries, of which “A Trifling
Murder” is the second book) that is grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots outof scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.
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I have only a few right now. At the moment, I’m halfway through the first draft of a new McLaren mystery. It’s titled “The Cottage”. He’s in Cumbria, England, helping his love-interest pack for her move south to Derbyshire, to buy a house in his village. While he’s there, a woman asks him to investigate the cold case murder of her parents. He’s caught between wanting to find the killer (McLaren is a former police detective who is very keen on catching killers) and wanting to help his lady love.
When that book is finished, I need to start writing “Crumbs of Defeat,” the fourth book in my Cookies & Kilts series, a cozy series set in the mid-Missouri town of Beaudin Trace. My protagonist, pet bakery owner Kate Dunbar, enters the town’s annual bake-off contest. The contestant at the neighboring table is making life in general difficult for Kate because the woman says Kate is a pro and, therefore, should be disqualified from the contest. The judges disagree. Needless to say, after a bit, the contestant winds up dead, and Kate is suspected of the murder.
Probably at the beginning of the summer “Overdue,” another McLaren mystery audiobook, will be recorded and up on Audible and Amazon for sale. Callum Hale, my narrator, has won the “best narrator of the year” award and helped my book “Hide and Seek” attain “best audiobook of the year.” He’s an actor who lives in London, and he can do most any British accent that I need, a really amazingly talented chap. His current offering, the audio edition of “The Low Road,” has already racked up impressive reviews. He might get another book out toward the end of the year. That one will probably be “Related By Murder,” but we’ll see if he has time for that—the holidays might get in the way!
After the audiobook of “Overdue” comes out this summer, I will probably have time in the autumn to plot a romantic suspense book. I’ve not written one before, so it may prove I’m out of my comfort zone! And might turn out to be an utter flop! But I’d like to give it a try. Something different. I have the kernel of a plot, but characters and title elude me for the moment. Not a problem, right?
For “The Low Road” I posted a very simple question that needed answering. Contestants found it on my website (www.johiestand.com). They had to read a few paragraphs from the story, then answer a question – the answer was found in the excerpt. They emailed me their answers, and I did a drawing for the winners. I had four winners. The prizes were things associated with the story, which takes place during a Highland Games event in Scotland—a beautiful quaich, several silver bangle bracelets and a rose quartz necklace, a silver and jade necklace, and a Luckenbooth thistle brooch. In addition to that PR event, I made my usual book trailer and posted that on my Facebook page and on my YouTube channel. I’m doing some virtual book tours—review tours, also—and highlighting the book at a local Highland Games event I will attend in May.
This is a tough question! So many things. But probably the thing I like best is creating the storyline. I love my characters, the protagonists and secondary ones, both—and I like putting them in situations and seeing how they will fare. Along the way, in my McLaren mysteries, I add little bits of history, if called for, or touches of Celtic myths, like the McLaren clan mermaid legend in “The Low Road.” I love describing the areas for the various scenes, and hope I can set my readers down in the places and that they will think it is as beautiful or mystical or tension filled as I do. I like seeing my characters change during the course of the series—either for better or worse. McLaren has gone from being a near-hermit in book one, to losing his finance thru murder in book six, to finding someone to love in book eight, and now we’re watching that romance slowly develop. I don’t know if he’ll marry Melanie, but it’s possible! A character changing for the worse is McLaren’s long-time nemesis, Charlie Harvester, who was a detective inspector (as was McLaren) in the same Constabulary. Throughout his appearance in ten books, we see their animosity develop, learn what caused it, see Harvester’s attempts at retaliation, his mental problem, and finally his demise.
Research, without a doubt. I can look up most things online, and I’m a stickler for getting things right. Nothing irritates me more than sloppy research. Mistakes are jarring, and yank the reader out of the story if they know what is correct. Some mistakes can’t be avoided, but I try to get things correct: types of fish found in the Mississippi River near St Louis, MO; moonrise time in October in Scotland; what British Army regiments fought in the Netherlands in WWII; age range for British soldiers fighting in the Falklands War and types of service medals awarded; what distinguishes a British barrister from a British solicitor, and what’s the difference in their duties, education, and how their cases are appointed; breeds of dogs and their personalities. Things like that. Some answers I have a difficult time getting, no matter how much I search online. When that happens, I cross my fingers and choose what I think sounds reasonable. But I try my hardest to get things correct. Most of the places I write about come from my own experience, so I can describe those well, but there again, I do plop down fictitious roads and such in my stories, so I can always blame mistakes on my invention!
About the best thing I ever heard, and what I’d like to pass on, is to not give up. It is so easy to get discouraged. Rejection is hard to take. Unless you’re the next JK Rowling, or Diana Gabaldon, or Stephen King, you might not get a huge book contract with your first book. Most of us struggle for years to get any type of notice from the reading public. It’s a long and hard process, but if you quit, you’ll never achieve your dream. So, please keep writing and submitting.
I still have book ideas, and I’ve written thirty-three books to date. I have ideas I know will never materialize into books, and I have ideas for several McLaren mysteries that I’ll get to in the near future. I’ve had ideas for an historical series, but I know that will never happen because I’m fearful of getting something wrong, like saying so-and-so was using a Colt revolver in 1800 but the gun wasn’t developed until 1835. I have enough problems with plotting and keeping my characters in line without adding to my potential errors!
“Mike, would you do me a favor?”
“If I can, of course. What?”
“Take the day off.”
“The day off?“
Melanie poured some milk into her tea and stirred it. The spoon made soft clinking sounds as it tapped against the china. “We could walk up the hill in Balquhidder, the one that’s associated with your clan. I’d love to see that. Or we could go into Callander, if you’d rather play the tourist. It’s also drowning in history. Or,” she added, her voice growing excited, “we could drive up to the Holy Pool. I’d very much like to see that. Maybe take a sack lunch and then drive north to Glencoe.” She hesitated, looking as if she shouldn’t have made the suggestions.
“I’d love to do those things with you.”
She smiled, grabbing his hand.
“But just not now. We’ll do our sightseeing when I’ve nabbed my friend’s killer.”
Melanie withdrew her hand, her smile fading. Nodding, she shifted her gaze and concentrated on her meal.
“I’ll be back today for tea. We can talk then. We’ll map out what we want to do…afterwards.” He cleared his throat, sensing things weren’t going too well between them. “After breakfast, you can think of things for us to do, and we’ll spend the evening together.”
She picked up her fork.
“I’m sorry, Melanie. I didn’t plan on our time up here to be like this. When I suggested coming to the Games I thought we would be spending the entire week together. I thought we would have a dinner with Nick, Colin and Simon, maybe drive over to Loch Lomond or up to Loch Ness, perhaps take in a concert or art exhibit in Stirling…” His voice broke off as she attacked the fish and hacked it into chunks. “Give me another day or two. I should be finished in two days…tops. Then we’ll do whatever you would like. A drive up the Great Glen road or take a boat to the Hebrides. You’ll love the islands.” He eyed her. She still didn’t look at him. “Please understand, De¾” He paused, catching himself in time. He had nearly called her Dear Heart. He took a breath, finishing with, “Please understand. I urged Simon to come here. I wish to hell I hadn’t, that I hadn’t accepted the performance invitation in the first place, but I did. And look what happened.”
She laid down the utensils and looked at him. “Mike¾”
“I know the police are working on it but that’s not enough for me. It’s too slow. The nerk might get away.” He wadded up the table napkin, his fingers practically strangling it. “It’s my fault he came. If he’d stayed home…” He took a breath, a vein in his neck throbbing. “I’m responsible for his death. I have to solve this, to avenge his passing.” His voice had risen, emphasizing his need and emotions. “Please don’t be cross. I… I couldn’t stand it if you were angry with me.”
She looked up, giving him a faint smile. “I’m not cross, Mike. I’m just…disappointed. Mainly in myself. I do this all the time. I envision something in the future, have myself convinced whatever it is will be exactly as I assume it will be, and then I’m frustrated and let down that it hasn’t turned out like my vision. It’s no one’s problem but mine. I shouldn’t do this, but I do. It’s as natural as breathing to me.” She slid her hand around his neck and pulled him close to her so that their faces were just inches apart. “We’ll have years yet of playing tourists together. I understand you need to find Simon’s killer. You won’t be fit to live with until you’ve caught him.”
“I’m sorry, Melanie. It’s the way I am. I can’t change. If I see someone in trouble, some injustice¾”
“I know. That’s one of the things I like about you. Now.” She touched his cheek. “Go on.”
He laid his fingers beneath her chin, tilted her face up, and kissed her on the forehead. He grabbed his leather jacket and left without looking back.
Fighting back the tears, she laid down her napkin and ran up the stairs to her room.
2 0 Read moreBook 1 of The Wandering Hearts Series
Travel Romance
Date Published: 01-23-2023
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Travel writer Dayna Benning tours Europe to write a feature story for a travel magazine. Along the way, she helps her bestie scatter her husband’s ashes. When Dayna accidentally sprinkles Alex Mendes with dried rose petals intended for the deceased, she senses a chemistry with the silver fox airline pilot. Just one catch—he wears a wedding band.
Embittered by her divorce, Dayna refuses to be a homewrecker, like the woman who ruined her marriage. Alex and Dayna go their separate ways, but she’s mystified when serendipitous signs point her toward him at every
turn. Determined to find out why, she learns Alex is a widower. Dayna hopes for a second chance at love…but her resentful heart stops her. Can she forgive those who broke her heart the first time? And for that matter, can she forgive herself for her failed marriage? Unless she finds a way to piece together her fragmented heart, Alex will forever remain a fantasy.
About the Author
LoLo Paige is an award-winning author who writes romantic suspense,
thrillers, and romantic comedies. Her romantic comedy, Hello Spain, Goodbye
Heart won an RWA chapter award for best romance in 2020, and her romantic
suspense romances about wildland firefighting have garnered several
independent publishing awards in for best romance.
She’s also a former wildland firefighter and books from her Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series have been featured and reviewed in Publishers Weekly Booklife Magazine. Her true story about escaping a runaway wildfire won a 2016 Alaska Press Club award.
Her books have ranked No. 1 on Amazon Bestseller Lists in global markets, including the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Lolo has decades of theatre experience acting in stage comedies, and comedy is her first love.
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TIKTOK: @lolopaigeauthor
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#5 The Debutante Dares Series
Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Steamy Romance
Date Published: August 25, 2022
Publisher: WOLF Publishing
In this sizzling opposites-attract Regency romance by Charlie Lane, a lady of passion and an earl of logic commit to a fake courtship as rakish as it is daring.
Lady Edith knows the sting of unrequited love, and now she wants only one thing—to marry a man who desires her or to never marry. But at the Season’s end, her father threatens to provide a husband if she cannot secure one herself. When a family friend saves her from the unwanted advances of one of their suitors, she falls a little bit in love. With his auburn hair and radical ideas about women, Griffin Paxton, the Earl of Eastern, is perfect. Except he doesn’t want her back.
Griffin will not be distracted by Lady Edith’s diamond-eyed beauty. He needs a wife to fulfill his dying father’s wish, and he needs her to be a model of propriety to repair the family reputation his rakish father sullied. When Lady Edith calls herself a rake, he knows she’ll never do. He’ll have to guard his attraction to her fiery spirit and open
heart behind thick ice walls and look elsewhere.
But when Edith suggests they forge a fake engagement to appease both their fathers, Griffin can’t refuse. She needs his help, and he never ignores a damsel in distress. Will a fake courtship bring out their rakish desires, or will it offer a home to two hurting hearts?
Full Debutante Dares Series:
Daring the Duke
The Debutante Dares Series, Book 1
A Dare too Far
The Debutante Dares Series, Book 2
Kiss or Dare
The Debutante Dares Series, Book 3
Don’t You Dare, My Dear
The Debutante Dares Series, Book 4
Only Rakes Would Dare
The Debutante Dares Series, Book 5
Daring Done Right
The Debutante Dares Series, Book 6
About the Author
Charlie Lane traded in academic databases and scholarly journals for
writing steamy Regency romcoms like the ones she’s always loved to
read. Her favorite authors are Jane Austen (who else?), Toni Morrison,
William Blake, Julia Quinn, and Maya Rodale.
Charlie writes unique stories with unconventional characters who push
against the rigid restrictions of their society. Officially, Charlie has a
Ph.D. in literature with a focus on the nineteenth-century novel and
children’s literature and answers to Professor. Unofficially, she’s a high-flying circus-obsessed acrobat, with an emphasis on two-tail silks and answers to Muscles Magee. She lives with her own Colonel Brandon, two little dudes, and a furry fella in East Tennessee.
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More info →A Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
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