On a dark night in False Creek, a distraught young woman jumps from the Granville Bridge. PI Dave Wakeland rescues Nicola Havoc from the water. Yet what seems like attempted suicide is even more sinister: Nicola is running away from someone. But who?

Soon Wakeland and his partner Jeff Chen are pulled into a case that leads from Vancouver’s back alleys to the hills of the Fraser Valley. Nicola may hold the key to unlocking a billion-dollar construction scandal and a gun-running ring—if Wakeland can protect her from her own violent family.

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Lawyers assume their clients don’t tell them everything.

Elle Moore assumes she’ll never escape her past.

Desperate for a fresh start, Elle jumps at the chance to work for Watson Clarke, a prestigious law firm offering a near-free path through law school. It’s everything she’s ever wanted.

There’s one complication: Tanner Clarke, the firm’s magnetic young heir.

Elle’s mother has spent years warning her daughter about lawyers, and her own ex proved those warnings right. Tanner should be the last man she lets close—but resisting him is harder than passing the bar on the first try. Tanner? He’s trying to find his footing in the shadow of his late father, but the moment Tanner meets the elusive Elle, he’s pulled into her orbit.

Their connection grows fast and bright until Elle meets Tanner’s mother.

Accusations fly. Old wounds split open. Suddenly, Elle is tumbling through a flood of hidden ties and painful truths, each one cracking the fragile trust between them.

Tanner reels as everything he thought he knew comes into question.

What did Elle know? Did she ever really love him?

Perfect Secrets is a standalone romance in the Perfect romance series by award-winning author Maria Jane.

Dive in to discover whether Elle and Tanner rise together or get pulled under by the secrets threatening to drown them both.

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When talented interior designer Minna Halonen returns to her idyllic northern hometown after decades away, she's ready for a fresh start. Recently divorced and with her daughter grown, Minna eagerly takes over Nordic Cozy, her mother Elsi's beloved home décor shop, embracing the hygge lifestyle and peaceful natural surroundings she'd forgotten she missed.

Partnering with her lifelong friend Christie, a creative event planner with an eye for detail, Minna pours her heart into transforming an old lakeside property into Hygge House—a cozy retreat for workshops, gatherings, and the perfect blend of Scandinavian comfort and woodland charm.

But on Grand Opening morning, Minna's dreams of a tranquil new beginning crumble when she discovers a dead body on her doorstep! With whispers spreading through Lakewood's tight-knit community and business grinding to a halt, Minna must channel her designer's eye for detail into amateur sleuthing.

Can this middle-aged entrepreneur catch a killer and restore harmony to her picturesque hometown? Or will Minna's second chance at happiness be cut tragically short?

Hygge and Homicide is the first book in the delightful Hygge House Cozy Mystery series—where murder meets Scandinavian comfort in a rustic northern town.

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Corporal Belvedere, a Mountie scarred by a brutal past, and Surgeon Virgil Montgomery, a newcomer haunted by his own doubts, are drawn into a murder investigation in the isolated settlement of Prince Albert. As winter’s grip tightens, the killing exposes a web of secrets buried beneath the snow, threatening to unravel the fragile order of the North-West Territories.

In a community steeped in mistrust, Belvedere’s unyielding quest for justice collides with Montgomery’s struggle to uphold his oath to do no harm. Each clue they uncover draws them deeper into a maze of deception, where allies and enemies blur and every step risks a deadly reckoning. As the ice on the North Saskatchewan River begins to crack, they must confront a truth that could cost them their lives—or their souls.

A gripping tale of vengeance and redemption, The Laundryman plunges you into a world where justice battles betrayal, and the truth lies buried in a frozen wilderness.

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Sydney Lowe’s life in New York is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to a meaningless affair with a client. Begging for forgiveness and vowing to prove his devotion, Curtis suggests the couple retreat to a remote hilltop house in Spain to repair their marriage. 

High above the Mediterranean, Sydney and Curtis are working on the isolated property and their relationship when a pair of Australian travelers turns up at their door in dire need of help. Lonely for companionship and desperate for free labor, Sydney and Curtis invite the attractive young couple to stay. But as the days pass, dark secrets come to light, the Lowes’ bond is tested, and not everyone will leave the villa alive.

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Seventeen-year-old Gracelyn Lassiter has been hiding in her aunt’s house for four years—since her mother plunged from the cliffs at Feroz Lighthouse, leaving her without her home, her best friend, or answers. Now, her father’s burned to death in his sailboat and left a confession:

“Your mother didn’t jump, I pushed her.”

The trauma triggers Gracelyn’s ability to see spirits so real she can’t tell who’s human and who’s a ghost—except for the gray-veiled Shadow Man who begs her to return to Feroz and find her mother's journal.

When her cruel cousin posts his confession on social media, Feroz seems like a safe place to escape. And if Gracelyn can see ghosts, she can conjure her mother’s spirit and hear the truth from her own lips. But her lighthouse haven is awash with spirits, secrets, and lies—and the closer Gracelyn gets to the truth, the more she realizes the dead aren’t the only ones desperate to keep the past in the past.

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Hiral is the Everfail, the weakest person on the flying island of Fallen Reach. He trains harder than any warrior. Studies longer than any scholar.

But all his people are born with magic powered by the sun, flowing through tattoos on their bodies. Despite having enormous energy within, Hiral is the only one who can’t channel it; his hard work is worth nothing.

Until it isn’t.

In a moment of danger, Hiral unlocks an achievement with a special instruction: Access a Dungeon to receive a Class-Specific Reward.

It’s his first—and maybe last—chance for real power. Just one problem: all dungeons lay in the wilderness below the flying islands that humanity lives on, and there lay secrets and dangers that no one has survived.

New powers await, but so do new challenges. If he survives? He could forge his own path to power.

If he fails? Death will be the least of his problems.

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Two sisters: divided by tragedy, united by steel. The incredible new novel in the Court of Shadows series by the bestselling author of TRAITOR'S BLADE and THE MALEVOLENT SEVEN!

Blood Week may have been banned in Rijou, but the streets still run red - and now murder is being sanctioned by the courts. Only a reckless fool would believe they can beat the system. But then, the Greatcoats have always been more than a little reckless . . .

Rijou's notorious Court of Blades is as corrupt as it is cutthroat, destroying lives with impunity. Now the city's all-powerful Ascendant Houses have started buying and selling verdicts to enslave and even execute those who oppose them.

Into this depraved world of licensed death comes a mysterious duellist who dares to foil the intrigues of the city's elite. They call her Lady Consequence, but years ago she had a different name, until her family was slaughtered and she was consigned to the hellish prison known as the House of Tears.

Lady Consequence means to rescue her idealistic younger brother, restore their House and wreak vengeance upon those who betrayed them. But a far more dangerous game is unfolding in the shadows, one which threatens the freedom of the entire nation.

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Two realms. One veil. A conflict that won’t stay buried.

Callum Walker never asked for power — and he certainly never asked for destiny.

Born with arcane abilities he barely understands, Callum is drawn into a secret magical world of monsters, ancient factions, and uneasy alliances. As his uncontrolled power grows, it attracts the attention of two ruthless brothers locked in a centuries-old war — one a sorcerer, the other a necromancer.

When an ancient prophecy names Callum as the one destined to end the bloodshed, he becomes both weapon and target. Hunted by enemies who want him dead and allies who want to use him, Callum must decide whether he can master his gifts — or be consumed by them.

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When young psychic Emma Jackson experiences a terrifying vision of a teenage girl being raped, she is shaken to the core. As her husband, David Harris, tries to comfort her, his worry increases when her shattered voice whispers, “Her name was Maggie.” David questions the wisdom of his team of investigators using the paranormal to solve cold cases.

Emma and David, and Bryan, a retired police office and his wife, Laura, have been working together with New Elgan Police Service to solve cold cases.

They learn that Maggie was a young woman who went missing twenty years ago and has moved on to the afterlife.

During a powerful séance, she takes over Emma’s body and demands the investigative team take on her case to find her children.

Except, at sixteen years of age at the time of her disappearance she had no children.

When the team uncovers a sinister baby ring where young women are kidnapped and forced to breed made-to-order children for the elite, they are shocked to learn their nemesis, the Dark Hands of Anubis is behind the human trafficking.

Emma insists on continuing the case, but isn’t Emma’s sanity and peace of mind worth more than solving a cold case from the beyond?

Revenge may not be enough … when the cost is way too high.

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Private investigator Jake Joelsen is going to prison for assaulting his sick mom’s abusive boyfriend, but thanks to a suspended sentence, he has two weeks to earn as much money as possible so he can financially support his mom when he’s inside.

Enter Nia Rowe, who hires Jake to find her troubled sister, Sadie, a member of a mega-church called Watershed Moments. 

Jake struggles to stay sober as he encounters old haunts he’s never come to terms with, while trying to rescue Sadie from the grip of powerful people willing to do anything to protect their place on the highest rungs of society.

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college ball shatter.

After consecutive failures on the court, in the classroom, and in her relationships, she’s done

playing the part of perfect daughter, perfect student, and perfect athlete. It’s time for a new life.

Enter Cassie Brentwood.

Bold. Reckless. Free. Cassie is everything Reese isn’t yet longs to be. They quickly become

friends and Cassie introduces her to Liam, a mysterious guy from Snapchat. Blinded by his love

bombing and the desperation to shed her perfect image, Reese plunges head first into their world.

It feels instantly thrilling… until it’s not.

Girls are disappearing from nearby towns, however no one in their quiet small town seems

concerned.

But when Liam’s behaviour grows darker, Reese’s new life begins to unravel. She ignores the

warnings. The red flags. The little voice screaming to her that something’s not right. Until she’s

far from home, trapped in a nightmare she can’t escape.

With no one left to trust, Reese has to fight to reclaim the life she was so eager to leave behind.

She wanted freedom. Now, she just wants to go home.

At least she has to try.

Told with searing honesty and lyrical depth, At Least I’m Trying is a poignant novel about mental

health, girlhood, and what happens when the version of yourself you’ve worked so hard to

become starts to fall apart.

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Refusing to wait for an investigation from the sidelines, Frank breaks protocol and follows a trail of clues that lead him into a shadowy underworld. As he digs deeper, he finds himself caught in an interconnected web of lies, cartels, cover-ups, corporate greed, and dangerous players who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.

With the body count rising and time running out, Frank must uncover the truth before he loses everything he loves.

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In a world where trillionaires assisted by powerful AIs call themselves gods, a world where miracles are engineered and secret technology is wired into the very air, James Kessler and Maree Shell stumble upon a conspiracy that defies possibility: the new gods’ plan to encode their consciousness into the world and seize control of reality itself, to literally become the gods they have so far only pretended to be.

From the world’s gleaming new AI-crafted cities to the crumbling ruins of the old ones, the two unlikely allies, one a childhood survivor of the Bad Times and the other a privileged daughter of wealth, must run a gauntlet of hostile AIs, vengeful modern-day gods, and mysterious ancient deities, desperately trying to disrupt the plans of the most powerful people who have ever lived. Nothing less than the fate of free will itself hangs in the balance.

A mind-bending cyberpunk thriller of rebellion and redemption, Gods of a New World is a visceral dive into the soul of a world on the brink.

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Featuring stories by Pam Barnsley, Linda Bennett, Clark Boyd, C.W. Blackwell, Amanda Capper, Susan Daly, James Patrick Focarile, Rand Gaynor, Gina X. Grant, Julie Hastrup, Beth Irish, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Jim McDonald, donalee Moulton, Michael Penncavage, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Debra Bliss Saenger, and Joseph S. Walker.

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Meanwhile, O'Shea’s obsession with the killer of his former partner, Sal, continues to haunt him. The elusive murderer has evaded justice for years, but O'Shea has always suspected something more—an untold truth buried beneath the surface. As he digs further, he uncovers a terrifying reality: the killer’s freedom isn’t just a coincidence—it’s the result of high-level corruption that runs far deeper than he ever imagined.

As the conspiracy begins to unravel, the threat intensifies, drawing in those closest to O'Shea. Detective Sergeant Amanda Black, one of the few who knows the whole story, becomes the target of an assassination attempt. With her pending promotion and O'Shea’s growing addiction-fueled paranoia, he starts to wonder if he can still trust her—especially if she’s crossing over.

Haunted by years of policing that have left him physically and emotionally scarred, O'Shea is worn down by the weight of it all. Torn between his duty and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, he struggles to hold on as the stakes rise and the lines between right and wrong blur. He must decide whether to keep fighting—or walk away, knowing the cop killer who took Sal’s life still roams free.

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One fateful night during a sudden snowstorm, Emma forges a connection with Sarah, a girl who navigates the treacherous high school terrain of 2001. In this improbable friendship, they bond through the digital ether, supporting each other's struggles at the same school, in the same town, while separated by two decades.

The friendship becomes a lifeline for both girls. Their lives bear striking similarities, yet the differences are equally profound. While Sarah is spared from the perils of social media, she gains self-assurance and begins to discover herself. In contrast, Emma’s struggles intensify as she faces dire consequences for her actions online and misguided romantic entanglements.

Sarah watches helplessly as Emma's life unravels, yearning to help but bound by the constraints of time. Emma’s perilous descent accelerates, and the danger of not receiving the help she desperately needs looms large. Sarah, trapped twenty years in the past, must find a way to intervene before it’s too late.

This gripping tale of bridging the gap between eras explores the enduring power of human connection, the complexities of teenage life, and the lengths to which a stranger will go to save a life.

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While J. Robert Oppenheimer and his Manhattan Project team struggle to develop the atomic bomb, Edward Teller wants something even more devastating: a weapon based on nuclear fusion — the mechanism that powers the sun. But Teller’s research leads to a terrifying discovery: by the mid-21st century, the sun will eject its outermost layer, destroying the entire planet Earth.

Oppenheimer combines forces with Albert Einstein, Hans Bethe, Freeman Dyson, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, Leo Szilard, John von Neumann, and Kurt Gödel — plus rocket scientist Wernher von Braun — in a race against time to save our planet.

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Because, like the legendary phantom semi of this book's titular story, these stories will creep up on you and overtake you without warning.

Edo van Belkom twists his unique perspective and droll, black sense of humor into twisted observations of the sad, violent, and ironic sides of life in this special 25th anniversary release of a compilation of his most beloved horror stories.

With a voice and range that has drawn comparisons of Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Stephen King, van Belkom takes the reader down a most unique highway that breaths new life into classic horror tropes, all the while maintaining the essence of the best of a combination of "The Twilight Zone" and the old E.C. horror comics of the 1950s.

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Maturing into a confident leader, prepared to take on the world, the rightful heir to the Willow Throne is faced with a fierce battle if she is ever to assume her mother's place.

Denied by the infamous dragon, Grimclaw, Ouderling seeks the aid of the King of the Dwarfs. Embarking on a journey to a mysterious castle inhabited by ghosts, she experiences a terrifying encounter with the White Witch.

Haunted by the prophecy of the Fae, Ouderling must overcome the fear of an impending tragedy if she is to have any chance of saving the world from the encroaching darkness of the Dragon Witch Wraith.

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Medieval people are often portrayed as having poor hygiene and table manners―licking their knives or throwing chicken bones on the floor. In the Middle Ages, however, such behavior was not tolerated. Medieval society cherished order in nearly every facet of life, from regular handwashing to daily prayer. There were consequences if you didn’t adhere to the rules of good behavior: you wouldn’t be invited to the lord’s next dinner, you wouldn’t win the battle, and you wouldn’t win the lady.

Author Daniele Cybulskie explores the world of medieval etiquette, encompassing table manners and interpersonal relationships as well as running a household and ruling a kingdom. With wit and insight, Cybulskie draws on a wide variety of primary sources, from handbooks for young knights to romantic poems. Though we may no longer need best practices for things like dueling or ordering about our servants, the principles of generosity, kindness, and respect still apply today. After all, it’s a good reminder to “not talk when you have food in your mouth” and “anything you say should be entertaining, polite, and sophisticated.”

Illustrated with original drawings by Anna Lobanova as well as eighty medieval artworks, Chivalry and Courtesy is full of good advice for everyone, whether you are a peasant or a knight, a student or a CEO, a king or a queen.

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The people in Frankie Morgan’s life say she’s angry. Emotionally stunted. Combative. But really, who can blame her? It’s hard being nice when your clients are insufferable, your next-door neighbor is a miserable woman and the cowardly driver who killed your mother is still out living it up somewhere.

Somehow, though, she finds herself at her very first anger-management group session—drinking terrible coffee and learning all about how “forgiveness is a process.”

One that starts with a list.

Frankie is skeptical. A list of everyone who’s wronged her in some way over the years? More paper, please. Still, she makes the pointless list—with her own name in a prominent spot—and promptly forgets about it…until it goes missing. And one by one, the people she’s named start getting hurt in freak accidents, each deadlier than the last.

Could it be coincidence giving her the revenge she never dared to seek…or something more sinister?

If Frankie doesn’t find out who’s behind it all, she might be next.

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Special Agent Alexandra Martel has put her days on the battlefield behind her. Charming and disarming, relentless and lethal, she earned a reputation as one of the most renowned and decorated Army snipers in the service before stepping away. But when Alex, now an FBI special agent on loan to Interpol, learns that an old friend, an MI5 officer, has been killed under mysterious circumstances, she’s pulled back into the dangerous world she left behind: a world where some people fear her, some want to recruit her, and everyone seems to want her dead.

Following a trail of clues left behind by the dead woman, Alex pieces together a terrifying conspiracy that only escalates when a nuclear warhead goes missing. Dodging death at every turn, she reluctantly joins forces with a CIA officer, but he has plans of his own for her—and will stop at nothing to achieve them.

Chasing the truth through the streets of London and bustling Turkish markets to the underbelly of Paris, Alex is unrelenting in her pursuit of justice. But as the clock ticks down and the world edges closer to doom, she must fall back on her Special Ops skills to stop the unthinkable. She thought her life as a sniper was over—but with stakes this high, she must use whatever means necessary to render the world safe.

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Shamed by demonstrators as a “tree-killer,” Clayoquot Sound tree faller Bruce Hornidge faced soul-searing losses of identity and family livelihood. This gripping, irony-laden memoir of a life spent harvesting in the beauty of the forest deals frankly with the nearly invisible human fallout of the inevitable move away from a resource-based economy and the impact on one man’s psyche.

Hornidge recalls his career as a faller in the West Coast forestry industry from the unique and sometimes irreverent point of view of the many loggers in Ucluelet and Tofino whose forestry careers were cut short on the other side of the demonstrators’ picket lines amid government and company doublespeak.

Three decades after The War in the Woods, we think we know what happened, and we’ve been told why. Here’s what we were never told.

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Tree planters on the run from parasitic insects. A physicist who has become the target of a murderous airline. Teenagers trapped in a museum with an eldritch horror. An escaped pit fighter thrust into a desperate stand at a sagging mountain fortress. And a luckless cowboy sailing across a sea of grass to the bloody resurrection of an elder god. Welcome to Joel McKay's It Came from the Trees and Other Violent Aberrations, a collection of five page-turners as strange, disparate and bloody as their titles suggest.

So, grab a stiff drink, turn the lights down low, settle into your favorite reading nook and enjoy this brief but memorable collection of tales from one of the newest voices in Canadian pulp fiction.

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Accompanied by Dai, an artificial human created by one of the mad thaumaturges of Olliphract to be part of the wizards’ deadly war games, she sets out on the perilous journey. But the object she is sent to collect turns out to be one of the abandoned, semi-sentient tools the demiurge used to create the cosmos in which she lives. It’s the kind of entity that can become a god. And other forces seek to possess it for their own purposes.

One challenge leads to another, leading Reder to embark on an even more dangerous quest, to the far northern rim of the world where she must awaken a powerful godlet that just wants to be left to dream in peace.

Along the way, she must contend with the assassins’ guild, secret agents of the Duke of Vanderoy, corruptible officials, a pair of quarreling, elderly wizard brothers, an ensorcelled flying reptile, ogres, cannibal weremen, and a surprise visitor who has the power to upend all of Phenomenality.

Through it all, Reder keeps her eyes on the prize: to move up in the world and make her own destiny.

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Barbara has always had an uncanny ability to read others, but her full empathic skills emerge only after a part of her soul is crystalized into a flaming red gem. Desperate to escape her soul-crushing suburban life and to reconnect with the mysterious man who made her gem, she makes her way on foot through the terrifying NY subway tunnels to find an abandoned station.

Zoltan is a gem maker who lives an existence of opulent bitterness. Along with a network of other agents, his job is to catch souls and form them into magnificent jewels. He works with referrals only, and how his clients – rising CEOs, ambitious politicians, vainglorious religious leaders -- are selected is of no concern to him. He is 110 years old. While Zoltan’s contract with the hideous Mester – who may or may not be human – promises him wealth and extended life, it also prohibits him from touching another person, or even sharing his true name.

Zoltan risks everything to discover the true nature of the sinister cabal he has been part of.

Their base of operations is a long-forgotten 1873 subway terminal, now transformed into the Market, a hidden community of seers, shapeshifters, artisans with extraordinary skills, keepers of ancient knowledge. From here Barbara and Zoltan follow leads that take them to the ruin bars and dark alleys of Budapest in a desperate race to find the truth and neutralize the Mester before he kills them.

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You can run. You can hide. But in the end, the past catches up with you.

Lana, a young mother who suffered a traumatic event 11 years ago, has been living under an assumed name. When she visits her hometown to check if it’s safe to reclaim her identity, Lana suffers several mishaps. Then, her parents are killed in a car crash. Lana blames herself and her past mistakes until she discovers her mom and dad weren’t who they claimed to be, leading her to suspect their secrets may be responsible for their deaths.

Lana returns to her family’s native Croatian village to visit her grandmother in hopes of learning the truth about her parents and the reason they died. When she meets the villagers, they slam their doors in Lana’s face at the mention of her father. Meanwhile, the near misses that happened back home follow her to Croatia, as does a tall, dark stranger.

Lana probes into the village’s past and uncovers a cold case and a decades-old curse, bringing out the ghosts of the past and putting herself in the same danger her parents ran from years ago.

Book 2

Following a horrific event twelve years ago, Cheryl MacGregor disappeared from the city where she grew up and moved to a remote northern town, assuming a new identity with her husband, Jim. She thought she was safe from the danger that led her to flee—until her parents’ deaths last year.

When Jim’s receptionist, Julia, mysteriously vanishes from her home, Cheryl teams up with Detective Scott Evans for two reasons: to find Julia and to write the exclusive report that will advance Cheryl’s career as a journalist. While investigating the possibility that Julia’s disappearance may be linked to strange happenings at an abandoned mine, Cheryl uncovers a connection to her own former life, reminding her that the threat to her family is still out there.

As wildfires threaten the town, Cheryl and Detective Evans race against the encroaching smoke to find Julia before it’s too late. When the investigation hits too close to home, Cheryl must face the reality that she may never be lost enough to escape her past.

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Sometimes, it’s about doing the right thing. Sometimes, it’s about getting even. Sometimes, it’s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, it’s your last, best chance. Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and featuring stories by Christina Boufis, John Bukowski, Brenda Chapman, Susan Daly, Wil A. Emerson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, Molly Wills Fraser, Gina X. Grant, Karen Grose, Wendy Harrison, Julie Hastrup, Larry M. Keeton, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Gregory Meece, Cate Moyle, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Kevin R. Tipple, and Robert Weibezahl.

Judy Penz Sheluk

A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries, both of which have been published in multiple languages. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she edited. With a passion for understanding the ins and outs of all aspects of publishing, Judy is also the founder and owner of Superior Shores Press, which she established in February 2018. Her most recent work, Finding Your Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide, provides an insider’s insight into the publishing world.

Judy is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, Sisters in Crime International, Sisters in Crime – Guppies, Sisters in Crime – Toronto, International Thriller Writers, Inc., the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors, most recently as Chair.

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Sometimes, it’s about doing the right thing. Sometimes, it’s about getting even. Sometimes, it’s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, it’s your last, best chance. Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and featuring stories by Christina Boufis, John Bukowski, Brenda Chapman, Susan Daly, Wil A. Emerson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, Molly Wills Fraser, Gina X. Grant, Karen Grose, Wendy Harrison, Julie Hastrup, Larry M. Keeton, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Gregory Meece, Cate Moyle, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Kevin R. Tipple, and Robert Weibezahl.

Brenda Chapman

Brenda Chapman is a Canadian crime fiction author with over twenty published novels. In addition to short stories and standalone, she has written the lauded Stonechild and Rouleau police procedural series, the Anna Sweet mystery novellas, and the Jennifer Bannon mysteries for middle grade. Blind Date is the first in her Hunter and Tate mysteries. Her work has been shortlisted for several awards, including four Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence.

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To follow along with my journey, check out my "sister" website Author Versus AI. I'll be doing fun things to mark my journey throughout the course of the year, such as posting summaries of the books I'm working on, fun tidbits about genres and tips about writing, as well as updating my word count daily. There MIGHT even be a few silly pictures here and there. You never know.

On top of that, you'll get a sneak preview of the books themselves because I plan (as long as technology cooperates) to post short videos at the end of each week that will feature me reading an excerpt from the "hot off the typewriter" book I've been working on for that week.

Also, look out for me in and around the Edmonton, Alberta area. I'll be doing readings and giving workshops at various places and literary conferences, as well as having "office hours" at local libraries if you'd like to come see the writer at work. I'll be posting a schedule once I've gotten into the groove of things with the writing and feel ready to take my show on the road. I'm also a scheduled guest at several upcoming podcasts, so if you're not anywhere near Canada, you can still hear me chat about Author Versus AI online or on streaming services.

I keep saying that I'll be running a Kickstarter soon, which I will be (soon being a relative term). I'll be raising funds to pay the NON-AI (read: human) creatives who have signed up to participate in creating lovely artwork for the covers of my lovely books. And there will be all sorts of fun rewards if you support the project, such as being a character in a book or getting a one-on-one Zoom session to edit your own work or give you some targeted advice about writing. So, stay tuned for an announcement about that too.

Phew! Lots of things going on, but the first thing that's going to happen with me right now: writing like mad to get my word count in for today. Happy writing, all!

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Scona must choose. Protect her father, or embrace the darkness she's been trained to destroy...

Despite warnings from family and friends, Scona Tinay enrolls in Silencers Academy.

To escape a life of poverty and hardship and ensure a stable future, Scona sets her sights on the Silencers, where the students earn a wage. She soon learns her fellow students are cutthroat and the training regimen brutal.

As Scona heads deeper into her training, she begins to question the role of Silencers, as well as the "madness" she is being taught to destroy. But each question she asks brings her under suspicion, and she soon discovers the only person she can trust is herself.

Unable to change the culture of her world, where mental ailments are deemed dangerous, she must embrace all manner of skill and courage to protect her own father...

Someone she has been training to kill.

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Or, in Mercury’s case, not.

To help her fellow stranded colonists of Mercury survive starvation and a breakdown of order, Adelheid fights some cold equations and makes some hard choices, ending up wearing an iron crown as queen of one of the rail cities of Mercury, constantly moving to stay ahead of the Sun.

Fifty years later, Adelheid’s granddaughter, Frieda, is a seventeen-year-old princess who would rather be an engineer. Frieda’s life is shattered when a suspicious accident takes one of her arms—and is then turned upside-down when her mother dies from that accident. Frieda is left a young and vulnerable queen, locking horns with her grandmother, who is now regent and dowager.

When the Earth makes contact again, after fifty years of silence, Frieda is eager to end Mercury’s isolation, but Adelheid is suspicious of the Earth’s sudden return, and wary of the other latitude towns’ desires to accept all that the Earth is offering, without question.

With thousands of lives on the line, is it wise to hope for healing? Or are we forever defined by what we do in the dark?

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And who hated the man enough to kill him twice?

Ryan and Billy once again face a complex investigation with wit and intelligence, all set in Belfast and the richly atmospheric countryside around it.

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Jerry Langton, one of Canada’s best known crime authors, follows Dave’s incredible trip while exposing the inner workings of the Canadian drug trade, weapons trade, crime organizations, police investigations and judicial system. Dave became as the president of a major biker gang chapter, robbed a powerful Russian gangster, occupied a maximum-security prison cell next to the notorious Paul Bernardo, struggled to find ways to hide all of his cash, drove cars worth as much as a suburban house without ever having a license and frequently taunted those in law enforcement who never found a way to shut down his drug business.

The most incredible part of the whole story is that all of it was happening right under the noses of frustrated police services and naive neighbors. From a trip to Home Depot to pick up burglary tools to the purchase of a grenade launcher powerful enough to take down a large house, Dave plied his trade with almost total impunity

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The Mester is dead or maimed and the black stone used to control his network of gem makers is in Barbara and Zoltan’s hands. But as Zoltan discovered in the ruin bars of Budapest from a former associate, who turned up beheaded and his hands cut off, the Mester was just a small part of a much larger cabal, an ancient Order dating back to Aristotle and beyond. The Order has one goal: to convince the populace that there are masters divinely intended to rule and slaves meant only to obey.

Using magic and sorcery, both ancient and modern, they will stop at nothing to protect the rule of the aristoi.

But this time the “slaves” are fighting back, drawing on the knowledge and skills from many traditions and backgrounds, including magic of their own, to battle this shadowy cabal and its message of fear, division and hopelessness.

In The Tunnels of Buda Zoltan, the 110-year-old gem maker and Barbara, empath and gem wielder, veer in new and terrifying directions, facing evil on an unimagined scale. They are drawn to the lair of the Justin, so powerful he controls the minds of all around him and who commands the Company, a hidden underground futuristic complex that serves as the hub of the Order’s monstrous conspiracy to enact the darkest of Nietzsche’s Weltanschauung.

Barbara and Zoltan find new allies and diabolical enemies as they fight for their lives in the mines and ancient tunnels deep below Buda Castle in Budapest.

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On a cold, snowy evening in northern Ontario, Sarah Roberts has gone missing. When the snowstorm clears, a search party begins the arduous job of trekking through the wintry Canadian forests in search of her car.

They find her vehicle in a deep ditch, hidden from the road and covered in snow. The passenger door is open, there’s blood on the steering wheel, and signs that someone was dragged from the car.

Frustrated and panicked, Parkman, Aaron, and Alex band together to hunt for Sarah before she dies in the minus temperatures of a freezing Canadian winter.

When the authorities call to say they’ve found the body of a female who matches Sarah’s description, they’re confused. How could Vivian allow Sarah to die? Could it really be the body of Sarah Roberts?

Determined to find answers and save Sarah—they refuse to believe she’s dead—the three men begin a hunt through cottage country, breaking every law possible to get answers.

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From the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts must come together to fight an unknown enemy - but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . . and someone's setting the seven up for a fall.

Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Yep. Behold the mighty wizard.

Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent.

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When Logan Twofeathers takes on the job of head of engineering on Kwelengsen, the first habitable planet discovered by Earth, he thinks he’s leaving conflict far behind. But when he investigates the loss of a deep-space communications relay, his ship is attacked and crash-lands back on the planet.

With his new home destroyed by the invaders, Logan is stranded deep in the frozen mountains with an injured sergeant who hates him almost as much as the enemy. Against the ever-present threat of capture, he must battle his way through icy surroundings in a treacherous attempt to find his wife.

And when he's forced to ally himself with a disparate group of soldiers and their uncompromising captain, Logan must face the reality that he may have lost everything—and everyone—he loves. Will he choose to fight? And what will it cost him?

Kwelengsen Storm is the first in a gripping, new sci-fi thriller series from the author of the Joe Ballen novels.

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In Scotland Lane finds her grandfather on the mend but her estranged sister Diana caught up in stressful―and mysterious―circumstances of her own. As Lane follows the thread leading from South Africa to Aberdeen to the War Office in London it becomes apparent that her sister is on the run, and that keeping secrets seems to be a Winslow family trait.

Back at the Nelson Police station a strange assemblage of clues begins to amass around the Arden case, stretching from the local printshop all the way back to the Great War. But progress is interrupted when the mayor himself issues a demand that Darling travel to England to tie up a decades-old mystery with local connections. True to form, upon Darling’s arrival in London he is quickly swept up in Lane’s mission, which threatens to endanger the entire family.

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It didn’t matter. In an era when lawyers were banned from practising in New France, Angélique was on her own. She denied starting the fire. Philippe Archambeau, a court clerk assigned specifically to document her case, believed Angelique might just be telling the truth. That belief only got stronger after Angélique was tortured – and finally confessed. Her captors used the brodequins to crush Angélique’s leg. Her spirit remained indomitable.

As Angélique was paraded through the streets of Montreal, Incendiare embroidered across the front of her white chemise, Archambeau finally realized what really happened the night Montreal burned to the ground.

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Schitt’s Creek meets Only Murders in the Building in this sparkling debut mystery.

It’s the grand opening of The Pearl B&B in Hudson Valley, and owner Jess Byrne has prepared the ultimate, Insta-worthy welcome, complete with her ex-boyfriend—reality singing sensation Lars Armstrong—performing live. As guests check in and mimosas are poured, Lars arrives with his stepdad-turned-manager Bob in tow. But things go south when Bob is found dead, and Lars is the prime suspect.

After a desperate plea from Lars, and knowing the reputation of her B&B is at stake, Jess agrees to help clear Lars’ name, but the more she digs, the less sure she is that he’s innocent. Especially when he’s found at the scene of another murder.

With the guests under lockdown, the B&B in the press for all the wrong reasons, and a killer on the loose, Jess is in over her head. With the help of her best friend and business partner Kat, Jess is determined to uncover the truth before Lars is put behind bars and The Pearl is permanently cancelled.

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In the captivating sequel of To Kill a King, ancient magic collides with modern trickery, when a Wicca high priest embarks on a thrilling journey to defy the boundaries of time and challenge the very fabric of destiny. This gripping urban fantasy novel follows Estrada who, armed with extraordinary powers, ventures into the past hoping to alter Michael Stryker’s future. A maelstrom of unforeseen events unfolds, weaving an intricate web of chaos that changes the course of history itself. For in the intricate tapestry of time, even the most well-intentioned actions can have devastating consequences.

While attempting to prevent the tragic outcome of To Render a Raven, Estrada struggles with the complexities of love, archaeologist Sorcha O’Hallorhan slips into her own time warp with a woman she once adored, and Conall Ceol, an Iron Age Druid bard, walks into the future to challenge Michael Stryker for Estrada’s attention.

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The road to publishing is paved with good intentions…and horror stories of authors who had to learn the hard way.

For the emerging author, the publishing world can be overwhelming. You’ve written the book, and you’re ready to share it with the world, but don’t know where to start. Traditional, independent press, hybrid, self-publishing, and online social platforms—all are valid publishing paths. The question is, which one is right for you?

Finding Your Path to Publication is an introduction to an industry that remains a mystery to those on the outside. Learn how each publishing option works, what to expect from the process start to finish, how to identify red flags, and avoid common pitfalls. With statistics, examples, and helpful resources compiled by an industry insider who’s been down a few of these paths, this is your roadmap to decide which path you’d like to explore, and where to begin your author journey.

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But their journey takes a spine-chilling turn when they encounter a gang of men who stare at Jane as if they recognize her. That can only mean one thing: they’ve met her in a dream she has yet to experience. When the gang begins stalking her, Jane realizes she must have witnessed a deadly event. But what could it be? She slips into hiding and waits for the disturbing dream to arrive.

And now her BFF, Sadie Prescott, is dating a cop whose curiosity about Jane leads him to unearth the mysterious deaths that litter her past. When his latest investigation crosses paths with Jane’s stalkers, Jane must intervene and turn the skeptical cop into a believer before he kills himself and causes the deaths of his entire law enforcement team.

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Boom Boom’s Last Call is influenced by characters like James Sallis’ Lew Griffin, Robert Crais’s Elvis Cole and a young Dave Robicheaux—men who know that words like honor and duty have become a punch line…but they just don’t get the joke.

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With inspiration from her own life, Kalee Boisvert has developed an easy-to-use system for women, young and old, to take control of their finances.

Make Money Your Thing is an approachable guide to take women on a journey from avoidance and overwhelm to feeling comfortable and in control of their finances. This book provides simple action steps to learn the basics of money management, understand the importance of balancing the books, and embrace the uniqueness of your own personal situation. The end result is women feeling good about where their finances are right now, and building a solid foundation for where you want to go in the future. When money is your “thing” you can feel completely at ease about making it work for you–and feel confident that your financial goals and dreams are all very possible.

With clear, simple steps, and easy-to-follow instructions, you’ll be making money your thing in no time!

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In 2059 two very different groups have their minds uploaded into a quantum computer in Waterloo, Ontario.

One group consists of astronauts preparing for Earth’s first interstellar voyage. The other? Convicted murderers, serving their sentences in a virtual-reality prison.

But when disaster strikes, the astronauts and the prisoners must download back into physical reality and find a way to work together to save Earth from destruction.

The Downloaded debuted in a six-month exclusive window as an Audible Original narrated by Academy Award-winner Brendan Fraser promoted by national TV and radio ad campaigns. This print edition is coming out immediately after Audible’s exclusivity ends and is being supported by a six-city cross-Canada author book tour.

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The problem is A. J. (Alison Jane) Cadell can’t remember Grandma or her house.

Dreaming of becoming a best-selling romance novelist, Alison is invited to Beech Grove, British Columbia to be a Writer-in-Residence and reside at Thistlewood Manor for a month. When a resident of the manor is found dead, Alison is drawn into a mystery involving a grandmother she doesn’t remember, a father she thought was long dead, and a handsome firefighter who could be the link to solving the mystery.

Will someone be after her next?

Reviews:

"Written in Stone is author Diane Bator’s first novel in her latest mystery series. The book is fast paced and engaging, revealing layer after layer of mystery." - Angela Van Breeman

"With pulse-pounding peril, sharply-plotted mystery, and a delicious touch of romance, Written in Stone is a deeply satisfying read." -- Kathleen Marple Kalb (Nikki Knight) Author of the Old Stuff, Ella Shane, Grace the Hit Mom and Vermont Radio Mysteries

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David “Kick” Tacker is a Canadian-born—but American-made—stone-cold killer, and is barely holding his psyche together; shattered by years of war and violence. He fought in MACV-SOG’s secret war in Vietnam until there was no more war to be made, and then sustained himself with clandestine work around the world.

Now living in Vancouver, Kick has one goal holding him together: to finally expose Canada’s covert involvement in the Vietnam War before those dark secrets are hidden forever.

With the help a local reporter and his Agency handlers, Kick races to make the story public, all while being pursued by a mysterious assassin and their team.

The War Machine takes us from the savage jungles of the Vietnam War to its explosive climax in the seedy back streets of Vancouver, where Kick will either get the story to print, or die in the battle to expose the truth.

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A deadly blast of unknown energy strikes a jetliner over the Pacific Ocean.

Hostile aliens? Or a new and unthinkably powerful form of Earth life?

An ingenious troubleshooter, a reluctant psychic, a bionic xenobiologist, a brilliant engineer, and a blind psychologist will descend to the depths in a prototype submarine habitat, facing the most inhospitable environment on the planet to attempt a First Contact.

Before the nuclear nations of the world take matters into their own hands.

The critical question is: are they investigators? Ambassadors?

Or just bait.

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But when one of Violet’s investigations leads her to commit an act of treachery, she unwittingly aides a murderous plot. Seventy years later, the killer has yet to be caught.

In 2009, a widowed Violet returns to the hotel, now in ruins. Her intention is to solve this cold case. The scene of the crime reveals new clues and revives old memories, including that of her lost family and her own sexual awakening. Now, confronting her final years, Violet is desperate to make peace with her ghosts, even if she may be seventy years too late.

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Revenge is timeless. But so are the consequences.

David Harris has been haunted by relentless nightmares since childhood. No psychiatrist or specialist has been able to help. But when he meets Emma Jackson, an alluring young psychic, she leads him to a hypnotherapist who unlocks something far more terrifying than he ever imagined.

Under hypnosis, David relives the chilling memories of his past life—one that ended in murder. His killer is still alive. And he may be hunting again.

Torn between justice and the future he’s building with Emma, David faces an impossible choice:

Let the past lie, or risk everything to stop his murderer once and for all.

A gripping blend of crime fiction and the supernatural, this novel will leave readers questioning the price of revenge—and the weight of unfinished lives.

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Ashme is a New Mesopotamian—a “Meso.” She dreams of being a hero, fighting against the brutal Ostarrichi ruling her country. She is an indigo child, her DNA modified by sentient AI, enabling her to control computer systems at will. With this power, she has something to offer the Meso resistance. Her twin brother, Shen, however, suffers from a neurological disorder and needs someone to care for him. Increasingly, that task falls on her.

How can she become the hero her people need when her brother’s needs are overwhelming? If she continues caring for Shen while joining the resistance, she risks leading Ostarrichi forces to her home. If she leaves, then looking after Shen will fall to her cousin, who is already overworked caring for his frail grandmother.

As her society collapses into violence, Ashme must choose between her fellow Mesos, her family, and her values.

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The circumstances of her death overshadow her life, and in The Last Dance of Mary Kelly , E. David Brown imagines for her a life and occupation beyond the "prostitute" label typically attributed to her. Having fled poverty in Ireland, Mary Kelly finds employment in a textile factory where she becomes embroiled in the workers' movement, and the investigations of American journalist, Bryson Ward. Victorian London doesn't "shine" in this novel of intrigue and historical injustices; rather, it seeps into the skin like a coal-infused fog, and keeps you hooked. Because you might think you know the history, but until you turn the final page you won't know the whole story.

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Uncovering a chilling note on the body meant for his friend and taekwondo master, Mr. Kim, William is thrust into an investigation far darker than he could ever have imagined.

The message confirms Kim’s sister, Mi-Cha, is still alive and is desperate to escape North Korea and her domineering husband, now head of Bureau 39.

But Kim needs William’s assistance to bring Mi-Cha to safety.

Even with help from William’s friend, FBI Agent Patrick Reilly, can Mi-Cha be rescued in time before she disappears for good?

If you are a fan of political thrillers and investigative dramas you will be thrown into a narrative packed with action, emotion, and tension, culminating in a satisfying showdown that will leave you craving more from Inspector William Fox and his team.

Deadly, dark, and action-packed, this thriller has everything to keep you on edge.

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