If you’re a horse lover, you’re in luck today. Author Alan Evans tops today’s Buffet with his first novel, Spirit Horses.
Alan is a longtime rodeo veteran and horse trainer. He first competed in high school, then progressed to intercollegiate and professional rodeo. Later, he learned the centuries-old craft of saddle making, and spent a decade operating his own custom saddle shop. Alan and his wife own and operate a small animal veterinary hospital, along with a horse show production business, on their farm in northern Florida.
His main character in Spirit Horses, Shane Carson, is a horse trainer, too.
Alan began writing Spirit Horses purely for fun, and had no intention of publishing. But as his project progressed, Alan realized he had a worthwhile manuscript after three years of work. His inspiration for the novel was a news feature he happened to watch on a TV news broadcast about a man who had lost his wife and two small children in a plane crash. “As a family man, I couldn’t fathom how I might deal with such an unthinkable tragedy,” Alan said. “I felt so much empathy for the guy, but I was also inspired by his incredible strength of character.”
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Spirit Horses
Literary Fiction
Author: Alan Evans
In the hills of Tennessee, Shane Carson, a gifted, nationally-recognized horseman, is living the good life. When a mysterious mustang shows up on his farm, Shane doesn’t know how—or why—the horse appeared, but the horse’s distinctive brand identifies her. She is one of the Spirit Horses, a rare, wild herd that runs free on the Shoshone reservation in Wyoming. Watched over for centuries in the tribe’s ancestral valleys, these exquisite horses, according to belief, provide a link to the afterlife.
When tragedy strikes in his life, Shane nearly loses his will to live—but for one promise he made to his young son: to return the mustang to her rightful home.
On this bittersweet journey, Shane finds a world where tradition reigns, and ancient beliefs transcend modern logic. In this magnificent expanse of blue sky and wide open spaces, love is alive, but hate, intolerance, and greed threaten to close in.
To make good on his vow, Shane must face the danger that threatens these horses, the tribe’s legacy, and his destiny.
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Cades Cove: The Curse of Allie Mae (Cades Cove Series #1)
Horror > Occult
Author: Aiden James
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Buried deep in a ravine in the picturesque Smoky Mountains is a very dark secret. David Hobbs, vacationing with his wife Miriam, inadvertently stumbles upon a small cloth ‘keepsake’ bag and a broken tooth. A human tooth. Miriam begs David to hand the bag and tooth over to park officials, but he ignores his wife’s pleas and secretly keeps the ‘harmless’ items. The action opens a doorway that had been closed for nearly a hundred years and unleashes hell on earth, or at least hell in the lives of David and Miriam.
Following the brutal murder of his best friend in Denver, and an aborted attack on his oldest son, David desperately seeks to understand why a mysterious teenage girl has chosen to terrorize him and the males closest to him. To prevent further devastation to his family and end the wanton bloodshed, he returns to the enchanted hills of eastern Tennessee, where a terrible truth awaits discovery…one that forces him to face the consequences for the unpaid sins of his ancestors.
Seventh Dimension – The Door
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Lorilyn Roberts
The first book in a series that combines contemporary, historical and fantasy elements into a Christian “coming of age” story.
A curse put on Shale Snyder, because of a secret, shrouds her with insecurity and fear. Following suspension from school, Shale’s best friend isn’t allowed to see her anymore, and she feels abandoned by her family. When a stray dog befriends her, she follows it into the woods. There she discovers a door that leads to another world — a garden with talking animals, demonic underlings, forbidden love, and a king unlike any other. Can Shale overcome her past, defeat the underlings, and embrace her eternal destiny?
Fatal February (Mary Magruder Katz)
Mystery > Women Sleuths
Author: Barbara Levenson
- $2.99 List Price
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For half Jewish, half Southern Baptist Miami criminal defense attorney Mary Macgruder Katz, life starts to spin completely out of control when a minor fender bender turns out to be an unlikely shot from Cupid’s bow.
Carlos Martin, the other car’s driver, isn’t just a distracted driver; he’s distracting. Carlos is charming, handsome, and mysterious. Hardly before she knows what hit her, Mary breaks off her engagement, jumps into a sizzling romance with Carlos, gets fired from her former fiancé’s highbrow law firm, starts her own practice, and lands her first client, Lillian Yarmouth.
But Lillian isn’t just any client; she’s the prime suspect in what’s become the Miami society murder of the year.
Conspiracy of Silence
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Martha Powers
When your whole life is based on a lie, learning the truth could be deadly.
On a sunny day in July, Clare Prentice arrives in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Although she is on assignment to interview the town’s notoriously reclusive novelist Nate Hanssen, Clare is really in search of a different story–her story.
Just months before, Clare was a bride-to-be, living in Chicago, and looking to the future…until the day she learned her entire life had been a lie.
Not only was Clare adopted, but there is no record that she or her adoptive mother ever existed. The only clue is a class ring from Grand Rapids Senior High School. Unable to get on with her future until she reconciles her past, Clare breaks off her engagement.
Unraveling the mystery is like trying to sculpt fog–until the first piece of the puzzle unexpectedly drops into place: Clare’s birth mother, Lily Gundersen, was murdered in Grand Rapids.
Rusty Nail – A Thriller (Jack Daniels Mysteries)
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals
Author: J.A. Konrath, Jack Kilborn
Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels of the Chicago Police Department is back, and once again she’s up to her Armani in murder.
Someone is sending Jack snuff videos. The victims are people she knows, and they share a common trait — each was involved in one of Jack’s previous cases. With her stalwart partner hospitalized and unable to help, Jack follows a trail of death throughout the Midwest, on a collision course with the smartest and deadliest adversary she’s ever known.
During the chase, Jack jeopardizes her career, her love life, and her closest friends. She also comes to a startling realization — serial killers have families, and blood runs thick.
The Iron Butterfly (The Iron Butterfly Series)
Fantasy & Magic
Author: Chanda Hahn
Imprisoned, starved and left with no memories, Thalia awakens to find herself at the mercy of an evil cult known as the Septori. Their leader has chosen Thalia as the test subject for a torture device of untold power, designed to change and twist her into something that is neither human nor Denai.
Escaping, Thalia finds an unwilling warrior to protect her and an unlikely Denai to befriend her. After finding a home at the Citadel as a servant, Thalia’s worst nightmare comes to life and she begins to show signs of power. Scared and unable to control her gifts, she tries to hide her past to fit in among the Denai. But the Septori want their latest test subject back and will stop at nothing to retrieve her, dead or alive.
Lichgates: Book One of the Grimoire Saga
Fantasy > Epic
Author: S.M. Boyce
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Kara Magari is about to discover a beautiful world full of terrifying things–Ourea.
Kara, a college student still reeling from her mother’s recent death, has no idea the hidden world of Ourea even exists until a freak storm traps her in a sunken library. With nothing to do, she opens an ancient book of magic called the Grimoire and unwittingly becomes its master, which means Kara now wields the cursed book’s untamed power. Discovered by Ourea’s royalty, she becomes an unwilling pawn in a generations-old conflict–a war intensified by her arrival. In this world of chilling creatures and betrayal, Kara shouldn’t trust anyone… but she’s being hunted and can’t survive on her own. She drops her guard when Braeden, a native soldier with a dark secret, vows to keep her safe. And though she doesn’t know it, her growing attraction to him may just be her undoing.
Blue Violet (Book #1 of the Svatura Series)
Fantasy > Paranormal
Author: Abigail Owen, Wendy Schirmer, Jason Vines
Book #1 of the Svatura Series. When Ellie Aubrey leaves her only remaining family and moves to Colorado, she knows she’s risking her life. But she can’t ignore the possibility of what she might find there. What she didn’t expect to encounter was a bewildering connection to one smolderingly sexy Alex Jenner. But when Ellie’s worst nightmare comes true and threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, she must fight to save those she loves most. Even if it means sacrificing herself by revealing a terrible truth… sometimes not all monsters are make believe.
Taffeta & Hotspur
Historical Romance
Author: Claudy Conn, Karen Babcock
Lord Thurston Tarrant, known as Hotspur on the London social scene, thinks Lady Taffeta Grantham is too young and idealistic. Experience has taught him that love is found only in fairy tales and that very few women can be trusted—especially young and attractive ones.
As for Taffy, she finds the rakehell cynical and arrogant—definitely not the hero, the man of principles and romance, her heart longs for. Besides, as one of the Rogues Three, she is more concerned with social injustice than a man who could use his influence to right wrongs but shows no interest in doing so.
So why does Tarrant find himself enchanted by the beautiful and high-spirited Taffy? Why does Taffy’s sporadic gift of sight insist on showing her visions of Tarrant as a bold and passionate lover—her lover?
Weekend Lover (Down With Cupid Shorts)
Romance > Short Stories
Author: Melissa Blue
The weekend that started it all…
Sebastian Clark’s intentions are simply to buy Nicole, a beautiful stranger, a drink, make her laugh and disappear before dawn. As a publicist for Snapshot, his days are long and his moral code is to always keep things light. Until he touches her and lust fades any lasting hold on common sense. His questionable motives pave a road to unbelievable pleasure.
Nicole Harrison is on the fast track for a promotion at Limelight, a PR boutique. She’s given up dating, especially handsome men. They tend to suck up time and sometimes common sense. Sebastian has the ability to do both. One single night won’t break her own rules and Nicole gives in to temptation.
Hell Hounds Are For Suckers (San Francisco Vampire Series)
Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic
Author: Jessica McBrayer
Vampire, Hannah’s best friend has coupled up and Hannah is feeling alone and lonely. One night on a stroll through her favorite grave-yard she is be-hounded by a small growling fur ball. The puppy refuses to leave and reluctantly she takes him in. She soon needs expert advice because the puppy won’t eat any of the expensive dog chow she buys and burps fire.
Hannah consults her vampire friends and a friendly jinni and finds out she’s got herself a hell hound. And more, the jinni warns, there is sure to be an owner in the background somewhere. When a gorgeous demon shows up pounding on her door wanting his dog back, Hannah is suddenly in the middle of a humorous predicament. This between-quell, the second episode of the Vampires of San Francisco series, is a novella of 60 pages.
Burden of the Soul
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author: Kate Grace
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Book 1 of the Burden Series.
Clara never asked to be special. She was perfectly happy e-stalking her crush’s blog, avoiding the attention of the Bronze Brigade clique at school, awaiting the next visit from her avant-garde Aunt Grace, and dreaming of a strange young man … who feels too real to be only a dream.
But then one day, her world literally separates at the seams, as a blinding light rips her mother away right before her eyes. In one, inexplicable moment, Clara is tugged from a life where her biggest worry is how to avoid social scrutiny to having the burden of her mother’s disappearance and her father’s subsequent unhappiness hoisted squarely onto her shoulders.
Cougar Cub Tales: I’m Just Like You
Children’s eBooks > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
Author: Sharon Cramer, Sharon Cramer
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About a cougar cub brother and sister who, one day, encounter a creature very unlike themselves. They have ungrounded apprehension about whether or not the blind bobcat is “a REAL cougar cub”. By the end of the tale, they realize that, despite their differences, they really ARE the same where it counts. They learn to overlook their physical differences as they embrace their new friend. It is a timeless story that deals with the everyday issue of intolerance, especially regarding physical difference and disability. It is written in a wonderful nonsensical rhyme, and the eighteen watercolors are an exquisite representation of this charming tale.
The Boots My Mother Gave Me
Genre Fiction > Coming of Age
Author: Brooklyn James
- $4.99 List Price
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk through life in someone else’s shoes?
Strong-willed tomboy Harley LeBeau puts you in the boots her mother gave her, as she takes you along her journey of escape from an abusive childhood and the desire to find herself as she comes of age. Made to feel a burden to her father simply by her gender, Harley is determined to prove her worth and independence, leaving the small town she grew up in and the one boy who gave her a soft place to fall, Jeremiah Johnson. Torn between saving herself and abandoning her mother and younger sister, Harley chooses her own life in hopes they will choose theirs, too.
A mature, candid read for everyone. A must for women. The Boots My Mother Gave Me explores the dynamics of abuse and dysfunction, the courage to overcome, the strength in sisterhood, and the ongoing conflict and unconditional love between mothers and daughters.
God’s Grammar: A Novel
Genre Fiction > Metaphysical
Author: Mick Mooney
Waking from a strange dream where God offered to teach him grammar, Sam is startled to discover God actually in his apartment, ready to start the lesson. While the grammar lesson begins at Sam’s kitchen table, inwardly an epic journey also takes place; a journey out of Sam’s inner Fortress and into the greater realm of his soul. While God seeks to liberate Sam, the General–a dark co-inhabitant of Sam’s inner Fortress–is determined to keep the revelation of God’s unfailing love from finding a permanent home in Sam’s heart.
Across the Creek (Jesse & Sarah)
Literature & Fiction
Author: Jeremy Asher
Life only gives you one first kiss.
And when Jesse Malone kissed Sarah Ramsey, he thought his life would change, but not in the way that it did. An unlikely childhood romance between a poor boy and a wealthy girl began the day Jesse decided to do the impossible and cross the creek. A love was born, one that would become their shelter, protecting them from the storms of their lives, until the day Jesse witnessed his mother’s murder, forcing him to leave his childhood home…and first love.
Ten years later, life has finally gotten better for Jesse. He has a loving family, a charming pet shop to run, and one semester left before graduating with a degree in architecture. Everything is great, until the day fate intervenes and his long-lost love walks into his shop and back into his life.
The Wedding Shroud – A Tale of Ancient Rome
Historical Fiction
Author: Elisabeth Storrs
In 406 B.C., to seal a tenuous truce, the young Roman Caecilia is wedded to Vel Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman from the city of Veii. The fledgling Republic lies only twelve miles across the Tiber from its neighbour, but the cities are from opposing worlds so different are their customs and beliefs. Leaving behind a righteous Rome, Caecilia is determined to remain true to Roman virtues while living among the sinful Etruscans. Instead she finds herself tempted by a hedonistic culture which offers pleasure and independence to women as well as an ancient religion that gives her a chance to delay her destiny. Yet Mastarna and his people also hold dark secrets and, as war looms, Caecilia discovers that Fate is not so easy to control and that she must finally choose where her allegiance lies.
The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success
Writing, Research & Publishing Guides
Author: Linda Formichelli, Diana Burrell
Written by two freelancers who broke the rules to win the game, this handbook contains a wealth of information for writers who are frustrated by the seemingly limited ways to operate in the freelance market. It explains that freelancers can negotiate for more money and better terms without risking their careers, shows that editors are not the writer-gobbling monsters many freelancers fear, and explains how to establish and foster work relationships.
In this updated second edition there are more ideas, more rules to break, and more resources to get started, including a suite of appendixes covering topics such as contract procedures, getting paid, services for freelancers, generating ideas, and doing research. As inspiration, the book includes examples of real writers who have gone against “expert” advice and flourished. Being shy doesn’t pay, and following the rules puts a writer in a long line of other sheep; with this text as a guide, writers can step out of the herd and build a successful business in a crowded market.
Charlotte ~ Pride and Prejudice Continues
Historical Romance
Author: Karen Aminadra
When Charlotte Lucas married Mr Collins, she did not love him but had at least secured her future.
However, what price must she pay for that future? She once said she was not romantic, but how true is that now after almost one year of marriage?
Mr Collins is submissive in the extreme to his patroness, and his constant simpering, fawning and deference to the overbearing and manipulative Lady Catherine de Bourgh is sure to try the patience of a saint, or at least of Charlotte.
As Charlotte becomes part of Hunsford society, she discovers she is not the only one who has been forced to submit to the controlling and often hurtful hand of Lady Catherine
Impeding Justice (Justice series Book #2)
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Police Procedurals
Author: M A Comley, Stefanie Spangler Buswell
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For eight long years, Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins has tracked the vicious criminal known as The Unicorn. But the killer has frustrated MI6
at every turn and remained successful at Impeding Justice.
When Lorne is targeted in a trap that results in the death of her partner, the tragedy shakes her confidence to the core. Before she has time to recoup, her teenage daughter is kidnapped. More than Lorne’s professional reputation rests on her bringing The Unicorn to justice.
Brightside
Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Mark Tullius, Anthony Szpak
Across the nation, telepaths are rounded up and sent to the beautiful mountain town of Brightside. They’re told it’s just like everywhere else, probably even nicer. As long as they follow the rules and don’t ever think about leaving. Joe Nolan is one of the accused, a man who spent his life hearing things people left unsaid. And now he’s paying for it on his hundredth day in Brightside, fighting to keep hold of his secret in a town where no thought is safe.
… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks and the Kindle Daily Deal here on page 2
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