Read an excerpt from Scents of Lavender: Queer Love Through the Ages –In Verse by D. C. Wilkinson #HistoricalFiction #LGBTRomance #IllustratedPoetry #TheCoffeePotBookClub @dcwilkinson2024 @cathiedunn

Scents of Lavender: Queer Love Through the Ages –In Verse 

By D. C. Wilkinson

Timeless and unwavering, love flows through a universal melody that echoes in every corner of the globe. Transcending borders and cultures, it sows the seeds of memories that sprout and blossom in Scents of Lavender, a collection of 25 illustrated poems that breathe life into evocative scenes where queer love proudly re-emerges from the depths of history, uncovering deep and everlasting bonds.

Each poem invites the reader to explore the narrator’s deeply personal and intimate perspective through pantheistic eyes. Written in the first person, every verse unfolds as both a reflection and a manifestation of a single universal mind and soul, drawing the reader into a shared understanding that love –in all its forms– is boundless, eternal, and permeates the cosmos.

Publication Date: June 1, 2025

Publisher: DCW Press

Pages: 108

Genre: Poetry / Historical Fiction / LGBTQ+ Romance

Grab a copy HERE!

EXCERPT

In gentle chains,

I find no plea.

Release me not,

for I am thine,

and thine alone

forevermore.

From Buckingham

D. C. Wilkinson is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lifelong voyager of inner and outer realms. His literary work centers on his passion for historical tales, portal fantasies, and dreams and visions often weaved into narratives that highlight LGBTQ+ experiences. 

He began his career in the Midwest as a student of Language Arts before relocating to the East Coast in his early twenties. A graduate of Columbia University and former New York City public school teacher, he now calls Connecticut his home, where he resides with his spouse and their beloved beagle.

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Read an interview with Sandro Martini, author of Ciao, Amore, Ciao #CiaoAmoreCiao #HistoricalFiction #WWII #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @MartiniAlex @cathiedunn

Ciao, Amore, Ciao

By Sandro Martini

An enthralling dual-timeline WWII family mystery, based on the heartbreaking true story of the massacre in a small town in Italy in July of 1945, from award-winning, bestselling novelist Sandro Martini.

“A gripping saga that roots excruciating betrayals in a nation’s tragic history.” –Kirkus Reviews

In the winter of 1942, an Italian army of young men vanishes in the icefields of the Eastern Front. In the summer of 1945, a massacre in Schio, northeastern Italy, where families grieve the dead, makes international headlines.

In present-day Veneto, an ordinary man is about to stumble onto a horrifying secret.

Alex Lago is a jaded journalist whose career is fading as fast as his marriage. When he discovers an aged World War II photo in his dying father’s home, and innocently posts it to a Facebook group, he gets an urgent message: Take it down. NOW.

Alex finds himself digging into a past that needs to stay hidden. What he's about to uncover is a secret that can topple a political dynasty buried under seventy years of rubble. Suddenly entangled in a deadly legacy, he encounters the one person who can offer him redemption, for an unimaginable price.

Told from three alternating points of view, Martini’s World War II tale of intrigue, war, and heartbreak pulls the Iron Curtain back to reveal a country nursing its wounds after horrific defeat, an army of boys forever frozen at the gates of Stalingrad, British spies scheming to reshape Italy’s future, and the stinging unsolved murder of a partisan hero.

Ciao, Amore, Ciao is a gripping story of the most heroic, untold battle of the Second World War, and a brilliantly woven novel that brings the deceits of the past and the reckoning of the present together.

“Balances action, suspense, and emotional depth to deliver a truly immersive, thought-provoking read with an unflinching look at the sins of the past and the lengths to which the powerful will go to keep them buried.” ~ Sublime Book Review

Publication Date: March 26, 2025

Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Pages: 426 (kindle); 385 (paperback)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grab a copy HERE!

This novel is free to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription.

INTERVIEW

Writing Interview Questions.

Why did you choose to write your book in this era?


Family history. My uncle vanished in Stalingrad in 1942/3. I spent a decade trying to find out what happened to him. Italy in WW2 and in the months after the end of the war is a subject and a time that I find fascinating. But really, it was a book about my family—a family of no ones—and a book I needed to write after I lost my dad. Italy, from December 1942 until the end of 1945, is not what many believe that era to be about. The cliché of Italy’s war—surrender and cowardice—couldn’t be further from the truth. From the Battle of Nikolayevka—which was the last human wave attack in history—to the silence of the bereaved, and the cold vengeance that came with the Allied victory, those three years are key to unlocking modern Italy.

Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising?


I did research for this novel for over a decade, but looking back at it, I could never have written Ciao, Amore, Ciao while my dad was alive, given that it’s about his brother. The research was complicated. Complicated because I wanted to find out what happened to my uncle. I scoured the records that were available after the fall of the USSR for any trace of his name in the POW camps post-Stalingrad, and searched databases and read hundreds of books. It was good research for the novel, but ultimately, I never found him. My grandmother was convinced she’d recognised him in a photo published by Time magazine of Italian POWs still in Russia a decade after the war, and I went down that rabbit hole for many months, but that too was a dead lead. The surprising thing I discovered is how involved Italy was in the Battle of Stalingrad, and that Italian soldiers were embroiled in the last human wave attack in history. And that the truth of what happened over those 12 days when Italian soldiers had to battle their way through the ice fields of Russia (many of the same towns that are in the news now with the Ukraine War) was kept from the Italian public for over a decade, with survivors’ stories purposefully buried by the Italian state after WW2. That really was quite a shocker for me. 

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?


The front cover is my family: the tall guy in the soldier’s uniform is my uncle Alessandro, and the young blonde boy is my dad. If you look to the bottom right, you’ll see a suitcase. This image was taken on the day my uncle shipped out to Russia—he’s on his way to the train station—and no one would see him again. This was in the summer of 1942. The hairdresser salon in the background was owned by my grandad and then my aunt, and it’s still there, in Schio, all these years later. It was a couple of blocks away from where Hemingway used to hang out, this before he was injured in WW1 and went to Milan to recover and fell in love with the nurse that was the muse for his first novel.

If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why?


Strength in frailty. A central theme in the book is that a man’s strength isn’t his ability to mask his feelings. A man’s true strength is to be able to feel the full weight of loss and still somehow find a way to go forward. 

What was the most challenging part about writing your book?


Writing about my family. I lost my mom and dad within ten weeks of each other and began writing this novel less than a week after I buried my dad. He’s the glue that binds the central conceit of the novel—the journey of the antihero, Alex. Writing those words, having him speak, that was about the hardest thing I’ve ever written. I couldn’t find it in myself to hide or lie in this novel: for Ciao, Amore, Ciao to work, I needed to find the courage to be honest. And I found a lot of things in that honesty that weren’t comfortable. About me, and my family, and what it ultimately means to lose your mom and dad. 

Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?


There was, in an early chapter, a long section about losing my mom and what it means to a man. It was powerful, but it slowed the book, and it felt more like a letter to myself. It was better edited out. 

What are you currently working on?


I have just signed a contract for my next novel which is part two of the Alex Lago series (the antihero in Ciao, Amore, Ciao). It’s about a South African golfer, his family, and Johannesburg in the 1990s. And I have the seed of my next novel bubbling. 

What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?


There are writers and there are storytellers. If you have a story, write it. The bestselling authors of all time aren’t “great” writers. Harold Robbins, Robert Ludlum, even John Grisham, they write simply and effectively. So don’t let style get in the way of writing your stories. Just write them. Eventually you’ll find your style and your voice. Like anything, it’s a craft you learn with experience and time. The best advice? Writers write. It’s literally in the word (wait, was that a pun?!).

Personal Interview Questions.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?


I’m the head of marketing and creative for a videogame studio. I lose a lot at tennis and read way too many books. And marvel at my daughter.

What did you want to be when you grew up?


A writer. Surprise! (Also a tennis player and a lawyer: I failed at both for pretty much the same reasons.)

What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating?


Tortelli with cacio e pepe is on the menu. Grilled fish in a restaurant in St Maarten is the dream.

What would be a perfect day?


Buying a book by an author I love, finding a park on an autumn day, reading in the cool sunshine, knowing my family is well and I am well and being able to float away into the words and the sunshine without any worries.

What is the best part of your day?


Waking up and ignoring emails and phones and writing until the world wakes up and assigns me the usual daily chaos!

Either or!

Tea or coffee: Espresso (a double shot every 2 hours!)

Hot or cold: The opposite of what the weather’s doing

Movie or book: Book, always

Morning person or Night owl: Morning (I wake up at 4am every day)

City or country: City until you’re 40, then country

Social Media or book: Book, always

Paperback or ebook: Paperback! (Corgi paperbacks especially!)

Sandro Martini has worked as a word monkey on three continents. He's the author of Tracks: Racing the Sun, an award-winning historical novel.

Sandro grew up in Africa to immigrant parents, studied law in Italy, chased literary dreams in London, hustled American dollars in New York City, and is now hiding out in Switzerland, where he moonlights as a Comms guy and tries hard not to speak German.

You can find him either uber-driving his daughter, chasing faster cars on the autobahn, or swimming in Lake Zurich with a cockapoo named Tintin.

His latest historical suspense novel, Ciao, Amore, Ciao, is now available.

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Read about the historical background behind The Herb Knot by Jane Loftus #HistoricalFiction #medieval #Winchester #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn

The Herb Knot

By Jane Loftus

The Hundred Years' War comes to life in this spellbinding tale of love, betrayal and conspiracy … 

A quest born on the battlefield will change a young boy’s destiny… 

Rafi Dubois is five years old when his mother is murdered after the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Alone and lost, Rafi is given a token by the dying Englishman who tried to save his mother’s life: a half-broken family seal which he urges Rafi to return one day to Winchester. 

Years later, when Rafi saves a wealthy merchant’s wife from a brutal robbery, he is rewarded with the chance to travel to England, taking the seal with him. 

But when he reaches Winchester, Rafi finds himself in a turbulent world full of long-held allegiances, secrets and treachery. His path is fraught with danger and with powerful enemies working against him, Rafi falls in love with Edith, a market apothecary. But in doing so, Rafi unleashes a deadly chain of events which threatens to overwhelm them both… 

The Herb Knot is a sweeping and passionate novel set in one of the most tumultuous times in English history, from a powerful new voice.

Publication Date: May 8th, 2025 

Publisher: HQ Digital 

Pages: 336 

Genre: Medieval Historical Fiction 

Grab a copy HERE!

GUEST POST: Historical Background

The book is set in 1361 which is only five years after the Battle of Poitiers and one year after the French King, John, had been released from captivity in London (where he had lived pretty much the high life) and returned to France. The Black Death had been and gone, leaving Europe devastated, (there was a second, smaller outbreak in 1360-61) and the 100 years war was in its 24th year.

Winchester itself, once a major commercial city and home to St Bartholomew’s Fair, one of the most famous annual fairs in the country, was in decline, a fact Rafi mentions when he first sees the city.  

When taking into consideration the catastrophic events of plague and war of this period, it seemed reasonable to have a character who suffered from an excess of superstition.  Hence, Adam, who believes in ghosts, protects himself with scratched symbols on his windowframe and bed, who won’t go into graveyards at night. The VV symbol carved next to his bed was a common ward against devils, demons and other supernatural beings. And yet Rafi, despite living for so long in a monastery, and in spite of being an obedient and unassuming character, is almost dismissive of religion entirely. I didn’t explore this thread too closely, but it seems reasonable to suppose that someone who had witnessed death from such a young age, then lived through the plague, would wonder if God had completely deserted mankind, or question their religion at the very least. The works of Wycliffe were not yet widespread, but would become so within ten years of the end of the book. 

In terms of the 100 years war, the fact that Roger keeps his longbow in tip top condition is also unsurprising, despite the fact that the Treaty of Bretigny, which was signed one year before the book begins, brought some respite from the fighting. The Archery Law , which declared that all able bodied men should practice with the bow every Sunday, did not come into law until 1363, but it followed along similar lines to the 1252 Assize of Arms which required that able bodied men should know how to use a bow.  

English was already spoken by many nobles during this period, although Edward III could certainly speak French. However, a merchant as wealthy as Hugh Le Cran, particularly since he traded with merchants on the continent, would have had a distinct advantage if he spoke French as well as English. There was even a medieval French equivalent of “Teaching English as a Foreign Language” called Manieres de Langage (Manners of Speaking). So despite being almost permanently at war with the French throughout the century, it was a given that a large number of the merchant and noble population would be able to converse, even on a basic level, in French. 

Never mind plague and war, which are the topics which hover menacingly in the background to this novel, at least the English were more likely to be competent in more than one language – not something they are usually credited with today.

Bring back the Manieres de Langage, I say!

Jane Loftus gained a degree in 16th Century European and British history from Surrey before taking a postgraduate degree in modern political history. As a lone parent, she worked in Winchester Waterstones before returning to IT once her son was older.

Hugely passionate about the Middle Ages, she drew inspiration for this novel from the medieval layout of Winchester which has been painstakingly documented.

Jane is originally from London but has lived in Winchester for over twenty years. When not writing, she is usually out walking or watching costume dramas on Netflix - the more medieval the better. She also plays far too many rpgs.

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Read a guest post by G. M. Baker, author of The Wanderer and the Way (Cuthbert’s People) #HistoricalFiction #MedievalFiction #SantiagoDeCompostela #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @mbakeranalecta @cathiedunn

The Wanderer and the Way

Cuthbert’s People

By G. M. Baker

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, now the most famous pilgrimage route in the world, was founded in the early ninth century, largely due to the efforts of Bishop Theodemir of Iria Flavia. As with most people of this period, nothing seems to be known of his early years. What follows, therefore, is pure invention.

Theodemir returns footsore and disillusioned to his uncle’s villa in Iria Flavia, where he meets Agnes, his uncle’s gatekeeper, a woman of extraordinary beauty. He falls immediately in love. But Agnes has a fierce, though absent, husband; a secret past; another name, Elswyth; and a broken heart.

Witteric, Theodemir’s cruel and lascivious uncle, has his own plans for Agnes. When the king of Asturias asks Theodemir to undertake an embassy on his behalf to Charles, King of the Franks, the future Charlemagne, Theodemir plans to take Agnes with him to keep her out of Witteric’s clutches.

But though Agnes understands her danger as well as anyone, she refuses to go. And Theodemir dares not leave without her.

Publication Date: March 10th, 2025

Publisher: Stories All The Way Down

Pages: 249

Genre: Medieval Historical Fiction

Grab a copy HERE!

GUEST POST!

The main character of The Wanderer and the Way is Theodemir of Iria Flavia, an historical character of some significance, since he is credited with the founding of the Camino de Santiago, the most famous pilgrimage route in the world, which runs from a village in southern France through the Pyrenees and across the plains of Northern Spain to Santiago de Compostella. So, you might ask, what does the historical record tell us about Theodemir? 

The answer is, almost nothing. We know that he was bishop of Iria Flavia at that time when the bones of St. James were supposedly discovered by Pelagius the Hermit, that he supposedly wrote of the news to Alphonso the Chaste, King of Asturias, who then became the first pilgrim of the Camino, following what is now called The Camino Primitivo over the mountains from the city of Oviedo, then the capital of Asturias. And that, as far as I can tell, is about it. 

When was he born? What was his childhood like? What was his character? We don’t know. And this is quite normal for historical figures of this period. They emerge into the historical record when they perform some action of note. The year of their death may be noted, but the year and place of their birth seldom is. For this historical novelist, this presents both a problem and an opportunity. Where little or nothing is known, the novelist is free to ascribe a character and a history to an historical figure for their own purposes. 

This is not the first time that I have done this in my Cuthbert’s People Series. Eardwulf, king of Northumbria, is known from a couple of entries in the chronology of the kings of Northumbria and for little else. I borrowed him and moved up his ascension to the throne by a couple of years because in St. Agnes and the Selkie I needed and young king for romantic purposes, and the incumbent at the time was an old king. So little is known about either of these kings that I had little compunction about fudging their dates. 

I should say too, that with The Wanderer and the Way I did not set out to write a book about Theodemir. Rather, at the end of St. Agnes and the Selkie I had my main series character, Elswyth of Twyford, the “it girl” of the eighth century, kidnapped by a lovesick viking and carried off to Northern Spain. Then in an epilogue to The Needle of Avocation, which told the story of her sister, Hilda’s marriage to an ealdorman’s son, I had her turn up on Hilda’s doorstep. That left me with the problem of getting her back from Spain and a reason why she would have abandoned the other women who were kidnapped with her in St. Agnes and the Selkie. I plucked Theodemir from the utter obscurity of his past to serve as my agent for getting Elswyth back to Northumbria. 

The research problem was then to give him a past that would be consistent with his eventually becoming a bishop and developing an interest in the one project for which history remembers him. But the past I created for him had also to do the job of getting Elswyth plausibly back to Northumbria while creating a compelling moral arc for Theodemir himself, since he was to be the main character of the book. Finally, I wanted his story to fit as much as possible into what little is known of the Kingdom of Asturias in that period. 

This research led me to Alphonso the Chaste, King of Asturias, whose reign was consumed by ongoing wars against the Moors and who sent several embassies to the court of Charlemagne, asking for recognition and aid. This provided the motivation for the journey that I needed Theodemir to take, and it was then a matter of finding a reason for him to take Elswyth with him. The wars with the Moors also gave me the dangers of the road that are essential to every novel that is built around a journey. And so Theodemir and Elswyth travelled the road that would become the Camino Frances, the most famous pilgrimage route in the world. 

My method is different from that of many historical novelists who immerse themselves in research and then, only when they know their subject intimately, begin to spin a novel out of it. My approach is to begin with the story I want to tell and then go hunting through the historical record for plausible places, events, ideas, and people with which I can stage and frame my story. There seems to be a certain serendipity that attends those of us who work this way. This was particularly true in the case of The Wanderer and the Way in which I was stuck for a plausible reason for Theodemir to set off on a road that would eventually bring Elswyth back to Northumbria. This discovery of Alphonso’s embassies to Charlemagne was the perfect piece of historical serendipity that allowed me to set my story and my characters in motion. As a novelist, I believe that whatever circumstance or event you require to drive your story forward can be found somewhere in the past if you only look for it hard enough. 

Born in England to a teamster's son and a coal miner's daughter, G. M. (Mark) Baker now lives in Nova Scotia with his wife, no dogs, no horses, and no chickens. He prefers driving to flying, desert vistas to pointy trees, and quiet towns to bustling cities.

As a reader and as a writer, he does not believe in confining himself to one genre. He writes about kind abbesses and melancholy kings, about elf maidens and ship wreckers and shy falconers, about great beauties and their plain sisters, about sinners and saints and ordinary eccentrics.

In his newsletter, Stories All the Way Down, he discusses history, literature, the nature of story, and how not to market a novel.

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Read an excerpt from Christmas Watch by Petie McCarty #Romance #RomanticSuspense #PoliceRomance @authorpetie @GoddessFish

Christmas Watch

By Petie McCarty

The Watchers Series

Fallen angels seeking parole for their betrayal . . .

Someone is watching Rachel . . . but who? And why?

Child psychologist Rachel Kelly has her Christmas stocking full of troubles this holiday season, both personal and professional. Recently separated from her boyfriend, Rachel still loves him but has no idea how to win him back. If that’s not enough to cause her sleepless nights, she’s uncertain how to handle her newest therapy client—a six-year-old boy who claims he talks to Watchers. And a Watcher is coming to help Rachel.

Lt. Jake Dillon has his heart broken when his fiancée Rachel, without warning, suddenly calls it quits. Yet when a stalker crashes Rachel's Christmas party and takes her young clients hostage, Jake is the first person Rachel calls. Now he has a choice to make—stand back and wait for the cavalry to save her, or step in and try to save her himself. Time is running out, and Jake may be their only chance for rescue.

Unless Rachel's young Watcher spy is telling the truth . . .

This romantic suspense tale with paranormal elements is Book 2 in The Watchers series . . . A captivating tale of small-town Christmas romance that will leave you looking over your shoulder and wondering, Is someone watching me?

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Pages: 467

Grab a copy HERE!

EXCERPT

“Since this isn’t our Publix, I’m assuming you stopped on your way home from work,” Jake said when Rachel reached his side.

Our Publix? Did he even realize he’d said that?

“You’re right,” she replied. “So why are you here?”

“My apartment’s just around the corner.”

Ouch.

That simple statement shouldn’t hurt—she knew he had an apartment near here—but it still did. She nodded.

“I’ll help you out.” He gently nudged her hands off the cart handle and took over, setting his own bag on top of her stack.

Rachel paced alongside the grocery cart as they moved through the electronic door and felt a moment of joy that her parking spot lay at the far end of the lot. She would have a few extra moments to be with him. How pitiful was that? She eased a step closer, anxious to inhale his unique scent of soap, aftershave, and pure Jake.

He glanced over and caught her staring. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she hoped he didn’t notice the flush.

“Jake, look out!” She grabbed the cart to stop it just short of a car backing out.

He gave her his sexy, crooked Jake smile. “Guess I should keep my eyes on the road.”

Her heart ka-thumped inside her chest. “At least until we get to the car.”

His smile went to an all-out grin.

Had she just flirted with him? Had it been that easy to get past her trauma for a few brief minutes?

Far sooner than she would have liked, he stopped the grocery cart next to her Honda and helped stow her bags in the trunk, leaving his sole bag in the cart.

“Thanks for helping me,” Rachel told him.

“I’m glad you decided to stop at this Publix tonight.”

“You are?”

“Yeah. I’m glad I got to see you.” Jake grazed a knuckle gently across her cheek leaving a streak of tingly nerve endings in its wake.

“But I thought you wanted . . . I mean, I haven’t heard from you . . .” She cleared her throat. “. . . in a long time. I thought you might’ve . . .”

Why couldn’t she finish a sentence tonight? Bad enough she felt pathetic, now she sounded pathetic.

“You thought I might’ve what?”

She swallowed hard. “Might’ve found someone else by now.”

He studied her for a long moment. “After all we meant to each other, you thought I’d go right out and grab a new girlfriend, just like that?” His mouth tightened to a thin line.

She hadn’t meant to rile him. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him. Without thinking, she reached up and brushed two fingers gently across his lips, wanting that sensuous mouth to smile at her again.

She startled him, and he jerked at her touch. She whisked her fingers away. “Sorry. I don’t want you to be mad.”

His gaze trapped hers, his pupils expanding until little of the brilliant green remained. “There’s no new girlfriend, Rachel,” he said gruffly.

“No?”

He slowly shook his head, his all-dark eyes tracking hers. He seemed closer than he’d been a minute earlier.

She exhaled hard. “Not yet anyway.”

He frowned.

Why had she said that?

“No, not yet,” he said flatly.

“I’m glad,” she said quickly.

Screw pride.

“Are you?”

He was definitely closer now. If she eased forward just a few inches, she could press her lips to his, feel that certain sizzle that always flared when their lips touched. But Jake had walked out on her. So, his move. Still, she ached with the need to hold him, if only for a second.

“Yes. Very glad. I don’t want you to find someone else—”

His lips brushed hers into silence—sweeping gently across as though seeking permission—the touch just light enough to make her lean in for more. He didn’t miss the movement and kissed her again, his lips settling on hers and nibbling at her lower lip.

The sensuous teasing had her knees growing weak, and she grabbed the placket of his dress shirt to steady herself.

He didn’t miss that movement either, and he cradled her cheeks in his big palms to deepen the kiss.

Suddenly lightheaded with desire, she twisted her knuckles into his shirt to pull him closer. She didn’t care if they were kissing in front of God and everybody. If Jake wanted to throw her down here in the middle of the Publix parking lot, she was ready. She could always shop at Winn-Dixie.

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The  Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. 

These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch. 

Visit Petie's web site online at http://www.petiemccarty.com or her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty.

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Read an interview with Tom Haward, author of The Path of Redemption #HistoricalFantasy #AlternateHistory @HawardTom @GoddessFish

The Path of Redemption

By Tom Haward

With Grand Protector Faust missing and Caesar dead, Senator Frigus is trying to hold the fraying threads of the Empire together by keeping this information secret. The Empire is already fragile, and if the truth spills onto the streets of Rome and beyond, the Empire could crumble.

Faust is prisoner of the giant Bjorn Askå and his cellmate is the rebel leader, Boatman King. Abducted by Askå, they’re now part of his grand plan to rule the entire world, with the Empire his next target. Can Faust and Boatman forge an alliance or are their own ambitions stronger than any desire for a truce?

A continent away, Bella, Maverick and the other rebels have escaped to the RIA where they lick their wounds from the disaster of Faust and Askå’s attack on their underground headquarters. They believe they have covered their tracks and hope the 35, leaders of the RIA, will equip them to take the fight to Rome again, this time with the advantage of surprise.

Olivia King, though, she is tired of the fight. Traumatised from being tortured at the hands of Maximus Nero and conflicted about her husband’s relentless desire to crush Rome, she is unsure whether she has the energy to keep fighting those who have caused her so much pain.

With the world and its people in turmoil, one thing is for certain: chaos remains in a world needing redemption.

Genre: Alternate History

Pages: 292

Amazon US • Amazon US

INTERVIEW

Writing Interview Questions.

Why did you choose to write your book in this era? 

I originally had an idea to write a novel based around there different realities: Roman, Victorian and Western. Each history would have a golden thread connecting them all. As I started to write the novel, I realised the Roman element was the most powerful one. 

Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising? 

It wasn’t difficult researching the Roman era but what was surprising for me was the myths around the Romans. I assumed so much about the Roman empire which wasn’t true. I assumed so much about the Romans which came more from Hollywood than history, so it was fascinating to research and know more of the fact than fiction so I could then write fiction! 

Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb? 

One thing which I love about this book and my previous two which make up this trilogy is the remix of history. I love how I have been able to mess with timelines and famous historical figures in those timelines. In this book there is a history about Tesla and his incredible genius. I’ve payed with timelines and how his history fits with Romans. It’s quirky and I love it. 

If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why? 

Stubborn. Rage. Naive. 

What was the most challenging part about writing your book? 

Ending it right. Endings are tough and can feel rushed. Endings can cause a entire novel to not be genuine. It’s so hard writing an ending which honours the story and the characters. Writing a great ending was so tough, but I think I managed it! 

Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in? 

I didn’t edit anything out of the book but at one point I had decided on a drastically different ending. I might share that alternate ending one day.

What are you currently working on? 

I’m currently working on a family melodrama. It focuses on the childhood of the protagonist and how that history, and his relationship with his family, affects his ability to form meaningful relationships. 

What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities? 

If you don’t doubt yourself then I would question if you’re a writer! I have always found that the doubt is what chisels your skills as a writer. The doubt makes you look at your craft and aim to make it better and better. Doubt can be a real focus. But don’t let the doubt dominate. Let it be a little voice that sits alongside the voice of confidence in your ability. 




Personal Interview Questions.

What do you like to do when you are not writing? 

Watching movies. I’m a film buff and find films a real safe space. 

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

I wanted to be a writer! 

What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating? 

I made a tomato and basil soup with cheese and ham toasties. My wife is an amazing cook and said it was the best soup I’ve ever made, so I’m happy with that! 

What would be a perfect day? 

Sitting at a restaurant, by the beach, with my wife and daughter, drinking a beer and then hopping in a boat and cruising up the coast. 

What is the best part of your day? 

Reading my daughter a bedtime story and when she goes to bed we have a family kiss and cuddle. 

Either or!

Tea or coffee: Coffee

Hot or cold: Hot

Movie or book: Movie 

Morning person or Night owl: Morning 

City or country: Country 

Social Media or book: Book

Paperback or ebook: Paperback 

Tom was born in Essex and at 4 months old he and his identical twin were adopted into an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight of Haward oyster farmers.  He has a fiancée, baby daughter and a cockapoo.

Tom has an MA in Creative Writing and has loved telling stories since he was a child, whether verbally or through prose.

The Path of Chaos was his debut novel. He is also working on a six episode comedy screenplay and tweets passionately about his family’s industry and the challenges it faces.

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Read an excerpt from The Winding Dirt Road by Jiu Da #TheWindingDirtRoad #HistoricalChineseFiction #PoliticalFiction #HistoricalFiction @JiudaLog @cathiedunn

The Winding Dirt Road

By Jiu Da

Written as an antithesis to all first-hand and second-hand propaganda written by both Chinese and foreign writers for China in the good part of the 20th century in a fictional form, this collection, through different times and lands, gives insights into how human docile nature and characteristics are manipulated and brought about cultural and social corrosion over the century. The outcome thus sees "a monumental loss breathtakingly massive than any period that preceded it." Subsequently, it foreshadows a system that "would bring out not the best but the worst in people, against people, any people." (Event Horizon)

The first story is written as an introduction in addition to the prologue. From there, the collection proceeds with interrelated subjects or topics, building up causes and factors. At every turn, it gathers momentum and convenes halfway through the book to form the major components of critical perspectives at a juncture.

Hoarded in the depth of memories of the past decades, this has been a work long overdue.

Publication Date: May 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 391
Genre: Historical Fiction

Grab a copy HERE!

EXCERPT

"[The follower] stated that what made a club function depended not entirely on its thick end but on the shaft that formed the handle. This nation’s tasks or ideology was the main element that formed the thick end, but it would need the handle to wield that power effectively. It required bruteness, loudness, and grip to make the club applicable."

~ Ashes Of Aggravation

For years, Jiu Da has been intrigued by the question of whether the environment makes us who we are or whether we are the ones that shape our environment. For the good parts of early years, he stubbornly believed that motivation, talent, and effort could change the outcomes. It did not. 

It was not until the virus hit while finding himself perching at home that he came to accept that the environment is indeed the hand that shapes human behavior.

It was during this time that he began his first work, drawing from his love in literature, history and a lifetime of seemingly useless yet fascinating knowledge hoarded in the depth of his mind.

Author Page on Publisher's Website • Bluesky • Twitter / X • Instagram • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

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