RECOMMENDED BOOKS – THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

Good books are the gifts that keep on giving. With the holidays upon us, I thought this was the perfect time to provide a few recommendations to place under the tree if you have one, and if not, to share with a friend to show you care.

The christmas spirit

To get you into that Christmas spirit, there are two books I recommend:

Tick Tock Dead, A Jenna Hart Mystery by L.A. Sartor

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, L.A. has just launched a great new series with this book. I’ve read it and highly recommend it.

It’s Christmas and nestled in a valley between two towering Colorado mountain ranges, the old mining town turned uber chic ski resort of Angelcroft is in a battle for its soul.

And now the battle has turned deadly.

Lifelong resident Jenna Hart is definitely not sleuth material. In fact, she’s a custom jeweler who loves working with diamonds and brilliant gems, and this is her busiest season ever.

But now her one goal is to find out who murdered her friend.

Enlisting the help of those who know the town’s secrets — even as they seem to hide their own — Jenna digs deep only to find the dire warnings from handsome newcomer, police Detective Derek Tripp, that she could be risking her own life are prophetic.

Nevertheless, nothing and nobody will stop Jenna from finding the truth.Tick Tock Dead is the first book in the Jenna Hart Mystery series. If you enjoy small town mysteries populated with fascinating characters whose lives are far more complicated than what they seem on the surface, join Jenna for an adventure in the charming mountain town of Angelcroft.

Check out L.A. Sartor’s other books at: lesliesartor.com

Christmas Witness Survival by Jane M. Choate

If you can’t pass up a romantic suspense, you won’t want to miss Christmas Witness Survival – a real page turner.

Seeking ranch refuge…


in order to survive

Fleeing after discovering her fiancé is a murderer, Hailey Davenport thinks nowhere is safe this Christmas. Trusting another man is the last thing Hailey wants, but she reluctantly finds refuge in the back of Michael “Chap” Chapman’s truck. The security expert won’t let her face hired gunmen alone—even when danger follows them to his ranch. With enemies closing in, keeping Hailey safe might be the last thing Chap does…

Historical Romance

Against the Wind by Amanda Cabot is a must read, especially if you’re an historical romance enthusiast. Even if you’re not, I highly recommend this book – I couldn’t put it down! Against the Wind is book 2 in the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing Series. If you haven’t read the first, After the Shadows, I recommend you pick up both!

Amanda Cabot, Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing, historical romance

Doctor-in-training Louisa Vaughn has no intention of remaining in Sweetwater Crossing. She’s just there for a few days to help a friend. But she can’t abandon the injured man she finds at the side of the road. Until his broken leg heals, she’ll serve as the town’s doctor and midwife. She may not be fully qualified yet, but surely she’s better than nothing. Josh Porter’s plans to win his grandfather’s challenge and fulfill his father’s final wish to gain full control of the family business hit a roadblock when he breaks his leg. But his enforced stay in

Sweetwater Crossing gives him new ideas about the expansion of the company into new territory–ideas Louisa could help turn into reality.

If only the town were more accepting of Louisa’s talents! Someone is determined to convince her to abandon her dream of healing others. Can Josh help her uncover the person behind the threats before it’s too late? And is there any future for them together when neither of them plans to stay?

You can find out about Amanda’s other books at amandacabot.com

romantic suspense thriller

Book Two in my Search & Recovery International Series, After the Verdict, is available for preorder. 

A missing groom, a murdered attorney, a massive snowstorm—what else can go wrong with what was supposed to be a storybook wedding?

Gutsy Colorado lawyer Briana Bertelli has just successfully prosecuted a serial killer…or has she? Betrayed in previous relationships, she’s vowed to remain single and dependent on no one but herself. All goes according to plan until her best friend’s wedding rehearsal.

Highly decorated, retired Special Forces veteran Kale McLaren has seen much death and is ready to experience a new life.

Now the Chief Operating Officer of a global special ops organization, he’s looking forward to a relaxing weekend at a friend’s wedding. The last thing he expects is to be brought face-to-face with death and the most intriguing woman he has ever met … Briana.

With the highest of stakes and time running out, can Briana and Kale combine forces to discover what happened after the verdict?

You do not need to read the first book in the series, Search Beyond Lies, in order to enjoy the second.

Search Beyond Lies is a work of fiction, inspired by true events.

On July 5, 2018, Brian Perri was reported missing on Mount Meeker, one of the most dangerous mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park. A selfie revealed his last known location was the summit. Search Beyond is a work of fiction, whose inspiration lies in a rare type of friendship J.C. Fischer and Kimo McEwen had with Brian where they put their lives on hold and jeopardized their safety and well-being to search for him.

The search was covered by news media far and wide. J.C.’s pleas for volunteers brought in many from along the entire Front Range. Why did so many come forward? It was J.C. and Kimo’s care, concern, persistence, loyalty, and dedication to finding Brian that exemplified true friendship—and that is a contagious type of friendship experienced by very few.

If you’re interested in gifting any of these books, just click the title, the link is embedded. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PANDEMIC – Part 3

by Jane M. Choate

Now that we’ve looked at what I am doing, let’s examine what I’m not doing.  Have those things, too, helped revitalize my writing?  Maybe.  So what am I spending less time doing?

Cleaning

I’m spending less time cleaning house.  No, I haven’t let the house be condemned by the Board of Health, but I’m realizing more of what is important … and what’s not. Spending less time cleaning house has been great.  Not only do I have more energy and time for life’s important moments, I also haven’t experienced any noticeable change in lifestyle.  Post-pandemic, the house isn’t perfectly clean; that’s a given. 

Cleaning House

But neither was it perfectly clean pre-pandemic.  I was scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, etc., all for a false sense of self-worth.  Now, I work to keep the house comfortable and semi-decent.  My happiness level shot up, as did my time to daydream about the next book or noodle around with ideas for trying a different genre.

Accumulating

I’m spending less time accumulating more things. Spending less time in accumulation is just practical.  Having a bunch of things means more dusting those things, more re-arranging those things, more trying to find room for those things.  My time is much better spent playing with grandchildren and writing.

worrying

  • I’m spending less time worrying over if I will sell more books. I will do my best in my writing, but I’m not going to obsess over it. Using less emotional energy to worry over if I’ll ever sell another book gives me the courage to take risks in my writing.  Could I add a more in-depth scene to my latest book and would the editor like it?  We’ll see.
Selling More Books
  • I’m spending less time worrying over what others think of me. Spending less time on this has been infinitely freeing.  (How else could I carry off having blue hair for over two years?)  In my seventies now, I realized I had spent far too much of my life anguishing over what others thought of me.  No more.

FINALLY

I have no presumption that what works for me will work for you.  These are just a few of the things I am doing differently now.  Whether they make me a better writer is yet to be seen, but they are making me a better person.

What works for you?

Jane M. Choate dreamed of writing since she was a little girl and entertained her friends with made-up stories about them.  She postponed her dream of writing to get married and have children.  On one particularly hard day when it seemed all she had done was to clean toilets (she had two small boys at the time), she wrote a short story and sent it in to a magazine on a whim.  To her surprise and delight, it was accepted. 

Jane now writes for Love Inspired Suspense where she combines romance, danger, and faith. Jane is the mother of five children, grandmother to ten grandchildren, and great-grandmother to one adorable baby girl. When she is not writing, she can be found trying to keep up with her grandchildren. (The operative word there is “trying.”)

You won’t want to miss Jane’s latest release–Rocky Mountain Vendetta–A must read that spent 2 weeks on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List!

(c) 2022 by Jane M. Choate