Teresa Burrell‘s Advocate Series is on Sale!

The Advocate Series: Box Set by Teresa Burrell will have a Kindle Countdown that started Tues. 4/10/18. (Sorry for the late notice!) The box set includes the first 3 books in the series was only $.99 on Kindle Tuesday and Wednesday, and if you act fast you can still get that. This morning, Thursday, 4/12 at 11:00, it goes up to $1.99 for 2 days. Still a great deal! On Saturday at 5:00 p.m., the cost goes up to $2.99 and by Tuesday 4/17/18, it will be back up to original price of $4.99. Don’t miss out on this Amazon Best-Selling, by a legal-suspense Author at https://amzn.to/2GN2GLO.

As an attorney in San Diego, Teresa Burrell maintained a private law practice for twelve years, which specialized in domestic, criminal, and civil cases. Her work in juvenile court focused on representing abused minors and juvenile delinquents. Burrell has received several awards and special recognition from the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers for her countless hours of pro bono work with children and their families.

Burrell has also enjoyed a satisfying career as a teacher. She has taught children of all ages with diverse backgrounds and special needs. After creating an after-school program that kept kids off the street, she received a community service award.

Now in semi-retirement in California, Burrell continues to educate groups about social issues impacting children and write novels, many of which are inspired by actual legal cases. She is the author of The Advocate Series which now contains eight novels: The Advocate, The Advocate’s Betrayal, The Advocate’s Conviction, The Advocate’s Dilemma, The Advocate’s Ex Parte, The Advocate’s Felony, The Advocate’s Geocache, and The Advocate’s Homicides. Teresa has recently started a new series with a character from The Advocate’s Felony called Mason’s Missing.

Burrell also has two children’s books that are fun for the whole family–Gaspar, the Flatulating Ghost, and Gaspar Meets a Bully.

Here is a little about the Advocate series, beginning with The Advocate:

Sabre Brown is a juvenile court attorney whose work is far more settled than her social life. In The Advocate, Sabre’s job is to protect her minor client, but she’s obsessed with solving the mysterious disappearance of her brother. When Sabre’s search for her brother and her career collide, can she protect herself and the child from the obscure and treacherous truth?

In The Advocate’s Betrayal, the killer left nothing behind but a kitchen knife, a rosary, and a dead body. Sabre Brown is hired to represent her long-time friend who is accused of the murder, but everything she turns up about her friend is a lie—even her name.

In The Advocate’s Conviction, Sabre’s clients keep disappearing. In her race against the clock, Sabre discovers a conspiracy years in the making, secrets hidden for decades, and the twisted work of a mysterious society have all come together in the ultimate test of the strength of Sabre’s conviction.

Learn more about Teresa Burrell at:

Website: www.teresaburrell.com

Facebook address: www.facebook.com/theadvocateseries

You can order her box set at Amazon by clicking: The Advocate series.

Happy reading! Michelle Knowlden

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Muckenthaler’s Chili and Bowls December 2017

Last December, Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, California held a fundraiser that included an artisan bowl  filled with artisan chili for $20. The monies went to their arts educational program. The holiday fair had booths set up on the lawn  selling all sorts of arts and crafts, but I was focused on a chili lunch in a bowl crafted by a local artist.

I had a picture in my mind about the color shape and size of the bowl I wanted. I had dismal hopes of finding any chili that I could eat, as I’m vegan.

I was beyond thrilled when I found out they had 11 choices of chili and four of them were vegan. Two of my party had a pumpkin black bean chili, we agreed it might have been the best chili we’d ever eaten. The cooks provided the recipes for their works; my artistisan cook was Fred Trapini. I’m making his crockpot chili this weekend. Thank you, Fred!

We arrived just as they opened. The four of us immediately found bowls that we loved. I was especially thrilled as I found the size and color and texture of my dream bowl. The Native American artist Rowan Harrison created the bowl to the left. I hope I can get another one next year. Not only is it the perfect size for my morning porridge and weekend chili, but it is gorgeous to look at, has a fascinating texture, and is a lovely weight. Thank you, Rowan!

The chili fundraiser was packed, so I hope they’re planning another event this December. Lots of venues for kids and don’t get me started on the beautiful grounds. Hey, the art gallery was open also and I enjoyed my time wandering among the oils and watercolors, replete with chili and cornbread served in a fine bowl.

Happy eating and exploring, Michelle Knowlden

Greta Boris’s SCENT of WRATH is on Sale!

Greta’s suspense novel The Scent of Wrath is only $2.99 for a limited time! This is the second book in the Seven Deadly Sins series.

Greta Boris is the author of the 2017 releases, A Margin of Lust and The Scent of Wrath, the first two books in her 7 Deadly Sins domestic suspense series. She’s also the Director of O.C. Writers, a community of over 800 published and aspiring authors in Orange County, California.

She’s published articles on culture, health, and entertainment for a variety of national magazines including Victorian Homes, Zombies, 50 Scariest Movies, Exodus, and Women of the Bible. She’s also the author of the Amazon Kindle Bestseller The Wine and Chocolate Workout – Sip, Savor, and Strengthen for a Healthier Life.

Here is a little about The Scent of Wrath.

In order to keep her son safe, a single mother must discover who’s leaving her cryptic messages of death and danger, and why.
Ten-year-old Brian McKibben is a wanderer. Eight months ago, he wandered into the street and was hit by a truck. Olivia Richards, his newly divorced mother, was accused of neglect by Child Protection Services. She’s doing her best to prove them wrong. Essential oils, a consultation with an herbalist, and an airtight schedule are only some of the things she does to keep Brian safe and help him heal from brain damage caused by the accident.

Her carefully laid plansh begin to unravel when it becomes apparent Olivia’s CPS caseworker isn’t the only one watching her. The walls of her Pilates studio seem to have eyes, especially at night. Deadly messages begin showing up in strange places. Old dangers return to haunt her. Someone is stalking her. But who?

Sign up for Greta’s News and Views and you’ll get June Gloom, a Deadly Short, as a free PDF, Mobi, or EPub file.

Learn more about Greta Boris at:

Website: http://gretaboris.com

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Greta-Boris/e/B00ADUFSD6/

You can order her books at your local bookstore or on Amazon by clicking: The Scent of Wrath.

Happy reading! michelle knowlden

Snow, Cadavers, and Breathing in a February Prescott

Late February, I made a quick (for me) decision to visit Prescott, Arizona and drove up on a Sunday. I was on tenterhooks because of weather and not wanting to drive in snow. It looked as if the weekend and the following one would be fine to drive on the Sundays, there and back, so I leapt at the chance to go.

During the eight hours of driving, I made my usual three stops: Starbucks in Indian Wells, Arizona gas on Tom Wells road, and Fry’s vegan sushi and cherry pie in Buckeye. Side note: The price of gas was a dollar per gallon cheaper than in California. I also solved one of the reasons I had trouble publishing the day before and came up with a way to find out what caused the second problem. Yay for productive drives.

The next morning, I felt much refreshed. I’d hoped the dry air would be good for my lung issue, after all Doc Holliday lived here to help his tuberculosis. And yet after pulling up one set of window blinds, I was short of breath. After respiratory therapy, I was good to go and fine on a twenty minute Pioneer hike. Yes, that is snow in the picture above!

Hikes every morning, writing, Saturday’s Health Expo at the convention center and publishing Found Dead in Arugula this week, along with Chinese lessons and a Costco run. I am disconsolate over one event I wanted to attend but won’t as neither my mother or brother will go. The public is invited to view a knee surgery on a cadaver at Yavapai college. Such opportunities don’t come up every day. Bummer.

Woke up to snow on Wednesday. Temperatures plunged the previous night, well they’ve been in the 20s every night. Prescott had no snow last fall, none in December and January, a few snow showers mid February, and then this at the end of February. Gorgeous, eh? The world draped in white velveteen. Then it warmed up to 50 degrees and not a speck of snow remained five hours later.

Since I’m a California Girl, I said no to hiking or driving that day. I did get my book Found Dead in Arugula released. It’s a mystery, a two year project, the length of a long short story, meant to be read over lunch.

The next day we did two hikes with the dogs, morning was at Willow Lake Park, where the water levels were noticeably low. My brother and I took the dogs with us to Costco and Trader Joe’s, taking turns with our shopping. They’re very good in the car. After Costco, we went to Peavine Trail, which has that stupendous rails to trails hike. I wanted to go at least partway down the track, but Annie, the big dog, refused so we headed home.

The next morning, we hiked at Watson Lake where I took this lovely shot of the Dells to the left, those are the spectacular rock formations that made Prescott famous. The afternoon jaunt was the Pinnacle with the dogs. It was windy at the top, but I do love walking by the petroglyphs.

Lots to do in Prescott that week and weekend. Father John Dear is in town to talk about peacemakers, and Garrison Keillor spoke at Yavapai College about dealing with disgrace and buying a burial plot. This was his first appearance since he was fired. The Importance of Being Earnest is playing at the Prescott Performing Arts Center, and a group of Mystery readers met at the library to discuss a book. Arizona’s Attorney General was in town to talk about something. Down the hill in Prescott Valley they had a Fish Fry. Embry Riddle College was gearing up for the robot competition for high school and college students in Arizona, and a Health Expo was held Saturday. My sister worked at the Expo, and I checked it out.

Funnily enough, Prescott was lovely the next week while I read the California reports with misgivings. Rain, rain, rain.

Happy writing, walking, reading and breathing.

Michelle Knowlden

Read an Ebook Week!

A great deal! If you don’t already have this collection, why are you waiting? Debra Young writes horror that makes you think and makes you reel. Delicious tales from the twisted place we all recognize.

penpanther

Today kicks off Smashwords ninth annual Read an Ebook Week, running through Saturday, March 10. Celebrate the ebook revolution! Scoot on over and grab a copy of  Grave Shadows, at 50% off.

Happy reading!

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Found Dead in Arugula Released Using Vellum

New Release!

Found Dead in Arugula is live. First in a series about a Quaker gleaner turned private detective who lives in a garden town near Los Angeles. It’s designed to be short enough to eat over lunch and is priced accordingly.

My new mystery series Faith Interrupted and particularly this first novelette Found Dead in Arugula was a two year work in progress. Fitting it between projects and deciding whether to go indie vs traditional took time. My release was also delayed a week when I decided to try something different with the format. More on that later. Without further ado, here’s the book description:

A corpse in the vegetable garden. A false arrest. How can Faith Lisstorm clear her name when few people in her life listen to her?

When she finds the body of a neighbor in her arugula, the police arrest Faith for murder. Her protests fall on deaf ears, as usual. Only two people have ever listened without interrupting her. One of them is now dead. The other is her lost love.

Help from an unexpected source, and the bane of her life—interruptions!—prove that one can expect blooms in compost.

Yes, there’s a second chance romance in this series. No fears, the stories are Mysteries! Mostly.

ONLY 99 cents. Looking for a cozy mystery to read at lunchtime? Lost love, tuna melt, murder. Find it at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B52B1DV/.

About Vellum

For those of you who do indie publishing, I’m recommending a tool. First time I’ve done this in decades.

A good friend advised that I try Vellum for formatting. It has certainly streamlined my process. I’ve added my notes about it below. As an engineer, I’m leery of all software tools. This one is a winner.

I know it only works on Mac computers, but why are you on anything else?

If you want to see a book that used Vellum, check out Found Dead in Arugula. Worth it at only 99 cents. You can read it over lunch as it’s a novelette. Or you can gaze admiringly page by page and section by section for hours.

You can buy Vellum’s formatting tool ebook only version for $199 and later upgrade with the print version for $99. Since I knew I’d need it, I decided to save the $50 and get both now for $250. As Arugula is my tenth non-collaborative kindle book, I could justify amortizing the Vellum cost over time.

Twelve notes about Vellum …

1. Cuts formatting time considerably.
2. Nice variety of styles.
3. Modular design for plug n play–copyright, dedication, title, Acknowledgements, about the author pages can be added after your manuscript is uploaded.
4. Amazon Author Page, Facebook, and Twitter links can be added easily.
5. Can end book with an “also by author” page with up to three book links.
6. Can do formatting with Nook and iBooks too. Others available ….
7. First favorite: it generates table of contents automatically.
8. Second favorite: how snazzy the book looks.
9. You can use the demo copy to take the tutorial and format your document. You have to purchase the software ($199 for ebooks, $250 for ebooks and print) to export the manuscript for upload to a publisher’s platform, ie, Kindle, iBooks, etc.
10. Quick learning curve.
11. Document must be uploaded to Vellum in MS Word.
12. Can only be used on a Mac. Vellum requires a Mac running one of these versions of macOS:
macOS El Capitan (10.11)
macOS Sierra (10.12)
macOS High Sierra (10.13)

Try the demo. Consider the cost. I did and am happy with my decision.

Happy reading!
Michelle Knowlden

Limited Time Offer on Murder on the Hoof

Do you like mysteries with romance, suspense, and horses? Do you like to support local authors? Do you like great deals?

Gayle Carline’s Murder on the Hoof is available for 99 cents for a very limited time.

Gayle began life as a software engineer until she chewed her way out of the cubicle to become a storyteller. In addition to writing a humor column for her local Orange County newspaper, she is the author of the fun and entertaining Peri Minneopa Mysteries, including Freezer Burn, Hit or Missus, The Hot Mess, and Clean Sweep, featuring a housecleaner-turned-detective living in the OC.

By the way, she knows horses! Want to know more about her?

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Gayle-Carline/e/B002C7FHZW/

www.facebook.com/AuthorGayleCarline

WEBSITE: http://gaylecarline.com

http://gaylecarline.blogspot.com

Happy reading!