Avalanche of Books

on July 29, 2025 Ashley

Dear Readers,

Priya and I have been working on a lot of books lately, making some of my backlist available to read again. SO we have big announcements!

Two romantic mysteries and a long novella will soon be available as digital reads. RIDER IN THE MIST, BABE IN THE WOODS, and DARK RIDER have all been formatted and given new covers and they are ready to go. They will be available on Amazon for great prices very soon!

Many thanks to Harlequin Intrigue for returning the rights to me. And to Michael Canales who was able to download the files that would allow Priya to reformat them and bring them back to life. And many thanks to Pamela DeMond for making the covers for us. It has been a long, long road to get all of this done.

And in more good news, THE HOUSE OF MEMORY will also be available again—as a digital book and also in print! Whew! Folks think I don’t do anything but eat bon-bons and drink Jack, but there are the occasional days when I work. But to be honest, I couldn’t do this without Priya, Michael, and Pamela, with assist from Mahala Church with editing the manuscripts. It really does take a village.

I’m waiting on edits for ODE TO THE BONES (pub May 2026), and I’m writing BONES OF ASH. I’m also looking into an exciting idea for YA horror. Yeah, I know that thrills some of you! But it does make me happy. I return to my roots! Horror and dark mystery. More on this later as things develop.

So far this summer has been brutal. Flicker, my oldest horse, hobbled into the barn Monday with an abscessed foot. The vet came out and lanced it, and now I’m soaking and wrapping. A foot injury is always extremely serious with any horse, and I am so relieved it is an abscess, which can be treated. It is so hot I worry that I’ll faint up under the horse. I’m in good shape, but working up under a horse is hard work and not the best position to be in! Luckily, she is generally pretty good. It is an interesting aspect of age that 20 years ago I wouldn’t have given this another thought. Now, though, I realize I’m not as strong as I used to be. I don’t think the dogs would call 911—ha ha ha.

The cat that jumped in the window of my pickup truck 11 years ago—Chipara—has developed some peculiar issues with her back. If I touch her, she begins to bite herself and tries to pull all her hair out. She’s getting depo shots to control this, but she’s going to the vet Monday for a full exam. This isn’t right, and it makes me sad. I give her Gabapentin twice a day, but I have to keep her in a kennel to be able to catch her. Even after all this time of living in the house with me, she is still a little feral. Keep finger crossed for her.

And the other big news here is the weather. I’m keeping an eye on the Gulf. It’s been so hot, but we have had rain every day for the past 2 months. This is a mess. The grass grows 10 inches a day! And the constant wet is hard on the horses and the dogs and me. But it’s my theory that the daily rains cool the land and the water funnels into the Gulf and maybe cools it a little. And that keeps the storms from forming. So I always say thank you to the rain. And I dream of late October. My friend Aleta wants to have a costume party with line dancing. I’m like, yeah! Let’s do it. Because I am thinking of dollar signs and all the blackmail money I can make!

Take care. Stay cool and dry. Remember, people who read are more intelligent! (Don’t test me, ha ha ha.) And I turn it over to Priya for a bit of her news. Since she took over as president of KaliOka Press, she is going gangbusters!

Here’s a tune for you. When I was a little girl, I would walk downtown with my daddy each evening after supper. He would sing this song and ultimately taught it to me: Ole Faithful.

Later—Carolyn and the Critters

 

P.S. I’ll be the featured speaker/author at a couple of events in the Bookspace platform over the next couple of months, if you’d like to join. Bookspace is divided into a space for readers, Readerspace, and a space for authors Authorspace.

The first event will take place on Wednesday, August 6. It’s officially open to authors in Bookspace (Authorspace), but they’re opening it up to my readers if you join through the links in this newsletter.

I’m giving a writing Lunch & Learn, Four Questions To Ask Before Your Write Your Book.

This is a simple introduction to the most important things you need to know before you sit down to write a novel.

I’ll also be the featured author for the October Bring Your Own Books Book Club, a friendly, laid back get-together for readers. There’s a reader get-together every Wednesday in Bookspace (Readerspace),and every 3rd Wednesday there’s a featured author. I’ll be there October 15 to celebrate the spooky season!

 

Dear Readers, 

I worked at a bookstore while I was in college. After a day of classes, it was relaxing to bask in the aroma of coffee and ink on paper. Back then, newspapers were available for purchase and we had several varieties of them. I especially loved it when I got to unbundle them and place them in the newspaper rack. I’m so odd but I could happily get high off of that hot-off-the-press smell, I adored it so much.

Anyway, one bleak and rainy weekday afternoon, the bookstore was essentially vacant. I kept myself busy by dusting the shelves and tables and admiring at how I arranged the books. Some, I front faced, and others I spined. 

Well, one of the books caught my eye. The book cover was cozy and enchanting and comforting to me. I read the synopsis on the back of the book and was intrigued enough to save it under the employee holds. I bought it with my discount during my lunch break and tore through the chapters with a mug of tea and a croissant. 

Have any of you read Bread Alone by Judith Hendricks? I got all up in it and craved freshly baked bread, and I often munched on a warm baguette every time I settled in to read the next few chapters in the book. Shruti Masi (my Aunt Shruti) recently let me know there’s a third book in the series! So I went and got it and can’t wait to dig in– but first, I’m going to re-read the first two books to get reacquainted. The main character is a woman named Wynter Morrison who is rebuilding her life after a crumbled marriage, and you’ll meet all sorts of interesting characters in the bakery she winds up in. Gosh, now I’m craving a scalding hot coffee and a stormy night to cuddle up with a blanket to read my tattered well-loved copy of Bread Alone

Sometimes it’s just what the doctor ordered, to read an old novel that makes you feel snug and warm and well-fed. 

Your kindred spirit,
Priya