Today's Featured Books

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on A Woman's Worth, a series of thought-provoking short fiction from author Jamell Crouthers. 

A Woman's Worth 1

★★★★★ "A very real and emotional look at the exciting and sometimes arduous journey of motherhood." ~Barnes & Noble Reviewer
 
Brenda is a young, pregnant woman who is in her most exciting time of her life. Brenda and her husband are having a baby girl, and the journey through pregnancy is shared from finding out to having birth. Brenda pens her ups, downs, and struggles of pregnancy, all while preparing for motherhood mentally, physically, and emotionally. It isn't until after she has her daughter that she experiences what so many women in this world go through….postpartum depression. While this can happen before and during pregnancy, it's a topic that isn't discussed enough in today's world, and Brenda shares her experience in a way that can help others learn and prepare for these life events. 

A Woman's Worth 2

Lisa is pregnant and having her first child. While this should be the most exciting time of her life, it unfortunately isn't. She shares the journey not just of her pregnancy, but also of her efforts to get maternity leave, have time with her newborn child, manage her finances, and start her journey as a mother. And ultimately, she will have to make a big decision when it comes time to return back to the work world.

Maternity leave is imperative to a woman, but the United States is one of the worst nations in the world in regards to this. This story delves deep into maternity leave and related issues, how this issue is handled in other countries, and how change needs to occur within the government and corporations in the United States. 

A Woman's Worth 3

Role models are a huge component to how young children grow and progress in life. Kayla is a young teenager who is dealing with social media, school, fashion, boys, trends, culture, puberty, and the pressures to be something she really isn't. She shares her story as a teenager, the struggles she goes through, and trying to find the right role models to shape her future. As she tries to understand and figure herself out, there are role models that she can't relate to on her television screen and magazine covers. 

It isn't until she forms a women's group through her guidance counselor in her school that she starts to see role models in different facets. She becomes inspired, happy, and motivated to know that there are women with many different careers, and she figures out what she wants to do with her life through meeting these powerful women in today's society. 

A Woman's Worth 4

Patricia is someone who is on the path to becoming a better woman and not caving into the pressures of what the world wants her to be. She chronicles her story from childhood to the present day, including her struggles, home life, descent into alcoholism, and her recovery. It's not an easy journey, and she shares her mental, emotional, and spiritual journey.

Everyone has a story, it's just a matter of whether we're empathetic enough to listen...

A Woman's Worth 5

Sylvia is a licensed therapist who helps women recover from tragic events in their lives, including helping women recover from domestic violence. With their permission, she shares the stories of some of the clients she's helped. 

The stories aren't easy to tell, hear, or listen to, but she knows that she's making the world a better place. Sylvia also shares aspects of her life that inspired her to become a therapist, as well as what can be done to reduce domestic violence and prevent it from happening to others. 

A Woman's Worth 6

Nancy is at a crossroads of her life, and she has some important decisions to make. As a woman, she feels pressure to have children and raise a family. When she makes the decision not to have kids and become a mother, there's uproar from those closest to her. She goes to great lengths to live her life to the best of her ability and to avoid the judgments and backlash from her family, knowing that she has to do what's best for her. This is the story of a woman who takes a different road, and a reminder that sometimes personal fulfillment comes before making others and the world happy…

About the Author

      

Free online: The Collectors is an anthology of stories for young adults about remarkable people and their strange and surprising collections. This free online event will feature four contributors who tell stories in which anything can be collected and any collection can tell a story. Tuesday, September 26, 5:30 - 7:00 CDT.

“Anyone who has a book collection and a garden wants for nothing.” ~Cicero

Fall is officially here in the Northern Hemisphere (Happy Spring to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere!), and we're only a little more than a month away from Halloween, making this the perfect time for a special edition newsletter full of great mystery, thriller, crime, and horror reads! Check out these special offers (including two "freebies") on new and highly rated indie titles. 

“Mysteries abound where most we seek for answers.” ~Ray Bradbury

Psychologist Maddie Swallows’ decision to return to New Mexico seemed like a good idea at the time. But that was before the New Year’s Eve party she was guilt-tripped into attending. Before a member of the town council wound up dead and everyone at the party became a suspect. And before she was forced to unravel the secrets of her former hometown in order to clear her name. Book 1 in the Maddie Swallows series. If you love small towns, quirky characters, and an intriguing whodunit, you’ll love this cozy mystery. 4.2 stars, 1700+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

Mom's Choice Award Gold Medal Winner​. A children's Halloween picture book for ages 1-8. The mysterious, creaking house in Allie's neighborhood has always been a source of fear and curiosity. When Allie, her sister Marie, and her best friend Ryan are swept away on a wild Halloween night, they uncover a startling truth about the grouchy man who lives there. Will they survive the night and make it out unscathed, or will they be caught in the midst of a terrifying discovery?​ From $1.99 SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Chris Cannon, award-winning author of urban fantasies, romantic comedies, and paranormal cozy mysteries. Read on to learn about the first two books in the Mysteries of Mystic Hills Series.

"A funny, relatable, supernatural story. Brims with humor, action, and a dash of romance that keeps you turning the pages!" ~Lynn Rush, New York Times bestselling author

Murder in Mystic Hills (Mysteries of Mystic Hills Book 1)

All she wants is a break from adulting…then she rediscovers a world that’s been wiped from her memory.

Preschool teacher Belinda Harbinger’s summer vacation is going off the rails. After receiving a letter stating she’s inherited a tearoom and home, she’s shocked it’s from a beloved aunt she can’t remember…who could speak to the dead. And finding out she has the same power, it’s up to her to solve her mysterious relative’s murder.

Moving to the mystical town, Belinda takes up with a talking cat, Familiar, and learns she’s the only one who can help her aunt cross over before she becomes a vengeful spirit. But while searching the house for her lost memories, she faces heated magical politics, fresh bodies popping up, and a hidden evil threatening to make her the next victim.

Not knowing who to trust, can she expose a killer and rescue everyone from deadly plays for power?

Murder in Mystic Hills is the spellbinding first book in the Mysteries of Mystic Hills cozy paranormal series. If you like feline sidekicks, quirky characters, and winding trails of clues, then you’ll love Chris Cannon’s humorous hunt for justice.

Praise for Murder in Mystic Hills
"A journey of magic, mayhem, and murder. Once you pick it up you can't put it down!" ~Lynn Stevens author of Game On

"A lot of humor and a light-hearted tone. I loved the worldbuilding and cross-genre story, and found myself rooting for Belinda from page 1. I'd definitely recommend this book for those looking for a little fun reading that has both serious and humorous elements to it." ~Goodreads Review

Double Trouble in Mystic Hills (Mysteries of Mystic Hills Book 2)

In Mystic Hills, blood is power.

After solving her aunt's murder, Belinda Harbinger, preschool teacher and amateur sleuth, hoped for a peaceful summer. But a magical game wreaks havoc in her newly inherited tearoom, splitting her friends into identical twins with distinctly different personalities.

The perplexing selection of victims—a banker, librarian, real estate agent, and a lawyer—leaves Belinda mystified. Could Reed, the man she’d loved and lost, be an unintended casualty?

When one of each twin starts to go missing, Belinda faces a race against time. Someone wants their blood, a vital ingredient to create spells and charms. She must unravel this riddle and find a way to merge the twins back into their original selves before they cease to exist.

Armed with her ability to communicate with ghosts, a scary new witch friend who specializes in vengeance hexes, and a handsome fairy healer, will Belinda solve the Double Trouble in Mystic Hills mystery before it’s too late?

Praise for Double Trouble in Mystic Hills
★★★★★ "An entertaining and interesting story with magic, enchanting creatures and a mystery that keeps you guessing." ~Goodreads Review

About the Author

          

Free online this weekend: The Back Room. Join authors Jeff Abbott, Sara DiVello, Angie Kim, and Joshua Moehling for an evening of great conversation. Sunday, September 24, 6 PM CDT. 

Free today: Today's Featured Books include four freebies and five highly rated indie books at great prices. 

“You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit