Holiday Book Sale & Happy Wishes

With Kimba at my elbow purring up a storm, I send you wishes for a blessed and love-filled Christmas week.

Can you find a sleeping Kimba Baby?

If you are looking for some last-minute gifts, ALL of my books are on sale on kindle this week.

"Why Kimba Saved The World" is FREE until December 26th. And all the other books in the series are 99 cents until the 27th.

You can also get "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main" for only 99 cents on kindle until the 26th. Many thanks to my publisher for dropping the price for the holidays! I ran this ad with Ereader News Today and have already seen a spike in the rankings. I hope some new readers are finding it and me.

Merry Christmas, from our house to yours. I have a feeling that the normal Christmas movies will be replaced by a Star Wars marathon this year. We have plans to see the new one next week. As long as the girls are both here and everyone is happy and healthy, I don't much care what is on the TV. May the force be with you in 2016!

Hiro thinks the village smells amazing. And she says, "Meowy Christmas."

Purina Farms Pet-tacular Holiday Event

Our last event of 2015 was the Purina Farms Pet-tacular Holiday Bazaar at the Purina Farms Event Center outside St. Louis, Missouri, on December 12th & 13th.

This is only one of the buildings on the Purina Farms property. It was very impressive.

Can you spot the Kimba and Hiro travel reps? 

Obligatory booth photo.

We were fully prepared for the fact that it would be mostly dog people there (with their doggie friends). The event center is used for dog shows and the like all year long. What was interesting, though, was that we sold a bunch of cat toys (separate from any book sale) but not a single one of the cute dog toys. The border collie rescue place down the aisle had the same dog toys at the same price, so maybe folks got them there instead. I won't fuss about that one bit.

One whole side of the main room was devoted to rescue groups with animals up for adoption and/or fundraising goods and products to sell. I did not scoop up the crate full of six mewing gray tabby kittens, so I should get a gold star for the day.

I really loved the name of this cat rescue group. That little kitten has an orange spot on her head, just like our Cheetara.

There was another entire room with kid-friendly activities and crafts and bouncy houses.

A great dane rescue was at the end of our row, but they didn't bring any dogs.

The vendor next to us sold healthy dog treat "make at home" kits. You should check them out.

Across the aisle from us was JKL Wood Art. They don't have a web site to share, but we had many long talks with Leigh during the down time. She ended up going home with several of my books, including a copy of "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main" for herself and her daughter. She also got a whole set of my children's books to donate to her local school district: Lonedell R-XIV in Missouri. I hope they love them! I must say, the way Leigh asked me to sign her book copies may be my favorite ever.

There were events going on the whole time, but we were on the far side of a divider and couldn't see any of it. Local dance schools did "Nutcracker" performances, there was a choir and bells, and dogs tried their agility on a small course. Scott caught some of the duck herding, and he said it was really impressive to watch the way the border collies moved and obeyed commands.

Duck herding practice for a dog in training.

Then, of course, there were the dogs. Big ones and small ones and loud ones and super-obedient ones. I always love to watch dogs walk along with their owners and see them glance up, over and over, ready to jump at any command and with eyes totally full of love. Though, I must say, the deaf St. Bernard who refused to go home (just plopped down and wouldn't move) may have been the best entertainment of the day.

Clown poodle in a poodle parade.

This dog was also carrying around that stuffed alligator, but those photos were too blurry. She wasn't still for long.

Epic amounts of fluffiness!! These babies are destined for the show ring.

What we do when we get bored. Scott promised it wasn't blurry.

Overall, it was a fun way to spend the weekend. Saturday sales were decent, but Sunday was a total flop. I appreciated that the booth fees were reasonable, but since it was over a four hour drive to get there and a hotel stay was required, we lost money on the event. Scott and I did enjoy a nice weekend away from the guest house and litter boxes and such, which hasn't happened since I literally don't remember when. That helped to take the sting out of it.

If we were closer, I would do it again. But we are not. I did learn about the Kansas City Amazing Pet Expo in June, so that may be a better event for us. We can pull that off without a hotel.

Holiday book orders have shipped out, and we are settling in for the winter months ahead. There are no events in January. The weather is too unpredictable to plan much of anything. But I'll be back in the flow with two events in February, at least. "Slinky Steps Out" will be back from the editor in January, so the fun of formatting and cover design will keep me busy during the winter.

We are celebrating the wonderful news that "Leia" was accepted into the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) for her freshman year of college in 2016. If you've read "Max's Wild Night," you've seen her drawings that were used within the text. She is over the moon that she could get in, but she still has decisions to make. Other liberal arts schools are on the radar (and she's been accepted), and we haven't heard back from the Kansas City Art Institute yet. She did appreciate the welcome gift from SAIC of some fun and arty gloves. Does a full-ride scholarship come with them??

The weather is getting ready to take a much more winterly turn, and we have a few days of semester exams ahead before we can really relax for the holidays. I have some Christmas specials going next week, so you'll hear more from me on that on the 22nd. I'm supposed to be having a Facebook book party that day, but so far very few people have agreed to take part. Not sure I'll bother if no one cares. Click here if you like prizes and games and bookish fun.

Have a great week, and don't stress out too much. It's a season of joy!!

Bella Vista Writer's Group

On Wednesday, I had the great pleasure of meeting with the writer's group in Bella Vista, Arkansas. They have larger Saturday meetings once a month, but this Wednesday group is new. It was small, with six people attending, but some of them were there for the first time, so it's always fun to get in on the ground floor.

They meet at the beautiful Artist Retreat Center in Bella Vista. If you have not visited them, it is worth the trip. Artists of all kinds are supported and allowed to rent exhibit and concert spaces in this lovely and well-appointed building. I was very impressed.

I modified my talk about "Running With Inspiration" and shared ideas from the new book "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert and the more tenured "The War of Art" by Stephen Pressfield. My newest book, "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main," is a perfect example of running with the inspiration that comes because I had no plans at that time to write an adult book. The spark was there, and I ran with it. We also spent a long time just chatting about the publishing process, current trends, and the differences between self-publishing and going the more traditional route these days.

They let me set up a book table, and three members went home with copies of "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main." It was a delightful way to spend a few hours of the afternoon, and I was quite impressed with the works in progress that some members shared. Wonderful writing! There will be some new books out of that group shortly, I'm sure.

If you don't get my newsletter, you can check out the holiday edition here and get in on some December paperback sale prices. It is getting almost too late to guarantee Christmas delivery, so don't wait long.

Also upcoming is my Facebook party to celebrate the end of the official launch of my new book. There will be games and prizes and fun. Click here to find out more and join us! 

The weather here is ridiculously warm, something like 70 today, so I think Max will be getting a good bath in the yard. I hope each of you is staying sane and finding joy in each moment of this crazy holiday season. It will be over before you know it, so savor each concert, party, and family gathering. And enjoy a good book or two . . . or three . . . or four.

Marshfield Christmas Bazaar 2015

We added a new event to the calendar this year: the Marshfield Shop Small Saturday event (aka Marshfield Christmas Bazaar) in Marshfield, Missouri, just outside of Springfield.

There were quite a few vendors in their new location at Shook Elementary, but the weather was awful-- I mean, a few degrees from freezing rain awful -- so attendance wasn't great. We did, however, have a blast with our fellow vendors.

THIS was going on next to me on one side all day. The Crazy Cake Lady had some magnificent cupcakes. Scott was partial to the ones with Ghirardelli Chocolate and a Ferrero Rocher on top and in the middle. I had my eye on the chocolate chip buttercreams. We took home a mixed dozen.

And THIS was going on next to me on the other side. For those of you who know me, you understand that this is even worse that a wall of cupcakes. I collect little plush lovelies like this. I really had my eye on a little round Tigger, but he didn't come home with me. I was a good mom and picked this warm and fuzzy headband up for Callista instead. 

I did take home a Kimba Baby Christmas ornament to join my collection already on the tree. I mean, come on. How could I leave this behind for under $2??

It was definitely one of those events where the vendors spend most of their time shopping and buying each other's stuff. The Crazy Cake Lady bought a copy of "Max's Wild Night" for her family but was already five chapters into it herself by the time we went home (and loving it). Scott got many lessons on the massive ($25,000) sewing machine across the way with the embroidery lady. Sorry. I never got her name. Scott was intrigued by the machine, so they were friends for the day.

I'm not sure if this is an event that we will do next year. It was a two-and-a-half-hour drive each way. That's a big hurdle to begin with. We did cover our booth fee in the end, even though it was higher than normal because we got in on it late. We had some decent sales, and it was most certainly not our worst event ever, despite the bad weather. It was a fun day with great folks to be met. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

School Visits, OWL, Little Rock Library, and Holiday Fun

Now that the book tour for "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main" is done, I can post some updates from this month.

November 8th, we drove down to Little Rock to attend a library event for self-published and small press authors. As with most library events, there were not many book sales, but I met some wonderful authors and did have a couple of kids walk away with copies of my books. The event is part of the Arkansas Literary Festival, so we were interested in getting my books in front of them, regardless of sales. My table-mate was new author Lori McFarlane, and I went home with a copy of her book "Last Petal Falling." It is definitely high up on my TBR list.

We got there early, so Scott and I enjoyed a nice stroll through the River Market District. It was Sunday morning, so everything was closed, but we were quite impressed with how lovely and family friendly the area was. 

We only got to bring three titles, but we still enjoyed ourselves.
Scott spent his time in the library, reading a massive comic book.

November 17th-19th, I had the chance to spend three days at Eureka Springs Elementary School doing author visits with small groups of library classes. This is my local school, and I substitute teach there during the off season, so it was fun to put on that other hat with kids who already know me. It was a bit nuts doing the presentation and Q&A thirteen times, but having the smaller classroom groups gave everyone a chance to really get involved.

I never knew quite what direction any one group was going to take things. A group of kindergartners may have been the best behaved of the whole bunch, and they asked wonderful questions. A group of fourth graders was fascinated with the realities of publishing and how long it takes and how little control the author actually has once the ball gets rolling. That traditionally published authors don't have a say in their book covers (or very little say) was horrifying to them. I just tried to roll with what each class was interested in, and it all went really well.

Some second grade friends with my Cats in the Mirror book series

Handing out "Kimba" bookmarks so students could find it for free download when they got home.

The next day, I ran into the high school art teacher (also my daughter's favorite teacher), and she said her daughter was in one of the groups I spoke to. When she got home that day, she immediately downloaded "Why Kimba Saved The World" and spent two hours reading it. Yay! I had made "Kimba" free to download on kindle for four days that week so as many kids as possible might have a chance to get a copy. Our district is something like 70% on free and reduced lunch, so this was not about selling lots of books. Without any other ads for the free days, I had forty-one downloads, so I hope there are some happy kids in my town.

One takeaway from that event was that, across age levels, groups I met with in their classrooms went much more smoothly than the ones I did in the library. The atmosphere in the library is just generally more open and free, and that fed into my talks. Groups in their rooms were much more engaged and well-behaved and serious with their questions. Something I will definitely remember for next time.

On November 21st, I attended the quarterly meeting of the Ozark Writers League (OWL), of which I am a member. The group is going through some growing pains and reanalyzing what the future of the group will be. After over thirty years, I'm sure they will get it all sorted out.

There were two highlights to my day. One was to chat with a brand-spankin'-new writer who isn't even telling her friends about her aspirations yet. I hope I left her encouraged and that she will come back and share her journey along the way. Go get 'em, Anne.

The second highlight was sharing the company of Jemma for the day. Miss Jemma is a guide dog for my sight-impaired friend Ronda, and she is the best behaved dog I have ever spent time with--though we all got the giggles in the afternoon when she started to quietly bark in her sleep. Ronda says that Jemma never barks. She is trained not to. But what she does in her sleep is something else entirely. So sweet!! You can follow Jemma's adventures at this link. 

Jemma, hanging out under our table and not making a peep all morning. 

Ronda stepped away without her, but she didn't budge. Such a good dog.

Back here on our mountain, we celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday so my older daughter could join us from Fayetteville. She works in a doggie day care, and having the holidays off is not an option. I have never been one to freak out about what day celebrations take place, so we just shifted to Monday.

Seriously large turkey (23.5 lbs) so there was plenty to share and send home for my daughter and her roommate.

Pumpkin and cherry pies. I like the Harry Potterish lightning blot. 

A holiday tradition at our house that started back when Scott worked for the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan. We love latkes (I use a recipe from Mandy Patinkin), but they are not supposed to be served with bacon. That would not be kosher at all.

Now I have the rest of the week to work and relax and not have to worry about the holiday. Scott and my younger daughter are just thrilled that this now means Christmas decorating can begin early. I have strict rules about no tree until after Thanksgiving, but since it is done, they can knock themselves out.

I hope each of you has a blessed holiday time filled with friends and family and far too much food in whatever way you love to celebrate. Happy Thanksgiving!

Blog Tour: Week 4

Well, the blog tour for "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main" sort of went out with a whimper. One person didn't post as planned. One didn't do a review like I'd expected. But I did get the extra bonus of being featured at Southern Authors and having the new book featured this week as well. That was excellent!

You can find the posts here:

Southern Authors Interview

Linda Apple at Sisterhood of the Traveling Pen

Paris at Paris Baker's Book Nook

Paris said, "'At the Corner of Magnetic and Main' is a really lovely, light-hearted read with a refreshing take on the eternal question of 'what happens to us after we die?'"

And that's the conclusion of the official blog tour.

I may well hold a Facebook party with prizes in December, but the jury is still out on that. Maybe I just need to recover from a few very busy months. Let me get past Thanksgiving, which will actually be celebrated here on Monday due to our daughter's work schedule. No, she does not work retail, so you don't have to jump on that. A lot of people work on the holidays. Smile at them kindly if you encounter them.

Saturday is the Ozark Writers League meeting in Branson, so Sunday I can post about that and my school visits in Eureka Springs last week. Let's hope there are dozens of people at the meeting who just can't wait to get their hands on "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main." A writer can always dream.

Blog Tour: Week 3

This week was a bit quieter, especially since one blogger failed to post as promised. Ah well. It's part of the process. I am super-grateful to the two ladies who did post:

Holly at Bookaholic Confessions

Debbie at The Styling Librarian

Holly wrote, "Meg's writing is really special. She has made this gorgeous tale believable and brought her ghostly characters to life in a way that will capture readers' attention and melt your heart at the same time."

I also received this review at amazon from talented author Lori Ericson.

5.0 out of 5 starsEnchanting Tale of Afterlife and Love

ByLori Ericsonon November 15, 2015

Format: Paperback

The writer uses the tale of ghosts stuck between heaven and earth for a charming look at balancing
the giving of ourselves for others and taking care of our own needs. It's told from several voices with 
perfectly timed dialogue and intricately woven description of a lovely small Arkansas town and its 
inhabitants, both living and dead. We learn the power of love and giving from Penny, a ghost who 
has spent decades watching over a small diner and helping the just died into "The Light" of eternity. 
When Jake, a rough and tumble biker, comes into the picture and refuses to move on just yet,
Penny's there to help him better interact with the living. However, Jake ends up teaching her a few 
things as well. The author presents an absolutely charming story that offers up plenty of thoughts 
about being good to ourselves and others, and the possibility of afterlife without any preachy overtones. 
A good read!

Thanks, Lori! I'll be picking up her new book, "A Lovely Country," at the Ozark Creative Writer's Conference on the 21st.

Next week will wrap up the tour before the holidays with a flourish of support from Heather Davis, Southern Authors, Paris Baker's Book Nook, and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pen (Linda Apple, to be specific).

If you don't already follow Heather Davis on Facebook, well, you should. The Queen of TMI has wonderful books and will be sharing her thoughts on "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main" on Monday. Click here to follow her.

On November 17th, 18th, and 19th, I will be meeting with the kindergarten through third grade classes at the Eureka Springs Elementary School Library to talk about being an author and my middle grade books. From the 17th - 20th, "Why Kimba Saved The World" will be free on kindle so each of the kids can download it at no cost. But there's no law saying that you can't get a copy as well!

And if you haven't already, you can get your own copy of "At the Corner of Magnetic and Main" and see what all the ghostly fuss is about.

Blog Tour: Week 2

As the blog tour for At the Corner of Magnetic and Main continues, we added four new posts:

Moxxley at Platypire Reviews

Diane Coto at Fiction Zeal

Blanche Day Manos at her author blog

and

Tara at Absolutely Tara

I really appreciate their lovely reviews and observations about what the book meant to them. Tara joked that at first she was a little suspicious that she was getting into some kind of "ghost porn" situation, but she quickly realized that I wasn't going to go there. No thanks. As she concluded, it's really not about the Penny/Jake relationship at all. That's just one of the friendships in Penny's world.

"It's an innocent telling of a relationship with the self. It mirrors the struggle living women have all the time. Forgetting our own needs so we can care for others. Carrying the burden of those around us while not even realizing we've forgotten to take care of ourselves."

Yes, that's exactly what I intended, Tara.

Moxxley said in her amazon review, "I think that this story was amazing from start to finish. It kinda gives you that kick in the pants that you desperately need but you don't know that you need it."

A kick-in-the-pants ghost story. I'll take it!

This coming week we continue with posts at Bookaholic, Crafty Cauldron, and The Styling Librarian!!

Blog Tour: Week 1

The first week of the blog tour is complete! Thank you so much to the ladies who took the time to post and review and share At the Corner of Magnetic and Main with their followers. You can find their posts at the links below.

Blame it on the Books

That's What Mo Read

Jan Morrill Writes

Rusty's Reading

Write on Purpose

Spoonful of Happy Endings

Adventures in Publishing

And there were two other posts this week that were not officially part of the blog tour, but I'll share them anyway because I'm always grateful when someone wants to help promote my work.

Tome Tender

Catherine Bennett

Not every blogger was ga-ga over the book, we had one no-show, and some of them are such prolific posters I am already buried under a dozen other books, but overall, it was a successful week. I'm especially grateful to Diane at Tome Tender for this line in her amazon review:

"Meg Welch Dendler has written a beautiful and gentle tale, far from the usual ghost fare we have come to expect. This is a tale of love, for life, for others and for doing the right thing, even if it is by unconventional methods. It is a tale of moving on to the next chapter and leaving the comfort zones behind for a chance at a better future. Delightful women’s fiction to savor and enjoy!"

And for this from MC at Blame it on the Books:

"I was actually disappointed when I reached the end of this book, because I wanted to spend more time with the characters in their cozy little world. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Meg’s next book, because I have found a new author whose storytelling I absolutely love!"

We are taking the Halloween weekend off the tour because it's not that kind of ghost book. Enjoy your spooky and scary. We will be back on Tuesday, November 3 with Platypire Reviews. At least 8 more stops to go!

Blog Tour Begins!

Today is the start of my blog tour for 

At the Corner of Magnetic and Main! 

First stop: That's What Mo Read. Click on the link to read her comments and review. The amazon version hasn't shown up yet, so I'll have to share that later.

The rest of the tour is lined up from now until Thanksgiving vacation, with a fast and furious pace for the next week. Thank you so much to each of these ladies for taking part and supporting my book release!

Oct. 23  MC at Blame it on the Books

Oct. 24  Jan at Jan Morrill Writes

Oct. 25  Lorrain Masterson at Rusty’s Reading

Oct. 26  Jen at The Crafty Cauldron

Oct. 27  Ronda DelBoccio at Write on Purpose

Oct. 28  Jody at Spoonful of Happy Endings

Oct. 29  Marianne Sciucco at Adventures in Publishing

Nov. 3  Moxxley at Platypire Reviews

Nov. 4  Diane Coto at Fiction Zeal

Nov. 5  Blanche Day Manos at Blanche’s Blog

Nov. 7  Tara Schiller at Absolutely Tara

Nov. 10  Holly Kilminster at Bookaholic Confessions 

Nov. 13  Debbie Alvarez at The Styling Librarian

Nov. 18  Paris Baker at Paris Baker’s Book Nook

Nov. 19  Linda Apple at The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pen

Heather Davis and Karen Nelson are still figuring out their best dates.

War Eagle Fair Update

Early morning photo, when it was still chilly.

As with last year, the War Eagle Fall Craft Fair was our best event of the year. The mornings were chilly, but every day warmed up and was sunny and beautiful. Perfect fall days for kids and parents and grandparents to head home with copies of my books and smiles on their faces. We saw license plates from Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, and Nebraska in the parking lot. The whole fair is a real party.

This is the view outside my tent. Throngs of shoppers!

I'd like to thank Jarrett, Rachel, Emily, Ben, Ava, Leah, Reagan, Barb, Claire, Chasin, Isabel, Melissa, Elliot, Adelaide, Myleshia, Laney, Adelynn, Erin, Jadyn, Benjamin, Nicholas, Peyton, Laney, Kate, Mackenzie, Chole, Kinlee, Elijah, Abby, Amanda, Jacque, Legend, Harmon, Sandy, Danijo, Caitlin, Elise, Abs, and baby Olivia (along with all the names I didn't get) for becoming new readers.

What was also thrilling beyond belief was to connect with fans who already have the Cats in the Mirror books, love them, and came by to get the new ones or just say hi because they already have them all. One grandma yelled, "There she is!" across the crowded aisle and grabbed up a Miss Fatty Cat toy to go with the book, along with Max's Wild Night and his toy. A pair of grandmas, who were vendors near us at the spring fair, stopped by to say how much the grandkids love the books and carry their Kimba and Hiro toys around with them. My writer-heart could not be prouder.

This was our view for the four days of the fair. Awesome neighbors with cool, handpainted stuff.
Can you find Kimba and Hiro? 

We also found out that the owners of the booth that moved across the aisle from us this fall are fans, and we even got to meet the kid readers briefly before packing-up time on Sunday afternoon.

Can you find Kimba and Hiro now?

Our older daughter and her roommate came up from Fayetteville for the afternoon and enjoyed shopping and a giant smoked turkey leg, as one must at the fair. Yes, "Mindy" has pink in her hair. It matches my new book, doesn't it?

Dottie wasn't allowed over on the mill side of the fair, so she hung out with us for a bit. Booth neighbors came looking for her later. Such a sweet dog. I should write a book about her. Soon!

You never know who will stop by to visit. Miller the dog from the Saddlebock Brewery Beer Garden booth across the way came by to show off his new outfit from the fair. Yes, there is a bit of everything.

I would kind of like to sleep for a week now, but it was well worth every minute of it. One of the most interesting moments came near the end of the fair. A woman stopped and asked if At the Corner of Magnetic and Main was set in Eureka Springs. We chatted a bit and she picked up a copy. When I asked if she had ever been to Eureka Springs, she smiled and admitted that she owns the Crescent Hotel (featured in the book and home of Katie, the Irish maid). If that wasn't fun enough, she came back a while later, after thumbing through the book some, to ask if it was set at the diner on that corner of town. She knows the owners and promptly bought a copy for them. That's outstanding! I hope they like it.

We have a break from in-person events for a couple of weeks, but the blog tour for At the Corner of Magnetic and Main starts on Thursday. You'll be seeing all kinds of posts about that. Early reviews have been fantastic, so I hope it will be a great tour with new bloggers and readers to meet.

I'll leave you with one of the reviews that's not a part of the official tour, from Diane at Tome Tender:

A Gentle Tale of Ghosts and Moving on...

By Dii TOP 500 REVIEWER on October 18, 2015

It’s the time of year for ghost stories, want to read along with the crowd but aren’t too crazy about scary tales? Pick up Meg Welch Dendler’s At the Corner of Magnetic and Main and settle in to discover the real story of what goes on when ghosts haunt a town, because there can be life after death.

Penny is the friendly waitress, serving up ice cream in the old diner at Magnetic and Main. Although she looks seventeen, she’s been doing her job with a smile and a kind word for sixty years. Penny is a ghost, safely ensconced in her small town in a place that gave her comfort in life. For decades she has helped others go on into the light and eternal joy.

In struts Jake, the hot, biker bad boy with a devilish streak and zest for living life on the edge. Can she guide him into the light or has Jake got a few adventures left on his bucket list to take care of first? Life as a ghost will never be the same for Penny and the other resident ghosts once Jake cuts loose, but one thing happens she could never see coming…

Meg Welch Dendler has written a beautiful and gentle tale, far from the usual ghost fare we have come to expect. This is a tale of love, for life, for others and for doing the right thing, even if it is by unconventional methods. It is a tale of moving on to the next chapter and leaving the comfort zones behind for a chance at a better future. Delightful women’s fiction to savor and enjoy!