Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton

Book Description

When the Fallingbrook Arts Festival rolls into town weeks before she’s set to tie the knot, Emily expects talent and friendly competition at the week-long summer series to go together like coffee and double fudge. But the fun crumbles fast after a lively bagpiper takes first place on day one and turns heads for the wrong reasons—all before Emily and her tabby cat find him dead in a clear case of murder. Along with a distinctive weapon at the crime scene, several strategically placed items leave disturbing clues about the killer’s identity, including a broken piece of a Deputy Donut mug . . .

While detectives aren’t sure who silenced the bagpiper’s music, they don’t trust Emily or her family to tell the truth. With her nuptials and career on the line, Emily launches an unsettling investigation to save herself from trouble and bring a dangerous figure to justice. The search not only brings too many suspects into the picture, but also leads to a strange discovery on Deputy Donut’s rooftop. A discovery that tells Emily she better get cooking, because someone may be watching her every move . . .  and carefully plotting to turn a wedding into a funeral!

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Elise’s Thoughts

Double Grudge Donuts by Ginger Bolton is a scrumptious read.  She combines tasty treats with likeable characters within a riveting mystery.

The story has a murder but also a happy ending for Detective Brent Fyne and Deputy Donut Café owner Emily Westhill. It begins with the Fallingbrook Arts Festival with Emily expecting lots of talent and friendly competition at the week-long summer series that will go together with coffee and donuts. She is half owner along with her ex-father-in-law Tom. She’s thriving and happy. Someone who is strong, intelligent, empathetic, and smart.

Their relationship was a no go for a while because Brent was the detective partner of Emily’s late husband. In fact, unlike some of the other cozy mysteries Brent does not chastise Emily or get upset with her for investigating as an amateur sleuth. He relies on and trusts the information Emily finds and he’s happy for her to call for backup anytime she feels the need. Brent admires these things and doesn’t berate her when she finds clues for him.

During the contest bagpiper Kirk MacLean interrupts other performances with a noisy rendition of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean,” but despite that rudeness wins the contest. Kirk’s antics continue when he drowns out a teen barbershop quartet. He’s annoying, playing the pipes up and down the street even in the middle of the night while others are sleeping. After speaking with people, Emily finds out that he’s not well-liked. The next morning tragedy strikes when Emily finds the piper dead and calls the police. The list of suspects is long and include a local guy who lost first place to him, Emily’s own parents, the owner of the local café, and other friends of Emily.  She with help from some of her friends decides to investigate and find the real killer.

Bolton worries about jumping the shark after the marriage but has nothing to worry about because the focus of her stories are the characters personalities and a plot that has many twists and turns.  Readers are kept guessing in these fun and exciting mysteries. Not to mention mouthwatering donuts.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper:  How did you get the idea for the story?

GINGER BOLTON: A cozy writer said that there was a bakery that was about to close. The nine police in this small town decided to buy it so they run this bakery. I used that to jump start the series with a bakery donut shop somehow connected to law enforcement and first responders. I thought donut shops is a great place to pick up a lot of clues. For this book there was an incident that I based the murder weapon on. 

EC:  Do you like donuts?

GB:  I like the plain old-fashioned donuts with nutmeg. I actually cook donuts but do not do it often.

EC:  How would you describe Brent?

GB:  Brent is gentle, kind, loving, and thoughtful.  He keeps a neutral face when he needs to.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Emily and Brent?

GB:  In the beginning of the relationship, he and Emily were standoffish because he was her first husband’s detective partner who got killed in the line of action. They share this major grief. When they finally got around to speaking with each other they bonded over communicating about their shared grief. 

EC:  Do you think you will jump the shark by having them get married?

GB: I hope I do not jump the shark by having them get married. This is a worry for me. I thought this was going to be the last book in the series.  But then the publisher wants two more books. 

EC:  How would you describe the victim?

GB:  Kurt the bagpiper is devious and mean.  He interrupts other performances.  Nobody really likes him.

EC:  How about your next book?

GB: The next book is titled, Blame The Beignets and is based on the famous New Orleans donuts. It will come out the end of November with Emily discovering a body while kayaking with her assistant a suspect.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Other Murder by Kevin G. Chapman

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE OTHER MURDER by Kevin G. Chapman on this Black Tide Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Sometimes, the most dangerous thing . . . is the truth.

For disgraced cable news producer Hannah Hawthorne, covering the shooting of a pretty NYU sophomore is a chance for redemption. When the story snowballs into a media circus, Hannah’s reporting fans the sensationalistic flames and earns her acclaim. The tragic murder prompts protests and vigils that further magnify the story.

Meanwhile, Paulo, a neighborhood newspaper reporter, is following the other murder in Washington Square Park that same night – a young Hispanic boy. He discovers an unexpected connection that is political dynamite. When Hannah and Paulo team up, they uncover disturbing facts, leading them to question everything they thought they knew. It also leads them to the man who might be the killer.

When the story is ready to explode, the truth may be hotter than anyone can handle. Breaking the next scoop could ruin Paulo’s paper and wreck Hannah’s career – and it could get them both killed.

If you like David Baldacci’s page-turners, Michael Connelly’s cops, and Sara Paretsky’s quirky characters, you will love The Other Murder.

TRIGGER WARNING:  Heavy theme of racism in the context of the news media’s coverage.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180169378-the-other-murder?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=V8oDoYmyE3&rank=1

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE OTHER MURDER by Kevin G. Chapman is a crime thriller/police procedural with a twist in the storytelling that shines the light on media bias today. This is a tour de force standalone crime fiction novel that I could not put down.

Two people are murdered on opposite sides of Central Park. One a female white NYU student and the other a male Hispanic high school student. The media latches on to the white female’s murder and the story broadcasts across the country, while the Hispanic male’s story is largely ignored. No one believes the two may be tied together.

The story is written with intertwining perspectives between two journalists investigating the murders and two NYPD detectives investigating the murders. The investigation is very well plotted and paced between both groups, but what made this an exceptional read for me was the integration throughout the story of differences in handling, investigating, and reporting on crime depending on gender, ethnicity, and social class of the victim. It shines a spotlight on what media organizations believe readers want to read vs. the entire truth of the story.

All the characters in this story are fully developed, relatable and realistic, both good and bad. The plot is believable on every level. There is nothing I would want to change.

I highly recommend this brilliant crime thriller/police procedural!

***

About the Author

Kevin G. Chapman is an attorney specializing in labor and employment law and an independent author. In 2021, Kevin finished the first five books in the Mike Stoneman Thriller series. Righteous Assassin (Mike Stoneman Thriller #1), was named one of the top 20 Mystery/Thrillers of 2019 by the Kindle Book Review and was a finalist for the Chanticleer Book Review CLUE award. Deadly Enterprise (Mike Stoneman Thriller #2) was also named a top-20 Mystery/Thriller of 2020 by the Kindle Book Review and made the Short-List for the 2020 CLUE Award. Book #3, Lethal Voyage, was the winner of the 2021 Kindle Book Award and a Finalist for the CLUE and for the InD’Tale Magazine RONE Award. Book #4 in the series, Fatal Infraction, was named Best Police Procedural of the year by the Chanticleer Book Review, and book #5 (Perilous Gambit) was published November 24, 2021. Kevin has also written a serious political drama, A Legacy of One, originally published in 2016, which was short-listed for the Chanticleer Somerset Award for literary fiction. A Legacy of One was re-published in a newly re-edited and revised second edition in 2021. Kevin recently completed a stand-alone mystery/thriller titled Dead Winner, published in late 2022, winner of the 2023 CLUE Award (best suspense/thriller), and he is working on a stand-alone mystery titled The Other Murder. Kevin is a resident of Central New Jersey and is a graduate of Columbia College and Boston University School of Law.

Social Media Links

Website: https://kevingchapman.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevinGChapman

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KGChapman

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kevin-g-chapman

Release Day Blitz/Feature Post and Book Review: Baby X by Kira Peikoff

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for BABY X by Kira Peikoff for this Release Day Blitz.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

When any biological matter can be used to create life, stolen celebrity DNA sells to the highest bidder–or the craziest stalker–in this propulsive thriller.

In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.  

Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks–discarded tissues, used straws, lipstick tubes–and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip–love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.   

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173476065-baby-x?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ORsT6ZciZT&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

BABY X by Kira Peikoff is an engrossing speculative fiction, medical, and psychological thriller mash-up that kept me turning the pages from start to finish. This story is set around 2040 and takes future human reproduction into a terrifying new realm.

The Vault is a black-market site that steals DNA from high profile individuals to use as blackmail. If you don’t want your DNA used to create a baby with the highest bidder somewhere in the world, you must pay to stop it.

Ember Ryan knows how the Vault works and has set up a business to protect an individual’s DNA. Her first major client is the famous country singer, Trace Thome. Ember will do anything to protect Trace’s cell matter while they travel together on his tour. They both begin to care for each other and soon become a couple and engaged after the tour ends.

While they are out for coffee, they are confronted by a young pregnant woman who claims to be carrying Trace’s child. But nothing is as it seems because Ember is hiding secrets that will change everyone’s futures.

This mash-up thriller has many interesting plot points that led to me think about bioethical and moral questions at every turn: stolen DNA, designer babies, babies that are ‘Selected’ or ‘Unforeseen’, IVF on steroids. It is fascinating and frightening at the same time. The story is told in three alternating distinct storylines by three women, and you do not learn how they all come together until the surprise twist at the end and that is all I can say without giving anything away.

I recommend this mash-up thriller that will leave you thinking about the issues in this story long after you finish and the possibility of them becoming our reality.

***

About the Author

Kira Peikoff is the author of Baby X, Mother Knows Best, Living Proof, No Time to Die, and Die Again Tomorrow. She has a degree in journalism from New York University and master’s in bioethics from Columbia. Her reported articles have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Popular Mechanics and other outlets.

She now works in biotech communications helping spread the word about transformative developments in the life sciences. Peikoff is a proud member of The Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kirapeikoff.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kirapeikoff/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KiraPeikoff

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/baby-x-by-kira-peikoff

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Book Description

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse—because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them—and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195791352-mind-games?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=E3m2MFm1v6&rank=2

Expected Publication: May 24, 2024

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MIND GAMES by Nora Roberts is an amazingly rich and layered multi-genre story. It follows the young protagonist, Thea Fox, between the ages of twelve to twenty-seven from a traumatic family event to her ultimate battle and HEA. This book is a mix of family drama, romance, romantic suspense, murder mystery, generational paranormal psychic abilities all rolled together into an engaging story set in a small town in the Kentucky Appalachian Mountains.

School is out in Virginia and twelve-year-old Thea and ten-year-old Rem are on their way to spend two weeks with their Grandma Lucy in the Kentucky foothills. They always look forward to helping with the animals and gardens, helping with their grandma’s home-based company, and running free in the mountains. But this year, something terrible happened to their parents and they will be staying with their grandma in Redbud Hollow.

Thea has the gift of sight that has passed down through generations of women in her family and she is able to use it to help police capture her parent’s killer. But the killer has the same gift, and he uses it to stay tied to Thea. A mental battle wages between them over the next fifteen years until they are face to face and Thea is ready for a final game.

If you loved the sweeping story in Identity, you will love this story just as much. The parents’ murder is heartbreaking, but the family love between Lucy, Thea, and Rem warms and heals the break, at least partially. Then you get to read how Thea strengthens not only physically, but mentally and learns to deal with her gift as well as how to handle the intrusions and attacks from the killer. I fell in love with all the well-developed characters in this story, especially the son of Thea’s love interest. I loved the ending, not only because it ends on a HEA, but because of Thea’s solution and use of her gift to obtain it even if it could end her own.

I highly recommend this new multi-genre story from the author that never disappoints!

***

About the Author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 — The Becoming — the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Social Media Links

Website: https://noraroberts.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noraroberts

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nora-roberts

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Deepest Kill by Lisa Black

Book Description

For software pioneer Martin Post, the third richest man in America, his private compound on the Florida coast is a sunny no-man’s-land separating his family from the rest of the world. Now, expert forensic analysts Ellie Carr and Rachael Davies of the renowned Locard Institute have been summoned to its dark side.

Martin’s pregnant daughter, Ashley, had ventured on a day trip in her motorboat into the Gulf, only to wash up dead on a nearby shore. Although the local coroner determined her death was an accident, Ellie and Rachael soon confirm Martin’s gravest fear: His daughter was murdered. Was it a kidnapping gone wrong? Or something even more brutal? Ashley and her husband, Greg, had been working working with Martin on a revolutionary new defense initiative for the US military – could espionage have played a part in her death?  Martin believes Greg is behind the murder, and the spoiled charmer does set off Rachel’s deception radar.  If the widower didn’t kill Ashley himself, why isn’t he more upset that she’s dead?

Drawn into the Posts’ increasingly dangerous family dynamic, Ellie and Rachael must work hard and fast to discover what secrets are buried at the heart of the crime. Because the churning waters of the Gulf are getting rougher. And soon, Ellie and Rachael  themselves will be in danger of getting crushed in their depths.

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Elise’s Thoughts

The Deepest Kill by Lisa Black brings back forensic investigators Dr Ellie Carr and Dr Rachael Davies of the Locard Institute.  Once again readers get a glimpse into the forensic world as Black uses her own experiences as a forensic scientist to intertwine information within the riveting plot and readers will not be disappointed.

Carr and Davies are asked by billionaire Martin Post to investigate his pregnant daughter’s death.  Ashley had taken out her boat into the Florida Gulf, and just disappeared until her body washed ashore.  Both scientists determine that her death was not accidental but murder. Her husband, Greg, is considered the number one suspect. But because Greg, Ashley, and Post were working on a revolutionary defense initiative for the US military, some think that foreign agents might be involved. Thus, FBI agents Michael Tyler and Luis Alvarez are brought into the investigation.

Also adding to the storyline is the coast setting and the weather that appear as a character. Not to mention that Black gives more details of Ellie’s backstory whose mother died under suspicious circumstances and her death was also ruled drowning.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Lisa Black: Throughout the series readers will discover more of Ellie’s history that is relevant to what is happening. This story popped into my head as I was thinking about defense contracting and the Laci Peterson case. I describe it as the Laci Peterson case if her father was Bill Gates, although I never worked on it.  I did watch a documentary about it.

EC:  Do you like switching off from featuring as the main character, Ellie, and Rachel?

LB:  I want both in the story.  It depends on what needs to be done because their expertise is in different areas. It depends on what they are investigating.  If it deals with pathology and anatomy Rachel will be featured more, but if it is about fingerprints then Ellie will be featured. It depends on what is called for with the investigation.

EC: Deception, detection, and body language are mentioned.  Does it play a role in forensic analysis?

LB:  Not really, it was what a detective does.  But a class was offered for the police officers in detection and deception.  I was allowed to attend it. It was a two-day class which I found interesting.  I got a lot of ideas for this story. For example, what was told about people’s feet.  I put a scene in about it.  People know that they should cover their faces, but a person’s feet can betray them. There must be a baseline that should be interpreted.

EC:  Did the setting play a role in the story? I laughed when I read what you said about your husband and moving to Florida.

LB: I live in Florida now. I have accepted the move he wanted to make, but still would rather have stayed where I was because I loved Cleveland where my job and family are.  I wanted to present how I felt when I first came here.  It was a shock. I hoped to have a little fun presenting an outsider’s view of Florida.  There are hurricanes, and in summer it is hotter than heck and very humid.  Florida has two seasons, raining season and not raining season.

EC: What about the boat scenes?

LB: When I was a child in Lake Erie, we had a boat, so I am comfortable around boats. I love boats. This was also inspired by the Laci Peterson case because they think the husband dumped her body in the water.

EC:  You put in the forensics about the water?

LB: Yes, being in the water changes a body. The way it decomposes and what happens to it after death. A body is affected greatly after being submerged.  This helped me to keep the mystery going.

EC:  Was the father’s dead wife presented like a hologram?

LB: No.  I was basing it on smart phones, Alexa, and Siri, all the artificial types.  He just gave it his wife’s name so when he asked a question he referred to her name.

EC:  How would you describe Ellie?

LB:  Someone who wants to fit in, committed, athletic, and does not handle change very well. She does have insomnia.  Having to move around a lot as a child has made her a little insecure. Having her adjust to new living situations made her crave stability. She was always raised by aunts, uncles, and cousins.

EC:  How would you describe the husband, Greg?

LB:  Energetic, amiable, rich, shallow, and arrogant. Picture a spoiled frat boy. He is used to women giving him what he wants because he is cute and the rest of the world giving him what he wants because he is rich. He was born rich.

EC:  What about your next book?

LB:  It is titled Not Who We Expected. The plot has this aging rock star trying to make a comeback.  He calls the Locard Institute because of his missing daughter and is very worried after the boyfriend turns up dead.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Umbrate by A.D. Jones

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for UMBRATE by A.D. Jones on this Black Phoenix Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Welcome to Dalton
Home to Humans, Dwarves, Elves and the shadowy Umbral Populace.

Detective Vanic Bradley works hard to keep the peace, coming down hard on the criminal underbelly of the city.

After putting his life on the line multiple times in recent weeks, all he wanted was a day off work to spend time with his son, and re-evaluate his place in the world – but forces beyond his control have other ideas.

For reasons unknown, he will find himself in a race against time as two hundred innocent citizens become collateral damage in a murderous plot centered around him.

Umbrate is the debut Urban Fantasy crime thriller by A.D Jones, that will offer up his take on a fantasy setting that should be welcomed by many readers, regardless of their genre tastes.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199395214-umbrate?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=RYgA5KMF4E&rank=1

Universal link for the book on Amazon

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

UMBRATE by A.D. Jones is an engaging debut urban fantasy crime thriller that introduces us to a new world that is like ours but besides humans is also inhabited by dwarves, elves and a dark and shadowy species known as the Umbral. This is also a fast-paced crime thriller. While this novel is a short standalone, it could easily lead to a series.

Umbral can only come out in the night or in protected environments that will not let the sun touch them and even as the government has tried to assimilate them, there has always been a deep prejudice towards them. Detective Vanic Bradley works the dangerous night shift and does not like Umbral. After being wounded on the job, Vanic just wants a day off to enjoy with his young son. They end up at the mall and are suddenly trapped inside with a killer who is willing to turn everyone else into collateral damage to get to Vanic.

I really enjoyed this story and was easily pulled into this new urban fantasy world. The crime thriller plot is what you would find in many thrillers, but this story has distinct races from fantasy stories as well as the new Umbral race. Vanic is well developed for this shorter novel. He is divorced, but on good terms with his ex, a loving father, has a current love interest and is a rising star in law enforcement ranks, but he does have a prejudice against Umbral which goes all the way back to his youth. There is plenty of action, especially once everyone is enclosed in the mall, and this is when all the major secondary characters become known and help in the fight.

This is a fast read with an interesting new world, gripping thriller action and by a debut author. I am looking forward to seeing what will come next from this author.

***

About the Author

A.D Jones lives in the North of England; where he spends his time favoring books over people and can be found writing or devouring said books to review online. He loves Coca-Cola, Twin Peaks, all things horror, and cult movies. He dislikes the movie ‘The Karate Kid’ with a passion that burns brighter than the sun.

His debut novel – Umbrate was released in October 2023 to positive feedback and his next book: Sacrificial Waters is scheduled for release sometime in 2024.

He also has multiple short stories in print through publishing houses such as Dark Village Publications and January Ember Press.

You can find him on Instagram – the_evergrowing_library