It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Aug 24

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and are about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Welcome back! Hope you had a great week. We are creeping closer to the end of August, and I am ready! Not that I have time for it, but I really want to decorate for fall. I actually listened to Christmas music last week. I bought some new flour to try out different recipes, and this weekend, I made a bunch of chicken broth and banana bread. 

Shifting to reading...

Hope to write my review of The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller this week. 

I didn't read The Eyes of River last week. 

Dived into Staged by Caitlin Rother. 

Loving Massawa by Pam Webber. 

I need to write a review of Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH.

Also need to read:

• A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens's Beloved Classic by Rachel Dodge
• The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson
• Beginner's Guide to Using an AI Assistant by Hank Quense

I have 45 days on this devotional. 

I only have 14 days left on this one. Yikes!

Upcoming Events

• Evan's Stormy Voyage by Karen Charles - Sep 24 (Review at TC&TBC)
• She Forgot She Was Free by Giselle Mascarenhas - Oct 14 (Review)

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

Nothing new this week. I am pretending to behave. 

Christmas Year Round

Journey through Christmases Past explores Christmas 1954. You can read that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

Nothing new, but I will post something soon. 

Laura's Little Houses

Sharing my thoughts on the Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie today at Laura's Little Houses. Check that out here. 

Photos for a new listing, therapy, and a final walk-through today. I will check in as I can. 

Interview with Ellen Rachlin, Author of Enheduanna's Song From the Sands

Ellen Rachlin is the author of the historical fiction novel Enheduanna’s Song From the Sands (Histria Fiction) and five poetry collections. Her most recent collection, Permeable Divide, received the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award and was a finalist for other awards. Her poetry collections also include Until Crazy Catches Me, Captive to Residue, Waiting for Here, and At the Big Bang Resort (Red Hen Press, March 2027). Her writing has appeared widely in journals, anthologies, and books. During her financial career, she also authored textbook chapters (Wiley and McGraw Hill), along with journal articles on investing and finance. You can find her at www.ellenrachlin.com and @ellenrachlin on Instagram.

Where did you grow up?

Buffalo, New York 

When did you begin writing?

I began writing poetry nearly a decade after graduating with my MBA. Shortly afterward,  I began writing textbook chapters and journal articles on finance. 

I attempted fiction for the first time seven years ago. I had known for some time that my first novel would be historical fiction. 

Do you feel your hometown influenced your writing?

It did in the sense that my experiences are always present in my writing. I think that’s true for any writer. My high school emphasized creative writing and literature, and that early influence stayed with me as a seed that took a while to take hold. 

I’m currently working on a literary novel set in Buffalo about a private investigator who loses faith in herself. At first, she doesn’t realize that her self-confidence is eroding, and her journey becomes one of reclaiming her life. 

Do you write every day or when you can sneak in time?

I write most days. But between projects, I might take up to a month off. 

What is your best advice for creating the time and space to write?

Write even when you don’t have a good idea of where you are going. I never know when I’m inspired, so I write consistently, even if much is discarded.

 

What is this book about?

Enheduanna's Song From the Sands follows Enheduanna, the world's first named author, through her rise as High Priestess of Ur, her exile at the hands of the rebel Lugalanne, and her mythic descent into the underworld. It is a story of power, resilience, and the enduring strength of words that will appeal to readers of Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes, and readers who enjoy myth-infused historical fiction. 

What inspired you to write it?

Enheduanna inspired me. I read the surviving hymns attributed to her, and I felt as though I could hear her voice. In one, The Exaltation of Inanna (Nin-me-šara), Enheduanna pleads to the god, Inanna, to restore her from forced exile to her former place as high Priestess of Ur. It is a poem about betrayal and justice. She begs the one god whom she believes has the power to accomplish it. The voice is both desperate and powerful. 

Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?

I had to find the right home for my novel, and as a debut novelist, that’s not easy. I spent a great deal of time researching publishers to identify ones whose lists reflected the kind of historical fiction I had written. That process takes a lot of time and patience. I felt this way about my publisher, Histria Fiction, and was very fortunate that they offered publication. 

What is up next for you?

I’m enjoying my writing journey. While I’m currently working on a literary novel set in Buffalo, I’m researching ideas for another historical novel. I loved writing between the sizable gaps in what we know and may never know about the ancient world, so I’ll probably return there.

Links to buy:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1592117546

https://bookshop.org/p/books/enheduanna-s-song-from-the-sands-ellen-rachlin/82d7f4bb2f36b2da

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Enheduannas-Song-From-the-Sands/Ellen-Rachlin/9781592117543

Book Spotlight: This Never Happened: A Call Girl in D.C. by Kent Heckenlively

 Can a call girl enter politics and escape with her

life and morals intact?

Heidi Scherzinger is just a typical working girl in Chicago in 1972. Well, maybe not so typical. In fact, she’s running Chicago’s most successful independent call girl outfit when she’s summoned to meet with Sonny Battaglia, the country’s most powerful Mob boss.

The other local call girl agencies are complaining about her success, so Sonny offers her a deal: either she gets whacked, or she relocates to Washington, D.C., where she’ll be working for the “Agency” under the control of the creepy Sidney Gottshalk, the resident blackmail specialist.

The Agency wants blackmail material on all the horny Democrats flooding the Capitol in the run-up to the presidential election, trying to defeat President Nicholas Dixon as he runs for a second term.

The always efficient Heidi quickly sets up a first-class operation, aided by the quietly competent Milton Greenbaum. What follows is a Florence Gump-style adventure through a 1970s Washington, D.C., that might be just a little different than the version you read about in your history books.

This Never Happened: A Call Girl in D.C. is available at Amazon.

Watch the Book Trailer at https://f.io/rLzZemf1.

Excerpt

My Life Now – November 21, 2024

Most of those who’d want to kill me for telling this story are either dead or living in a nursing home.

I’m not dead, I’m not in a nursing home, but I am living in a “senior community.”

I’m the kind of woman you’ll often see is such a setting, teaching a morning and afternoon Pilates class, then checking out a lecture or play in the evening with her friends. I dress immaculately, my hair and makeup are always perfect, people often wonder if I’m in my mid-fifties or early sixties, (seventy-six, thank you very much) and truth be told, often getting propositioned by the Viagra crowd of men convinced they’ve still got it.

The truth is I’ve always loved sex and I’m pretty good at getting men and women to fall in love with me. But I’ve also mastered the art of convincing a person I’m fascinated by them, while at the same time remaining just out of reach. They know I’ll come and play for a few hours, especially if the money and conversation is good.

And there’s nobody better than me, man or woman, at listening to what the powerful are really saying while they’re trying to get me into bed, or do the commitment thing (no, thank you). That’s why I was on the payroll of the Agency for such a long time, although, truth be told, most of them are a bunch of psychotic morons.

You might call me a prostitute, call girl, hooker, or even a whore if you’re feeling particularly righteous, but I prefer the term courtesan.

Everything in life can be done poorly, or with style.

For example, President John Francis Fitzgerald did everything with a certain devil-may-care nonchalance, from bedding beautiful actresses to getting himself shot in Texas.

By contrast, President Nicholas Milhous Dixon could find the grey cloud on the

sunniest of days, and that partially explains how he went from winning the biggest landslide in American history to resigning in disgrace a year and a half later.

I say only partially, because there’s the part I played, that nobody’s ever really understood. You see, I’m the woman who’s been whispered about for years, the main player in the story you thought you knew, protected by forces more powerful than you can imagine.

But was it really my fault?

Maybe after fifty years it’s time to finally tell the story.

I’ll let you be the judge of whether I’m a hero or a villain.

– Excerpted from This Never Happened by Kent Heckenlively, Manhattan Book Group, 2026. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Kent Heckenlively is an attorney, science teacher, and two-time New York Times bestselling author. He is best known as coauthor of the Plague series – Plague, Plague of Corruption & Ending Plague) with Dr. Judy Mikovits and Dr. Francis Ruscetti, winner of the Distinguished Service Medal from the National Institutes of Health. His book, Plague of Corruption reached #2 on the New York Times Bestseller list in June of 2020, has sold more than 200,000 copies to date, and is being turned into a documentary narrated by Liam Neeson. Kent has published numerous non-fiction books, focusing on the tech sector, controversies in medicine, and media bias.

His most recent two books,Twilight of the Shadow Government and Catastrophic Disclosure, focus on government corruption.

This Never Happened is his third novel and reflects his belief that we all need a fun book for the summer. With more than 15,000 Amazon reviews, a 4.7 average ranking out of 5.0 stars, more than 750,000 of his books in print, critical praise from Kirkus Reviews, including a highly coveted, “Kirkus preferred review” for his book on interferon, as well as his books being translated into ten languages, Kent is quickly becoming a powerhouse in the literary world.

Visit his website at www.kentheckenlivelybooks.com. 

Connect with him on X at https://x.com/KentHecken.

Sponsored By:

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Foods From Massachusetts That I Don't Like

 

The Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is hosted by Long and Short Reviews. They offer this blog hop as a weekly prompt to help you gain new friends and visitors. You don't have to participate every week, but if you decide to post and join the blog hop for a week, Long and Short Reviews requests that you share your link in their weekly post on their website (which will be the top post on the home page each Wednesday morning). The link list remains open for new links for 48 hours. Visit the other bloggers participating to see what they discuss that week. Comments are appreciated. 

Hey, it's Wednesday! This post means I have blogged for three days in a row this week. That's a win. Today's prompt for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is "Foods from my geographic area that I don't like." 

I consider myself a diverse eater, probably because I enjoy cooking and baking. I will try just about anything once. Two things I definitely don't like are oysters and steamed clams. I like fried clams, but they are too slimy otherwise. Though coffee is not what Massachusetts is known for, Dunkin' Donuts started in Quincy, Massachusetts. I don't drink coffee at all. Yuck! 

That's it for me today. Looking forward to reading your posts. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Series I Want to Catch Up On or Start

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Tuesday has come around again. We only have two more Tuesdays before August is done. Then my favorite months, the "-ber months," arrive. Here in New England, we are blessed with four seasons. There is something magical about watching nature's transformation from winter to spring to summer and fall that reminds me that life is always renewing itself. Just as invigorating as it is to haul the tools out after the long winter and spend time in the garden, harvesting the fruits of your labors and preparing the beds to rest as the weather grows colder is a reminder that every season offers its own kind of beauty and gentle transition.

Let's talk about books. This week's Top Ten Tuesday is about book series, those we want to catch up on or start. This is a hard one for two reasons: there are series I will never catch up on, so I don't know that I want to try, and I tend not to read as many series books as I used to. I will give it a shot.

1. Cedar Cove by Debbie Macomber - Discovered this one thanks to the Hallmark Channel series, but there are enough books that catching up is unlikely right now.
2. A Prairie Legacy by Janette Oke - This is a four-book series that continues with the saga of the Davis family, whom we meet in her Love Comes Softly series. I bought these books on eBay in 2024. Would love to read them next year.
3. Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - I read the first two books with my girls when they came out. Not my typical genre, but I enjoyed them. Complete with four primary books, a prequel, and an anthology, I could probably read this one. It's just not on my mind these days.
4. Caitlin Strong by Jon Land - When Land was touring with his Caitlin Strong novels, I read some of them. However, life got in the way, and I never finished reading this eleven-book series. I own several of them. I don't read as many books like this these days, but they are superb.
5. Deputy Tempe Crabtree by Marilyn Meredith - I can't believe I am even admitting this. Marilyn, I hope you're not reading this. Marilyn and I met when I worked with Dorothy, owner of Pump Up Your Book. I ended up promoting several of these books and creating video trailers for some of them. I just never went back and read the books before Smell of Death, even though I own them.
6. Daughter of the Mayflower by various authors - I loved everything about this series, but I couldn't keep up with how quickly the books were coming out. So, I stopped requesting them. I think I own the entire series. Really need to make time for them. 
7. Murder, She Wrote by Jessica Fletcher et al. - I loved this as a television series, so one would think I would have discovered the books decades ago. Nope. I only own three of them--the last two that Jon Land wrote and another that I picked up from a library book sale. I've read Land's books. Considering there are now 64 books in the series, there is no way I will ever read them all.
8. Lighthouse Library Mystery by Eva Gates - I bought the first two books in the series because they are set on the Outer Banks. Have I read them? No. My schedule is always so crazy. With 13 books in the series, it is not looking good for me.
9. Lucy Stone Mystery by Leslie Meier - I met this author at a local writers conference decades ago. I bought one of these books, but have never read it. So far, there are 32 books. No hope of catching up with this one.
10. Secrets of the Blue and Gray by Vanessa Lind - This one caught my eye recently, and I would love to read these four books. Have you read them yet? 

Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is hosted by Jen Twimom at That's What I'm Talking About. TMST is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Participation is optional, and you can leave your comments in the weekly post when you participate. Check it out if you're interested in joining.

Tell Me Something Tuesday is on hiatus until September. Check back for more prompts then.

Book Blast and Giveaway!: The Call to Authorship by Tim Lindsay

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tim W. Lindsay will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Embrace the call to authorship: 10 steps to leverage the power of a book!

Books help people—they inform, inspire, and engage. Books are also a powerful force for those who write them. Publishing a book builds your authority, sharpens your thinking, and opens doors to media exposure, speaking engagements, partnerships, and more.

Despite the greater accessibility of publishing than ever before, many would-be authors hesitate. They get stuck with self-doubt or believe producing a book is incompatible with a busy life. They may start writing but don't finish. Or they finish but don't publish or market their books.

The truth? With a little dedicated time, consistent effort, and the right guidance, anyone can publish a book that changes lives for the better. And they should.

Put down your phone. Take the leap from consumer to creator!

This step-by-step guide will show you how to:
- Use a one-page tool to clarify your goals, target audience and plan.
- Craft an outline that drives your manuscript forward.
- Overcome mental roadblocks and craft habits to finish your first draft in months, not years—even with a busy schedule.
- Select a publishing model, refine your manuscript, and make informed design and distribution decisions.
- Employ promotional strategies to achieve goals that transcend royalties.

Become more than you are. Have courage. Commit to growth by authoring a book, strengthening your ability to serve. Write with purpose. Publish for impact!

Bonus for book professionals: Special content for book coaches, editors, and ghostwriters—those helping ordinary people become extraordinary authors.

Read an Excerpt

We live in an age of swipes, scrolls and soundbites, where attention is fragmented and surface-level engagement is the norm. In such a world, choosing to sit down and write is bold indeed.

Writing a book is an act of meaning-making. It’s how we wrestle with ideas, make sense of experience, and speak into the noise with words that are considered and enduring. It takes courage to believe that your words matter. It takes character to see them through and shape them into a book.

That journey often begins with a spark. Maybe you’ve been through something, built something, learned something—and now you feel the quiet tug: This should be a book.

But with that tug often comes hesitation: Who am I to write this? Will anyone care? I’ve heard those doubts from countless aspiring authors through my work at Tellwell, where we’ve helped thousands turn that first spark into a finished book. And I’ve watched them write anyway. What followed was often extraordinary.

For Cindy Cherry, that moment came unexpectedly. For years she resisted writing a book about her father, Don Cherry, the outspoken hockey commentator who became a household name in Canada. She feared a memoir about her dad might seem biased, or worse, opportunistic. But everything changed when a Google Alert lit up her phone screen: a news organization was praising the Western Hockey League for cutting ties with Don following what she calls “Poppygate,” and for erasing his name from an organ-donation campaign he had helped champion, raising nearly half a million dollars. This cause was close to Cindy’s heart. As a teenager, she had donated one of her kidneys to her younger brother.

She realized that the public narrative was being written in a way that dishonoured the man she knew and loved.

About the Author:

Tim Lindsay founded Tellwell in 2015. Since then, he and his team have guided some 5,000 authors, including entrepreneurs, professional speakers, coaches, consultants, experts, course creators, community builders, religious and nonprofit leaders, Indigenous organizations, athletes, influencers, and everyday citizens.

Website: http://www.Tellwellpublishing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tellwellpublishing/
Tellwell - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tellwellpublishing
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834180422

Follow the tour and comment for more chances to win! 

Tim's tour dates can be found at: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2026/07/book-blast-call-to-authorship-how-and.html

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? & Mailbox Monday - Aug 17

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and are about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to that ever-growing TBR pile! So welcome, everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and was then taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. 

Oh, golly, Miss Molly, it is Monday again! Hope you enjoyed your week. The Lil' Diva celebrated a birthday last Tuesday, and the Lil' Princess visited for a few days. It was nice to have both of them around. Work is still kicking my behind, and at this point, I am glad this isn't my first year in real estate, or there wouldn't be another one. SpongeBob states my feelings exactly. 

Managed some reading last week, and I hope to get some writing done this coming weekend. We will see how that goes. Here are a couple of photos:

Sunday night dinner

The Lil' Princess and us at her favorite place

As far as reading goes, I still need to write my review of The Ladies Hall by Vanessa Miller.

I didn't read The Eyes of River last week. 

Need to pick up Staged by Caitlin Rother this week. 

I started Massawa by Pam Weber on Saturday.

I am almost finished with Food is Medicine by Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH.

Also need to read:

• A Christmas Carol Devotional: 25 Advent Reflections from Charles Dickens's Beloved Classic by Rachel Dodge
• The Christmas Yes List by Melissa Ferguson
• Beginner's Guide to Using an AI Assistant by Hank Quense

Upcoming Events

• The Call to Authorship by Tim Lindsay - Aug 17 (Book Blast & Giveaway)
• This Never Happened: A Call Girl in D.C. by Kent Heckenlively - Aug 19 (Spotlight)
• Enheduanna's Song from the Sands by Ellen Rachlin - Aug 21 (Interview)
• Evan's Stormy Voyage by Karen Charles - Sep 24 (Review at TC&TBC)
• She Forgot She Was Free by Giselle Mascarenhas - Oct 14 (Review)

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books they added to their shelves the previous week. This weekly meme is now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

This week, I picked up A Castle Christmas by Jimmy Bennett at the local Goodwill for $2. 

Giselle Mascarenhas is touring with her book, She Forgot She Was Free. I will be reviewing this one.

Christmas Year Round

Journey through Christmases Past explores Christmas 1869 this week. You can read that here.

The Children's and Teens' Book Connection

I shared a book I will be reviewing in September at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection. You can see that here.

Laura's Little Houses

Nothing new at Laura's Little Houses this week, but I am finally caught up on the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Podcast. I am sure that will spark ideas. 

Off to bed before a final walk through this morning. Enjoy your day!