Margaret Fenton was an avid mystery fan before starting her writing career. On the way to a Sisters in Crime meeting one evening, the late Anne George asked her why, if she loved mysteries so much, didn’t Margaret try to write one? Seven years of hard work later, her first novel, Little Lamb Lost, was published in 2009, and it tops today’s Buffet.
Margaret’s experiences as a social worker gives her debut novel the ring of truth. After toddler Michael Hennessy dies of a drug overdose, Claire Conover, of the Birmingham, Ala., Department of Human Services, doesn’t believe the boy’s mother, Ashley, spiked his sippy cup.
Margaret grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and moved to Birmingham in 1996. She received her B.A. in English from the Newcomb College of Tulane University, and her Master of Social Work from Tulane. She spent nearly ten years as a child and family therapist before taking a break to focus on her writing.
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Little Lamb Lost
Social worker Claire Conover honestly believed she could make a difference in the world until she gets the phone call she’s dreaded her entire career. One of her young clients, Michael, has been found dead and his mother, Ashley, has been arrested for his murder. And who made the decision to return Michael to Ashley? Claire Conover.
Ashley had seemingly done everything right–gotten clean, found a place to live, worked two jobs, and earned back custody of her son. Devastated but determined to discover where her instincts failed her, Claire vows to find the truth about what really happened to Michael.
What Claire finds is no shortage of suspects. Ashley’s boyfriend made no secret that he didn’t want children. And Ashley’s stepfather, an alcoholic and chronic gambler, has a shady past. And what about Michael’s mysterious father and his family? Or Ashley herself? Was she really using again?
Amidst a heap of unanswered questions, one thing is for certain: Claire Conover is about to uncover secrets that could ruin lives–or end her own.
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6 Unique Handmade Jewelry Making Ideas
Crafts & Hobbies > Jewelry & Beadwork
Author: Poli Ness
In this practical, handmade jewelry making guide you will find detailed and comprehensive schemes, used by seed bead jewelry designers. You’ll learn basic jewelry making techniques and practice making simple as well as more sophisticated items. We will explore these schemes on every example of each particular jewelry item. You will then be able to apply these techniques while making your own items according to your fantasy and style.
The Dirty Parts of the Bible
Historical Fiction > Humor & Satire
Author: Sam Torode
It’s 1936, and Tobias Henry is stuck in the frozen hinterlands of Michigan. Tobias is obsessed with two things: God and girls. Mostly girls, of course. But being a Baptist preacher’s son, he can’t escape God. When his father is blinded in a bizarre accident (involving hard cider and bird droppings), Tobias must ride the rails to Texas to recover a long-hidden stash of money.
Along the way, he’s initiated into the hobo brotherhood by Craw, a ribald vagabond-philosopher. Obstacles arise in the form of a saucy prostitute, a flaming boxcar, and a man-eating catfish. But when he meets Sarah, a tough farm girl under a dark curse, he finds out that the greatest challenge of all is love.
Days Like This: Jackson Falls Book 3
Romance > Contemporary
Author: Laurie Breton
What would you do if your brand-new husband discovered he had a teenage daughter? One who’s hurt and angry and resentful?
One who’s coming to live with you?
Casey Fiore and Rob MacKenzie have a history. A long one. Close friends and songwriting partners, their friendship survived the roller coaster ride to fame and the tumult of her first marriage to his best friend. Now, they’ve finally found their way home to each other. But marriage is never easy, and the transition from friends to lovers can be awkward. Still haunted by the ghost of Casey’s first husband, charismatic rock icon Danny Fiore, they’ve spent the last year tiptoeing around the elephant in the living room. While Rob struggles with long-held insecurities, Casey is gradually blossoming into the woman she was always meant to be. But with change comes uncertainty, and even as she finds herself overwhelmed by the ferocity of her feelings for her new husband, Casey wrestles with divided loyalties and the unexpected changes this marriage has wrought in her.
When the fifteen-year-old daughter Rob never knew about comes to live with them, the quiet life they’ve carved out for themselves in Casey’s rural Maine hometown is turned upside down as they’re forced into instant parenthood.
Whiskey Rebellion
Mystery > Private Investigators
Author: Liliana Hart
- $2.99 List Price
- See Kindle Price at Amazon.com
My name is Addison Holmes, and I teach history at James Madison High School in Whiskey Bayou, Georgia. You might be under the assumption that my life went to the dogs when my fiancé left me at the altar for the home economics teacher, or when I got notice that my apartment building was going to be condemned, or even when I was desperate enough to strip to my unmentionables to earn some extra cash. The truth is that I’m pretty much used to disasters following me around on a daily basis, but I could have gone without finding my principal dead in the parking lot of a seedy gentlemen’s club.
After the initial shock of finding my first dead body, which included throwing back shots of Jack Daniels like it was water, I decided to take stock of my life. I was in a desperate situation and if the school board ever found out I’d been a stripper, even a bad stripper, I’d be jobless as well as fiancé-less and homeless. Fortunately, I had a friend who felt sorry enough for me to give me a job doing some surveillance work at her detective agency. Not to mention the fact that I was now able to stick my nose into other people’s business for a good cause, find a murderer, and pick up helpful tips from an incredibly attractive detective.
Shadows Gray
Historical Fiction > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Author: Melyssa Williams
Sonnet Gray has problems, and not just those of a typical 18 year old. Her family is one of the Lost; time travelers who have no power over their journeys. Hopelessly old fashioned and yet more modern than most girls, Sonnet speaks several languages and takes care of her motley crew back home by working in a coffee shop and playing guitar. Over time, the Lost leave behind those they love and pick up new characters along the way.
In twenty-first century America, Sonnet meets Emme, a Lost young woman with a questionable line of work, Luke, a mysterious photographer, and Israel, a young doctor . But no one can take the place of Sonnet’s sister, Rose, who was left behind as a baby in the fifteenth century. The ghost of her beckons from each time and place; but what’s real and what isn’t? Is Rose Gray trying to contact her before it’s too late?
Defeat Your Lazy Habits Once And For All
Management & Leadership > Motivational
Author: Jeff Carter
This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to conquer laziness and procrastination.
The fact is, almost everybody had experienced gluing their bottoms on the couch all day doing nothing; everyone had experienced pushing a certain responsibility up to the very last hour before acting on it (reminiscing on your student life?)
Laziness and procrastination is part of all humanity. Most people will go through it and it will happen time and again. There is no escape from laziness and procrastination but to acknowledge and confront it. Don’t be afraid as this book will guide you quick and easy techniques to battle the tendencies of inaction.
Loki
Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Norse & Viking
Author: Mike Vasich
- $2.99 List Price
- See Kindle Price at Amazon.com
God of Mischief. Father of Lies. Harbinger of Destruction.
Exiled and tortured by the gods, Loki swears vengeance. He will summon the mighty Fenris Wolf and the legendary Midgard Serpent, and they will lead an army of giants and all the dead in Niflheim.
Brimming with the power of the most destructive being in the Nine Worlds, he will not rest till Asgard is in ashes and all the gods are dead under his heel.
The Divide
Children’s eBooks > Science Fiction, Fantasy & Scary Stories
Author: Elizabeth Kay
Felix has a heart condition that threatens his life. His parents take him on holiday to Costa Rica, where they visit the Divide, a place where the waters that run down to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans separate. But at this exact, magical spot Felix passes out, and when he opens his eyes, he discovers he’s arrived in a back-to-front world where mythical creatures and magic are real, and humans and science are just rumour and legend. Luckily, Ironclaw – a griffin – takes him under his wing, and together with Betony, a tangle-girl, they set out to find a cure for Felix’s condition and the way back home.
Double Crossing
Mystery > Historical > Westerns
Author: Meg Mims
A murder arranged as a suicide … a missing deed … and a bereft daughter whose sheltered world is shattered.
August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father’s murder. Only one other person knows about a valuable California gold mine deed — both are now missing. Lily heads west on the newly opened transcontinental railroad, determined to track the killer. She soon realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey.
As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust–the China-bound missionary who wants to marry her, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her … for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal?
A Time to Dance
Romance > Contemporary > Christian Fiction
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Regular Price $9.99, Today $2.99
They celebrated their love with a dance. But will it end in divorce?
John and Abby Reynolds were the perfect couple, sharing a love born of childhood friendship and deep family ties. They are envied by their friends, cherished by their children, admired by their peers. But John and Abbey are about to lose it all. On the verge of having an affair, John is no more the man Abby married than she is the long-ago girl of his dreams. They are strangers whose days of dancing seem gone forever.
They gather their three children to announce their plans, but before they can speak, their daughter makes an announcement of her own; she’s getting married in the summer.
Abby and John determine not to ruin their daughter’s season of happiness, but as the wedding nears they are haunted by questions. Is the decision they’ve made irreversible? Are there times when marriage–even the marriage between two people of faith–is truly beyond repair? And is it possible, alone in the moonlight on an old wooden pier, to once more find…a time to dance?
Al Jaffee’s Mad Life: A Biography
Biographies & Memoirs > Artists, Architects & Photographers
Author: Mary-Lou Weisman, Al Jaffee
Regular Price $9.99, Today $1.99
The remarkable story of one of America’s most prolific and beloved cartoonists, Al Jaffee, with dozens of original color illustrations. Jaffe’s career in cartooning stretches back to 1941—with early humor pieces for Timely Comics, a precursor to Marvel Comics—but the iconic artist remains best known for the brilliant Fold-In cartoons he invented at Bill Gaines’s Mad magazine in 1964.
The cerebral and sardonic illustrations have inspired generations of Mad readers—including Stephen Colbert, R. Crumb, Gary Larson and Charles Shultz—to embrace a firm and healthy irreverence towards the status quo.
Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde
Biographies & Memoirs > Gay & Lesbian > History
Author: Franny Moyle
Regular Price $24.99, Today $1.99
“Tells the poignant story of Constance in the aftermath of Wilde’s trials and imprisonment, and of her brave attempts to keep in contact with him despite her suffering.” —The Irish Times
In the spring of 1895 the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably. Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children’s author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women’s rights. A founding member of the magical society The Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs. Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right.
But that spring Constance’s entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. She lived in exile until her death.
Franny Moyle now tells Constance’s story with a fresh eye. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters, she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siècle London and the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling and moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing, Moyle unveils the story of a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time.
Virgin River (A Virgin River Novel)
Romance > Contemporary
Author: Robyn Carr
Regular Price $7.99, Today $1.99
Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against a backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal-clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.
When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she’s made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning.
But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans…and former marine Jack Sheridan cements them into place.
Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee
Women’s Fiction > Romance > Humor
Author: Carolyn Brown
Regular Price $7.99, Today $2.99
You Are Cordially Invited…Come early, eat until your buttons pop, and dance until you drop.
Miss Clawdy’s Café has won the Jubilee blue ribbon every year since the dawn of time. This year, town matron Violet Prescott is going after that ribbon with an iron-clad determination only thinly disguised by her perfect coiffure and flawless manners, bless her heart.
It’s time for café owners Cathy and Marty and their best friend Trixie to pull out their secret weapon. And this is where a lifetime of friendship, combined with just the right recipe at just the right time, might carry the day—or blow everything to smithereens. Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapeños are hot, the gossip is hotter, and at the end of the day, it’s the priceless friendships that are left standing…
Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bro
Sociology > Marriage & Family
Author: Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
Regular Price $9.99, Today $1.99
Random Family tells the American outlaw saga lurking behind the headlines of gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug dealers, and street-corner society. With an immediacy made possible only after ten years of reporting, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc immerses the reader in the mind-boggling intricacies of the little-known ghetto world. She charts the tumultuous cycle of the generations, as girls become mothers, mothers become grandmothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles against deprivation.
Two romances thread through Random Family: the sexually charismatic nineteen-year-old Jessica’s dizzying infatuation with a hugely successful young heroin dealer, Boy George, and fourteen-year-old Coco’s first love with Jessica’s little brother, Cesar, an aspiring thug. Fleeing from family problems, the young couples try to outrun their destinies. Chauffeurs whisk them to getaways in the Poconos and to nightclubs. They cruise the streets in Lamborghinis and customized James Bond cars. Jessica and Boy George ride the wild adventure between riches and ruin, while Coco and Cesar stick closer to the street, all four caught in a precarious dance between life and death.
Those Who Hunt the Night (The James Asher Novels)
Fantasy > Paranormal & Urban
Author: Barbara Hambly
Regular Price $9.99, Today $1.99
At the turn of the twentieth century, a former spy is called into service to hunt down a vampire killer.
Once a spy for Queen Victoria, James Asher has fought for Britain on every continent, using his quick wits to protect the Empire at all costs. After years of grueling service, he marries and retires to a simple academic’s life at Oxford. But his peace is shattered one night with the arrival of a Spanish vampire named Don Simon. Don Simon can disappear into fog, move faster than the eye can see, and immobilize Asher—and his young bride—with a wave of his hand. Asher is at his mercy, and has no choice but to give his help.
Because someone is killing the vampires of London, and James Asher must find out who—before he becomes a victim himself.
Perfection
Science Fiction > Alternative History
Author: JL Spelbring
Regular Price $6.99, Today $1.99
The personification of Aryan purity, Ellyssa’s spent her whole life under her creator’s strict training and guidance; her purpose is to eradicate inferior beings. She was genetically engineered to be the perfect soldier: strong, intelligent, unemotional, and telepathic.Only Ellyssa isn’t perfect.Ellyssa feels emotions–a fact she’s spent her life concealing. Until she encounters the epitome of inferiority: a dark-haired boy raised among renegades hiding since the Nazis won the war a century ago. He speaks to her telepathically, pushing thoughts into her mind, despite the impossibility of such a substandard person having psychic abilities.
But he does. His unspoken words and visions of a place she’s never visited make Ellyssa question her creator. Confused and afraid her secret will be discovered, Ellyssa runs away, embarking on a journey where she discovers there is more to her than perfection.
… See the rest of today’s Editor’s Picks here on page 2