I’m pleased to welcome back talented author, Carmen Radtke, to Patricia’s Pen. Please join me in congratulating Carmen on the launch of Treachery & Talismans, perfect for fans of magical mysteries.
What’s the book about?
Inner peace. Outer harmony. Another murder…
Divorce? So over it. Menopause? That too shall pass. Magic? Under control, thanks to cat Cosmo’s relentless supervision.
That leaves Bex Merriweather (and her familiar) free to transform her inherited lending library into a community hub while keeping her witchy powers a secret. Well, her crazy coven knows, but that’s what best friends are for. For once, life in Willowmere is as peaceful as she dreamed of. No murder, no mayhem, no secret sleuthing duties, right? Wrong.
When a querulous wealthy woman is murdered in the retirement home, the evidence leads to a friend of Bex. And for once, detective Trey Stone actually wants her to investigate – and to prove him wrong.
But the hardest part of magic is knowing when to unleash her inner witch and when to nix the hex.
Perfect for fans of magical mysteries, small-town secrets, and heroines discovering that midlife might be the most powerful chapter of all.
Thank you to Linda Huber and Mary Schmidt for featuring reviews for my books in the Zara timeslip series.
The review on Linda Huber’s blog for The Girl in the Ticket Office Window shares a feature titled Two Reviews – Magical Realism with talented author Amanda James.
Hi everyone, today the launch feature is for me (Patricia M Osborne) as The Girl in the Attic Mirror (Book 2 of the Zara timeslip series) goes live on Amazon Kindle. If you prefer paperback, don’t worry as that will be published on 9th September 2026.
About the book
One woman. Two centuries. A past that refuses to stay buried.
Journalist Zara Wiseman, no stranger to time travel, is excited to be called into action when a headline from an old newspaper flickers an SOS.
But after stepping through a mirror to 1925, she’s stunned to find herself clad as a poor housemaid rather than the lady of the manor.
When life in the present creates havoc for Zara, she craves her life in the past as Rosie Winter. However, on slipping back in time, she soon discovers that the bygone age is equally turbulent.
And when her heart becomes entangled with two irresistible men, she has some crucial decisions to make.
How will she unravel the tangled knots that bind her?
Thank you all for your continuous support. I can’t wait to hear what you all think of The Girl in the Attic Mirror – Book 2 of the Zara timeslip series.
The Girl in the Attic Mirror (Book 2 of the Zara timeslip series) is coming soon, and is now available to preorder on Amazon Kindle with a release date of 27th July 2026, so not too long to wait. It will be available to read with Kindle Unlimited once published.
Paperback readers have a little longer to wait as publication date is 9th September 2026. Once released, the paperback can be ordered via Amazon, or via any reputable bookstore, or you can request your library to get a copy in for you.
And here’s the cover…
What do you think? I like it even more than the cover for The Girl in the Ticket Office Window.
What’s the book about?
One woman. Two centuries. A past that refuses to stay buried.
Journalist Zara Wiseman, no stranger to time travel, is excited to be called into action when a headline from an old newspaper flickers an SOS.
But after stepping through a mirror to 1925, she’s stunned to find herself clad as a poor housemaid rather than the lady of the manor.
When life in the present creates havoc for Zara, she craves her life in the past as Rosie Winter. However, on slipping back in time, she soon discovers that the bygone age is equally turbulent.
And when her heart becomes entangled with two irresistible men, she has some crucial decisions to make.
How will she unravel the tangled knots that bind her?
Will she lose the love of her life?
Can her sanity survive?
As in Book 1, The Girl in the Ticket Office Window, it has a dual timeline with Zara Wiseman transporting back in time from present day. In this story, she finds herself back in 1925, with plenty of romance happening in both centuries.
Like the sound of it and fancy preordering the kindle version? Release date 27th July 2026.
Please join me in congratulating a dear friend, talented poet, and novelist, on the launch of Mood Swings. Poetry that suits your mood. Isn’t the cover gorgeous? And I just know that the poetry will be too.
About Mood Swings
Some days we feel unstoppable. Other days we barely recognise ourselves.
Mood Swings is a collection of poems for anyone who has ridden the emotional rollercoaster of life. Exploring everything from love, anxiety, grief and anger to hope, healing and self-discovery. These poems speak to the moments we rarely say out loud.
Honest, heartfelt and sometimes, painfully familiar, this collection embraces the messiness of being human and celebrates the strength it takes to keep moving forward.
Because every emotion has its season.
Here’s a little taster!
Do check out this gorgeous debut poetry collection. You can buy your copy (Paperback and Kindle) from HERE
Please welcome back a brilliant poet and artworker, Karen Pierce Gonzalez to Patricia’s Pen.
Birds of a Feather: two years later and still flying
Karen Pierce Gonzalez
When Honeyguide Literary Journal published my bird psalm collection as a feature in their gorgeous November 2024 Issue (#9), I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
The hybrid work of cherita and photographs is one of my sweetest creations; I so wanted it to take flight in a public way because the vision I held for it spoke to both the unsettling world of climate change atmospheric rivers here in California, and the innate tenacity of survival.
It all started after the first atmospheric deluge the winter of 2023. Tree branches, in some cases, unprotected young tree trunks were downed by vicious winds and rivers of rain. I had gone outside to assess the damage and do some clean up when I noticed a bird nest fragment on the ground at my feet. Ever so small (approx. 5 inches/12.7 cm) , it captured my attention, so I brought it inside.
In the following days I found more bits and pieces and knew I had to do something with them, but what? A few months later, falling in love with the cherita poetry form (3 stanzas of six lines total) I started to pull the fragments together with poetry.
Once published, I converted the feature into an easy-access, free flipbook so this body of work could continue to reach others who had not read the journal.
Fast forward to 2025. Following the appearance of the work in Honeyguide as well as the flipbook, an amazing thing happened.
Friends from across the country and from my neighborhood started to give me bird nests they had found. Fortunately, these nests, abandoned, had already done their job.
Now it was time to do mine. And I had no idea what I was going to do.
Inspired to use bird psalm as a spring board, I envisioned the series BirdSong, agrouping of three real bird nests I ‘nested’ into beds of musical score sheets which I painted, glittered, and otherwise colored before shredding.
Here is an top view of BirdSong: Quail on a pedestal
At the same time, I also began to make abstract, mixed media bird nests that included feathers I found in my area.
Here is BirdSong: Fowl (Chicken and Turkey feathers) mounted to canvas board, designed to ‘fly’ from the ceiling.
All three real bird nests and the three abstract ones are included in a very special summer art show.
As an invited feature artist, I will install these works in the upcoming Sanctuary show, which runs May 16-July 12 at the Cloverdale Arts Alliance Gallery in Northern California.
They will be placed inside a ‘garden fence’ I made of hand-painted Red Apple branches I trimmed off our tree last year.
And who knows? Perhaps gallery-goers will give them new homes in which to be enjoyed.
Please join me in congratulating Carmen Radtke on the release of Death at the Dock (Book 3) the latest in the Alyssa Chalmers historical mystery series.
A sharp tongue. An even sharper mind. A Victorian sleuth criminals overlook at their peril.
1862. A new home in a prospectors’ town, a new life, and two steadfast admirers: Alyssa Chalmers’ future is secure among her friends. But when Captain Moore sends a message, begging for her help, she can’t say no. With the doctor and the First Officer by her side, she travels to Portland, Oregon. She finds a situation worse than she feared. Two of the captain’s crew have gone missing and the local marshal is adamant they simply jumped ship. Even the discovery of a body is unable to change his mind. Captain Moore knows better. He is convinced that something sinister is going on, and he needs sharp-witted Alyssa and her sleuthing partners to figure it out.
But dark secrets and vices are lurking everywhere. Alyssa needs all her wits to figure out who to trust – and how to save the missing men before there’s another murder.
Death at the Dock is the third mystery in this captivating series that transports readers back to the 1860s, with a heroine determined to make her own way in a society made for men. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy and Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody.
An Alyssa Chalmers historical mystery (3 book series)
Please join me in congratulating Linda Huber on the release of MISSING … ROSE MALONE, a gripping psychological suspense.
Check out the book now. Introductory offer of only 99p / 99c on Amazon Kindle but the price will go back up soon.
Missing. Vanished. Gone?
Josiane Kent is worried. Her friend Rose has posted zero photos on social media all week, despite being on holiday in Edinburgh, the most photogenic city ever. Not only that, she isn’t answering her phone. Something isn’t right. Josiane, along with Rose’s on-off boyfriend Matt and Val, Rose’s boss, starts investigating.
Meanwhile, lone wolf Eddie is mourning his grandad. Grandad always made sure Eddie kept his demons under control, but now, no one is helping and the demons are out.
Rose’s friends continue their search, but it isn’t until human remains are found in Grandad’s old garden that they realise what could have happened to Rose…
Definitely a ‘just one more chapter’ book Clare Chase
Pacy and suspenseful… Maureen Myant
Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena, and Ruth Ware.
Please join me in congratulating, a friend and fellow poet, Margaret Royall, on the launch of her latest poetry release, Hemlock and Honey, published by the awesome Hedgehog Poetry Press.
Introduction to Hemlock & Honey
As I approach my three score years and ten I have been thinking back over the past decades and analysing the memorable events that stand out for me most, reflecting on those that have exerted the greatest influence on my life. Indeed, there have been traumatic times, when life was turned upside down and huge changes were forced upon me. On the other hand I now understand, with the benefit of hindsight, that these have encouraged positive changes and led to hobbies, interests and new friendships that have greatly enriched my life. Without the trauma there could not be the rapture! In these poems I have therefore tried to explore both facets of life. Part One details the negatives and Part Two the positives, thus aiming to provide a balanced overview. I do not seek the sympathy card or see myself as a victim, nor do I want to suggest that life now is totally perfect. It’s a case of moderation in all things.
I have chosen the sonnet form in many poems, having always enjoyed writing in form and particularly using sonnets. Recently I took a course with distinguished poet Anna Saunders on writing sonnets for contemporary times, which I greatly enjoyed. This then naturally followed through into my latest work. It has been a huge challenge to write in this concise poetic form that uses rhyme, but to do it in a non-intrusive way. I hope that in some small way I have succeeded and brought the reader with me on my journey. My wish is to demonstrate that despite life throwing us curve balls, with patient determination we can find solutions, coping strategies that enable us to emerge as stronger, more hopeful and better human-beings.
Thank you to everyone who downloaded a copy of The Woodhaerst Triangle during the free campaign. I hope you enjoy it and go on to reading not only Book 2 and 3 of the Woodhaerst family drama trilogy but check out my other books too.
13,611 FREE copies of The Woodhaerst Triangle were downloaded during the five day campaign and landed on readers’ Kindles World Wide in all territories.
The campaign was fun. It’s always a gamble as an indie author to pay out a premium to advertise a book that’s free because what happens if the money isn’t recouped, never mind making a profit? But such a buzz when the KDP dashboard clocks up the FREE downloads, and rewarding when the sales for subsequent books and Kindle Unlimited pages start coming in.
I was delighted to get to #3 in the Canadian FREE Kindle charts with The Woodhaerst Triangle.
And to #7 in both the UK and US
The Woodhaerst Triangle also reached #1 in its categories in all territories.
The promotion is now over but The Woodhaerst Triangle can still be downloaded for LESS than a cup of coffee at £1.99/$2.99 or read with Kindle Unlimited. Copies are also available in paperback.
Watch out for more promotions on my books. There may be one coming in February for new release The Girl in the Ticket Office Window – although it will be a reduction in price, not FREE.
More news on the Zara timeslip series – Only three more chapters to be written to complete Book 2 – The Girl in the Attic Mirror.
Happy reading. If you have read any of my books and enjoyed them, a brief review is always helpful.
Patricia M Osborne 