Book Tour: The Guilt of Others by Sara Burrell

The Guilt of Others

by

Sara Burrell

Mystery

Publisher: Seacoast Press

Publication Date: February 25, 2026

Page count: 332 pages

SYNOPSIS:

The Guilt of Others opens with the sound of a gunshot in an overcrowded office. But who was shot—and who pulled the trigger—remains a mystery. Told through the intertwined perspectives of multiple characters, each harboring secrets and scars from past and present, the story slowly unravels the emotional and psychological web of trauma, secrets, and buried motives binding them together. With nine suspects, three possible weapons, and a detective whose instincts are starting to betray her, the search for the truth unearths secrets no one was prepared to face.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sara Burrell grew up in Mableton, Georgia. She is a graduate of Young Harris College and The University of Georgia. Sara is in her twentieth year of teaching, and is currently a teacher at an elementary school in Georgia where she is the gifted program coordinator for third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Her husband of 18 years, 2 children, 2 hound dogs, and 2 cats provide plenty of adventure and excitement to her already-busy days. Through all that, she also writes books. The Guilt of Others is her second novel. Her first, Newsworthy, released in 2023, was praised for its suspenseful plot and surprising twists.

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REVIEW:

5 stars!

Riveting reading, with surprising plot twist upon surprising plot twist! 

The Guild of Others, a thrilling new mystery by author Sara Burrell, is an absolutely riveting tale, as one plot twist after another pummels their way to a satisfying conclusion. Told from multiple first-person points of view, the book opens with a shocking shooting at an elementary school and proceeds to lay out the backstories of each narrator, all with ties to the school and roles in the unfolding drama. However, while a terribly tragic event, it is the complex and surprising relationships between the characters that had me glued to the story from start to finish. 

The story is revealed in engaging, alternating chapters, by one of the nine main characters; each person telling how they came to be involved in the shooting, until the lead investigator takes up the story as she tries to unravel what really occurred that day. The elementary school behind-the-scenes setting is full of the kind of drama found at most educational facilities, but doubly so because of the principal, a heinous, tone-deaf, and sexist man in both his professional and personal life. The author does an amazing job juggling the many diverse storylines involving him, staff members, students, and ancillary workers while masterfully guiding their surprising revelations for maximum effect. Consequently, this book will go on my list of those I wish I could read again for the first time! 

I recommend THE GUILT OF OTHERS to readers of mysteries and thrillers.

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Last Dance Before Dawn by Katharine Schellman

LAST DANCE BEFORE DAWN

by Katharine Schellman

May 25 - June 19, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

The Nightingale Mysteries

 

Vivian Kelly has finally created a home and a family at the glamorous speakeasy known as The Nightingale, where no one cares who you are in the daytime. After all, in the underground world of 1920s New York City, everyone has a secret to keep, and they’re on the Nightingale's dance floor to leave those secrets behind. But sometimes it takes more than a dance to escape your past.

When a stranger from Chicago shows up at The Nightingale looking to settle old scores, Vivian and the Nightingale's owner, the mysterious and alluring Honor Huxley, send him packing. They soon discover, though, that the stranger was just a warning. Slowly, the people who have made The Nightingale their home realize that someone is following them. Hunting them. And that someone won’t stop until they unravel a mystery that’s been cold for years: a missing girl, a boy out for revenge, and a truck full of cash that disappeared in a job gone horribly wrong.

Vivian just wants to protect the people she loves, and she's willing to dig into the dirt of the past to make it happen. But some questions are safer left unanswered, and now that Vivian has built a family for herself, she has more to lose than ever before.

Now experience this Edgar Award–nominated historical mystery in paperback!

Praise for Last Dance Before Dawn:

"A lively, sprawling crime story that captures the vibrancy of the Roaring ’20s."
~ Kirkus Reviews

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: May 26, 2026 | Paperback
Number of Pages: 350
ISBN: 978-1250325822
Series: The Nightingale Mysteries, Book 4 || Amazon, Goodreads, Macmillan Publishers
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub | Macmillan Publishers

Read an excerpt:

Manhattan, 1925

Everyone came to the Nightingale looking for something.

They didn’t have much else in common, the folks who snuck down the alley toward a single electric light that flickered like it had been forgotten for years and could burn out at any moment. You never knew who would whisper the password at the door under the light, who would make their way through the midnight velvet curtains that muffled loud laughter and louder jazz.

Maybe your family could have bought half of Fifth Avenue, or maybe you couldn’t even buy new shoes. More likely, you lived somewhere in between, with work that paid your bills and the hope, one day, of something a little more. At the Nightingale, it didn’t matter who you were in the daytime. If you could hold your booze and let loose on the dance floor and keep a secret for a stranger, you were in.

They came looking for excitement, for the thrill of breaking a law that no one liked anyway. They came to dance and drink and maybe find a new friend, the sort of friend who—¬ after a glass or three of champagne—¬ would meet them in a quiet corner to get a little bit friendlier.

They came because they loved the music, the way it curled through the air and carried them across the floor, the way the singer’s voice filled the room and made their hearts ache.

They came for the party. They came to escape.

If they were lucky, they could pretend that whatever waited for them back at home didn’t exist. They could lose themselves in the music and the arms of someone new. They could feel free, even if it would never last, because in that moment nothing mattered but the next dance, the next drink, the next hour.

If they were lucky, they found what they were looking for, and they left before trouble could find them.

But not everyone was lucky.

***

Vivian recognized the sound of danger before she even realized what she was hearing.

Twilight had settled on the city, humid and heavy and speckled with the glow of streetlamps. She and Beatrice Henry—¬ Beatrice Bluebird, as she was known at the Nightingale, where she sang six nights a week—¬ moved through it with the practiced carefulness of two women who were used to navigating New York’s streets alone. Their steps were quick, but their eyes were quicker, always on the lookout for a man who might be trouble or a cop who might be trailing them.

The Nightingale paid off the police weekly, like any other dance hall or juice joint. But everyone who worked there knew to be wary just the same.

It was that wariness that sent a prickle of warning down Vivian’s back when they were two blocks from the Nightingale’s back entrance.

“Bea—¬ ” Vivian tossed out a hand to stop her friend in the middle of the sidewalk. A few steps ahead of them, a cat yowled as it ran out of a narrow alley. “You hear that?”

For a moment, the only sound out of the ordinary was the distant grumble of thunder. Then Vivian heard it again.

“Look a little closer, pal.” The voice was low and menacing, snaking out of the shadows and clearly not meant to be overheard. “I want to make sure you and me is on the same page.”

“Viv—¬ ” Bea hissed, but Vivian couldn’t help herself; she took a step forward, just enough to peek down the alley.

Halfway down the narrow stretch of filthy brick walls, two men were just visible in the fast-¬ fading light. One had his back against a wall. He was the taller of the two, but he still shrank back from the menacing bulk of the second figure. That one loomed toward him, his wide shoulders cutting off any escape as he shoved some kind of paper toward the nervous man’s face.

“—told you, when I have something, I’ll let you—”

The menacing man shoved him against the wall, the gesture nearly careless enough to hide the violence of it. The voice broke off with a grunt of pain, but it had been enough. Usually, Vivian would have stayed far away from anything that sounded like a beating and wasn’t her business. But she recognized that voice.

“Don’t interrupt,” the menacing man snarled. “My boss don’t take kindly to rude fu—”

“It’s Spence,” Vivian hissed.

Bea tried to pull her away. “It’s not our business. We can tell Silence or Benny,” she whispered, naming two of the bruisers who worked at the Nightingale keeping customers—¬ and anyone else who needed it—¬ in line. “They’ll come handle it.”

“That’ll take too long.” Vivian shook her head, pulling away from Bea’s cautious hand and running down the alley toward trouble. “Hey! Leave him alone!”

The bruiser barely glanced over his shoulder at her, just cocked his fist back and drove it, almost casually, into the nervous man’s stomach. He doubled over, heaving and gasping for air, as his assailant tipped his hat mockingly. “We’ll be seeing you soon, boyo. You can count on it.”

He was gone before Vivian could reach them. She stood, panting and staring at the gap between buildings where he had disappeared. A drizzling rain began to fall, plastering her hair against her cheeks. She wasn’t dumb enough to go after him.

“You okay, Spence?” she asked instead, turning toward the remaining man as he braced his hands on his knees.

“Swell,” croaked the Nightingale’s second bartender, a lanky, mouthy, handsome grump. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Apparently chasing off the fella who was about to beat you to a pulp,” she said, stung. Spence had been working at the Nightingale all summer and still hadn’t managed to endear himself to any of the other staff. But Vivian had expected at least some gratitude. Instead, he scowled at her like she was the one who had just punched him in the stomach, not the one who had run the attacker off. “But no need to say thanks or anything.”

He hauled himself upright, wincing. “I had it handled, you know,” he said, still sounding resentful. “I didn’t need a rescue.”

“Sure you did, pal,” Bea said, joining them at last. “That was a stupid thing to do, by the way,” she added, glancing at Vivian as she opened her umbrella and held it over both their heads. “Be glad he didn’t have a friend waiting to beat the stuffing out of you too.”

“My stuffing’s doing just fine,” Spence groused, pushing his wet hair off his forehead and straightening his jacket and tie.

“What was that about?” Vivian asked, laying a hand on his arm. “Spence? Are you in trouble?”

***

Excerpt from LAST DANCE BEFORE DAWN by Katharine Schellman. Copyright 2025 by Katharine Schellman. Reproduced with permission from Katharine Schellman. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Katharine Schellman is an award-winning author of historical crime fiction, including the Nightingale Mysteries and the Lily Adler Mysteries, whose work has been called “worthy of Rex Stout or Agatha Christie” (Library Journal). Her books have been nominated for an Edgar and a Silver Falchion, and she has won a Zibby Media National Book Award for "Best Book for the History Lover." A former actor, onetime political consultant, and graduate of William & Mary, Katharine lives and writes in the mountains of Virginia.

Catch Up With Katharine Schellman:

www.katharineschellman.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads - @katharineschellman
BookBub - @katharineschellman
Instagram - @katharinewrites
Facebook - @katharineschellman

 

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Book Review: Migrant Crisis by John Steel

Migrant Crisis: A Political Thriller on power, migration, and decisions made behind closed doors. by John Steel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Riveting behind-the-scenes political thriller about illegal migration and the deadly actions taken to halt it.

Migrant Crisis is the riveting new political thriller by John Steel that shines a spotlight on illegal migration into the UK and France and imagines the desperate actions some are willing to take to halt it. The author takes readers behind the scenes at Whitehall as the fictional leadership puts all their cards in play to stem the flow of illegals attempting the treacherous Channel crossing, not realizing they are about to disappear into even worse living conditions than those they were trying to escape in their country of origin. Government officials take unprecedented, morally unfathomable steps in their plan to regain control of their shoreline, actions that, if uncovered, would bring down those at the highest levels.

What an awesome and complex tale this turned out to be! The story unfolds from multiple points of view, including those in leadership roles of government, the criminals taking advantage of the desperate migrants, and the migrants themselves: some legitimately seeking safety but others aiming to game the social systems or preparing to infiltrate and destroy the UK from within. As the story progressed, I found my sympathies for individual characters changing. Although I did not care for her at first, my favorite character turned out to be Maya Linford, the morally off-kilter mastermind behind the British government's response to the flood of migrants. On the other hand, Charlotte Dale, the PM's wife, was my favorite for most of the story, and I really wanted to know more about her and her life in the intelligence service before voluntarily stepping back after marrying Kamran. However, there is a whole plethora of interesting characters throughout. I initially questioned the sudden focus on several individuals in one boatload of immigrants, but I was nonetheless glued to their stories. However, while we learn the disposition of the group of young men deemed "problems" in the UK, we don't find out if the others find their hearts' desires after release from the Border Force lockup or if they get snapped up by the criminal organizations waiting for them outside the gates.

As an American unfamiliar with the UK government or political parties, I thoroughly enjoyed the fictional inner workings of the Prime Minister's Office, its staff, senior Cabinet members, and assets who operate from the shadows. The recreation of a volatile Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons was frightening and chaotic. However, it is clear that the problems, impacts, and best responses to illegal immigration are universal.

With its riveting plot and complex characters, I recommend MIGRANT CRISIS to readers of political thrillers.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain (Sophia Freeman, #1) by T.X. Troan

Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain by T.X. Troan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imaginative and exciting middle-grade fantasy adventure!

Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain is the first book in author T.X. Troan's middle-grade fantasy series featuring the poor little rich girl left alone on a mysterious island. The author has created a magical world filled with mythical beings and talking, walking trees, all working to defeat an evil and powerful island demon.

The main character is Sophia Freeman, the motherless daughter of a wealthy and often too-busy business tycoon. While able to have any physical object her heart desires, what she wants most is the love and understanding of her workaholic father. Despite the fulfillment of her every whim, Sophia is a kind and compassionate child, showing entitled or bratty behavior only on rare occasions, even after being left behind on her father's newly acquired island.

Sophia's main supporter in her predicament is the fledgling island guardian, a tree boy named Silimon. Adventure ensues as he tries to get her the help she needs to survive until her father returns to rescue her and take her home. As the two youngsters make their way around the island, they encounter its many magical and mythical inhabitants, including the spirit of the entrapped island demon whose curse has long affected all who have set foot on his former island domain.

The plot moves quickly with exciting twists and turns as the island's secrets and Sophia's reason for being stranded there come to light. The ending isn't a final resolution to Sophia's story but a jumping-off point for the next adventure in the series.

I recommend SOPHIA FREEMAN AND THE MYSTERIOUS FOUNTAIN to upper elementary and middle-school-aged readers who enjoy stories of adventure, magic, and mystery, and for reading aloud at home, school, or after-school settings.

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Children's Book Review: My Friends and I Spot Time Travel by T.X. Troan

My Friends and I Spot Time Travel: A Puzzle Picture Book by T.X. Troan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fun, well-done collection of observation puzzles that even adults will enjoy!

In My Friends and I Spot Time Travel, the story linking the pictures together features Jason Li and Mary Harper, who find themselves in a series of adventures set in the present or at different times in history, with each new setting containing interesting or scary objects, including birds, ancient weapons, treasure, and magical items. Each page has a list of objects, all in plain sight, that the reader is to hunt for in the drawing. The drawings are fun and BUSY; there's so much to see! It took me a while to find some of the items, and it was entertaining the entire time. I especially liked the spooky cemetery and the underwater adventure! One nice thing is that there are plenty of pictures in the book. While other similar picture books give 4-5 puzzles to solve, Time Travel has more than double that, and the solution for each one is included at the end of the book.

I recommend MY FRIENDS AND I SPOT TIME TRAVEL to children and adults who enjoy picture puzzles.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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Children's Book Review - My Friends and I Spot Fantasyland: A Puzzle Picture Book by T.X. Troan

My Friends and I Spot Fantasyland: A Puzzle Picture Book by T.X. Troan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fun, well-done collection of observation puzzles that even adults will enjoy!

In My Friends and I Spot Fantasyland, the story linking the pictures together features Evan Jones and Page Brown, two friends trekking through a cool parklike venue with nooks, pastoral spaces, and even a cave, containing interesting or scary objects, including birds, insects, treasure, and magical fairies. Each page has a list of objects, all in plain sight, that the reader is to hunt for in the drawing. The drawings are fun and BUSY; there's so much to see! It took me a while to find some of the items, and it was entertaining the entire time. One nice thing is that there are plenty of pictures in the book. While other similar picture books give 4-5 puzzles to solve, Fantasyland has more than double that, and the solution for each one is included at the end of the book.

I recommend MY FRIENDS AND I SPOT FANTASYLAND to children and adults who enjoy picture puzzles.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

View all my reviews

Book Tour & Giveaway - The Chimera Snare: Reflections (Chimera Snare, #2) by S & E Black

Witness the vile acts of a monstrous heart.

Feel the vicious clash of duality in conflict.

Know the light of protection through valiant courage.

The Chimera Snare: Reflections

The Chimera Snare Book 2

by

S & E Black

Genre: Dark Epic Fantasy

- Winner: 2026 Literary Titan Gold Book Awards: Fiction
- 2nd Place: 2026 BookFest Awards - Fiction- Dark Fantasy
-Book Nerdection "Must Read"
-Readers' Favorite: 5 Stars

 

Von is cast into the pages of Ananael, the Order's tome of secret knowledge. However, his venture into the past takes an unexpected turn as he awakens within a cosmic void in the presence of the eternal being, who grants him perspective through others woven through his existence. Yet before he may commence his time-altering quest, a trial of discovery, revelation, and horror surrounding his origin awaits him.

Benson's monstrous heart sews the seeds of a vile past brimming with betrayal and hate. Through unimaginable deceptions and buried secrets, familial bonds once forged from love, honor, and acceptance are upended and broken forever. The souls of integral births, sprouting from pillaged and neglected foundations, unfurl a path towards disarray.

Distorted memory fragments challenge Von's grip on reality, and the reveal of a horrid truth ignites a vicious fury of vengeance. Though his quest for answers falters along the way, he finds help from an unexpected ally. Meanwhile, a mysterious power awakens within Navaryn, putting her at odds with both her friends and herself. And as the motivations of Celestine's leader become questionable, her suspicions involving her role within the Halryn continue to grow.

As the disparate worlds of Celestine and Daeva teeter on the brink of war, Von and Navaryn are drawn together by unseen forces. Two destinies, once parallel, now collide. But where bloodshed beckons, a valiant act of courage challenges the course of their fates.

 

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At last, an uneasy silence fell upon the sopping wet grounds, though the shambled arena creaked eerily. Von quickly Paralleled to the ground and proceeded to walk toward Navaryn’s limp body lying in a muddy crater several meters away. As he gradually brought his power down, his claws began to retract, and his horns receded into his skull. Clutching his side as he trotted along, he heard clamoring voices in the distance and a distinctive pair of boots running through the mud towards him.

“Von!” shouted a sober Claymar. “Wow, you’re alright.” He ran to his side and acted as a crutch to hold him upright. “That was, uh, really something back there. Care to explain what all that was?”

“Later,” said Von exhaustedly. “Where’s your uncle?”

“On his way, most likely. He nabbed Illiya and had her scout for other Celestines while you were off playing with the shimmery blue one. Why do you ask?”

“I need to know how much time I have,” Von replied.

“Time? For what?” he asked, peering ahead at Navaryn. His eyes widened as she slowly began to stir.

“Hold it, Clay,” ordered Von, pressing his hand against his chest to break his stride.

“What are you worried about? You got her!”

“It’s not that.”

Claymar scrunched his face and asked suspiciously, “Then what is it?”

“She’s strong,” said Von. “Immensely strong. She very well could have killed me.”

“Uh, but you’re the one still standing, are you not? Can’t be that strong,” he teased.

“Something happened, though. She lost control. Her power spiked with mine, but didn’t stay with her.”

“Ha! You almost sound like you feel sorry for her.”

Von ignored Claymar’s remarks and walked towards Navaryn, who was slowly rising to her knees with her back to him. Claymar followed behind, but Von turned to him with a furious eye.

Claymar folded his arms and asked, “W-what are you doing?”

The rain calmed, and the moon peeked through the parting clouds, casting a peaceful light onto the glistening, moist ground. Von drew closer, catching silver scintillations atop the bloodied and scorched wounds on her back.

Navaryn winced in pain as she struggled to rise to her feet, chattering her teeth as the cold, wet mud chilled her bruised skin. As squelching footsteps neared, she spun around. “W-who’s there?” she uttered, shielding the moonlight from her eyes with her forearm.

Navaryn’s inquisition made Von stop in his tracks. As her eyes adjusted to the razor-sharp rays of light over his silhouette, she quickly recognized the warm glow of his crimson eyes.

“Stop! Don’t hurt him!” Navaryn cried out.

Her strange and sudden outburst jolted Von. He looked around to find who she was pleading to, but saw no one.

“Wh-what happened to me?” Navaryn asked herself as she gazed down at her hands.

The confusion in her voice affirmed Von’s earlier assessment. “You’re fine now,” he assured. “You’re back.”

Navaryn’s eyes widened as she looked back up at Von. With the simplest of words, uttered with a palpable coldness, he gave her comfort and validation. In him, she found the first person able to convey an understanding of what she was going through when all others couldn’t begin to. An essence dwelt within her. One that seized control of her body once triggered into play, and left her only with the ability to spectate. A similar plight rang true for Von regarding his notorious beastly transformation. Yet, as his second encounter with Navaryn unfolded, his energy had learned to work in tandem with the essence that would otherwise overcome him. Von and Navaryn became locked in a stare just as before, only this time without the presence of aggression. They saw themselves in each other, in a reflection no longer distorted.

“Hey, Von!” Claymar called out. “Um, not sure what you’re doing over there, but you should know the cavalry is incoming.”

Sidwell approached with his entourage of soldiers and a vexed group of eastern Daeva in tow. As the last of his squadron funneled out of the arena, many of the ceremony attendees emerged from hiding within the surrounding brush and trees. Mixed in among the crowd were the rest of Daeva’s leaders, Killian, Morgan, Adair, and Godric, with Merisek alongside them. Weaving through the approaching crowd was Joro, whose surreptitious footsteps evaded the spotlight. Although the chattering among the crowd was indistinct, even for Von’s hearing, he could feel the tension steadily rising.

Sidwell stroked his gray, scraggly goatee, suspicious of the pair’s peculiar exchange. Marching with mighty strides, flaunting his prowess, Illiya approached him from the side.

“Have you done what I asked?”

“Yes, sir,” Illiya replied. “I’ve scouted thoroughly, and there’s no sign of any Celestine formations in the surrounding area. She seems to be the only one.”

“A spy. Just as I suspected. And a dumb one at that. She tipped a bartender with Celestine coin,” he replied with a chuckle as he dismissed his lieutenant.

Sidwell and his entourage moved in to surround Navaryn.

“Well, it took you long enough. But you managed to take down the Celestine without incident to life. That’s as much of a ‘thank you’ that you’ll get out of me,” Sidwell uttered to Von before addressing the chattering crowd. “People of Daeva! You’ve now witnessed our realm’s very threat with your own eyes…”

The Chimera Snare: Fragments

The Chimera Snare Book 1

- Winner: 2025 International Impact Book Awards - Fantasy
- 2nd Place: 2025 BookFest Awards - Fiction- Dark Fantasy
- Winner: 2024 Indies Today Awards - Best Urban Fantasy
- Winner: 2024 Literary Titan Gold Book Awards: Fiction
- Finalist: 2024 Literary Global Fiction/Debut & Dark Fantasy Sci-fi
- Book Nerdection "Excellent Read"

 

For Rayshell and her best friend Trish, senior year of high school is going to hell in a handbasket. The feud between Celestine and Daeva is bleeding into their world. When a mysterious visitor infiltrates her dreams, Rayshell is thrust into a realm of profound, otherworldly secrets. Together, Rayshell and Trish uncover the unbelievable—they are the living vessels for two banished Celestine guardians.

Amidst mystical recollections and a wondrous magic system that shatters the veneer of their everyday lives, the two friends embark on a journey against time to connect with the Celestine guardians' allies in hopes of freeing them from their imprisonment. Simultaneously, the shadows cast by Daeva darken. The notorious outlaw, Merisek, has positioned himself to claim dominion over the Order of Existence—a trio of powerful artifacts capable of reshaping reality. Armed with two of these relics, Merisek races against the emergence of the Celestine guardians to claim the third. The stage is set for a showdown that will determine the fate of existence itself.

Rayshell and Trish are all that stand between Merisek and his unhinged desire to twist the fabric of reality into his making. As the threads of destiny unravel, the question looms: who will be the author of existence, and what profound truths will be unveiled in the final, decisive act?

 

Clay Urn Publishing * Amazon * Apple Books

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Breathing anxiously, Navaryn clomped atop a patterned runner carpet in her dirty boots. The gilded elements within the maroon corridor flashed as she passed under the waving candlelight of each chandelier. Though she tried her hardest to refrain, her eyes wandered back to the series of haunting paintings hanging on the walls. From treasured times with Von, Lowenna, and Claymar to bouts of training and battles in Opiri and Celestine, each painting depicted a memory from Navaryn’s past, seen through her eyes. Brimming with tears, she continued down the damned corridor with no end in sight and no way to turn back. Behind her, a cloud of darkness kept a close pace and consumed all that she passed.

Navaryn’s heart fell to her toes as the next painting came into view. Captured inside the ornate golden frame was Von lying shirtless on his back, in a moment of ecstasy. His lips, delicately parted, wore the glossy sheen of her passionate kiss, and his tense red eyes were rolled toward the headboard behind him. The very memory was etched within her mind so profoundly that looking upon it in such an outright fashion set her heart ablaze. Confused, distraught, and with no other choice but to press forward, Navaryn sprinted ahead unheedingly.

The corridor eventually ended at a remarkably ornate, dark wooden door. With the cloud of looming darkness twisting behind her, Navaryn wiped away her tears and steadied her breathing as she pushed it open. Amidst the scant candlelight, the gilded elements within the capacious room twinkled like gems inside a cave. She carefully scanned the room until she happened upon a curvy figure cloaked in elegant red and golden brocade standing by the far wall.

“Hello?” she called, but no answer came.

Navaryn turned back to the door and found a wall in its place. Apprehensively, she placed her fingertips where she remembered the doorjamb to be only moments before. As she motioned to approach her obscured, gilded companion, her gaze fell upon an immense painting hanging in the middle of the joining wall. One after another, the candles around the room caught fire.

With a racing heart, Navaryn muttered, “What is this?”

Standing arm in arm in garish, clinquant garb, Navaryn saw herself beside Kumiko as they gestured proudly to a Celestine crowd below. The false instance and her disturbing, unfamiliar expression, painted as if captured through a spectator’s eyes, sent chills down her spine.

Navaryn turned away but found the very same toothy, prideful smile mocking her from within the other paintings hanging on the walls. Her face soured in disbelief as she skimmed over them. She was depicted prominently, boasting her pristine Celestine wings beside Benson and Kumiko, sitting tall above the Halryn council. Just as well, she found herself pictured beside Kumiko in a catalog of moments when they had started a family. Yet, not a single painting in the cursed room housed her beloved friends Lowenna and Claymar, her dearest Von, Aalrija, Fallon, or the number of others who held a special place in her heart.

Dizzy from a fit of rapid respiration, Navaryn struggled to maintain her composure. When her eyes fell back upon the painting of her pregnant belly, draped in fine silvery velvet and lace, she frantically ran toward the embellished figure. Through teary eyes, her vision quaked with a white blur, and she lost her balance under her clumsy feet.

“What is this place?!” shouted Navaryn as she gripped the shimmery train of the woman’s dress.

The sound of Navaryn’s incessant crying filled the silent room. Lost in her despair, she felt the fabric slip from her hands as the woman turned around, gently hushing her. Her eyes jolted open once the delicate coos caught her ear. Fearful for what she knew she would see, she slowly raised her face to the woman.

“Everything that surrounds you here in this room will now be set into motion,” said the woman, placing her decorated hands upon Navaryn’s cheeks. “For our imperator commands it.”

The gentle voice and placid countenance, framed in a headdress of gemstones and twinkling gold, was undeniably her own.

Navaryn recoiled in disbelief. “Our imperator? Benson?”

She watched the sparkling ruby-painted lips of her doppelganger curl into a smile. “Look around you. Your imperator is no longer Benson.”

The ominous statement immediately coaxed heavy tears to her eyes. “I want nothing to do with anything here!” she roared with flashing white eyes. “This is not my life!”

Navaryn’s decorated doppelganger gestured toward a multitude of paintings that suddenly materialized from the shadows. Following a light chuckle, she replied, “You’ve never had a choice in the matter. It’s a shame you didn’t realize it sooner.”

One by one, the paintings morphed perspective, appearing as though they were moments Navaryn had experienced firsthand, like the ones that hung in the corridor.

“What’s happening?!” Navaryn shouted, then jumped to her feet.

One haunting image in the distance immediately grabbed her attention. While she approached the painting in disbelief, her doppelganger strolled to the far wall, placed her hand against a door concealed by darkness, then saw herself out of the room without another word.

Husband & Wife author duo Shannon Vierra & Edward Ayllon write under the pen name S & E Black. Together, they craft the award-winning series, The Chimera Snare. They share a deep appreciation for music and credit a great number of bands and artists for inspiring their writing journey. Currently, they live in the greater Chicago area amidst a rich and diverse culture with their clowder of rescue cats.

Shannon is an urban gardener and an avid seed collector. In the makeup community, she goes by the moniker zoomzoommacaron and hosts an international, zombie-themed makeup collab called the #zombabescollab. She also enjoys anime, horror movies, craft beer & kombucha, cooking (and eating), sunbathing, photography, and singing badly. Music fuels Shannon's many passions, especially writing and creating art. She credits music with saving her life on multiple occasions in her teenage and young adult years.

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Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Edward first discovered the joys of creative writing through his early high school studies,and has spent many years exploring and developing a deep appreciation for the arts. Since first collaborating with his wife, Shannon, he has sprouted a passion and true affinity for storytelling and crafting literature. In addition to refining his skill in creating written works, his other interests include playing bass guitar, listening to music, and dabbling in photography.

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Book Blast & Giveaway: Her Silence by S.T. Ashman

Her Silence

by

S.T. Ashman

Thriller

Publication Date: July 21, 2026

Page count: 310 pages

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by

Goddess Fish Promotions.

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SYNOPSIS:

Nicole gets the call at 4 a.m. Her daughter Lacey was found in the woods beside her friend's dead husband. He was stabbed forty-four times. Lacey is barely alive. Covered in his blood. And completely mute.

She hasn't said a word since. Not to the police. Not to her husband. Not even to Nicole.

Nicole had Lacey at seventeen and swore her daughter would have a good life. Now Lacey is sitting in a cell, and Nicole's three grandchildren are left behind with a father who is losing it.

But Nicole knows her daughter. She isn't a cold-blooded murderer. Guilt didn't silence her. Fear did. Whatever happened in those woods scared Lacey more than prison.

So Nicole starts digging. But some secrets don't save people. They destroy them.

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

I strode past carts and nurses, straight down the hall, and yanked open the door to room 12. But I wasn't ready for what was waiting inside. My body jerked back as my hand shot up to my neck. "Dear God."

Lacey sat upright on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. A doctor stood over her, shining a light into her eyes. Two nurses flanked him.

I almost didn't recognize her.

Her hair was soaked in dried blood. Matted. Tangled with dirt and leaves. Thick blood streaks ran down her neck and across her temple like Viking war paint. Her face and arms looked like someone had tried to wipe her clean with a wet napkin and given up halfway. Just smears of pink and red everywhere.

The bandage on her forehead was already smudged with red too.

Her eyes met mine. Brown, blank, dull. Nothing behind them.

"Sweetheart!" My voice fell apart. Tears burst out of me as I crossed the room in two desperate strides and grabbed her. Held her. Pressed her to my chest so tight nothing could tear her away again.

Not even the nurse who latched onto my arm.

"Ma'am, you can't be in here right now." Her voice was sharp and demanding.

I didn't move.

The other nurse came at me from the side. Hands on my other arm.

"You need to wait outside," she said, yanking at me.

"Get off me," I growled.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

S. T. Ashman is an American-German author who calls the beautiful U.S. Seacoast home. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she spent years working as a psychotherapist in the criminal justice system. The work gave her a rare window into the human mind, both the beautiful and the deeply shadowed. It's no wonder readers often say her characters feel real enough to step off the page.

When she's not crafting her next twisty tale, you'll find her chasing after her kids, nose-deep in a book, or curled up late at night with a horror movie and a husband who always falls asleep on the couch before the scary parts.

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S.T. Ashman will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

Book Tour: Living Soul-Full - Renewing the Mind, Restoring the Soul: A Small Group Study For Christian Spiritual Formation by L.B. Richardson

Living Soul-Full

Renewing the Mind, Restoring the Soul:
A Small Group Study for Christian Spiritual Formation

by

L.B. Richardson

Nonfiction / Religion / Spirituality / Christian
Date Published: February 27, 2026
Page count: 290 pages

SYNOPSIS:

Living Soul-Full invites you to a 26-week sacred journey of deepened intimacy with the Holy Spirit, rooted in Romans 12:1-2 and the call to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Within a trusted small group, you will explore time-honored spiritual disciplines, discern the obstacles hindering your spiritual growth, and discover the rhythms that nourish your soul. Along the way, we will learn to identify and rewire harmful patterns of thought while opening our hearts and bodies to Christ's restorative love. We do his, in community, for the purpose of living as a healed and healing presence in a fractured world.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

L.B. is a hospital chaplain and ministry leader whose passion is to help guide others towards spiritual regeneration and wholeness.

It has been her honor, through writing the Living Soul-Full curriculum, to help build and nurture a holy space for renewal-where mind, body, and soul are restored through God’s grace- and to partner in community with others who desire to live emboldened, Spirit-led lives marked by vulnerability and compassion.

Over more than a decade, LB has edited this guide as it evolved into a trusted 26-week small group curriculum in spiritual formation, integrating biblical teaching, spiritual disciplines, practical reflection and even neuroscience.

She is deeply indebted to all those quoted within Living Soul-Full, whose timeless writings and teachings have, across the centuries, nurtured both our desires and efforts to cultivate a healthy soul within Christianity.

She also carries immense gratitude for every participant, facilitator, and all those whose vision for the “Soul Care” ministry at Mountain Christian Church surpassed her own, investing wholehearted from the very beginning. This curriculum is possible because of the support, feedback, and genuine partnership across her church community.

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Book Tour: Meat Cove by Janice Weber

Meat Cove

by

Janice Weber

Sagathriller* / Saga / Thriller

Publisher: Seacoast Press

Publication Date: January 22, 2026

Page count: 338 pages

SYNOPSIS:

Constable Fundy Sutherland is a buff, gruff Mountie with a price on her head and a veritable ossuary of skeletons in her closet. A former JTF-2 sniper, Fundy is quietly raising daughter Skye in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia when three events upend her careful obscurity: Skye brings home a DNA ancestry kit; the doppelgänger of Fundy's runaway mother settles in tiny White Point; and an erratic Venezuelan ship passes through the Cabot Strait.

As local disturbances and international tensions escalate around a NATO conference in Halifax, Fundy must leave her safe lane and resurrect an implacable past. Generational love story meets geopolitical suspense in a SAGA THRILLER barreling across the North Atlantic.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Janice Weber grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey and graduated summa cum laude from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

At the time of her Carnegie Recital Hall debut at age nine, she was writing her first short stories. She has continued both pursuits, with her novels providing counterpoint to the staid world of a concert pianist, or perhaps with her recitals offsetting the staid world of a writer.

Janice’s novels have a worldwide following. Her debut, The Secret Life of Eva Hathaway, enjoys near cult status and is widely recognized as iconic Chick Lit – though appearing years before the genre was invented. Its colorful characters, verbal virtuosity, wit, and sensuality established the hallmarks of a style that has earned Weber comparison with Mark Twain, Fran Liebowitz, Harold Pinter, and Robert Ludlum (if such a hybrid can be imagined).

Janice’s novels happen between (and occasionally during) concerts. Music on some level infiltrates almost every book: Eva Hathaway writes hymns between trysts, Floyd Beck met the love of his life at Carnegie Hall, Leslie Frost is a concert violinist, and Ross Major listens to Beethoven when the going gets rough. Characters without music in their lives fill the void with swinging, murder, and treason, activities musicians tend to eschew since this would detract from practice time.

Janice divides her time between fishing villages in Massachusetts and Cape Breton.

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REVIEW:

Coming soon!

*Meat Cove combines saga and thriller via Fundy's lurid diary, which appears between each chapter, forming a tale within a tale. As Fundy's grim memories slowly come back to life, her past and present collide in a riveting conclusion worthy of the first sagathriller.

Children's Book Review: Word Up! by Raven Howell, illustrated by Joe Rocco

Word Up! by Raven Howell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An eye-catching, attention-grabbing, and useful introduction to words as a tool and an object of power or fun.

Word Up! by Raven Howell, illustrated by Joe Rocco, is an eye-catching, attention-grabbing way to teach the very young that words have power and can adapt to all circumstances, even if that means remaining unused. Sometimes it’s the sound of a word itself that draws someone to its existence. Maybe it’s the way it slides over the lips or pops off the tongue or bursts from the mouth, without regard for meaning, that draws one’s attention and affection. Or, perhaps, it’s the sound of its pronunciation that obscures or hides the unpleasant meaning of a more common synonym that brings some love its way. Still, it’s fun to discover what words another person holds dear to their heart and why. The book’s whimsical delivery and vibrant illustrations help young readers see that words can be powerful tools, both helpful and hurtful, and that they should be recognized for their abilities and value.

I recommend WORD UP! to young readers and listeners at home, school, or in afterschool settings.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

View all my reviews