Category Archives: New Releases

THE UNTOLD STORY OF CAROL BINGLEY – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Jane Hartley!

September 27, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

How The Untold Story of Carol Bingley has traveled around with us.

Hello!

I hope you enjoy the story of how The Untold Story of Carol Bingley has traveled around with us for the last eight months.

Only three people knew I had written a book. My husband, one of our daughters, and myself.

My novel had the working title of How To Make a Town Gossip. Because that was who Carol was, the town gossip of Marietta, Montana. I submitted a finished manuscript of 78,000 Tule Publishing on the 27^th of October, 2022.

On the 27^th of January 2023, I received an email telling me that although they liked my book Carol’s story had been rejected by Tule for breach of copyright. I knew nothing about copywriting except that you cannot reproduce anything out of a book. I didn’t realize that characters in books belong to their authors. So that was that. I set about rewriting my manuscript without Marietta, Montana, or Carol Bingley.

On the 19^th of January 2023, my husband and I were in Tamworth NSW for Australia’s largest country music festival when I received an email from Tule Publishing to see if my manuscript for How to Make a Town Gossip was still available. We were 1119 kilometers from home. As you can imagine I read and reread the email and then started a happy dance up the street. There was plenty of music to dance to with all the buskers in Peel Street in Tamworth.

By the 8^th of February, I had signed a contract with Tule for Carol. I was officially a Tule author!

On the 18^th of February 2023, I received my welcome pack from Tule. Time was ticking by on the 1^st of March and I got my first round of edits from Jane Porter Tule’s founding author.

On the 7^th of March, I received my cover artwork and totally loved it. During March there was a book bio to write, and publicity shoots taken. For someone who is excellent at staying in the background, this was an awful lot of change for me to be front and center.

The next lot of edits came through as we reached in Broken Hill, 1149 Kilometers from home. Instead of a couple of days in Broken Hill, we stayed for four nights as we knew I wouldn’t have reliable internet where we were headed.

Silverton is about 11 kilometers from Broken Hill, and if you are a Mad Max film fan, this is where Mad Max 2 was made.

On the 1^st of June, it was time for a blurb to be written up.

Then I got this amazing email on the 8^th of August while in Sydney, 722 kilometers from home.

So as you can see, The Untold Story of Carol Bingley has traveled around a lot. Carol has been a constant in my life for eighteen months or more. I don’t remember the date

I started to write about Carol, but it has opened a space in me I didn’t know existed. I’m typing furiously to get more books out, so you can read them as well.

Thank you and PLEASE let me know what you think of The Untold Stroy of Carol Bingley.

Take care, Jane Hartley

About the Author.

Jane lives in a seaside town in Victoria, Australia. She married her childhood sweetheart over 40 years ago. They have three married children and six delicious grandbabies. When the COVID-19 lockdowns came, Jane started writing and didn’t stop. Writing was another outlet for her creative side. She is also the sewer of pretty dresses.

PROMISE ME PLEASE, COWBOY – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author CJ Carmichael!

September 26, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Ten years. That’s how long Tule Publishing has been in business. I feel fortunate to be one of the “founding” authors for this business. My involvement dates back to a phone call from Jane Porter when she asked if I would have any interest in writing a book for this new company she was thinking of starting. We agreed to meet at my cabin in Montana and brainstorm some ideas. The guest list grew to include Megan Crane and Lillian Darcy—two talented authors who I was soon going to get to know very well!

The four of us talked characters and stories; we cannon-balled off the dock into “refreshing” Flathead Lake, and then started drawing a map of our fictional town. Lillian christened our town “Marietta” and we baked luscious cherry crisp to celebrate. Once we had the concept for our 75th Copper Mountain Rodeo stories down, we hit the road, challenging the capacity of my medium-sized sedan’s trunk.

We drove through Missoula, then Butte and Bozeman, until reaching Livingston, the approximate location we wanted for our fictional town. We took dozens of photographs of things that inspired us. Historic homes, traditional barns, beautiful horses and majestic mountains. As we cut through scenic Paradise Valley we mentally created ranches and legacies, family conflicts and tragedies, world-building for the stories to come.

This trip did more than cement friendships and create memories that I’ll cherish all my life. It also inspired books which became the foundation of a new publishing company.

With Tule Publishing I’ve had the creative freedom to write books on my own terms, the kind of books that I longed for as a reader. Over the past ten years I’ve written seven stories in my Carrigans of the Circle C series, two stories in the multi-author Love at the Chocolate Shop series, and four stories in the Bitter Root Mystery series. I’ve also re-published four titles that I previously published with Harlequin.

Now, with the publication of Promise Me Please, Cowboy, I want to thank Jane Porter for including me on this amazing journey of hers. Thanks for that phone call Jane! And here’s to the next ten years for Tule Publishing!

About the Author

CJ Carmichael headshot

USA Today Bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 45 novels in her favorite genres of romance and mystery. She has been nominated twice for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, as well as RT Bookclub’s Career Achievement in Romantic Suspense award, and the Bookseller’s Best honor.

She gave up the thrills of income tax forms and double entry book-keeping in 1998 when she sold her first book to Harlequin Super-romance. Since then she has published over 35 novels with Harlequin and is currently working on a series of western romances with Tule Publishing. In addition C. J. Carmichael has published several cozy mystery series as an Indie author.

When not writing C. J. enjoys family time with her grown daughters and her husband. Family dinners are great. Even better are the times they spend hiking in the Rocky Mountains around their home in Calgary, and relaxing at their cottage on Flathead Lake, Montana. Visit C.J.’s website at http://CJCarmichael.com

FATE’S FINAL SEASON – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Leigh Ann Edwards!

September 20, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Hello everyone. For those who don’t know me, I’m Leigh Ann Edwards. Besides being an author, I’m married to a sweet English expat who’s been in Canada for sixteen years. I’m mother to two beautiful daughters, and grandmother of four wonderful grandchildren. I love animals and traveling. I’m a reiki master and also do angel and tarot card readings. We live in a small town northeast of Edmonton Alberta, with our four spoiled pets.

I’ve written historical fantasy series for Tule since 2016. I’m pleased to be back on the Tule blog today and thrilled to celebrate the release of Fate’s Final Season during Tule’s 10th anniversary month.

Isn’t this a beautiful cover? I’m really happy with every cover in this series. Christian, at Covers by Christian, is unbelievably talented. Don’t Broccan and Rhianwyn make a great couple?

Fate’s Final Season is the fifth and last book in my Maidens of the Mystical Stones series. ARC reader reviews have been fantastic. I’m grateful to the Tule team, my editors, and loyal readers for all their support.

Every book in a series is important, but since mine aren’t typically stand alone, the first and last in a continuing series are crucial. Book one has to grab and hook the reader. The following installments must hold their interest, but the final book is often the one that stays with readers. Therefore, authors aim to ensure readers are given a satisfactory ending. That said, it’s true you can’t please everyone and to quote a line from this book, “not everybody’s idea of happily ever after is the same.”

I also leave a few little mysteries to allow for a possible spinoff series. I’m delighted that readers have already been asking if there’ll be a sequel series featuring the Welsh Dafyddson brothers and their dragon curse.

Fate’s Final Season is set in a fictional village near Stonehenge in medieval Wessex before the individual kingdoms formed England. However, the story also takes Rhianwyn, the main heroine, on a dangerous adventure in Wales.

Although my four heroines, Rhianwyn, Selena, Elspeth, and Lilliana’s story takes place during the medieval era, some issues they encounter and life-lessons learned, are timeless. The healer, harlot, castle servant, and princess, soon discover walking a mile in someone else’s shoes (literally) is more difficult than they could’ve imagined.

Writing this series was extremely thought-provoking. It touches on the harsh realities women of all stations faced during historical times––having no rights, they’re often the victims of oppression and abuse––sadly with little or no hope for change.

That sounds dark and serious, but along with the heavier storylines, there’s humor, magic, strong heroines, chivalrous swoon-worthy heroes, great secondary characters, enduring friendships, true love, steamy love scenes, knights, dragons and other mythical creatures, beautiful scenery, and several plot twists. Readers have said they laughed out loud and ugly cried. Knowing that our books have evoked emotion in our readers is perhaps the greatest compliment to any author.

Whether reading or writing, a series ending is always hard for me. Writing the last few chapters, I become quite emotional. True, authors might torture or cause chaos and conflict for their characters (what’s a story without conflict?) But you also become deeply attached to them. They’re your babies, after all. Authors often spend more time with their imagined characters than people in the real world.

Writing the conclusion of a series of books with the same characters is like having to say goodbye to dear friends knowing it’s unlikely you’ll see them again. (Unless there’s a sequel.) My series also have several characters, therefore ensuring you provide an ending for each of them is somewhat daunting.

This is maybe a perfect time to discuss my present personal challenges.

Last time I was on this blog, I’d purchased airline tickets and was looking forward to attending Tule’s July author retreat. Unfortunately, my California trip didn’t happen. Insert heavy sigh! My husband had ongoing back issues. (Carpentry work for 40+ years isn’t kind to a body.) However, when he became ill, I had to cancel my trip. I was naturally worried about him and of course disappointed. But I admit, selfishly, I was also a little upset… thinking why did it have to be now?

I haven’t traveled in over six years. My month long writing holiday in a 200 year old cottage in Ireland in 2020 had been cancelled. (COVID cancelled everyone’s travel plans then.)

With my husband sick, I simply couldn’t leave. Taking care of two active dogs and two cats can seem a lot even when you’re well. Especially our year old Boston Terrier who’s extremely attached to me. When he hides under the trees in our back yard, good luck to anyone but me in getting him out. I think we might need doggy behavioral advice. But I digress…

Initially my husband’s diagnosis was kidney stones which I’d been told are very painful. Although I only witnessed that second hand, renal cholic looks absolutely excruciating. Hubby finally had to have the lithotripsy procedure done––where kidney stones are broken up by ultrasound shock waves so they can be passed through the body.

Thankfully it worked, but his appetite didn’t return and he continued to feel unwell. His blood tests results are still all over the place––some levels much too high, others low. Doctors suspect something autoimmune as my husband’s been experiencing full body weakness, fatigue, painful muscles and joints. Meds are helping; he’s been able to return to work, but they’re only a temporary fix until the cause can be determined. (No. It wasn’t COVID as many people have suggested.)

We’ve recently had another serious, upsetting health issue come up in our family. Someone very near and dear to me requires complicated surgery. Needless to say, me not being able to travel this summer has been all but forgotten.

Funny how something that seemed so relevant becomes trivial when facing something more alarming. It changes a person’s outlook and makes you extra thankful when you and yours are blessed with good health.

The theme of remembering to count your blessings occurs throughout the Maidens of the Mystical Stones series. The four female friends fell into the destructive habit of comparing and envying each other which causes heartache for them and our hero, Sir Broccan.

It reminds me of one of my favorite poems, “Desiderata”, by Max Ehrmann. It contains a wealth of wisdom. During the seventies a popular song included the Desiderata poem. I used to have it memorized. If you’re interested, check it out on YouTube. (You Are a Child of the Universe.) I thought about including the link here, but wasn’t sure about copyright infringements.

This first photo is of a lovely gift my two daughters gave me. We found it in a little tea shop on my fiftieth birthday when my sister surprised me by flying out to see me. The four of us spent the most special day together. The other photo is a wall hanging with the beginning of the Desiderata. My kitty obviously loves it, too.

This line is relevant to my series but solid advice for everyone:

If you compare yourself to others you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself.

Here’s another important passage I try to follow when I have self-doubts or life becomes hard:

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees or the stars, you have a right to be here… and whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

I’m super excited to be writing another five book series for Tule. It’s titled Witch and Demon Hunter. As usual, it’s fantasy/paranormal. However, at my suggestion, it’s a bit of a diversion from my previous works. It’s a mystery, time-travel adventure series where the two main characters (who aren’t romantically involved) investigate magical beings and supernatural occurrences.

Ever a hopeless romantic, I keep trying to pull romance into their story. Roxanne, my amazing editor, wisely reminds me this isn’t primarily a romance series.

Those who’ve read my Witches of Time series briefly met Fiona and Lorcan–– the witch and demon hunter. I’m enjoying further developing these two interesting characters and now writing, Book two, Highland Dark Magic.

Book one, Dark Irish Demon is presently with the copyeditor, and scheduled to release February 29/24. Yep…Leap Year. I’m a huge believer that dates are highly significant. What are the chances? Leap Year does only happen every four years, so how special is that!?

I look forward to being back in February to talk about Dark Irish Demon and the Witch and Demon Hunter series. Until then have a wonderful autumn, a joyous holiday season, and a happy, healthy beginning to 2024.

Magical wishes,

Leigh Ann

About the Author.

Leigh Ann Edwards’ fascination with history, romance, magic, fantasy, time-travel and Ireland sparked her interest in creating the Irish Witch Series and her growing collection of published novels. Growing up in a very small Manitoban village on the Canadian prairies left a lot of time to create stories and let her imagination soar.

An author for nearly thirty years, Leigh Ann has almost completed writing her fourth series with Tule Publishing and will soon begin a fifth. Besides writing, Leigh Ann loves spending time with her four grandchildren, reading, traveling, doing intuitive readings and reiki. Leigh Ann and her husband, their two cats, one large dog and their Boston Terrier puppy, live near Edmonton Alberta, Canada.

MARRY ME PLEASE, COWBOY – Release Day Blog Post by Author Sinclair Jayne! (Plus Giveaway!)

September 19, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Happy September Tuligans!

Fall is my favorite season (pumpkin-spice!), but September is my favorite month because as a student and then a teacher I was heading back to school and now it’s my daughter’s birthday month. I’ve been crazy anticipating this September because it’s Tule Publishing’s 10th birthday. I know tin or aluminum is considered traditional to celebrate the 10-year-anniversary, and while that may not sound exciting or romantic, those materials are known to be resilient, and Tule Publishing has definitely been resilient this past productive decade.

Tule Publishing is the brain-child of author and publisher Jane Porter and her author friends and fellow creative geniuses Megan Crane, CJ Carmichael and Lilian Darcy. The four of them roadtripped through Montana and inspired by their friendship, the gorgeous scenery, and desire to support other authors’ creative visions, they created the town of Marietta, Montana in Paradise Valley. Ten years later, Marietta is still going strong (and the Tule world has grown far outside Montana) as evidenced by how we decided to celebrate.

The first Marietta series included four romance novellas playing out during the (invented) 75th Copper Mountain Rodeo. Take Me Cowboy by Jane Porter, Tempt Me Cowboy by Megan Crane, Marry Me Cowboy by Lilian Darcy and Promise Me Cowboy by CJ Carmichael. To celebrate we decided to attend the 85th Copper Mountain rodeo, and lucky me, Jane Porter, Megan Crane and CJ Carmichael invited on their adventure.

CJ hosted us in Canmore in Alberta, Canada (in January—brrrr) where we laughed, walked, savored the scenery and occasionally plotted and created our cowboys. I’ve been an editor at Tule for about nine and a half years, and I have seen Marietta grow and thrive, and I’m thrilled to once again be a part of Marietta and the Copper Mountain Rodeo.

Marry Me Please, Cowboy was such a fun book to write because…cowboy, barrel racing cowgirl, secret baby, jilted bride, former special forces soldier, and a “death bed” vow to a best friend. I loved being back in Marietta, and once again obsessing over bull and bronc riders on YouTube. While my book is part of Tule’s Ten Year Anniversary 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo, it’s also going to spin out from the birthday celebration in October to become book two in my Coyote Cowboys of Montana series—yes, also set in Marietta, of course.

For an autographed copy of book one in the Montana Coyote Cowboy’s series—the Cowboy’s Word and some Montana and cowboy reader swag, tell me where you would want to go on a retreat with a group of friends—what would you do there…maybe start your own town?

Marry Me Please, Cowboy releases September 19th, and I will be hanging out with Tuligans in the Tule Book Group at 4 pm (PST) on my release date.

Happy September and happier reading—Sinclair Jayne.

About the Author.

Sinclair Sawhney is a former journalist and middle school teacher who holds a BA in Political Science and K-8 teaching certificate from the University of California, Irvine and a MS in Education with an emphasis in teaching writing from the University of Washington. She has worked as Senior Editor with Tule Publishing for over nine years. Writing as Sinclair Jayne she’s published fifteen short contemporary romances with Tule Publishing with another four books being released in 2021. Married for over twenty-four years, she has two children, and when she isn’t writing or editing, she and her husband, Deepak, are hosting wine tastings of their pinot noir and pinot noir rose at their vineyard Roshni, which is a Hindi word for light-filled, located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Shaandaar!

FOUR SILENCES BROKEN – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author H L Marsay!

September 13, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

The Brontë Sisters

As Four Silences Broken, the final book in my Secrets of Hartwell Trilogy is released, I thought I would take some time to tell you about the Brontë sisters and how they have influenced me over the years.

I was about ten years old when I first read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. It was probably my first ‘grown-up’ book (i.e. not written by Enid Blyton or Roald Dahl). It had a huge affect on me, although I think I was more struck by Jane’s miserable childhood and the death of her best friend Helen Burns, than her relationship with the brooding Mr. Rochester (although I do remember being very happy that he had a Newfoundland dog because we did too).

At about the same time, I went on a school visit to the Brontë Parsonage in Haworth, West Yorkshire. By then, I had also read Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. I couldn’t wait to learn more about Charlotte and her two sisters, Emily and Anne.

Haworth is a village half-way between the old mill towns of Bradford and Keighley. As you wander along the cobbled streets, you can see the untamed moors rising up and stretching out into the distance. The rooms of the Parsonage have been recreated to show how they would have looked when the famous family lived there and contain many personal items belonging to the three sisters and their brother Branwell. I remember seeing the beautiful miniature books they had created for their imaginary world when they weren’t much older than me. (The last of these miniature books still in private hands was recently bought by the Brontë Society and returned to the Parsonage for the staggering sum of $1.25m!) I also remember being outraged, on their behalf, to learn that they had needed to assume male names, Currar, Ellis and Acton Bell, in order to be published.

However, what struck me most, and what I think stayed with me, is the way these three young women, living a fairly sheltered life, in a remote village on the edge of the moors, were able to create stories that so powerfully captured their readers’ imaginations. It is something I have been trying my best to emulate ever since.

The Secrets of Hartwell books are set in fictional Hartwell; another remote village, with cobbled streets on the edge of the moors. Meera, one of my main characters, is a huge fan of English literature and particularly the Brontë sisters. At the beginning of each book, I decided to include a quote from Charlotte to say thank you for inspiring me so many years ago. This one seemed to fit perfectly.

‘The human heart has hidden treasures,

In secret kept, in silence sealed;

The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures,

Whose charms were broken if revealed.’

About the Author.

H L Marsay always loved detective stories and promised herself that one day, she would write one too. She is lucky enough to live in York, a city full of history and mystery. When not writing, the five men in her life keep her busy – two sons, two dogs and one husband.

DEADLIER THAN FICTION – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Carol Light!

September 7, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

You probably won’t like Don Shirley when you meet him in the opening scene of my latest mystery, Deadlier Than Fiction. I don’t blame you. Don is LOSING IT, and the target of his ire is the protagonist of my Cluttered Crime mysteries, Crystal Ward, a professional organizer who is helping her client, Barb Shirley, convert her grandchildren’s playroom into an adult space that both Barb and Don can enjoy. Crys’s session is going well until Barb’s husband appears, red-faced and screaming at Crys about the old, dusty novels she’s donated to a charity.

No, Don’s not at his best in this scene, but when you understand what’s at stake for him, I hope you’ll have a little compassion for the man.

When I create characters, I picture their physical appearance, sometimes finding a picture on the internet that matches the image I have of them. Next, I decide what their key personality traits and values are. However, characters really start to have more dimension when I consider their relationships, both past and present. Who were their parents? Do they have any siblings? Who most influenced them to become the people they are today? Are they married and what is that relationship like? Who are their friends and who are their enemies? Many of the background stories I create are never shared with readers, but they help me to understand what drives my characters and whether they play well with others—or not.

Back to Don Shirley, the red-faced husband having a major meltdown and yelling at poor Crys. Don’s relationships are really to blame for that moment, not that I’m excusing his behavior. Don and Barb, who are long married and busy with careers, don’t communicate much about household matters. It would have helped Crys if they’d consulted about the book collection before Barb okayed the donation. But why should they? The bestsellers from the seventies had sat undisturbed in a bookcase for years. Then there’s Don’s relationship with his older brother, Bob, whom he both idolizes and fears. The strong bond between the two brothers has ensured that a deadly secret is kept for decades. Those dusty books? They’re hiding more than bestselling plots. Add into the relationship mix Bob’s greedy wife, some old elusive buddies of his, ex-cons that Barb is employing to do yard work… Like entwined cords, these relationships start to unravel even faster than Crys can untangle them, leaving more mayhem behind than an Arthur Hailey disaster novel.

Meanwhile, Crys has her own relationship issues, especially with her husband, Rick. A detective with the Chicago Police Department, Rick was paralyzed five years ago when he was struck by a bullet that damaged his spine. He struggles with the idea of his wife going into strangers’ homes and makes her promise to keep him informed and not protect him by keeping her problems to herself. Crys is agreeable, but she is also ready to take her business, Organizing Chicago, to a wider client base by advertising on the internet and social media. Unfortunately, Rick isn’t yet onboard for that step. The more Crys finds out about the Shirley’s, the more concerned—and curious—Rick becomes. Unless Crys can convince him to become a more active partner in both her business and sorting out this mystery, their relationship will continue to be a battle of wills.

Relationships. We can’t live without them, and in mystery novels, they can be deadly. I hope you’ll enjoy reading Deadlier Than Fiction and will continue to follow Crys and Rick in the Cluttered Crime mystery series.

Even if you never do like Don Shirley.

About the author.

Carol Light is an avid reader and writer of mysteries. She loves creating amateur sleuths and complicating their normal lives with a crime that they must use their talents and wits to solve. She’s traveled worldwide and lived in Australia for eight years, teaching high school English and learning to speak “Strine.” Florida is now her home. If she’s not at the beach or writing, you can find her tackling quilting in much the same way that she figures out her mysteries—piece by piece, clue by clue.

Check out our September 2023 Releases! (Plus Giveaway!)

September 1, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

September New Release graphic

Read more about our new releases for September!

September marks Tule Publishing’s 10 Year Anniversary and we’ve got some amazing releases to kick off our celebration!

GIVEAWAY: We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the September releases. Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month.

Take Me Please, Cowboy by Jane Porter (Montana Born)

Release Date: September 5, 2023

The 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo, Book 1
The Calhouns & Campbells of Cold Canyon Ranch, Book 1

Two worlds. One love. No compromise.

Professional rodeo cowboy Rye Calhoun has been the primary breadwinner for his family since he was seventeen. Now thirty, there’s still no time for romance, and there certainly isn’t room for beautiful Texan Ansley Campbell, an artist with big dreams…dreams that don’t align with his.

When Ansley Campbell’s ailing uncle needs someone to help him at Cold Canyon Ranch in Paradise Valley, Ansley volunteers, eager for some breathing space from her family of overbearing men. But when her uncle Clyde has an accident the weekend of the Copper Mountain Rodeo, handsome cowboy Rye Calhoun is there to help.

From the moment Rye and Ansley meet, their chemistry sizzles, but their worlds are nothing alike and neither of them is in a position to compromise. Is love really enough, or are they asking to have their hearts broken?

Deadlier Than Fiction by Carol Light (Tule Mystery)

Release Date: September 7, 2023

Cluttered Crime Mysteries, Book 2

Can she get the right read on this situation before someone ruins the ending?

Professional organizer Crystal Ward is at a crossroads with her business, Organizing Chicago. Her husband, Rick, isn’t on board with online advertising, and their friends and family are running out of referrals. And now her client’s husband is outraged to learn that Crys donated novels he had promised to his brother. Crys’s only hope of salvaging the situation is to recover the titles.

But she shouldn’t have judged those books by their covers. The secret they contain is valuable, and she’s not the only one trying to find them. What’s more, she’s now hiding a secret of her own. She’d promised Rick, a former homicide detective, that she’d avoid sketchy situations that could land her in danger. Her best move? To team up with a retired detective, who suddenly has his own agenda.

With danger mounting, she must use all of her sleuthing skills to sort out friend from foe and fact from fiction before a killer can write her own final chapter.

Tempt Me Please, Cowboy by Megan Crane (Montana Born)

Release Date: September 12, 2023

The 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo, Book 2
The Flint Brothers Take Montana, Book 3

Five years ago, when Sydney Campbell came through Marietta on her way to the big Grey family Christmas, she ran into newcomer Jackson Flint in Grey’s Saloon. Directly into him.

In Montana to build some bridges with his older, billionaire half-brothers, Jackson didn’t plan to stay. Sydney was just visiting family from her high-stakes life in D.C. For one night they lit each other on fire, kissed goodbye, and never thought they’d see the other again.

But Jackson built more than bridges and put down roots. And just about every holiday, he’s watched Sydney turn up in town. The fire that always blazes between them gets hotter every visit, but this time is different. This fall, Sydney decides to stay a while. With the 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo taking Marietta by storm, Jackson knows this is the chance he’s been waiting for.

And he means to take it—if he can convince the only woman he’s ever wanted that there’s more freedom in loving him than letting go.

Four Silences Broken by H L Marsay (Holiday)

Release Date: September 13, 2023

The Secrets of Hartwell, Book 3

Welcome to Hartwell, a village full of cobbled streets, ancient curses and hidden secrets.

As the village prepares for Christmas, friends Lucy, Rachel, Meera, and Jo try to put the shocking events of the summer behind them. Though some secrets, it seems, refuse to remain silent.

Lady Lucy Hanley’s confidence has been boosted by making a success of her inherited estate and falling in love again, though ghosts from her past still threaten her. Rachel Foxton is finally happy and active in village life again, but is worried the person closest to her might destroy all her hard work and progress. Dr. Meera Kumar’s dream wedding is approaching, yet not everyone in her extended family is happy for her or wishing her well. And a trip to London and some unexpected news turns former detective Jo Ormond’s world upside down, forcing her to rethink her plans for the future.

As the year draws to a close, can the four women finally unravel the last of Hartwell’s secrets and move forward—together or apart?

Avery Daniels is Off Limits by Season Vining (American Heart)

Release Date: September 14, 2023

Romance in the City, Book 3

The heart wants what it wants…convenient or not.

Instead of winning a prestigious cooking competition, Sundia Sharma won infamy by breaking her tailbone on television. Thinking her culinary dreams are over, she prepares to head back to her corporate accounting job. That is, until a world-famous celebrity chef, impressed by her innovative recipes, offers her an internship at his new restaurant. It’s Sundia’s last shot to prove to herself—and her family—that she has what it takes. If only her crush wasn’t the chef’s personal assistant…and her new roommate.

With a love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation, Avery Daniels is practically famous—perhaps infamous—as far as West Coast lesbians go. As the right-hand woman to a celebrity chef, Avery barely has time to breathe, let alone do dinner or dates. She prides herself on staying cool in all situations, but something about Sundia gets under her skin—and in the stone-cold heart she denies having.

Sundia can’t afford any more mishaps—or temptations—and firmly friend zones Avery. But staying apart gets more challenging as both their walls slowly crumble in and out of the kitchen.

The Key to Forever by Kelly Cain (American Heart)

Release Date: September 18, 2023

Secret Ties, Book 3

She doesn’t need a man, but she does want a family.

Tori Matheny comes from a family of strong women who are all close and happily single. She plans to live the same way—an occasional fling, but never settling down. What’s the need? She is, however, curious about her birth family despite her adoptive mom and aunts strongly discouraging her search. Tori’s always known she was adopted and has never been able to shake her lifelong curiosity. When she runs into a childhood friend with plenty of time on his hands, he seems like the ideal candidate to help with her search.

After a nomadic lifestyle serving for years in the Veterinarians Without Borders program, Ethan Borden is permanently home and finally ready to settle down—buy a home, marry, and have children. He’s always had a crush on Tori, so when she asks him for help, he’s hopeful it’s the beginning of so much more.

Ethan is happy to help Tori find her birth family, but when Tori learns Ethan is hiding a deep family secret, can their budding relationship survive the generational betrayals?

Marry Me Please, Cowboy by Sinclair Jayne (Montana Born)

Release Date: September 19, 2023

The 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo, Book 3
The Coyote Cowboys of Montana, Book 2

She has her eye on the prize. He has his eyes on her.

Former soldier, now rodeo cowboy, Huck Jones doesn’t believe in love or marriage. Still, a promise is a promise, and he’s prepared to honor his fallen team leader’s wish to walk his sister down the aisle in Marietta, Montana. When the groom bolts moments before the ceremony, Huck offers himself as her alternative groom.

Barrel racer Willow McBride hates the cowboy code, and the soldier code is even more annoying. She’s pregnant, not helpless, so when her late brother’s sexy friend offers himself as a sacrificial husband, the answer is a resounding no. She wants love not duty. Plus, the 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo is looking to be her last as a competitor, and she intends to win.

Huck may no longer be a soldier, but he still believes no man—or woman—should be left behind. He’ll need to woo the beautiful, stubbornly independent cowgirl and change her mind. Failure is never an option.

Fate’s Final Season by Leigh Ann Edwards (Muse)

Release Date: September 20, 2023

Maidens of the Mystical Stones, Book 5

Will the fallout of this mystical year finally be their undoing?

During the final season of the magical pact, a disheartened Rhianwyn Mulryan arrives in Welshland as Princess Lilliana, poisoned, cursed, and desperately afraid that Broccan is lost to her forever. A mysterious sorceress may be her only hope of survival, but can she be trusted? As Rhianwyn faces Lilliana’s enigmatic husband, Prince Tyven, and his brothers––all rumored to be cursed with dragon blood—the arrival of her own estranged husband further jeopardizes their marriage…and their lives.

Sir Broccan Mulryan is determined that he and his wife will put their tumultuous past behind them, but before he’s fully forgiven her, he receives a baffling order to protect Princess Lilliana. Only Lilliana doesn’t quite seem herself…

Back in Wessex, a ruthless bishop throws the kingdom into upheaval, endangering the lives of Selena, Elspeth, and the true Lilliana. To end the despised pact and reclaim their lives, all four women must return to the sunstones, together. But will they live long enough? And if they do, will discovering the source of the pact save them or tear everything apart?

Return to Embthwaite Farm by Kate Hewitt (Holiday)

Release Date: September 25, 2023

The Mowbray Sisters, Book 1

Welcome to Embthwaite Farm, a charming English home in North Yorkshire, belonging to the fractured Mowbray family…

When Rachel Mowbray left behind her family farm in North Yorkshire at eighteen, she never planned on returning. But when her ex-childhood sweetheart calls and insists she return due to her father’s declining health, she travels north. Every moment home reminds Rachel why she left—her sister Harriet is both hostile and cold, her father barely communicates with anyone, and the house feels stuck in time. Plus, her old neighbour and ex, sheep farmer Ben Mackey, still has the power to make her pulse race…a decidedly unwelcome realization!

As a can-do businesswoman, Rachel wants to sweep in and fix everything, but it seems as if no one actually wants her help and nothing goes according to plan. Even more alarmingly, she must face the confounding memories of her own childhood—and she questions how many of them she can truly trust.

As Rachel navigates her father’s health crisis and confronts old hurts with her sister and community, she wonders if she can finally find her happily-ever-after in the most unexpected place of all—home. But will she—as well as Ben—have the courage to fight for their future together this time?

Promise Me Please, Cowboy by CJ Carmichael (Montana Born)

Release Date: September 26, 2023

The 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo, Book 4

Marietta has a way of bringing people together…

Cowboy Chet Hardwick is in Marietta, Montana, to compete in the 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo. Chet’s not there to make any waves, he needs to focus on the rodeo, avoid his deadbeat father, and return home. But when the beautiful owner at his bed-and-breakfast needs assistance, Chet can’t resist stepping in to help.

After a life-altering accident, Amy Arden left her Wall Street job and impulsively bought Bramble House B&B. While she learns the ropes, she’s also determined to uncover a secret from her late mother’s past—Amy’s birth father. The staff aren’t happy with Amy’s new ideas and quit, leaving Amy struggling to keep the fully booked inn operating. She finds an unexpected ally in one of her guests, a handsome, lone wolf cowboy, who is surprisingly easy to talk to. But just as their friendship heats up, ghosts from both their pasts arrive at Bramble House.

Amy knows Chet is the man she wants, but as Chet receives news that will take him far from Marietta, will he find his way back to her?

The Untold Story of Carol Bingley by Jane Hartley (Montana Born)

Release Date: September 27, 2023

The 85th Copper Mountain Rodeo, Book 5

Carol Bingley has a certain reputation in Marietta, Montana. She’s an infamous gossip and overly generous with her sharp opinions. But Carol’s been hiding a painful secret.

Forty years ago, sixteen-year-old high school student Carol Franklyn was madly in love with a bad boy cowboy with an irresistible smile, and sexy swagger. The day he asked her to meet him at the local hangout, the Main Street Diner, Carol thought all her dreams had come true. What she didn’t know was that she had become a pawn in a cruel and manipulative game that would spin her life painfully off course.

Now happily married to a man who loves her unconditionally, Carol finally is ready to share her painful past, but will she be believed? And can she be forgiven when she faces two of Marietta’s most powerful, tight-knit families?

Carol has lost so much. But this Christmas, she hopes she can find two puzzle pieces of her past, and sets out on a journey hoping she will finally be healed, not once again hurt.

An Autumn to Remember by Robyn Neeley (American Heart)

Release Date: September 7, 2023

Brooks Bend, Book 2

Sometimes the secret ingredient is right under your nose…

Executive Chef Sloan Leary just received the invitation of a lifetime to create signature holiday dishes for a premier meal delivery service. If she wins the contract, she can finally expand her restaurant to Paris, fulfilling a promise to her late grandmother. But first she’ll need to complete her annual two-week culinary exchange. Sloan is shocked when she’s sent to a small-town diner in Brooks Bend, Connecticut. If that weren’t enough, she learns her audition is to create dog food for pampered pooches—she’s never even had a pet.

Ex-military handyman Alex Edwards knows plenty about dogs—his beloved labradoodle is also his emotional support companion. So he’s happy to help newcomer Sloan create a Thanksgiving meal fit for canine cravings. When Sloan encourages him to go all in with his carpentry business, Alex pulls back. He stopped taking risks a long time ago and is happy with his slower life…right?

As they work to find the right seasonings, can Alex and Sloan rewrite the meal plans for their futures…with each other?

THE COWBOY’S LOST FAMILY – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Roxanne Snopek!

August 31, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Hello Tuligans! Welcome to the launch of THE COWBOY’S LOST FAMILY!

This is a book about secrets and lies, about family and friendship, about who we think we are… who we really are… and who we could become.

In this dual timeline story, we have our hero Brade Oliver searching for his biological family in one timeline, and the events that brought him into existence in the other, earlier timeline. It’s a little wrenching, all in all, and the most ambitious project I’ve undertaken so far in my writing career. There are no cliff-hangers, per se, although the full mystery isn’t solved until the fourth and last book. You will hopefully smile at some parts and maybe tear up at others, but I guarantee a satisfying ending to each book. Also, watch for the dog… because it’s not a Roxanne Snopek book without a dog, right?

This is, naturally, a love story. Our heroine Kendall McKinley is struggling under the weight of too much responsibility given to her too soon. She’s witnessed the shadow side of the whole love-marriage-babies thing with her mother and would far rather be a cool aunt than become a wife or mother herself. But she can’t help but be attracted to Brade’s honesty and willingness to be vulnerable—not to mention the hot, rich, cowboy-doctor part.

Kendall envies Brade’s lack of family obligation; she knows it’s not that simple, but when she comes home after work to find supper unmade, laundry undone and light bulbs burned out, she can’t wait to launch her younger siblings into the world… if not outer space. Brade, however, envies the family bonds she has, no matter how dysfunctional and wonders why she can’t see how lucky she is.

Of course, Kendall takes care of her brother and sister anyway, no matter how they annoy her. She takes care of her friends, too, because that’s who she is. She’s used to handling everything herself, to putting on a good face and pretending everything’s fine. Even when it’s not. She’s not used to letting someone else care for her, so having a man listen to her… cook for her… and rub her feet… upends her worldview. Brade has no time for lies, no interest in anything but the truest of truths, but how can she trust him to love the real Kendall McKinley… when her own parents couldn’t?

As they get to know each other, their idea of identity is challenged. They are both more than what they see themselves as. And isn’t that the best part of letting people know and love us? Even though it’s not easy, we’re challenged to become our best selves. If we’re lucky.

Will Brade find the deadbeat father who abandoned his mother? Will Kendall make peace with her own mother? Is there another kind of family out there for both of them? I hope you enjoy following Brade and Kendall on their journey of discovery… and find love along with them.

About the Author.

Born under a Scorpio moon, raised in a little house on the prairie, USA Today Bestselling Author Roxanne Snopek said “as you wish” to her Alpha Farm Boy and followed him to the mountain air and ocean breezes of British Columbia. There, while healing creatures great and small and raising three warrior-princesses, they found their real-life happily-ever-after. After also establishing a successful freelance and non-fiction career, Roxanne began writing what she most loved to read: romance. Her small-town stories quickly became fan favorites.

WHEN THE DUKE LOVED ME – Release Day Blog Post Featuring Author Lydia Lloyd!

August 28, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

Hello everyone!

I am Lydia Lloyd and today is release day for my debut historical romance, WHEN THE DUKE LOVED ME. It is a steamy, tropetastic, enemies-to-lovers road trip romance and, hopefully, a whole lot of fun to read. My hero, John Breminster, and my heroine, Catherine Forster, first meet at a ball and soon find themselves in the gardens sharing a kiss…but soon discover that, due to a mix-up with their identities, they have stumbled into an embrace with the enemy. As it turns out, their families hate one another due to a scandal that disgraced both the Breminsters and the Forsters years before. John and Catherine are only drawn back together when John realizes that he has a big problem that only Catherine can help him solve. In need of cash, Catherine agrees to help him for a price. They set off across the English countryside together—with only their enmity and a whole lot of sexual tension between them.

Along the way, there a LOT of steamy moments between John and Catherine; this is a Regency romance with spice! If you’re interested in hearing about some of those scenes, head over to my Instagram @LydiaLloydRomance, where I’ve been highlighting the extra sultry interchanges between John and Catherine. For this blog post, though, I wanted to do another kind of list—while this book IS steamy, it also has a lot of sweet moments (and some of those steamy moments are super sweet!!). That said, I thought I would use this opportunity to describe my five favorite sweet moments in WHEN THE DUKE LOVED ME. So, here it goes…

#1) The letters between John and Ariel
When Catherine first agrees to work with John, her chosen family isn’t sure what to think. Catherine’s parents died years ago and she has lived since the age of eleven with her father’s friend, Lady Wethersby, and her son, Ariel. When the book opens, Ariel is ten years old and only starting to understand the world around him. When Catherine explains that she will be traveling with John, Ariel is very suspicious. He is super protective of Catherine, who he sees as kind of a combination between a sister and an aunt. So, Ariel sends John a letter threatening to duel him if he does anything to insult or harm Catherine. His letter is hilarious—it is shown on page with all of the misspellings that a ten-year-old would make—and it not quite as scary as Ariel intends. But it does show John how beloved Catherine is to Lady Wethersby and Ariel. And then, when John shows his letter back to Ariel to Catherine and she sees how kindly he responds to his concerns, it totally melts her heart.

#2) When John cleans Catherine’s fingers
Catherine is a scholar and so she is always taking notes, drafting, and editing. Because this book takes place in the Regency period, that means that she frequently has ink on her fingers…and it totally drives John wild. Seriously, he has a total fetish for her ink-stained fingers! When he is trying to resist his attraction to her and they are stuck in a small carriage together, they have a quick luncheon of bread and cheese…and John can’t stand the sight of Catherine’s ink-stained fingers any longer. He also can’t believe that she would eat with such dirty hands. He brusquely commands her to give him her hands and he cleans each of her fingers with the whiskey from a flask in his pocket. It is the first time that they have touched since their kiss in the gardens seven years before!

#3) Catherine and John in the apple orchard
When Catherine and John travel back to his estate, they are both forced to encounter the ghosts of their pasts. Catherine grew up on the estate that borders John’s, but it has long since been sold. After they have fallen for each other, Catherine and John walk in the apple orchard that marks the boundary between his estate and her old one. As they share an early-season apple, they trade stories about their childhoods and recall glimpsing each other at rare intervals when they were kids. Catherine tells John that she once saw him and his father walking together and remembers a snippet of conversation that she overheard. Her memory is super meaningful for John because his father has recently died and he remembers their walks in the orchards together, but he can’t recall what he and his father actually said to each other. Catherine gives him back a piece of his childhood in this scene and it really shows how they complete each other on so many levels.

#4) The Extra £500
When John and Catherine are traveling for hours in the carriage, they, of course, end up talking quite a bit. As John fails at containing his feelings for Catherine, he begins to ask her quite a few probing questions about her past, including whether she has ever had ~carnal relations~ with anyone. Of course, she refuses to dignify this question with a response…that is, until he offers to pay her £500 for the answer. With so much money on the table, she does answer (and you’ll have to read the book to hear her response!!). Much later in the book, when so much has happened since this moment and Catherine thinks that she and John can’t be together, he sends her the payment he promised her at the beginning of the book. She notices, however, that he has paid her an extra £500 and, at first, she is confused. Then, she remembers their conversation in the carriage and has to laugh—he has remembered his absurd promise to pay her a truly ungodly sum to answer his invasive question. It gives her a little bit of hope that they’ll find their way back to one another.

#5) John’s Grand Gesture
Okay, I am going to leave this moment a little bit of a mystery because I don’t want to spoil it. But I can say that this grand—and it’s quite grand!!—gesture happens in the epilogue. Let’s just say real estate purchases might be one of John’s love languages.

Well, that concludes my list. Thank you so much for reading. If you want to learn more about WHEN THE DUKE LOVED ME, the whole Rake Chronicles series, or just want to talk historical romance, I encourage you to come over to my Instagram. I hope you enjoy this book—and come back for the second in the series, WHEN THE VISCOUNT WANTED ME, in January!

xoxo,
Lydia

About the Author

Lydia Lloyd writes high-heat historical romance set during the Regency period. She enjoys creating love stories between roguish heroes and complex heroines that are driven by authentic conflict and steamy encounters. Lydia holds a PhD in nineteenth-century British literature and, when she isn’t writing historical romance, works as a teacher and scholar.

STRIKING GOLD – Release Day Blog Post by Author Janine Amesta!

August 24, 2023 · Posted by Tule Publishing

When my agent sent me an email, letting me know that Tule was interested in publishing my manuscript of what was to become STRIKING GOLD, I was eating lunch. That’s about all I remember of that day. It just goes to show that you can be minding your own business, doing nothing more than one more mundane task in your day, and then your life suddenly changes and heads in the most unexpected of all places.

This particular theme, of life surprising you and taking you on a detour, is something I’ve always enjoyed writing about. This is never more true than in my debut romance, STRIKING GOLD. In it, Mia, a former overachiever, most-likely-to-succeed student, has always had a steady plan, knowing exactly where she wanted to go in life to achieve what she sees as success. This makes it more devastating for her, when life hits a bump and she finds herself back in her hometown, trying to find a temp job that’s far removed from what she ever imagined herself doing. The feeling of shame and embarrassment is magnified when she runs into the guy she used to tutor in school and realizes that, while he was a person who clearly struggled in his education, he’s now doing better than her. Their situation has flipped.

Mia’s journey in the book changes her perspective on not only what success looks like but also learning that “going backwards” doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. The best thing to happen to her is reconnecting with Ross, who is a man stuck on his own “failures” from the past. Together they discover the ebb and flow of success and failure, happiness and despair. These are the things that make life interesting and it’s better to be shared by someone you trust, someone who can share both the good things and the hard. This is more valuable than gold.

When I was drafting this story, I had a very strong sense of Mia from the start. Much of our personal background, and tough life lessons, are ones that are very familiar to me. As a biracial Latina, I too have felt that awkwardness of standing between groups, not really belonging completely. This awkwardness is especially true when you’re an overachiever, people-pleaser, a person who wants to be all things for everyone and hates disappointing anyone. We’re more willing to sacrifice self-identity in order to make those around us happier.

The hardest lesson of all to learn is that no matter what choice we end up making, there’s always going to be someone who’s disappointed in us. Unfortunately, in trying to do our best to avoid conflicts, because it seems easier, we can end up becoming stuck and unhappy. While it’s easy to say, “who cares what anyone else thinks?”, personal growth really happens when you switch your thinking to “What can I do to make sure I’m not disappointed? What’s going to make me happy?” Because if someone is always going to be disappointed no matter what, it’s better if that one person isn’t you.

Mia making that choice, deciding to choose what her life looks like and who she wants to be as a person, was a very rewarding journey to write, one that brought a lot of tears. Instead of standing awkwardly between worlds, not quite knowing where she fits in, she makes her own world, one she could be proud of and find love.

About the author.

Janine Amesta is a California girl who now lives in the high desert of Oregon with her husband and their cat, Hitchcock. She studied screenwriting in college, but her moody thrillers always had way too much flirty banter. She’s a master at jigsaw puzzles, skilled at embroidery, and critiques bad movies on Twitter.