WordCrafter News: Holiday Book Deals

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Happy Holidays!

WordCrafter Press is running some great holiday sales this season, because I believe that to give a book is to give a gift of love. All sales run from Black Friday, November 28, all the way through December 25th to help out with those last-minute gifts.

Christmas for Kids Sale

Field of Flowers in the background with digital copies of Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, Timothy Turtle Discovers Jelly Beans, and Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home in the foreground.

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend – $2.50: https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jelly Beans – $2.50: https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle

Charlie Chickadee Finds a New Home – $2.99: https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee

The Gift of Poetry Sale

A treasure chest in background with Poetry Treasures volumes 1 - 5 in the foreground.

The Poetry Treasures Collection – $2.99 each

Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/PT3Passions

Poetry Treasures 4: In Touch with Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature

Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures: https://books2read.com/PT5-SmallPleasures

Digital and print copies of Small Wonders

Small Wonders: Reflective Poems

by Kaye Lynne Booth – $1.99:

https://books2read.com/SmallWonders

Behind Closed Doors: A Collection of Unusual Poems

by Robbie Cheadle – $2.99

https://books2read.com/BehindClosedDoorsCheadle

A print copy of Behind Closed Doors on a white desk.
Book Cover: Close-up of a succulant pllant with black background Text: Feral Tenderness: Poetry and Photography by Arthur Rosch, Compiled and Edited by KAye Lynne Booth

Feral Tenderness: Poetry and Photography

by Arthur Rosch – $2.99

https://books2read.com/FeralTenderness

WordCrafter Holiday Book Bash

Women in the West Adventure Series

Delilah – $1.99: https://books2read.com/DelilahWiW1

Sarah – $2.99: https://books2read.com/Sarah-Women-in-the-West

Marta: Coming in 2026

Shadow Blade, by Chris Barili – $5.99

https://books2read.com/ShadowBladeDenariLai

Book Cover: Black background, red framed box with a blade in it.
Text: Shadow Blade, Chris Barili
Digital copy of The Rock Star & The Outlaw by Kaye Lynne Booth

The Rock Star & The Outlaw

by Kaye Lynne Booth – $2.99

https://books2read.com/RockStarOutlaw

The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Double Visions – Coming in 2026

Hidden Secrets, by Kaye Lynne Booth – .99 cents

https://books2read.com/HiddenSecretsBooth

Image of Indian overlayed over lake with trees.
Text: Hidden Secrets, Kaye Lynne Booth


WordCrafter News: Midnight Oil Release & NaNoWriMo

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Midnight Oil Release & Tour

Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares releases tomorrow, October 28, and the tour starts today and runs through Friday.

Michelle Ayon Navajas starts us off hosting the opening day in a triple stop over on Poetry by Mich, Hotel by Masticadores & Masticadores Phillipines with guest posts from me about my story, “Sangoma, Zombie Elephants, and Tokoloshe, Oh, My!”, and Christa Planko about her story, “Such a Time as This”.

Tomorrow, will find us here, on Writing to be Read, with a reading by Joseph Carrabis from his story, “Jeremiah”, and Wednesday we’ll be over at Book Places, where Kay Castenada will bring us a short post and promos from Roberta Eaton Cheadle about her story, “Just Deserts”. Thursday will find us on Carla Loves to Read where Carla Johnson-Hicks shares a guest post by Paul Kane on his story, “The Whistling” and then, we will wrap things up right back here on Writing to be Read with a reading of “The Initiation”, by DL Mullan and I’ll be interviewing Denise Aparo, author of the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest, “The Vanishing”.

It’s a great anthology and it’s going to be a great tour, with five chances to win a digital copy of Midnight Oil, if you follow along and visit each stop. It’s available for pre-order all day today, and then, of course it will be available for purchase after the release tomorrow at the purchase link below.

About Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares

Book Cover: Midnight Oil A candle lit lantern sitting in a garden at night with an owl perched on a branch. Text: Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, A WordCrafter Midnight Anthology, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare.

Contributing authors include Mario Acevedo, Joseph Carrabis, Jon Shannon, Rebecca M. Senesse, DL Mullan, Zack Ellafy, Christa Planko, C.R. Johansson, Kaye Lynne Booth, Robert White, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Chris Barili, Paul Kane, and author of the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Denise Aparo.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/Midnight-Oil

November is National Novel Writing Month

Every year at this time, I like to use the NaNoWriMo challenge to get at least 50,000 words down toward my next book. This year, I had planned to put that 50,000 words toward my trunk series Playground for the Gods, because I still hold ideas about getting that series off the ground. However, being without a computer for several months last spring set my production schedule behind, and so, this November will find me working on the long overdue book 3 of my Women in the West Adventure Series, Marta. I have the completed outline in hand and I’m ready to begin writing my way to that first 50,000 words during the month of November.

Western town background. Books in foreground: (L to R) Sarah, Delilah, Marta
Text: Women in the West Adventure Series

This third book is the story of Marta Olmstead, a Mormon woman who we meet in the first book, Delilah, who is captured in an Indian raid and taken to live among the Utes, but she ends up in Leadville, Colorado. This is her story.

Marta is a strong heroine in a different way from our first two heroines. She is not driven, like Delilah, or sassy, like Sarah. Marta has a strong sense of right and wrong and is determined to walk the straight and narrow. Her journey takes her out of Colorado, all the way to El Paso, Texas, which in 1889, was a rough and rowdy border town and she meets some very colorful characters along the way.

WordCrafter Halloween Hauntings Sale

Don’t forget that all through October we’re running the WordCrafter Halloween Hauntings Sale, so you can get all paranormal and dark fiction anthologies from the WordCrafter Press backlist at hugely discounted prices. But hurry. At Midnight on October 31st, these prices will all turn into pumpkins. 🎃

Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series

Narrating the Paranormal Series

Stand Alone Anthologies

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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/


WordCrafter News: Happy Halloween! Spooky October Releases & a Halloween Book Event.

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I’m posting this month’s “WordCrafter News” early because the first of three spooky WordCrafter Press releases come out next week. In fact, promotions have already begun over at JosephCarrabis.com, where you can learn a little about each of the stories in our themed dark fiction anthology, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. Technically, it’s a September release, but it is dark fiction, just in time for the Halloween season. Halloween was my son, Michael’s favorite holiday, (and mine, too), so I always go all out in October.

Curses Release

Curses: Chronicles of Darkness will be released on September 30th. This themed anthology has stories which all pertain to…, you guessed it – curses. It is currently available for preorder, so reserve your copy through the link below. (This link is a UBL, Universal Book Link, which allows readers to choose to purchase through their favorite distributor.) This link can also be used as a purchase link once the anthology is released.

Book Cover: Curses
Three women with horned headdresses , and flames above their heads.
Text: Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

About Curses

There are all types of curses.

Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.

Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.

Eleven tantalizing tales of curses and the cursed. Includes stories by Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, and Denise Aparo.

Preorder/Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/CursesChroniclesofDarkness

WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour

Curses Tour Banner - Dark dungeon walls with Curses in the center. 
Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Presents Curses: Chronicles of Darkness, A Dark Fiction Anthology, Contributing authors: Kaye Lynne Booth, Molly Ertel, C.R. Johansson, Robert White, Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Abe Margel, Denise Aparo

The WordCrafter Curses Book Blog Tour will run September 29 – October 4, 2025. It will be an exciting tour, with a double stop each day, which we’ve never done before. The original stop will host readings and guest posts from contributing authors, and the second stop of the day will be over at Undawnted, where DL Mullan will interview a few of the anthology contributors. We’ll also be running a giveaway, offering chances for one of five digital copies of the anthology in a random drawing at the end of each day. I do hope you will join in the fun, follow the tour and meet the contributing authors. If you follow the tour and leave a comment each day, you will have five chances to win a copy of this original, themed anthology, Curses: Chronicles of Darkness. Drop by to join in the fun and help us send this collection of curses off right.

Midnight Oil Release

At long last, the third volume of the Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, is scheduled for release October 28th, just in time for Halloween!

About Midnight Oil

Book Cover: Midnight Oil
A candle lit lantern sitting in a garden at night with an owl perched on a branch.
Text: Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, A WordCrafter Midnight Anthology, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

14 authors bring you 16 dark tales that explore your deepest fears. These are the stories which nightmares are made of. Tales of monsters, mayhem, and madness which will make you shiver in the dark. Read them while you burn the Midnight Oil… if you dare.

Contributing authors include Mario Acevedo, Joseph Carrabis, Jon Shannon, Rebecca M. Senesse, DL Mullan, Zack Ellafy, Christa Planko, C.R. Johansson, Kaye Lynne Booth, Robert White, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Chris Barili, Paul Kane, and author of the winning story in the 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, Denise Aparo.

WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour

Midnight Oil Tour Banner - Dark background with moon shining through tree branches in upper right corner.
Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Presents Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, Midnight Anthology Series vol. 3, Contributing Authors: Mario Acevedo, Joseph Carrabis, Jon Shannon, Rebecca M. Senese, DL Mullan, Zack Ellafy, Kaye Lynne Booth, Robert White, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Chris Barili, Paul Kane, Denise Aparo

The WordCrafter Midnight Oil Book Blog Tour will run October 27 – 31, 2025. We’ll have readings and guest posts from contributing authors and maybe a few interviews where you can get to know contributors better. Of course, we’ll be running a giveaway for digital copies, too. Drop by and join in the fun, follow the tour and help us send off this dark fiction anthology right.

Halloween Facebook Book Event

We’ll be promoting all of the above books at the annual Halloween Book Event on Facebook, hosted by WordCrafter Press and Sonoran Dawn Studios on October 31, 2025. WordCrafter Press and anthology authors will have takeover slots on Friday, the 31st, promoting both Curses and Midnight Oil, as well as other works by the authors. Watch for more information on this as the holiday gets closer.

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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

____________________________________

This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

WordCrafter Logo: Feather quill with 'WC' in foreground

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and see what we have to offer today:https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/


WordCrafter News: Winners of the “Shadow Blade” Tour Giveaway & Upcoming WordCrafter Press Projects

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Last week we stayed busy sending off the re-launch of Shadow Blade with the WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour. WordCrafter Press also released the original story prolog, Baiting the Hook, but we’ve added it as a free bonus book when you purchase Shadow Blade. The tour went off wonderfully, with many visitors who commented and entered in the giveaway. We were giving away three digital copies and one signed print copy of the book. Now it’s time to announce the winners of that drawing.

Shadow Blade Tour Banner: Digital and print copies of Shadow Blade on dark background Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tour Presents Shadow Blade Book 2 of the Denari Lai series, by Chris Barili

(Drumroll Please)

And the winners are…

  • Beetley Pete
  • House of Hearts
  • Kamal at Boundless Blessings Blog

The winner of the signed print copy is Esther Chilton. If your name appears on the list above, please contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail to collect your prize.

August Projects

In July, I had an angel sent to me, or if not an angel, at least a guardian spirit, and as a result, I once again own a working computer, and I am slowly getting caught up on my production schedule. Because I was trying to operate Writing to be Read and WordCrafter Press mainly from my phone for the past few months, I’ve had to make some drastic changes, like putting my own personal projects on the back burners and pushing back my release schedule for collaborations.

So, for August, I’ll be playing catch up. I’ve pushed back the release of the Curses anthology to September, and I am currently working like mad to get my own two stories for the anthology, (“Death Clock” & “Carverna Del Oro (Cave of Gold)”, which were created in longhand, digitized and sent off to my beta reader before compiling and publishing the anthology in August. I’ll also be digitizing my story for Midnight Oil, (“Zombie Elephant”), and getting it off to the beta reader. Midnight Oil will be the third volume in the Midnight Anthology Series, which will be released in October.

Reminder

There are only a few days left before the Writing to be Read WordPress subscription runs out. We’ve raised part of the money through the annual fundraiser, but we’re not quite there and time is running out and we need your help.

So, if you enjoy the great content you find here, on the blog, please consider visiting the link below and giving a small donation. Every $10 donation will receive a digital copy of the WordCrafter Press book of your choice as my way of saying “Thank You”.

https://writingtoberead.com/2025/07/04/annual-wordcrafter-writing-to-be-read-fund-raiser/

About Kaye Lynne Booth

Author Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

___________________________

This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/


WordCrafter News: “Shadowblade” Re-release from Chris Barili

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WordCrafter Press July Release

WordCrafter Press is proud to announce the re-release of Shadow Blade, by Chris Barili, coming July 22, 2025. Chris was in my cohort at Western State and today, he is a talented author. As an Ask the Authors series contributor, he participated in both rounds of interviews for the blog series, and the only author to contribute to both books. Chris is a contributing author to the Midnight Anthology series.

I reviewed Shadow Blade just after its release through WordFire Press, back in 2019. You can read my review of Shadow Blade here. I so enjoyed the book, that it pleases me to no end to be able to re-publish it under the WordCrafter Press label now. The WordCrafter Press edition will also include a free bonus story , the prequel to Shadow Blade, Baiting the Hook.

About Shadow Blade

Ashai Larish is an assassin from the brutal Denari Lai order. Religious zealots, Denari Lai are kept loyal through an addiction to the same magic that makes them unstoppable. They have become the primary weapon for the nation of Nishi’iti, and in a hundred years, they have never failed.

Until now. Ashai must kill Pushtani King Abadas Damar and his daughter/heir, Makari. He infiltrates the king’s inner circle, putting him in the perfect place to strike, with only Captain Bauti of the Royal Guard at all suspicious of Ashai’s intent.

Except Ashai has fallen for Makari and cannot complete the hit. When a second Denari Lai kills the King, Ashai finds himself fighting for Makari’s life instead of taking it. To make matters worse, the order cuts him off from his magic, leaving him weakened and in withdrawal.

Meanwhile, far north in the Pushtani mines that border Nishi’iti, a slave named Pachat learns that his love, a hand slave to Makari, died at the hands of a Denari Lai assassin. His grief ignites a slave rebellion, and Pachat becomes the unwilling leader of the revolt. Urged on by Nishi’iti guerrillas, the rebellion sweeps across the borderlands, threatening to erupt into all-out war. Yet all Pachat wants is to avenge his beloved’s death by killing the assassin, so he walks away from the rebellion to seek when it needs him most.

As Pachat makes off for the capital of Dar Tallus, Ashai is forced to rely on that city’s organized crime gang to hide from the second assassin, and from Bauti’s guards. Despite his best efforts to hide it, Makari discovers Ashai’s true identity, and suddenly, he finds himself without her love, without his faith, and without the Denari Lai. At rock bottom, he doubts he can do anything but cause more damage.

Can Ashai kill the second assassin and win back Makari’s love? Will Pachat gain the revenge he so lustily seeks?

About Chris Barili

Currently oppressed by his day job, Chris has his sights set on retiring after 42 years in the Intelligence Community and writing full-time. Chris Barii writes all kinds of stories, and has published fantasy, science fiction, horror, western, paranormal romance, and most recently crime, with a noir story in the inaugural print edition of Toe Six Magazine. He is author of the self-published, weird western Hell’s Butcher series, and also writes under the pen names B.T. Clearwater (Supernatural romance) and T.C. Barlow (western). Chris is a retired intelligence officer, having served over 45 years between active duty, contractor, and government employee roles. He lives in Colorado with his wife.

The WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour

To celebrate the re-release and launch Shadow Blade off right, the WordCrafter Shadow Blade Book Blog Tour will run July 21-25. Be sure to drop in and join us as author Chris Barili shares guest posts and readings. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a free digital copy of this unique and original story, and its prequel.

Meanwhile Back at WordCrafter Press…

2025 WordCrafter Anthologies

After making the difficult decision to let the second book in the Time Travel adventure series simmer on the back burner, for a while, it has freed me up to work on other projects, such as Chris Barili’s book above. In July, I’ll be working on the compilation of Curses and Midnight Oil. My own stories for these anthologies will be passed by my beta reader and final revisions done, as well. Curses is scheduled for release in August, and Midnight Oil is scheduled for October.

Women in the West: Marta, book 3

Also, I’ve been fine tuning my outline and completing my research for Marta, the third book in my Women in the West Adventure series. In July, I hope to begin the actual writing of the story.

Where Delilah and Sarah both did a lot of solo traveling of necessity, Marta travels in the company of others, expanding the cast of characters and the number of plot lines. And, while the first two books take place in the mining camps and towns of Colorado, Marta will be venturing into new and unexplored, at least by this author, territories with some colorful old west characters in 1890, presenting me with new challenges and a ton of research. I’m looking forward to venturing into this new story world.

However, Marta was originally scheduled for a September release. However, this is another of the projects that got pushed back when I struggled with the second Rock Star book, and I’m still working with disadvantages in the technology realm, so I’m doubtful that I’ll make the original deadlines. I’ll keep you posted.

WordCrafter Press Books on Sale on Smashwords in July

I’m excited to announce that many of the books in the WordCrafter Press catalog will be available as part of a promotion on Smashwords for the month of July as part of their Annual Summer/Winter Sale! WordCrafter Press books will be discounted at 50% or free all through the month of July, so look for all the WordCrafter books that are sitting on your TBR and take advantage of the Smashword store pricing while it lasts. This is a chance to get WordCrafter Press books, along with books from many other great authors, at a discount so you can get right to reading.

You will find the promo here starting on July 1, so save the link:
https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/

Please share this promo with friends and family, and all the avid readers in your life!

Thank you for your help and support!

Happy reading!

About Kaye Lynne Booth

Author Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

___________________________

This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/


WordCrafter News: “Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures” Release & Deadline for Anthology Submissions – Plus Welcoming a New Member of the WtbR Blog Team

Newsprint background. WordCrafter quill logo Text: WordCrafter News

We’re approaching the end of March, and hasn’t this month gone fast. This month began with my birthday on the 3rd, and a came down with a nasty flue the following week, which set everything behind for me. Life hasn’t dished out a bowl of cherries for me this month, more like a bowl of sour grapes. But I’m finally getting things back on track, although I’ve had to play a little catch up.

I’m still looking for sponsors here on Writing to be Read, so if you’d like to see your book or blog at the end of a series post once, or repeatedly, please consider sponsoring a series. You can sponsor a blog series from the WtbR Sponsor Page. All sponsors will also be listed on the Sponsor Page. Or, if you prefer to make a one time donation, you can do that here. All support is greatly appreciated.

New Release! Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures

A steaming cup of tea sitting on books with a field of purple flowers and a dawn landscape in the background.
Text: Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures, A WordCrafter Poetry Anthology, Compiled and Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth & Robbie Cheadle.


Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures will be released in April, in honor of National Poetry Month, but due to a couple of delays on my end I don’t have the release date yet. I’m still doing my final edit on it, and then it’s off for a final approval from the poets. Once that is complete, I’ll be able to give you a release date, as the dates for the blog tour, so stay tuned.

I must say we have a fine group of poets this year. Featured poets are DL Mullan, Barbara Harris Leonard, Jude Itakali, Ivor Steven, Robbie Cheadle, Michelle Ayon Nevajas, Gwen M. Plano, Liz Gauffreau, David Blogomony, Dawn Pisturino, Maggie Watson, and Colleen Chesbro. These poems about the simple pleasures in life are sure to warm your heart, and I’m proud to place the WordCrafter brand on this collection.

Submissions Deadline for WordCrafter 2024 Dark Fiction Contest

Book Cover: A garden at night lit by several small lights and a lantern with a candle in the center. Text: Midnight Oil: Stories to fuel your nightmares, A WordCrafter Midnight Anthology, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

The submissions deadline for the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest is fast approaching on April 30, so get those stories into me. Contest submissions may be offered the opportunity to be featured in the Midnight Oil Anthology, which will be released in October of 2025. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the anthology and display their winner’s badge in social media and on their site.

You can find all the submission guidelines here: https://writingtoberead.com/2025/01/01/call-for-submissions-2/

A Big Welcome to Lindsey Martin-Bowen From Writing to be Read

I hope you will all join us in giving a big welcome to the newest member of the Writing to be Read team, Lindsey Martin-Bowen. I met Lindsey as a fan who left comments which sparked a conversation between the two of us. Last year, I reviewed her poetry collection, Cashing Checks with Jim Morrison here. More recently, she offered a rave review of The Rock Star & The Outlaw, which prompted me to invite her to join the WtbR team. Lindsey has spent many years teaching, so a series with writing lessons seemed to be the obvious choice. You can learn more about her on our newly updated WtbR Team Member’s page, so please drop in and see what’s new there.

April will bring the first segment of Lindsey’s new blog series, “Lindsey’s Writing Practice”. In it, she will share writing exercises, tips and advice to help improve craft. Say hello in the comments. Then join us the first Wednesday of each month as we stretch our writing muscles and add to our writer’s toolboxes to make our writing shine.

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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and check out our services today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/


WordCrafter News: Looking Ahead

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The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles

Scheduled for release in May, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles is in the final developmental editing stages. I have a beta reader sitting at the ready before a final proofread and formatting of the book. I’m finding solutions to a couple of problems I’ve had from early on with this story because of the multiple time lines it deals with, which may require some extensive rewriting. It has already taken longer than anticipated and I’m behind schedule with it, which is why I’ve pushed back to May. But hey, when you’re dealing with time travel, you have all the time in the world, right? Even if it gets pushed back to a May release, this book will be well worth the wait. I have had tons of fun with the writing of it, and I know readers will have fun reading it.

Book Cover: Psychedelic time piece in background with three women in black leather on the left and three men dressed as cowboys on the right of an elongated and skewed purple guitar.
Text: The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles, When a Woman with a Guitar Meets a Cowboy with a gun, It's Time to Travel, Kaye Lynne Booth

In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. When Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.

In 2030, Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past, when she wakes up in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not be born.

She and a version of Monique which is different from the one she grew up with travel back to 1887 to try and make things right.

When they cross the other time loops, already created, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended.

Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things start to get wild.

2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest Reminder

Book Cover: A garden at night lit by several small lights and a lantern with a candle in the center.
Text: Midnight Oil: Stories to fuel your nightmares, A WordCrafter Midnight Anthology, Edited by Kaye Lynne Booth

Just a reminder: There’s still time to enter your dark fiction story into the 2025 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, for a chance to have your story featured in this year’s dark fiction anthology, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares. The submission deadline is April 30, and you can find submission guidelines here.

Preparations for Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures

Book Cover: Treasure chest with a book and a cup of tea on top sitting in a field of flowers with hilly landscape in the background.
Text: Poetry Treasures 5: Small Pleasures, WordCrafter Poetry Anthology compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth & Robbie Cheadle

Robbie and I will both be working on compiling Poetry Treasures 5: Simple Pleasures, which will be scheduled for release in April, during National Poetry Month. This year’s contributors are DL Mullan, Barbara Harris Leonhard, Jude Itakali, Ivor Steven, Robbie Cheadle, Michelle Ayon Navajas, Gwen M. Plano, Elizabeth Gauffreau, David Bogomolny, Dawn Pisturino, Maggie Watson, and Colleen Chesebro.

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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and check out our services today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/


WordCrafter News: Calls for Submission & an Upcoming Release

Newsprint background. WordCrafter quill logo Text: WordCrafter News

Call for Submissions for Midnight Oil

The Call for Submissions for the Midnight Oil anthology went out on January 1. Submissions which submit the required $5 entry fee will be entered in the 2025 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest for a chance to be featured in the anthology, which is the third book in the Midnight Anthology Series from WordCrafter Press and display the winner’s badge on your site. The deadline is April 30, 2025.

You can find submission guidelines here: https://wp.me/pVw40-9SL

Looking for Books for Story Bundles

In 2025, I hope to currate a couple of Story Bundles. Specifically, I’m looking at one Supernatural Fantasy bundle, and one Paranormal bundle. However, I still don’t have enough authors interested to make it work. So, I’m looking for authors with books in these catagories who would like to be considered for the bundles. If you are one of those authors, I’d like to1 hear from you. You can contact me at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com and put “Story Bundle Submission” in the subject line.

The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles to be released in March

The second book in my Time Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Oulaw 2: Seeing Doubles, will be coming out in March, and I’m really excited about it. If you thought the first book was crazy, this one will blow your socks off. Amaryllis and LeRoy are back after the disastrous jump in time which seperated them, along with most of the characters you came to love or hate in the first book, and a few new ones. With multiple story lines, multiple time loops, and multiples of the characters. This book was so much fun to write, and I know that you’ll enjoy reading it.

About The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles

In 1887, LeRoy is stuck, bringing trouble down on those around him. When Sissy is kidnapped and he’s the only one who can save her.

In 2030, Amaryllis will stop at nothing to find LeRoy fix what she messed up in the past, when she wakes up in a future very different to the one she knows, one in which she may not be born.

She and a version of Monique which is different from the one she grew up with travel back to 1887 to try and make things right.

When they cross the other time loops, already created, things change, but not the way Amaryllis intended.

Add two time travel regulators from the future who are after the time module, and things start to get wild.

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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by The Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.

A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.

In 1887, LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.

In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.

LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.

They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/RockStarOutlaw


WordCrafter News: Happy New Year!

Newsprint background. WordCrafter quill logo Text: WordCrafter News

We’re approaching a new year once again, and folks are busy making New Year’s resolutions and planning for the year to come. Things are no different for WordCrafter Press and Writing to be Read. I’ve been planning and preparing for projects I want to accomplish in 2025, including two dark fiction anthologies – Curses and Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, the annual poetry anthology – Treasuring Poetry 5: Small Pleasures, and I’m hoping to curate a couple of Story Bundles, if I can pull it all together. (Watch for the “Call for Submissions” for the annual WordCrafter Press Short Fiction Contest in my post on January 4th.The winning story will be featured in the Midnight Oil Anthology.) And I plan to have Marta, Book 3 in the Women in the West Adventure Series, out by the end of the year.

In addition, I’ve been working hard to finish the second book in my Time Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Double, which will also be coming out in 2025.

The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles

In 1887, after clearing his name, LeRoy McAllister is once again a reluctant outlaw, trying to save the people he cares about and win the heart of the woman he loves.

In 2030, the once thrill-seeking rock star, running  on the fast track, Amaryllis Sanchez has lost her Cowboy during a time jump, which changed things in her present. Now she must go back to find her man and try to fix her future, crossing time lines to do it.

In 1887, things turn crazy fast, when Amaryllis tries to change events in a previous timeline. And, the outlaws try to bring LeRoy back into the fold by placing Sissy in peril.

To make matters worse, Nick, the time travel tester who started it all, is back, along with two temporal regulator agents, and they are all after the time module which Amaryllis has in her possession.

Amaryllis and LeRoy are both seeing doubles, and sometimes triples, by the time this story unravels. It seems there’s dopplegangers everywhere when you go to the past to try to change the future.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year (1876) by Currier & Ives. Original public domain image from the Library of Congress. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

This year my resolution is the same as it is every year. I’m not big on resolutions, mainly because they are usuall broken, and I like to finish what I start. However, I always make one resolution, every single year. I resolve to do better and be more successful in my writing endeavors than I was the year before, with the ultimate goal being the ability to write full time and give up the day job. That hasn’t happened yet, so I guess I just keep working on the baby steps. With several releases planned for 2025, (mentioned above), hopefully I’ll be able to see it through again this coming year.

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This post is sponsored by WordCrafter Press, with a reminder that there’s still time to get all WordCrafter Press books at a 50% discounts during the Smashwords 2024 End of Year Sale. But time is running out. The sale ends January 1st. So get them while you can: https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/


WordCrafter News: NaNoWriMo Update, the 2024 Novel Writing Bundle & Planning for the Coming Year

Newsprint background. WordCrafter quill logo Text: WordCrafter News

2024 NaNoWriMo

I crossed the 10,000 word mark on November 5, well ahead of schedule. What a great feeling. And I only missed making the daily word count goal once. Unfortunately, life got in my way, as it usually does. This time, it was a huge snowstorm that dumped about 42″ of snow on my front steps. The snow made even the daily chores more difficult, and then there was all that snow to shovel! But even with moving all that snow I managed to make the word count on most days. That is until it all caught up with me and at the end of the day, I was so tired I couldn’t think straight, and then, my word count started to fall.

I have managed to at least write something to log into the updates daily, and I’m sitting at around 34,500 words to date. That means I just have a little over 15,000 words to reach my goal and six days to do it in. I think I can do it. What do you think? Wish me luck. 😉

2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle

There’s still time to get in on the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle, but grab it while you can. It only runs through the end of November. After December 1st, it will no longer be available.

This year’s Writing Tools StoryBundle, curated by bestselling author and publisher Kevin J. Anderson, is another treasure chest of vital handbooks covering aspects of the writer’s craft, business, and way of life. We have thirteen titles on a range of subjects, plus a 12-month subscription to Indie Author Magazine, your best source to stay up-to-date on the industry.

On writing craft, there’s The Illustrated Super Secrets of Writing, Vol. 1—Wulf Moon’s award-winning system on how to write stories and does so with creativity, fun, and humor. Tara Grace Ericson presents Romance Character Tropes—far more than your average trope list; this is an encyclopedia packed with info to help you use and leverage each trope successfully.

Freelance editor Joshua Essoe teaches about Mood and Atmosphere in his series of special-edition writing guides, each examining the most-common issues he encounters from writers he works with. Word by Word by award-winning author Kerrie Flanagan, shows you how to unlock your creativity and transform your writing. This is an essential guide for writers that offers inspiration, genre-specific strategies, and practical tips.

Jana S. Brown gives you Steps to Self-Editing. You’ve finished your novel! Now learn the self-editing steps to smooth off the rough edges and really make it shine!

And in the new revised edition of On Being a Dictator: Revised Edition, by Kevin J. Anderson, Martin Shoemaker, and Greg Vose—available exclusively in this StoryBundle,—you’ll learn how to use dictation to increase your productivity. One of the foundational books on a popular writing method, On Being a Dictator will help you think outside the box and up your game in the fast-paced ever-changing world of publishing.

Now, on to the writing businessDollar by Dollar by Kerrie Flanagan is a comprehensive guide packed with proven strategies to help writers boost book sales, increase income from writing, and succeed in both traditional and self-publishing. Mark Leslie’s Author’s Guide to Branding for Success shows you how to make your Author Brand into one of your best long-term Intellectual Property assets!

Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn provide guidance and inspiration to share your message with the world from the stage in Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker.

And Booking the Libraries by Jessica Brawner is tailored for authors, speakers, storytellers, musicians, puppeteers, and all living-wage entertainers. This guide is your key to unlocking fresh markets, cultivating a dedicated fanbase, and revolutionizing your livelihood.

And finally, on the writing life, these titles will help you stay inspired and remain strong as a creative.

The D.I.Y. Author by Kaye Lynne Booth shows you the ropes in the business of being an author.

Wit and Wisdom by Craig Martelle—exclusive first release in this StoryBundle—is chock full of quips and snippets to help authors stay focused on the right things to accelerate their business.

And Falling to Fly by Todd Fahnestock is a deeply personal exploration into the creative process and the publishing industry. This is truly the book to read before you give up on your writing dreams.

In addition in this StoryBundle, you will receive full year’s subscription to Indie Author Magazineyour go-to resource for news, tips, and advice on self-publishing. Stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the industry.

A note on the designated charity for this StoryBundle, the Neil Peart Brain Cancer Research Fund from Cedars Sinai. In 2020 we lost Neil Peart, legendary drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush, to glioblastoma. He was my mentor, friend, and collaborator on numerous books, and his loss affected me deeply. Neil’s friends and colleagues and fans worldwide have contributed to this glioblastoma research fund in Neil’s name, and we are proud to add our efforts on this Writing Tools StoryBundle as well. Kevin J. Anderson

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For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in .epub format—WORLDWIDE.

  • Romance Character Tropes by Tara Grace Ericson and Jessica Barber
  • Dollar by Dollar by Kerrie Flanagan
  • Essoe’s Guides to Writing: Mood and Atmosphere by Joshua Essoe
  • Booking the Library by Jessica Brawner

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus 9 more books, for a total of 13 (with 5 StoryBundle Exclusives), plus a year’s subscription to Indie Author Magazine!

  • Super Secrets: Illustrated by Wulf Moon
  • Falling to Fly by Todd Fahnestock
  • From Page to Platform: How to Succeed as an Author Speaker by Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn
  • A Writer’s Guide to Branding for Success by Mark Leslie Lefebvre (StoryBundle Exclusive)
  • On Being a Dictator by Kevin J. Anderson (StoryBundle Exclusive)
  • Word by Word by Kerrie Flanagan
  • The D.I.Y. Author by Kaye Lynne Booth
  • Steps to Self-Editing by Jana S. Brown
  • Wit and Wisdom by Craig Martelle (StoryBundle Exclusive)
  • Indie Author Magazine: One Year Subscription by Indie Author Magazine

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get a DRM-free .epub for all books!

It’s also super easy to give the gift of reading with StoryBundle, thanks to our gift cards – which allow you to send someone a code that they can redeem for any future StoryBundle bundle – and timed delivery, which allows you to control exactly when your recipient will get the gift of StoryBundle.

Find out how you can get your book into a Story Bundle of even how you can curate your own on “Writer’s Corner” in my interview with Story Bundle founder, Jason Chen.

Planning for 2025

Story Bundles: Let’s Sell Some Books

I’m planning to currate a few Story Bundles of my own next year. I’m looking for authors with books in the women’s fiction, dark fiction, science fiction/fantasy, or paranormal genres. I already have a few authors interested from the paranormal genre. So, if you have a book in the above mentioned genres, I want to hear from you.Mention it in the comments or drop me a line at KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com and let’s see if your book would be a good fit.

2025 WordCrafter Press Releases

With NaNoWriMo, I’ve got a good start on the second book in my Time-Travel Adventure Series, and I’ll be working hard to complete it throughout the months of December and January, with a hopeful March release. Of course, Book 3 in the Women in the West Adventure Series, Marta is also planned for release in 2025, and a short fiction collection of my own, titled “Little Ditties” to be released in time for Christmas.

With the creation of the Midnight Anthology Series, next year’s anthology is set to be dark fiction again, for volume 3, Midnight Oil. (I recently had a great story idea for this anthology. It’s very dark and scary, and I’m excited to see if I can meet the challenge of writing in a speculative fiction genre I’ve never attempted to write in before.) Submissions will be open in January and the call will post at the beginning of the year.

2025 Writing to be Read

Also, I believe Robbie may already be working on the next volume of Poetry Treasures, with a theme of Simple Pleasures. Guests on this past year’s “Treasuring Poetry” series should be getting their invites soon, if they haven’t already. I look forward to bringing forth another volume of this wonderful series of poetry books.

On Writing to be Read, plan to see more of Robbie’s new blog series, “Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle”, which received a good reception so far this year. Catch “Read and Cook” on the second Wednesday of every month. I plan to continue my “Chatting with the Pros” and “Chatting with New Blood” series on the second and forth Saturdays, as well, and of course first or second Monday will see a “Writer’s Corner” post. Monday’s will also see segments of “Review in Practice” and my latest movie review series, “Everyone is a Critic”. And you can catch Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry on the third Wednesday, and “In Touch with Nature” on the fourth Wednesday, as always. Art Rosch’s monthly “Mind Fields will also appear wherever I can fit them in, as he doesn’t have a set day right now.

I’m also hoping to get some new sponsors in the coming year. Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press. Please consider sponsoring a blog series, or even a single post and help me to keep Writing to be Read up and running.

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About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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This post is sponsored by The Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.

Digital and Print Copies of The Rock Star & The Outlaw Book Cover: Sundial and planet in the background. Black leather clad woman and Man dressed in western garbstand beind giant electric guitar in foreground. Text: The Rock Star & The Outlaw, When a women with a guitar meets a cowboy with a gun, it's time to travel, Kaye Lynne Booth

A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.

In 1887, LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.

In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.

LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.

They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.

Purchase your copy today: https://books2read.com/RockStarOutlaw