WordCrafter News: Announcing the winner of the 2026 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest, Sizzling Hot Summer Deals & June Releases: “Smothered” & “A GEM for Your (Pre-) Diabetes”

The Winner of the 2026 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Contest

Congratulations are in order for Mark W. Milstead, for writing the winning story, “The Mist on the Moors”. His story will be featured in this year’s dark fiction anthology, Midnight Madness: A Carnival of Nightmares, alongside myself and WordCrafter authors such as Joseph Carrabis, Chris Barili, C.R. Johansson, DL Mullan, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Rebecca M. Senese, Abe Margel, and Robert White. I also want to welcome runners up Lindsey Martin-Bowen and Christian de Mateo to the WordCrafter short fiction tribe with their stories in this anthology. I look forward to this next volume of the Midnight Series anthologies. It promises to be a good one.

WordCrafter’s Sizzling Hot Summer Deals

First, stir up some wild western women’s adventures in June with WordCrafter’s Women in the West Adventure Series and a Digital Doubles Deal in June. Get books 1 & 2, Delilah & Sarah, both for one low price of $10. Only available on the WordCrafter Women in the West Adventure Series page.

Then, in July, heat things up with another Digital Doubles Deal and get the WordCrafter Time Travel Adventure Series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, books 1 & 2, both for one low price of $10. Only available on the WordCrafter Time Travel Adventure Series page.

And swelter through August with three paranormal gems from the Narrating the Paranormal Anthology Series in a Triple Digital Deal and get all three for only $6. Only Available on the WordCrafter Narrating the Paranormal Series page

Re-release of Smothered, by B.T. Clearwater

Smothered, by B.T. Clearwater is scheduled for re-release October 14, 2025. I’m excited that WordCrafter Press is re-releasing this paranormal romance by B.T. Clearwater, because it is such an entertaining story that keeps you turning pages to see what could possibly happen next. I reviewed the first edition by Winlock Press back in 2017. You can read that review here: https://writingtoberead.com/2017/07/21/smothered-an-all-around-enjoyable-read/

Smothered has a female protagonist, who is an emotional mess. Annie Brown inherits the house she’s been trying her whole life to escape. Fleeing a toxic relationship, she’s cautious of men and not looking for romance. That is, until Mike, an equally flawed veteran and handyman with his own baggage shows up to fix her dishwasher. Amid all of it, the spirit of Annie’s mother watches over the house and tries to control Annie’s decisions. Smothered will be released on June 2, 2026.

About Smothered

Annie Brown’s life could use some renovation. She’s in trouble at work, her ex-boyfriend is stalking her, and she’s just inherited a dilapidated Victorian home in Denver from her late mother, who hasn’t quite moved out yet. So, the last thing Annie needs in her life is a man, but when handyman Mike Tolbert comes to fix her dishwasher, she lets him demo her doubt.

Mike doesn’t exactly need the distraction of a relationship himself. An Iraq War combat veteran, Mike suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. His wife took their daughter and left him to struggle with making ends meet. Yet something about Annie snags his heart and he finds he cannot walk away from her.

As Mike and Annie get to know one another, they discover Annie’s mother doesn’t approve of their relationship, and she’s willing to cross from the realm of death to that of the living to control her daughter. With the ghost of her mother haunting them, Mike and Annie face his PTSD, her troubles at work, and a deadly plot to steal her childhood home, all while fighting to keep their love alive.

Available for Pre-Order Now:

WordCrafter Smothered Book Blog Tour

The WordCrafter Smothered Book Blog Tour will run from October 13 – 17, 2025. We’ll be launching this paranormal romance with readings and guest posts from the author, B.T. Clearwater, and a giveaway you can enter just by commenting. Drop in and join us as we send off this re-release in style.

Release of A GEM for your (Pre-) Diabetis, Daniel J. Cox, Ph.D., A.B.P.P.

I’m proud to announce the release of A GEM for Your (Pre-) Diabetes: A new and effective treatment that does not require weight loss, medications, or supplements, by Daniel J. Cox. The author has, through his own experience and research, developed a revolutionary new method of managing (pre-) diabetes which does not require all the traditional methods of diabetes management which affect lifestyle.

A GEM for your (Pre-) Diabetes is scheduled for release June 23, 2026.

About A GEM for Your (Pre-) Diabetes: A new and effective treatment that does not require weight loss, medications, or supplements

Have you just been diagnosed with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes and don’t know where to turn, or have you tried different weight-loss programs or medications that haven’t done enough?

GEM—Glucose Everyday Matters offers a practical, science-based approach to preventing and managing prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes by focusing on one powerful idea: reducing blood glucose spikes that can quietly damage health, energy, mood, and motivation.

Developed from decades of clinical research and real-world coaching, GEM helps readers understand why blood sugar rises—and how small, realistic choices can improve it. Rather than rigid diets or exhausting exercise plans, GEM teaches flexible strategies that fit everyday life: eating smarter, moving with purpose, understanding your body’s signals, and using glucose feedback as a tool for empowerment.

Inside this book, you will discover how to:
• Lower blood sugar naturally and sustainably
• Reduce cravings, fatigue, and energy crashes
• Lose weight without feeling deprived
• Improve motivation, confidence, and emotional well-being
• Use simple movement and meal strategies to reduce glucose spikes
• Personalize diabetes management to fit your lifestyle and goals
• Build lasting habits that support long-term health

Whether you are newly diagnosed, trying to avoid diabetes, struggling despite medications, or supporting a loved one, GEM provides a compassionate, evidence-based roadmap toward better health—one manageable step at a time.

This is not about being perfect.
It is about discovering what works for you and making meaningful change is

WordCrafter A GEM for your (Pre-) Diabetes Book Blog Tour

The WordCrafter A GEM for your (Pre-) Diabetes Book Blog Tour will run June 22-26, 2026. Author Daniel J. Cox will share a series of videos explaining what GEM is all about and why you need to learn about it. Please join us in launching this revolutionary method of diabetes management and educating the world about it.

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This segment of “WordCrafter News” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and The Ones Who Stayed With Me, by Nurse Sammy

Chronicles of the journey into the medical field as a young nurse and beyond, told with raw sensitivity and compassion. The Ones Who Stayed with Me offers small glimpses into the world of an L.P.N. put in difficult, often touching or humorous, situations—and Nurse Sammy’s courage, vulnerability, and insight are a gift to us all. In these pages, Nurse Sammy tells her story and that of those she met along the way.

Get Your Copy Today: https://books2read.com/OnesWhoStayed