Sneak Peek: FOUR SEASONS OF LOVE: ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY BY PATRICIA A. SAUNDERS

By

-

1 October 2020

FOUR SEASONS OF LOVE: ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY BY PATRICIA A. SAUNDERS

(Reprinted with permission from Black Pearls Magazine)

Click here to hear the author discuss their books and to hear an audio preview of the book. If you can’t hear the authors reading, update your Adobe Flash Player, go here. Do not install McAfee Security Scan Plus. Don’t forget to share with friends!

Find more information on the author’s Seducing the Pen Tour page: https://www.smore.com/8x7ry

Patricia A. Saunders was born and raised in Connecticut before relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area nearly 27 years ago. She received her Master’s in Management from the University of Phoenix in 2011.

After the passing of her mother who had Alzheimer’s, Patricia decided if she inherited the disease she wanted her words to be her legacy and that all the words that she kept to herself were to be released.

Patricia’s work has been featured on a Coast to Coast Book Tour at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Toronto Word On The Street, Sacramento Black Book Fair, Tucson Book Festival, Miami International Festival of Books and AARP Life@50+ Spring Convention.

Recently she was chosen among 100 authors from around the United States to participate in the Author’s Pavilion at the 2018 Congressional Black Caucus Convention in Washington, DC.

Her latest book, Four Seasons of Love, covers all aspect of love broken into four chapters relate to the four seasons.

Patricia, a Supervisor in Silicon Valley, in her spare time she enjoys to travel, wine tasting, and spending time cooking for friends.

Four Seasons of Love is an anthology of poetry that separates the emotions of love into four chapters that covers the seasons. Both men and women can relate to their first kiss, being smitten, wondering if its real and the heartbreak of loss. The author writes each poem to have the reader visualize, feel, and remember those feelings.

Four Seasons of Love, something that most have experienced or know. Going through each Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter in the cycles of love and loss.

Poetry is the window to the soul that exposes everything. The emotions that are stirred up within make you laugh, cry, and remember a piece of you on the pages.

Spring is the blossoming of love. Summer is when it is passionate. Fall, as the season changes, so do you. Winter can be so cold, but yet a beginning of a new chapter.

Four Seasons of Love made the Amazon Top 100 in (#78) in African-American Poetry

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0853CNGR8

EXCERPT FROM FOUR SEASONS OF LOVE

Four Seasons of Love is an anthology of poetry that separates the emotions of love into four chapters that covers the seasons. Both men and women can relate to their first kiss, being smitten, wondering if its real and the heartbreak of loss. The author writes each poem to have the reader visualize, feel, and remember those feelings.

Take a peek inside Four Seasons of Love: Anthology of Poetry – http://a.co/iLyvu9u

Book Excerpt: Dust to Dust

It was a cold winter morning

The service was beautiful

You looked like you were sleeping

When I kissed you one last time the warmth of your body gone and you were ice cold

The casket closed

We were led out of the church

Escorted into the cars

Tears flowed

Driving through a town I grew up in

Seeing places that held memories

The buildings aged, some torn down, and others changed

Entering the cemetery cars lined up

We are led out to the spot you picked

Flowers are laid upon your coffin

As the minister says “Dust to Dust” a sharp pain is in my heart.

You’re lowered into your final resting place

My heart is ripped out of my chest and lowered into the cold ground along with you

I will have no rest

I will be lost until I see you again

I know better I know you are at peace

What about me?

A cold January morning a piece of me died when I said goodbye

Dust to Dust

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”(Bible, 2019)

Purchase Four Seasons of Love: Anthology of Poetry by Patricia A. Saunders

SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS WRITING WITH AUTHOR MARC WATSON

By

Jocie McKade

-

30 September 2020

0

Special Feature:::

School of Hard Knocks Writing – Marc Watson

I write this in full recognition that you, the reader, likely will hate me. I mean, I’m a nice enough guy, I think, and I put everything I have into this writing gig, but I’ve been so disgustingly lucky compared to some of my writing compatriots that the fact that I’d be writing about hard knocks is laughable.

My first three books were all picked up and published within months of putting them out into the world. My first book Death Dresses Poorly was acquired by the second publisher I submitted it to. There was no long list of rejections and heartbreak. That was reserved for my other two. I came out of the gate hot and I thought that this thing was so easy.

However, there’s absolutely been knocks along the way, and they have been hard to me, which is all I really have to go on. This is a strange and complicated industry we have involved ourselves in, and everyone’s knocks are different. So, with the grain of salt from someone who has horseshoes where the sun doesn’t shine, I need to talk about haters.

Success is measured in a lot of different ways. For some writers, it’s about becoming a bestseller and gaining recognition in the industry. For the humble hobbyist like myself, it’s about fulfilling a dream and maybe making enough scratch to buy a meal for the family and nothing else. Or for some, it just comes from finishing a project at all and not caring what happens with it, because the journey was the destination all along.

When you reach that level of success, and you will if you have the drive, you will meet the hater. They’re different for everybody. For me, it has been people who aren’t happy with how I got to where I am. People who insist we all must pay our dues. And people who look down on me because I don’t want to be a full-time author.

I attended my first writer’s conference in August of 2016. While there, and while scared out of my ever-loving mind by all the talent surrounding me, I met more than one person exclaiming that if I wanted to make a serious go at writing I needed to commit completely. “Half-measures are for grade-school students,” one person told me. Did they assume this would inspire me to change my mind? Or walk home with my tail between my legs? Only they know for sure, and I’ve never seen them again to ask them.

Ever since then I’ve had variations of that message come at me. My exclamation that a quiet life in a writer’s nook by a roaring fire was not going to be for me only got louder every time I heard it, because I realized that although the majority of people I meet in the industry are supportive and have similar stories to my own, there will always be those that only see multiple English degrees, or a library of best-selling books, or the accomplishment of their goal to be the only true measure of writing success.

I had never considered that ‘hater’ culture I was so familiar with in other aspects of life would exist in the writing world. This is art. The consumer of art may have a contrary opinion to mine, but the other artists? I don’t come from an art world, or a creative world, or world where the productivity of my frontal cortex is the measure of me as a person. This was a surprise. In the end we all get to create on our own terms. That’s enough for me. Have your nook and your fire and your old wood desk and glass of wine. Enjoy the fruits of your brain-words, just as I will enjoy mine in a totally different setting.

I set my goals, eye my targets, and take my shot every time. My flippancy isn’t a sign of disrespect. It’s simply who I am as a person. I do take this seriously, or at least as seriously as I want to take it, and at the end of the day I have a story to tell and friends I’ve met along the way. I’m admittedly a people pleaser, and a timid and shy part of me is begging for you to like me, but sometimes oil and water just won’t mix.

I just respect the fact that we are both fluids in a very ridged world.

Marc’s latest release is BETWEEN CONVERSATIONS: TALES FROM THE WORLD OF RYUUJIN

In the world of Ryuujin, heroes rise and fall, but there are always stories that slip through the cracks. The tales of the people who shape the years to come. Heroism and betrayal. Conversations between friends and enemies that will change the course of the world.

These are nine stories from a world that is historic, modern, and terrifyingly futuristic. A world where science and magic intertwine, and give birth to the unknown souls who become heroes, and the legends who fade away into history.

From the author of the renowned dark comedy Death Dresses Poorly, and from the world of his hit science-fantasy duology Catching Hell comes a collection of adventure, drama, joy, and terror as we look into the lives of the powerful, the meek, and the people who make the world turn over the course of centuries.

About the author:
Marc Watson is an author of genre fiction of all lengths and styles. He began writing at the age of 15 and continues to be a part-time writing student at Athabasca University. His debut novel Death Dresses Poorly was released in 2017, followed closely by duology Catching Hell: Journey & Destination. His new book Between Conversations: Tales From the World of Ryuujin is available starting September 25^th, 2020.

Marc lives in Calgary, Alberta. He is a husband and proud father of two. He is an avid outdoors-man, martial artist, baseball player, poutine aficionado, and lover of all Mexican foods. He can be found at online www.marcwatson.ca, as well as on Facebook at www.facebook.com/marcwroteabook, and on twitter and Instagram at @writewatson.

SNEAK PEEK: GINGERDEAD MAN BY MAYA CORRIGAN

By

Jocie McKade

-

30 September 2020

0

SNEAK PEEK: GINGERDEAD MAN BY MAYA CORRIGAN
Gingerdead Man by Maya Corrigan (Five-Ingredient Mystery #7)

When Santa is sleighed by a poison gingerbread cookie at a holiday party, Val Deniston’s reputation is on the line . . .
This holiday season Bayport, Maryland, is a dead ringer for Victorian London. Val and her grandfather are taking part in the Dickens of a Holiday festival. Val is hosting a private tea party serving the festival’s costumed volunteers, who range from Dickens divas like Madame Defarge and Miss Havisham to Ebenezer Scrooge and old St. Nick himself.

But one costumed reveler may have gotten the holidays mixed up. The winner of the creepiest outfit, robed in black with a gift bag covering the head—the Ghost of Christmas Presents, Val gets the pun—hands out gingerbread men with white icing skeleton bones. This year’s sour Santa has none of the big fellow’s mirth but plenty of his appetite, and it’s no secret Santa loves cookies. But when the man in red turns blue, Val and Granddad have a cookie-cutter killer to catch before the New Year . . .

EXCERPT

“Merry Christmas!” Santa waved to everyone he passed as he walked toward the intersection where Val and Granddad stood. He looked at least a decade younger than Granddad and carried a lot more weight.

The big man smirked. “Well, if it isn’t last year’s Santa,” he said, as if dismissing an outmoded flip phone. He gave Val the once-over and thrust out his hand to her. “I’m Jake Smith.”

Val knew his name and had heard nothing good of him. “Val Deniston.” She shook his hand.

He turned to Granddad. “Bet you’re glad I took over as Bayport’s Santa. You gotta leave strenuous jobs to younger men.”

“What’s strenuous about picking up little ones and sitting ’em on your lap? On second thought, it might be strenuous for you.” Granddad looked pointedly at Santa’s belly. “Hard for you to bend down.”

“You’re behind the times. Seated Santas and posed shots are out of fashion. Strolling Santas and candid shots are in. Parents take pictures with phones of their kids interacting with Santa. Even adults take selfies—or should I say, elfies?—with Santa.” Jake laughed at his own joke. “You would know about Santa trends if you belonged to the I.B.R.B.S.”

Granddad eyed him with suspicion. “The what B.S.?”

“I.B.R.B.S. The International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas.” Jake patted his chin. “You have to admit I have a better beard than you.”

Val wondered if Jake had made up the organization. She studied his facial hair. By tradition the Bayport Santa sported a real beard, and his wasn’t fake, though its color was. His beard and the hair on his head had dark roots.

Granddad stroked his fluffy beard with one hand and pointed toward Santa’s with the other. “Your beard is longer, but mine is thicker.”

The one-upmanship could have been banter between old friends, but the tone and body language suggested otherwise. Val focused on the part of Santa’s face not covered by a beard. He had no deep furrows between his brows or creases at the corners of his eyes. His nose and cheeks were deep pink to light red. He was younger than she’d assumed at first, probably his late fifties. Not many men in that age group dyed their hair white. Either he really wanted to play Santa or he had another reason for making himself look older.

Santa’s face puckered up, his eyes closed, and his mouth opened wide. “AHH-CHOO!”

His sneeze sounded like a wild animal’s distress cry. Santa hadn’t covered his mouth, but at least he’d turned his head and spewed his germs to the side rather than at Val and Granddad. As his eyes and his mouth widened again, Val buried her head in her cloak, Granddad pulled his scarf up over his face, and they both backed away. Santa’s second sneeze broke the volume record set by his first one. He pulled out a big red handkerchief, covered his nose, and honked into it.

Granddad glared at him. “With that cold, you shouldn’t be near kids.”

Santa flicked his wrist. “I’ll keep them at arm’s length, and I have cough syrup.” He reached into his pocket and took out a flask.

“Jake!” a woman called from down the street. She sounded like a mother summoning a wayward child.

Santa hastily tucked away his flask. “Here comes Mrs. Claus.” His tone suggested a man resigned to his fate.

Val looked around for a plump motherly woman in granny glasses, white hair under a bonnet, and a red sack dress. Instead, a svelte woman with a pointed nose and prominent cheekbones approached them. Her straight black hair grazed the white fur collar of her short red coat dress. The chunky heels of her thigh-high black suede boots clicked on the brick sidewalk.

“You can’t hide from me, Santa honey.” She said with a drawl. “I could hear that sneeze miles away.” She gave Val and Granddad a tight smile. “Hi, y’all. I’m Jewel Smith, his wife.”

Val and Granddad introduced themselves to her.

Red velvet was the only thing Santa and his wife had in common. She looked ten years younger. He was round and soft. She was angular and sharp. His hair was fake white and hers fake black. As she finger-combed it, Val stared at Jewel’s crimson claws. Each had a tiny bow on it painted in green nail polish. If her fingernails had been cut blunt, they would have resembled miniature holiday boxes, but filed into points, they looked like sharp weapons, ten little lethal gifts.

Gingerdead Man is available at …

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Gingerdead-Five-Ingredient-Mystery-Maya-Corrigan/dp/1496722442/

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496722447

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gingerdead-man-maya-corrigan/1135644819

More purchase links and a longer sample at Kensington Books: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496722447/gingerdead-man/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maya (Mary Ann) Corrigan combines her passion for food and detective stories in her Five-Ingredient Mysteries: By Cook or by Crook, Scam Chowder, Final Fondue, The Tell-Tale Tarte, S’more Murders, Crypt Suzette, and Gingerdead Man. The series features a café manager and her live-wire grandfather, the Codger Cook, who solve murders in a historic town near the Chesapeake Bay. Each book has five suspects, five clues, and Granddad’s five-ingredient recipes.

Ms. Corrigan lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords. Visit her website for book details, recipes, trivia quizzes, and a free culinary mystery story.

Learn more about Maya and her books by following these links:

Website: https://mayacorrigan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayacorriganbooks/

Group Blog: https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7813064.Maya_Corrigan

SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS WRITING WITH SUSAN CARLISLE

By

Jocie McKade

-

30 September 2020

0

Special Feature:

School of Hard Knocks Writing with Susan Carlisle

The hardest lesson I learned in my writing life was that I had to accept rejection and understand it’s part of the process. All writers experience it in some form. My first book, which was about my youngest son who had a heart transplant when he was one year old, received over 300 rejections. I knew I had an important story to share and I just kept putting it out there. It was tough to go to the mailbox sometimes. I would let myself feel sad for three days then I would grit my teeth and ask myself how much did I want to see the book published?. The answer always was I wanted it badly enough to send it out one more time. The funny thing is that the one publisher I thought wouldn’t be interested in it was the very one who bought Nick’s New Heart. Never, ever give up!

Susan’s latest release is DESIGN’S ON FOREVER

As a model, Mallory Andrews’ good looks had worked for her for years, but now she’s determined to prove she’s a talented historical interior designer. To do that she must remain unwavering in her focus regarding her current project, the restoration of a historical English manor house turned hotel. The problem is, she keeps getting sidetracked by the handsome and charming grandson of the owner.

Renowned hotel magnate and business consultant, Evan Townsend is retained by the board of his estranged grandmother’s company to make recommendations regarding the failing hotel that could put his grandmother into bankruptcy. His first chore is to terminate the work Mallory is doing. She launches a campaign to prove the changes she has made and others she has planned will benefit his grandmother’s financial bottom line. Evan’s mounting attraction to the beautiful and clever Mallory has him reconsidering his stance on her present work, yet he remains resistant to her requests not to sell the hotel so her work can continue. If only he could be as unaffected by her kisses.

Both fear the other is using the sexual magnetism between them to get what they want. Can Mallory and Evan design a way to break through the walls of half-truths and what-ifs to build a lifetime of love?

About the Author:

Susan Carlisle’s love affair with books began when she made a bad grade in math in the sixth grade. Not allowed to watch TV until she brought the grade up, Susan filled her time with books. She turned her love of reading into a love of writing romance. Susan has currently authored more than thirty books for the HarperCollins Harlequin medical imprint. Her Modern Masters of Their Castles trilogy is under her own imprint. Her heroes are strong, vibrant man and the women that challenge them.

In her past life Susan has been a full time mother to four children, a high school substitute teacher and now when she isn’t writing she is busy being a fun grandmother. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband of over thirty-five years. Susan loves castles, traveling, sewing and reads voraciously. Visit her at www.SusanCarlisle.com

Tweets by SusanCarlisle1

http://www.Pintrest.com/SusanCarlisle

http://www.Goodreads.com/SusanCarlisle

http://www.Instagram.com/SusanCarlisle

http://BookBub.com/SusanCarlisle

Book Trailer Feature: Healthcare From the Trenches by Dr. Alejandro Badia

By

Sheila English

-

29 September 2020

0

Healthcare From The Trenches: An Insider Account of the Complex Barriers of U.S. Healthcare from the Providers and Patients’ Perspective

The U.S. healthcare system is in crisis.

As Americans, we’re facing serious problems – not only with skyrocketing healthcare costs but also lack of patient access and inefficient delivery. Now with the frightening Coronavirus pandemic that is further taxing our healthcare system – and consequently, our economy – we are seeing these issues amplified. Despite all the political debates and media coverage on healthcare policy and reform, there is always one glaring omission: feedback from the people in the trenches – the doctors and other healthcare professionals who actually provide care to the patients.

This book is written from a doctor’s perspective, by Alejandro Badia, M.D., F.A.C.S. He didn’t want to write this book but felt he had to because of the incredible problems he sees every day in getting the patient the care they need; and, as an expert, his treatment plans are constantly second-guessed and obstructed by the system which has a near-zero understanding of the problem that the patient faces. It became unbearable for Dr. Badia to continue to practice without calling out what is happening, every day, as the norm, and not the exception anymore.

Dr. Badia has been a practicing orthopedic surgeon for three decades and is the founder of OrthoNOW® clinics in South Florida. He has been in the trenches with our broken healthcare system since 1989.

Medicine, once a noble calling, as evidenced by The Hippocratic Oath (Do No Harm), has transformed into an oppressive burdensome system for both doctors and patients. Non-Medical Experts hired by the Insurance Companies with zero medical training, and without any degrees or knowledge (in most cases) are calling the shots and continue to interfere with the doctor-patient relationship, delay and prevent the delivery of care, and present an obstacle to innovations that would improve patient outcomes and reduce overall healthcare costs.

This is a life and death matter and people are dying because of this flawed system. Since the implementation of Obamacare, healthcare in America has devolved into a bureaucratic nightmare. What began as incremental interference in the relationship between doctor and patient with the passage of The Medicare Act of 1965 is now an impenetrable barrier made up of governmental and healthcare insurance industry red tape. The result? Higher costs and unnecessary inefficiencies.

What can we do about it?

First, we must understand and recognize the underlying problems. Healthcare from the Trenches will give you an in-depth behind the scenes look at our system from a practicing doctors’ perspective along with contributors ranging from fellow colleagues to beleaguered patients, who offer their insights and share their personal stories to illustrate the inherent shortcomings in the U.S. healthcare industry as well as proposed solutions and suggestions for actions every one of us can take to enact positive, long-lasting change.

It’s time for every American to understand and be educated about the root causes of our healthcare crisis and demand meaningful reform to improve healthcare efficiencies in America. https://www.amazon.com/Healthcare-Tre… https://www.drbadia.com/healthcare-fr…

BEHIND THE WORDS LIZ IRELAND

By

Jocie McKade

-

29 September 2020

0

Hi Elizabeth and welcome. We are excited to have you on Reader’s Entertainment. To begin, tell us a bit about yourself. Where you’re from, where you live? Is writing your full-time job?

My name is Elizabeth Bass, and I write historical mysteries under the pen name Liz Freeland, cozy mysteries as Liz Ireland, and women’s fiction under my own name. I grew up in a small town in East Texas. In the past three decades, I’ve lived all over—from New York City to Portland, Oregon, to Montreal. Right now I reside on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, a real gem of a place. Writing is my main occupation, although I also am a freelance editor.

How long have you been writing?

I caught the theater bug as a teenager and in college I started writing plays. After college, I experimented with writing stories at night after work. I published my first book in my twenties and haven’t stopped writing since.

What does your typical writing day look like?

The great thing about being self-employed is that no day has to be typical. The downside of working at home is that without discipline it’s easy to become a profession internet surfer. So I try to make a schedule. When I’m working on the first draft of a book, I get up, make coffee, and while my brain is still relatively fresh, I write a set number of pages that I’ve set as a goal—typically five to eight. I try to set aside an hour in the afternoon for tending to the other side of writing: social media, planning future projects, fiddling with websites, etc. I’ve become a night owl, so at night I do a second shift—usually revising and editing what I’ve written during the day. Occasionally I’ll work on two things at once, and that gets really tricky. I’ll work on one in the morning/afternoon, and the other at night.

Tell us about your latest release MRS. CLAUS AND THE SANTALAND SLAYINGS? Where the idea came from? Perhaps some fun moments, or not so fun moments?

My latest release is the first in a new cozy series: Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings. My editor and I were talking about holiday series and he suggested a Mrs. Claus character, but said it could be set anywhere. At the time, Harry and Meghan were in the headlines, so I thought it would be fun to invent a kind of royal family in the North Pole. April, a innkeeper in Oregon, meets Nick Claus on vacation, and after a whirlwind courtship, she marries into the Claus clan and moves into Castle Kringle.

Could you share one detail from your current release with readers that they might not find in the book? Perhaps a juicy bit of back-story, or something only you know about a character.

After divorcing her first husband, April went through a rough patch and didn’t have the Christmas spirit. There were years when she didn’t even bother with a tree. Also, she thinks eggnog tastes like sweetened glue.

Who has been the most difficult character for you to write? Why?

Sometimes I have a little difficulty getting into the elf point of view. The elves in Santaland are basically living under a monarchy of Clauses, and my American instinct is to tell them to rebel and storm the castle. I have “Think Jolly” written on a Post-it above my computer, but even so quite a few cranky and subversive elves slip into the books.

If you could be one of your characters for a day which character would it be? Why?

The steward of Castle Kringle is an elfman (half elf/half human) named Jingles. He has strong opinions, straddles the world of elves and Clauses, and is an important part of April’s crime-solving cohort. He also is the character who threatens to take over the book at times—there’s one in every series. I just feel buoyed when he’s on the page. I wouldn’t mind being Jingles for a day.

Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

So, so many. I’d say that the first author I loved and who made me want to write novels was Anne Tyler. She writes about such a specific, quirky world. It’s Baltimore, usually, but it’s really Anne Tyler land. Her novels feel big because the tensions between the characters are intense and often seem unresolvable, and yet you rarely feel unsympathetic to any of the characters.

In terms of mystery, a big influence on me was Sparkle Hayter, who wrote a series of books about a reporter-sleuth named Robin Hudson. The first was What’s a Girl Gotta Do? They were so fun and witty. I have well-thumbed copies of them on my keeper shelf.

Do you have a secret talent readers would be surprised by?

I wouldn’t call myself talented, but I love playing music. I play flute, clarinet, and saxophone in various groups, mostly with people who started learning to play instruments as adults. Music, books, and movies take up most of my brain.

Your favorite go to drink or food when the world goes crazy!

My firmest belief is that pie is the answer to most of life’s problems. I’ve never met a pie I couldn’t put a large dent in.

What is the one question you never get ask at interviews, but wish you did?

What was your luckiest moment?

I’ve had a lot of luck in my life, but the moment I felt luckiest was when I was nine years old and won ten dollars on television show called Bowling for Dollars. I’d sent in a postcard and was selected at random to be the home audience member the contestant bowler would split his winnings with. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as lucky (or as rich) since then.

Thank you so much for joining us today! Here’s look at Liz’ latest release MRS. CLAUS AND THE SANTALAND SLAYINGS, PLUS an excerpt for our readers!!

It’s the first Christmas in Santaland for April Claus—but it may also be her last unless she can uncover a villain with a killer Christmas wish. . . .

Love is full of surprises—though few compare to realizing that you’re marrying the real-life Santa. April Claus dearly loves her new husband, Nick, but adjusting to life in the North Pole is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous elf named Giblet Hollyberry is killed—felled by a black widow spider in his stocking—shortly after publicly arguing with Nick.

Christmastown is hardly a hotbed of crime, aside from mishaps caused by too much eggnog, but April disagrees with Constable Crinkle’s verdict of accidental death. As April sets out to find the culprit, it’ll mean putting the future of Christmas on the line—and hoping her own name isn’t on a lethal naughty list . . .

EXCERPT—————

The strange occurrences that threatened to upend my marriage, my adopted city, and the potential happiness of tens of millions of children started on a December morning just nine days before Christmas with a frantic pounding on our bedchamber door. The racket sounded loud enough to wake half of Christmastown.

It was ten past six, though, so most of the town’s residents were probably up already. Elves tend to be early birds.

Our steward, Jingles, shouted through four inches of ancient timber, “Nick!” In the excitement of the moment, he’d reverted to the name my husband went by before he’d assumed his title, but he quickly remembered himself. “Er— Santa! Awaken, sir! We have a very important messenger!”

Nick and I trundled out of bed, he shrugging on his red coat and buttoning it quickly and I pulling on a ridiculously heavy flannel-lined boiled wool robe. The Order of Elven Seamstresses had presented the robe as a welcoming gift upon my arrival in Santaland. Though the cynic in me had silently chortled (ho ho ho) at the fire-engine-red garment trimmed with fluffy white wool and a black sash, one night in frigid Castle Kringle was all it took for me to appreciate their thoughtfulness, not to mention skill and artistry. I arrived at the North Pole as prepared for the arctic cold as someone from Kansas is prepared for a volcanic eruption. I’d moved here from Oregon, which, from the perspective of Santalanders, is so far south it might as well be equatorial jungle.

Nick was halfway across the room as I was still adjusting my nightcap. A few months ago I’d never dreamed people still wore nightcaps. Then again, I’d never dreamed Santa Claus existed, at least not since I was five. Now I was married to the guy. Whoever coined the phrase life comes at you fast didn’t know the half of it.

“Come in!” Nick called out, flipping the switch on an elaborate network of twinkling lights across the vaulted ceiling.

The eight-foot-high arched door was pushed open with effort, even though Jingles and his assistant, Waldo, kept the hinges well oiled. Jingles was puffing and out of breath when he appeared, and scrambled aside just in time to avoid being trampled by the messenger.

You might wonder, as I once did, why doors in the castle should be so tall when most of Santaland’s inhabitants were elves—definitely on the short side—and the Clauses, who, whatever their varying girths, were humans of average height. You’d stop wondering the first time you saw a reindeer saunter through one, its bulk and antlers making all those oversized doorframes seem modest.

At the sight of Nick, the reindeer stopped, dipped her heavy head, and pawed the stone floor with her right hoof in greeting. “Excuse the intrusion, sir. I have an important message from the village.”

Though she was as stocky, furry, and snub-nosed as any reindeer, just a glance told me this was obviously a female. Most of the bucks had already shed their antlers for the winter, but females kept theirs until spring. It was one of those things that shocked me when I first came here—I’d grown up assuming most of the antlered reindeer fabled in story and song, the heroes of Christmas night, were males: all those illustrations of fantastic racks of antlers limned against the moonlit sky, pulling the sleigh. But didn’t it just figure that it was the females with the stamina and patience to haul Santa around on the world’s biggest errand run?

“What’s wrong, Blitzen?”

Although just months ago I’d barely known zip about reindeer, the names of reindeer who drove Santa’s sleigh were worn into that same brain groove that could call up the names of dwarves in Snow White, old soft drink jingles, and the words to pop songs I never even liked. Not just anyone had been sent galloping through the Christmas tree forest to deliver this news. All reindeer had their own reindeer names, but to people they were usually identified by their herd. Carrying the name Blitzen meant this messenger was representing one of the original chosen nine’s herds. Reindeer royalty. Something significant had happened.

Blitzen’s deep, rasping voice was solemn when she spoke. “Giblet Hollyberry was found dead this morning.”

Giblet. As tense silence settled over the bedchamber, a horrible scene played through my mind. Yesterday had been the Christmastown parade and ice sculpture competition, and Nick, as the acting Santa and head of the Claus family, was the judge. Giblet Hollyberry’s sculpture, The North Pole’s King, a larger-than-life rendering of Nick’s late older brother, Chris, the former Santa, had come in second. The elf, to put it mildly, had not taken defeat in stride.

The tension in the room made it clear that everyone was thinking of Giblet’s curse that had echoed through Christmastown yesterday: You’re an abomination, Nick Claus—a man with no right to wear the robes of Santa, and a shame to your house. The day will come soon when Santaland will know you’re also a murderer!

With those words, Giblet had tossed his second-place ice trophy in the snow at Nick’s boots and stomped down the hill toward the Christmas tree forest. Murmurs had broken out among the crowd. I’d stood stunned. Nick, a murderer? Had someone spiked the nog at the festival with crazy juice? Nick agonized over hurting anyone. He’d probably lost sleep over disappointing Giblet. He certainly hadn’t been in bed most of the night.

And now Giblet was dead.

Despite my suffocatingly warm robe, a cold foreboding snaked through me.

“Giblet probably died in a fit of rage,” Jingles piped up now, breaking the silence. “I’ve never seen a grown elf throw such a tantrum. Disgraceful!” He put his hands on his hips. “In olden days, an elf who spoke that way to Santa would have been exiled to the Farthest Frozen Reaches. And good riddance!”

Nick shook his head. “He was disappointed.”

“Pardon me, Santa, but Giblet Hollyberry was a hotheaded nincompoop. He couldn’t even live peacefully among his own people in Tinkertown.”

Nick turned back to Blitzen. “How did poor Giblet die?”

“At the moment, there is only speculation, and wild talk of something in a stocking. Constable Crinkles has been alerted and is on his way to Giblet’s cottage.”

“I’ll go there, too.”

“I’ll take you, sir,” Blitzen said, again slightly bowing her heavily antlered head.

I moved forward, but Nick motioned for me to stop. “No need for you to go, April. I have to hurry, and you’ll need to lead the castle’s condolence calls to the Hollyberrys this morning. Along with Mother, of course.”

That was me dismissed. Heat climbed into my cheeks, though I tried to appear calm on the outside. “Did Giblet have a wife, or children?” I asked.

“No, but the Hollyberry clan is large, and tight-knit.”

Jingles crossed his arms. “Not so tight that any of them wanted to live near Giblet. Who can blame them? He—”

“We won’t speak ill of the dead,” Nick said, cutting him off. “We need to go.”

Jingles, remembering himself, scrambled to reach the door first and hold it open. “I’ll prepare a lantern for your journey.” He flicked a disapproving glance over my husband’s figure, which, by Christmastown standards, lacked poundage. “And a snack.”

Nick turned back to me with an awkward glance and a brief, apologetic smile that went a little way to soothing my irritation over being left behind. “I’ll be back soon, I hope.”

After they were all gone, I moved closer to the fire and let the warmth from the hearth penetrate my layers of flannel and wool. I’d never heard of Giblet Hollyberry till yesterday, yet his death disturbed me. Nick had been in an odd mood since the ice sculpture competition. I hadn’t seen him brood so much since we’d first met. And when I’d woken up in the night, he hadn’t been in bed. I’d gotten up and padded around the castle in search of him, and had even thrown on his coat and braved the blistering cold outside to see if he was pacing around the grounds. But I never found him until I returned to bed—and there he’d been, sleeping. Or pretending to.

Now this had happened, and my husband of three months seemed to want to get away from me. Almost as if he didn’t want me asking too many questions.

A few minutes later, Jingles returned and I snapped to attention, ashamed to be caught wool-gathering when there were probably things to do. Precisely what, I wasn’t sure. Castle Kringle protocol was still new to me. “I’m sorry, I’ve been lost in thought. Let me know how I can be of use.”

“I have a castle full of elves to do my bidding.”

Jingles didn’t seem to know what to make of me. He wasn’t used to Clauses offering to help him, maybe, but I wasn’t used to being waited on. Quite the opposite.

“You might want to make your way to the morning room,” he suggested. “There’s a fire lit, and Mrs. Claus—excuse me, the dowager Mrs. Claus—is there, as is Christopher. More of the family will probably be congregating as the news spreads.”

“Is it so odd for an elf to die?” I asked.

“To die at a ripe old age, no. To die suspiciously in the prime of life . . . ?” He let the question dangle.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liz Ireland, author of the Mrs. Claus mystery series, grew up in Texas, where she enjoyed a childhood of green Christmases. She also writes historical mysteries under the pen name Liz Freeland and women’s fiction as Elizabeth Bass. She’s a member of Crime Writers of Canada, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. Liz currently lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Liz Ireland Social Media Links:

Website: https://lizireland.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @writes_liz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizIrelandAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17458.Liz_Ireland

Buy Links
IndieBound.org:

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781496726582

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082WPTGMC?pf_rd_r=HKT8Y2DS43X90CWPCECZ&pf_rd_p=6fc81c8c-2a38-41c6-a68a-f78c79e7253f

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mrs-claus-and-the-santaland-slayings-liz-ireland/1135644827?ean=9781496726582

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/mrs-claus-and-the-santaland-slayings

Mrs. Claus’s first Christmas in Santaland might be her last—unless she unmasks a villain with a killer Christmas wish. . . .

April Claus dearly loves her new husband, Nick, but adjusting to life in the North Pole is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous elf named Giblet Hollyberry is murdered—felled by a black widow spider in his stocking—and Nick, Santa Claus himself, is the prime suspect.

DC UNIVERSE TRANSFORMS INTO DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, THE ULTIMATE COMIC BOOK SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

By

Jocie McKade

-

29 September 2020

0

The Fan-First Platform Features More Than 24,000 Comics, Unlimited Offline Reading, Exclusive Events and More. Launching in the U.S. on January 21; Available Internationally starting Summer 2021. HBO Max Will Be The New Home Of Premium DC Video Content Including New Series, Classics and DC UNIVERSE Originals and Has Ordered a Third Season of ‘Harley Quinn’ Starring Kaley Cuoco.

Calling all comic book fans to Explore the Multiverse! DC today announced the evolution of DC UNIVERSE into DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, a premium digital comic book service set to launch on January 21, 2021. With access to more than 24,000 comic books at launch, DC UNIVERSE INFINITE subscribers will also encounter digital-first comics, exclusive access to DC fan events, as well as a steady stream of recently released comics six months after the physical versions hit store shelves. Following its initial launch, DC UNIVERSE INFINITE will begin expanding globally in SUMMER 2021.

“Our fans love the platform’s robust library of comic books and, with the transformation, we will not disappoint,” said DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee. “I’m excited to share that not only will DC UNIVERSE INFINITE members still be able to read all of the great comics that they’ve enjoyed but new issues are debuting on the platform quicker than before, digital first exclusives are being created, and the members-only events will begin as soon as possible. There has never been a better time to be a DC fan!”

DC’s premium digital comic book platform provides members with an expanded collection of comics and Original Graphic Novels, spanning over 80 years of the DC Multiverse. Fans can also download comics, graphic novels and originals for unlimited offline reading on their favorite devices from a smartphone or tablet.

Subscribers will also have earlier access to new Digital First comics that include titles such as Aquaman: Deep Dives, Batman: Gotham Nights, DCeased: Hope at World’s End, Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red, Injustice: Year Zero, Shazam!: Lightning Strikes, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing: New Roots and Wonder Woman 84, and many more. Also debuting on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE will be DC Universe Infinite Originals, including new comic content centered around beloved characters…stay tuned for updates!

The fan-favorite community area will be free to all registered and premium subscribers with a full calendar of events planned for 2021. Current DC UNIVERSE subscribers will not need to create a new account as their DC UNIVERSE login will transfer to DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

For DC UNIVERSE subscribers who want ongoing access to premium DC originals, the special DC UNIVERSE monthly member offer to HBO MAX has been extended. In celebration of Batman Day and the announcement of DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, a special offer for eligible monthly subscribers to upgrade their service to include HBO Max for an additional $4.99 per month for a limited time is now available through October 30, 2020.

HBO Max will be the home for premium video content that will include new DC series, key DC classics and DC UNIVERSE originals like Young Justice Seasons 1-4, Titans Seasons 1-3, Doom Patrol Seasons 1-3, and DC’s Stargirl Season 1. Additionally, HBO Max has ordered a third season of Warner Bros. Animation’s critically acclaimed DC UNIVERSE adult animated comedy series Harley Quinn, starring Kaley Cuoco, who also served as executive producer during the first two seasons along with Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, Dean Lorey, and Sam Register. Harley Quinn will be a Max Original going forward, and all three seasons of the show will be available.

DC UNIVERSE INFINITE will be available online at DCUniverseInfinite.com, iOS and Android devices for $7.99 a month or $74.99 a year ($6.25 a month). On February 1, 2021, every DC UNIVERSE INFINITE subscriber, existing members or those joining during the pre-order offer window will receive a special thank you voucher redeemable at the DC Shop subject to terms and conditions. Annual subscribers will receive a $25 voucher, while monthly subscribers will receive a $10 voucher.

Triumph Books and ABG to Launch a New Series of Sports Illustrated Frontlist Trade Books

By

Jocie McKade

-

29 September 2020

0

Triumph Books, the leader in sports publishing, and Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a global brand development, marketing and entertainment company, and owner of the Sports Illustrated brand, today announced a partnership to launch a series of Sports Illustrated frontlist trade books. Based in Chicago with its parent company Independent Publishers Group (IPG), Triumph Books has established itself as the preeminent publisher of sports books in the United States and Canada, bringing 80-90 new titles to the market every year.

“Sports Illustrated has published a wealth of industry-leading books under the Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated Kids imprints and we are excited to continue this winning streak in partnership with Triumph publishing,” said Marc Rosen, EVP of Entertainment at ABG. “Triumph’s strength of reaching sports fans combined with its access to IPG’s distribution network provides Sports Illustrated with extensive reach into dozens of distribution channels from large book retailers to sports-focused specialty stores.”

Through this partnership, which is set to launch in 2021, Triumph Books and Sports Illustrated will bring to market titles in several categories, including high-end, photo-driven coffee table books, anthologies of stories from SI’s archives, team histories, commemorative books and titles focused on current events and trends that expand on Sports Illustrated’s current reporting across all forms of media.

“Triumph Books is thrilled to partner with Authentic Brands Group to continue Sports Illustrated’s book publishing program and to take it in new, exciting directions,” said Triumph Books publisher Noah Amstadter. “Triumph’s mission is to deliver books to our readers that celebrate and educate fans about the sports, teams, and athletes they love. I can’t think of a better name to do this with than Sports Illustrated, which has been the pinnacle that sports writers and photographers have strived to reach for more than half a century. We are honored to work with this team and utilize their incredible archive to bring exciting new books to fans of all ages.”

Together, ABG and Triumph will also expand the Sports Illustrated Kids catalog with updated entries in the bestselling Big Book of Who, Big Book of Why, and the My First Book series and new titles focused on sports stars from professional and college teams across several eras. “Triumph has a strong catalog of children’s sports books, from engaging titles for beginning readers like B is for Baller to more intermediate titles like Jennie Finch’s Throw Like a Girl,” added Amstadter. “Our partnership with Sports Illustrated supercharges that effort, as SI has long been the market leader in this space.”

ABG acquired Sports Illustrated in May of 2019. Under its leadership, Sports Illustrated has forged ahead in a number of exciting new verticals including long-form content via Sports Illustrated Studios, lifestyle apparel and collaborations, nutrition and wellness supplements and a women’s swimwear under the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit brand. Triumph Books and IPG’s unparalleled reach both in and outside of the book trade will expand the Sports Illustrated and Sports Illustrated Kids imprints beyond the shelves of traditional booksellers. IPG previously signed a backlist licensing agreement with Sports Illustrated/Authentic Brands Group in 2019 and has already begun the distribution of past titles.

“Sports Illustrated and Triumph Books is an ideal partnership that unites two of the strongest brands in sports publishing,” said Cynthia Sherry, group publisher for IPG-owned Triumph Books and Chicago Review Press. “We’re overjoyed to be working with Sports Illustrated on this exciting deal that combines their legacy of great sports content with Triumph Books’ expertise in producing timely sports books fans want to read.”

Audible Escape Subscription Ending

By

Jocie McKade

-

28 September 2020

0

(From Audible Press Release)

As of September 15, 2020, we are ending all signups for Audible Escape. Starting November 1, we will no longer be offering Audible Escape. For a new plan that lets you listen all you want to a great selection of titles, including Romance, check out Audible Plus.

For more information about the Audible Escape closure, see below:

Why can I no longer get Audible Escape?
We introduced Audible Plus, our new general interest all-you-can-listen plan, in August 2020. Audible Plus includes titles across multiple genres, including Romance, as well as shorter-form titles, podcasts, and Audible Originals. Audible Plus will be our single all-you-can listen option in the US.

What’s happening to all of the books that are a part of Audible Escape?
After November 1, all titles previously in Audible Escape will be available for purchase with cash or an Audible monthly credit. A selection of titles previously in Audible Escape will also be available in Audible Plus. To view some of these titles, you can browse our dedicated Romance in Plus page.

Will I be able to finish the titles that I’m currently listening to?
You have until November 1 to finish your Audible Escape titles. After that, they will be removed from your library.

Will I still be able to see my Borrow History after Audible Escape ends?
Yes! You will have access to your Borrow History. Click here to see it.

Am I going to be charged for Audible Escape between now and November 1?
No, you will not be charged again after September 16th, but you will still have access to the full Escape catalog until closure on November 1.

What other membership options will I have?
You now have the option of unlimited listening to the Audible Plus Catalog for $7.95/month with an Audible Plus membership. In the Plus catalog you’ll discover a wide selection of exciting content added weekly, as well as a robust, always evolving selection of Romance titles for the avid listener. There’s also Audible Premium Plus for $14.95/month, which includes access to all the titles in the Audible Plus Catalog AND an additional credit per month good for any title on Audible. Click here to see our full chart of membership options.

Will you add more Romance titles to the Audible Plus Catalog, including all the titles in Audible Escape?
Not all Audible Escape titles will be moved to Audible Plus. However, we’re adding and refreshing our selection of titles in the Audible Plus Catalog on an ongoing basis. This will include new Romance titles as well as titles that were previously in Audible Escape. To browse Romance titles currently in the Audible Plus catalog, including titles previously in Escape, click here.

Is Audible going to replicate the Escape catalog within Audible Plus?
Not all Audible Escape titles will be moved to Audible Plus. However, we’re adding and refreshing our selection of titles in the Audible Plus Catalog on an ongoing basis. We urge you to continue to give us your feedback on the titles you’d like to see added. That’s because the Audible Plus catalog is always evolving with new titles added weekly.

Will there be an Audible Plus add-on option for Kindle Unlimited (KU)?
At this time, we do not have an Audible Plus add-on option for Kindle Unlimited (KU). However, you can still access the Audible Plus Catalog for just $7.95 a month with an Audible Plus subscription. Click here to sign up for an Audible Plus free trial.

Amazon Music Launches Podcasts

By

Jocie McKade

-

28 September 2020

0

Amazon Music announced today the launch of podcasts in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan, across all tiers of service at no additional cost. For the first time, customers will be able to stream top podcasts they already know and love, as well as new, original shows produced exclusively for Amazon Music and hosted by creators including DJ Khaled, Becky G, Will Smith, Dan Patrick, and more. Amazon Music customers can access podcasts in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, on Amazon Echo devices, and at music.amazon.com/podcasts.

“Our customers’ listening habits are constantly evolving, and we know they’re looking to us to provide them with a rich experience rooted in music and entertainment,” said Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music. “With this launch, we’re bringing customers even more forms of entertainment to enjoy, while enabling creators to reach new audiences globally, just as we’ve done with music streaming. Podcasts, paired with our recent partnership with Twitch to bring live streaming into the app, makes Amazon Music a premiere destination for creators.”

Popular shows such as Crime Junkie, What A Day, Radiolab, Revisionist History, Planet Money, Ear Hustle, Why Won’t You Date Me? with Nicole Byer, and Stuff You Should Know are available now, and millions of episodes from top shows, with more being added all the time. Amazon Music will also soon be the exclusive home of the music-meets-true-crime podcast, Disgraceland, a show exploring the criminal antics and connections of some of the world’s favorite musicians, from the Rolling Stones to Tupac. Disgraceland’s narrative storytelling highlights tales of getting away with murder and behaving badly, chronicling some of the craziest criminal stories surrounding some of the most interesting and infamous pop stars. Disgraceland will arrive exclusively on Amazon Music in February 2021.

“Partnering with Amazon Music allows me to really give my listeners what they’ve always asked for: more Disgraceland content,” said Jake Brennan, host of Disgraceland and cofounder at Double Elvis Productions. “Through this partnership with Amazon Music, we’re enhancing the future of the show for fans, expanding our output of content by moving to an ‘always on’ weekly schedule, which will translate to more episodes for listeners on a more consistent basis.”

Amazon Music has also partnered with creators to produce original, exclusive podcasts. Coming soon, customers will be able to listen to “The First One,” a new audio experience hosted by one of the most prolific hit makers of the 21st century, DJ Khaled. Developed by Amazon Music and the Springhill Company, in “The First One” the mogul and superstar will interview his all-time favorite artists about the hits that made them iconic and eventually legendary.

“I’m recording my podcast with the greatest musicians of all time, and with some of my best friends who also happen to be the most iconic artists on the planet,” said DJ Khaled. “We’ll talk about fame, fortune, life, and success. These stories are here to motivate you because everybody starts from somewhere, from the ordinary to extraordinary. Before you get to another one, you got to get to ‘The First One,’ only on Amazon Music.”

Also coming to Amazon Music is a brand-new multimedia podcast hosted and curated by superstar Becky G, featuring audio and corresponding video broadcast on Amazon Music’s Twitch Channel. Titled “En la Sala,” every week, you’re invited to join Becky G as she calls on some of the biggest names in music and entertainment, her familia and friends, to discuss Latinx pride, women empowerment, LGBTQ+ rights, relationships, politics and sports, all while unpacking the most important issues facing the Latinx community today. Developed by Amazon Music and Gema Productions, Becky G has also dedicated each episode to a nonprofit organization related to the theme of the week. With a charitable donation attached to each episode to pay it forward to organizations directly impacting the Latinx community in a positive way, Becky sets the standard for her guests and listeners, since En La Sala, you can’t just talk about it – you have to be about it too.

“To me, my voice has always been about more than just singing, it’s using it for the greater good and creating a destination for change,” said Becky G. “In quarantine, with so much time to consider the world around us, it felt like the perfect opportunity to open a new line of communication and pay it forward, and I’m so thankful that Amazon Music and Gema approached me with the opportunity to create this podcast. I’m excited to be joining forces with Amazon Music so we can start to have conversations about looking within to see how we can all be better.”

Broadcasting legend Dan Patrick and IMDb will soon give movie fanatics exclusive interviews with top Hollywood stars in his new show, “That Scene with Dan Patrick.” Produced in collaboration with IMDb, this new podcast will dissect memorable scenes from some of the biggest films and television series. And coming soon to Amazon Music and Audible, is a project from Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Audio, a co-production with Audible.

With Amazon Music visual apps on mobile and web, customers will be able to discover new favorites through curated recommendations across top categories, popular podcasts charts, and access to trailers on show pages. Whether listening on mobile, web, or on Echo devices with Alexa, Amazon Music makes it easy for customers to find, start, and continue listening to their favorite podcasts throughout the day. Only with Amazon Music can customers ask for the latest episode of their favorite show on Echo Auto during their morning commute, resume playback on their phone while working out, and seamlessly move to their Echo device when getting home – just by asking Alexa, with no additional sign in or device linking needed.

“We’re thrilled to offer customers a convenient podcast listening experience that fits their lifestyle,” said Kintan Brahmbhatt, Director of Podcasts for Amazon Music. “Never before has listening to podcasts on the move, in the car, or at home been so simple. Our customers will be able to utilize the voice functionality they know and love with music, to now enjoy a superior podcast experience and uncover a brand-new selection of favorites.”

Podcasts are now available to stream on all tiers of Amazon Music at no additional cost, including free access on Echo, web, and in the Amazon Music mobile app. To learn more, or to add your own podcast to Amazon Music, visit amazon.com/podcasts.