What Does the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Mean for Your Sun Sign?

4 April 2024

This year’s eclipses are ready to generate intense periods that start to manifest a few months before their actual occurrence. Eclipses unfold in cycles involving all twelve signs of the zodiac and usually occur in pairs about two weeks apart. Never fear eclipses—just think of them as opportunities for growth that allow you to release old patterns. Expect surprises that elicit both positive and perplexing feelings and outcomes. The closer an eclipse is to a planet or point in your birth chart, the greater the importance it has in your life, especially if one of those planets is in the same degree as the eclipse.

Aries
The year’s first Solar Eclipse occurs on April 8 in Aries and your solar first house of appearance, assertive behavior, enterprise, personality, and self-development. You are consciously aware of your image and are likely to have goals to improve it through better health practices, fitness, nutrition, and counsel with grooming or medical specialists. Sometimes an eclipse here brings a windfall that allows you to splurge on a new wardrobe or invest in education to make you more competitive in your career. Take some before-and-after photos to highlight this phase.

Taurus
The year’s first Solar Eclipse occurs on April 8 in Aries and your solar twelfth house of charity, visiting the sick, healing from ailments and injuries, regrouping, taking a sabbatical, studying metaphysics, and keeping secrets. If the burden of keeping too much inside starts to affect your health or concentration, it may be time to relieve your mind and work on a strategy that helps you get a good night’s sleep. Don’t agree to anything that goes against your life philosophy. Improve your self-talk and find the courage to discuss issues with any individuals who may be involved. One of them could be your boss. Meditate on what would be the perfect job and then go find it.

Gemini
On April 8, the first Solar Eclipse of the year arrives in Aries and your solar eleventh house of associates, dreams, goals, members of groups, friends, plans, and professional organizations. This is the second Solar Eclipse to occur in this house in the past year. No doubt you activated more than one membership in an important business or humanitarian enterprise that was looking for the creative leadership you are able to provide. You’re focused now on recruiting members, anticipating funds to build interest in key initiatives, and looking to the future to bring stable conditions to the lives of deserving people. In 2024 you’ll spend more time with cherished friends.

Cancer
On April 8, the first Solar Eclipse of the year arrives in Aries and your solar tenth house of career, ambition, authority, recognition for performance, and the status quo. An eclipse in this house often reflects a new beginning in some part of your work environment. Your attitude toward the way you earn your living may either bring you rewards or challenge you in some manner, depending on how the economy is affecting your workplace and how well you are able to honor commitments that are in place. You may have a new CEO, for example, and are adapting to a new style. This time period is important to review your personal goals, assess how well your career path fits with any new direction, and what the leadership changes could mean to the level of commitment you can provide. Conversely, you may decide to look for another position.

Leo
The year’s first Solar Eclipse occurs on April 8 in Aries and your solar ninth house of the higher mind, advanced education, your in-laws near and far, long-distance travel, philosophy, religion, publishing, relocation, and foreign countries, languages, and cultures. Distant business centers and satellite offices could draw Leos to spend time in temporary quarters this year, possibly to set up the organization, help with the hiring, or conduct program reviews. Some of you may move for a multi-year or permanent assignment. Be sure your credentials are well documented in case an offer comes to you with little notice. Other Leos book their dream vacation and bring the family along for adventure.

Virgo
On April 8, the first Solar Eclipse of the year arrives in Aries and your solar eighth house of joint holdings, investments, estates, wills, sex, birth, death, taxes, and mortgages. With the economy in a state of flux, you’ll profit from doing a complete review of your budget to analyze what accounts could benefit from proportional adjustments, how you can be sure you are saving enough for taxes and insurance, and how to save more for retirement. If you need assistance, consider consolidating debt by consulting qualified experts.

Libra
The year’s first Solar Eclipse occurs on April 8 in Aries and your solar seventh house of personal and business partners, spouses, roommates, collaborators, medical and legal professionals, advisers, therapists, and public critics. Over the past year you have gained greater insight into those you cherish, admire, and work with, and who contribute to your future happiness. If your eyes have opened to conditions that need remedial work, discuss changes you would like to make and seek input from these key players. Be open to change and listen to what partners have to say. If you are engaged, 2024 could be the year you marry.

Scorpio
The year’s first Solar Eclipse occurs on April 8 in Aries and your solar sixth house of work, details of your daily routine, health and nutrition, organizational aptitude, relationships with colleagues, and pets. You could have a major overhaul of company practices to implement if you return to work after a significant layoff or reassignment of duties. Do your homework before you begin making changes. Engage support from coworkers and ask for helpful suggestions. Smile and earn the respect of key workers.

Sagittarius
On April 8, the first Solar Eclipse of the year arrives in Aries and your solar fifth house of children and their interests, adventure, entertainment, romance, social encounters, sports, speculation, and vacations. New encounters in your love life may appear out of the blue. You will be bombarded with social invitations and may find it hard to keep up with all of them. Children’s needs could become more demanding due to school and sports involvement.

Capricorn
On April 8, the first Solar Eclipse of the year arrives in Aries and your solar fourth house of home, family, residents living at home base, and the physical attributes of your dwelling. An eclipse in this house often reflects a new beginning in some facet of your intimate environment. Your attitude toward others and the quality of relationships make a difference in how well you take care of household duties, share meals together, and engage in bonding time to enjoy amusements, vacations, and special events as a family. Expect revelations about new directions some family members may be taking. Review personal goals and assess how well they fit the course of action you would like to explore in 2024.

Aquarius
The year’s first Solar Eclipse occurs on April 8 in Aries and your solar third house of communication, community interests, contracts and leases, education, mental acuity, local travel, neighbors, siblings, technology, and transportation. Compare prices and request bids on work or vehicle purchases, and review documents thoroughly before signing. Be sure to update your resume if applying for a new assignment.

Pisces
On April 8, the first Solar Eclipse of the year arrives in Aries and your solar second house of assets, salary, money you earn or spend, self-development funds, and how you prefer to spend disposable income. If your salary has decreased or you have lost your job, you may be working with a headhunter to identify a suitable new position. Be sure to polish your resume, do your homework related to availability of qualification-matched job posts, and look into new avenues of employment that may bring you more satisfaction. Take a certification course to bring new qualifications to your field of expertise.

Excerpted from Llewellyn’s 2024 Sun Sign Book.

Sneak Peek: Not How I Pictured It by Robin Lefler

Jocie McKade

4 April 2024

Not How I Pictured It by Robin Lefler

A sharply hilarious and ultimately heartfelt novel about a former teen superstar who grudgingly agrees to a reboot of the show that made her (in)famous… only to find herself stranded on an island with her former co-stars – and quite possibly the most useless survival group in history. For fans of Lizzy Dent, Linda Holmes, and Katherine Center.

Twenty years after Ocean Views went off the air, the beloved TV show about teenage romance and angst is back. No one is more surprised than its former star, Agnes “Ness” Larkin, that she’s agreed to step back into the role of Hailey Grant. After her father/manager took off with her earnings, Ness ran away from the spotlight in shame. But maybe it’s time to stare her past, and her castmates, in their discreetly Botoxed faces.

That enthusiasm lasts until the first table read, which, in co-star Coco’s words, is “like a high school reunion without the dim lighting or booze.” Ness assumed her old fling Hayes Beaumont would be too busy doing Big Hollywood Things to take part, but there he is, seated beside her, exuding pheromones and success.

En route to the deluxe Bahamas resort where they’re to start filming, the cast gets stranded by a storm. Stuck on a tiny island with a paltry cache of food and quite possibly the most useless survival group in history, Ness tries to reconcile her youthful dreams with where she’s ended up—figuratively and literally. The producers wanted drama on and off-screen, and they’re going to get it, but where will Ness be when it’s all over?

Behind The Words With Caroline Cleveland

Jocie McKade

4 April 2024

Today, we welcome When Cicadas Cry author Caroline Cleveland to the blog. First, tell us a bit about yourself and your latest release.

And I’m excited to be here. You can’t see it, but I’m wagging.

Where you’re from, where you live? Is writing your full-time job?

I have lived in South Carolina all my life. I currently live and work in Charleston, S.C., but I grew up in the nearby small town of Walterboro.

Writing is not my full-time job. I practice law full time at the firm I founded, Cleveland & Conley, LLC. I write when I can.

How long have you been writing?

I started writing fiction about ten years ago. This is the first novel I have had published, but it is the third novel I have finished. I hope that the second novel I wrote will be published someday. The first novel is what I lovingly call my “valuable learning experience,” and that one will never be published (lest I perish of embarrassment).

Having lived in the South all my life, my writing is inevitably from a Southern perspective. Also, I gravitate in both reading and writing to mystery and thrillers. I think of my writing niche as being Southern Suspense.

What does your typical writing day look like?

I hope to find out one day. Right now, most of my time is spent practicing law, and I write whenever I can steal away a bit of time. I suspect that will be the routine for a few years to come because, for some crazy reason, the bank refuses to accept Advance Reading Copies as payment on my mortgage. Unreasonable @^%$#s!!!!

Tell us about your latest release? Where the idea came from? Perhaps some fun moments, or not so fun moments?

When Cicadas Cry is my debut. It is set in Walterboro, S.C., the small Southern town where I grew up, as well as nearby Edisto Beach, which is perched on the edge of a primitively beautiful barrier island filled with live oaks, Spanish moss, rivers, ocean, and wildlife.

I like to think of When Cicadas Cry as a modern-day cousin to John Grisham’s A Time to Kill and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Grisham’s book was set in 1984, and Lee’s was set in the early 1930s – getting close to hitting the century mark now. Most of us would like to think those stories took place a long time ago, and it would all be different now. I tried to approach the issues honestly and I’d like to think my novel takes a realistic look at what things have changed – and some others that haven’t changed.

Fun fact: When my agent made the submission to the publisher, this was not the novel we were pitching. While they were considering the other one, they asked if I was working on anything else they could look at. I had roughly the first forty pages of this book finished, so we sent them. When my agent called to tell me they wanted to buy it, I thought she was talking about the book that was finished. Once I realized it was this one, I was in panic mode. I had only four months to finish the book and turn it in (while practicing law full time, no less). It worked out in the end, but there were some crazy moments along the way.

Could you share one detail from your current release with readers that they might not find in the book?

Cicadas are in the title, and the prologue talks about Magicicadas – Cicadas that come out only once ever 17 years. Similarly, there are some Cicada broods that come out every 13 years. Regular Cicadas come out annually. When I was writing this book, I had no idea that, in 2024, the math works out such that a large brood on the 17-year cycle and a large brood on the 13-year cycle will both be coming out at the same time – resulting in billions (yes, that’s a “b” on the front and an “s” on the back) of Cicadas all making noise at once.

An even bigger surprise? They should all start appearing around May, at about the same time my book, When Cicadas Cry will become available in stores.

I’m choosing to think of this as a good luck omen!

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

Probably Colleton Burns. The black sheep son of an affluent local family, he currently resides in an old Airstream RV parked out in the woods beside an ancient graveyard, where he lives life playing by his own rules (and drinking a bit). He likes to have fun.

What’s your take on research and how do you do it?

I am a lawyer. My success in that career depends on good research skills and practices. Those habits have spilled over into my writing as well, and I am an avid researcher who always tries to get the details right when I can. (Though there is inevitably some tiny detail that slips under the radar.)

Some of the research resources I have as a lawyer (like Westlaw) come in handy when I am writing – especially with this Southern legal thriller. More often, though, the greatest help comes from my clients. This is particularly true with the law enforcement clients, some of whom have so generously given me their time to try and explain the details of what they do. The same goes for my lawyer friends in the criminal bar who have tried to explain to this civil lawyer what it means to practice in their world. All of them have my undying gratitude. Anything I get right is all them. The stuff I get wrong – that’s all on me.

Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write?

I’m not sure I could point to one that is an influence in general, but, as to this book, I’d say it was heavily influenced by the stories in A Time to Kill and To Kill a Mockingbird.

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

I play a mean rendition of Happy Birthday on a kazoo. 😊

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

I never met a French fry I didn’t like…

What is your writing kryptonite?

Back story. I write volumes of it for every character that will never make it into the book. I write it only to help me stay true to who that character is and what governs his choices. The catch comes in knowing how much to share with the reader and how much needs to come out to keep from slowing the story down.

What is the one question you never get asked at interviews, but wish you did? Ask and answer it.

Q: Can I get you a drink? A: Why yes, I’d love one… bless your heart!

Next booksigning the margaritas are on us!! Thank you so much Caroline for joining us today. Readers, check out a quick look at When Cicadas Cry:

In this stunning debut by a South Carolina attorney, Zach Stander, a lawyer with a past, and Addie Stone, his indomitable detective and lover, find themselves entangled in secrets, lies, and murder in a small Southern town.

A high-profile murder case—A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg.

A haunting cold case—Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander’s case?

A killer who’s watching—Stander takes on Jenkins’s defense, but he’s up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them?

Willow the White House Cat, a Picture Book Written by Jill Biden

Jocie McKade

3 April 2024

Willow the White House Cat, a Picture Book Written by Jill Biden, to Be Published By Simon & Schuster in June 2024

Willow the White House Cat, a picture book written by First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, will be published by Paula Wiseman Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, in June 2024. This is the story of how Willow the White House cat made her way from a farm in Pennsylvania to her new home in The White House and made new friends along the way. The full-color picture book will be published in hardcover and eBook, cowritten with award-winning author Alyssa Satin Capucilli, and illustrated by acclaimed artist Kate Berube.

In Willow the White House Cat, Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States, an educator, and a New York Times bestselling author, tells the story of Willow, the White House cat, to share about the very special place she and President Biden call home.

When Willow leaves her cozy barn for Washington, DC and the big white house where she will now live, Willow discovers new rooms to explore and is welcomed by the nice lady she met at Farmer Rick’s farm. Soon Willow meets so many new people—one who arranges the flowers, another who makes sweet things to eat, and the man with a nice smile who seems to be able to do everything at once. Even though they are much bigger and busier than Willow is, each of them always seems to have time to say hello and make her feel at home in the big white house. Willow enjoys discovering the White House and all the special people who make this house a home.

“As Willow bounds from room to room, exploring history in her new home, she learns quickly about all of the incredible people who make the ‘People’s House’ run,” said First Lady Jill Biden. “They welcomed Willow with love and care, just as they did Joe and me, the First Families who came before us, and all of the people who step foot into this home. Making many new friends along the way, Willow’s journey gives the world a ‘cats-eye’ view of all the ins and outs of America’s most famous address.”

“First Lady Jill Biden has created a heartwarming picture book with Willow the White House Cat,” said Jon Anderson, President and Publisher, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. “Readers young and old will enjoy this fun glimpse into Willow’s life in the White House, and the message that being open to new friendships can sometimes surprise you, is one that is sure to resonate with families everywhere.”

The agreement, which is for World rights, was made by Paula Wiseman and Mollie Glick and David M. Larabell of Creative Artists Agency for Jill Biden, with Liza Voges of Eden Street Literary for Alyssa Satin Capucilli, and with Lori Kikelly at LK Literary Agency for Kate Berube.

Jill Biden, wife of President Joe Biden and the First Lady of the United States, is the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Light Enters and her children’s books, Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops and Joey: The Story of Joe Biden. She teaches English as a community college professor and served as Second Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. During the Obama-Biden administration and now as First Lady, she advocates for military families, community colleges, the fight against cancer, and women’s health research. A mother of three and grandmother of seven, she and her husband live in Wilmington, DE and Washington, DC.

Alyssa Satin Capucilli is the award-winning creator and author of the Katy Duck series and the bestselling Biscuit series. A dancer as well as a writer, she lives with her family in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Kate Berube is the author-illustrator of Mae’s First Day of School and Hannah and Sugar, which won the Marion Vannett Ridgway Award and the Oregon Book Award for Children’s Literature, and was shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize. She is the illustrator of John’s Turn written by Mac Barnett, which won the Irma Black Silver Medal, and The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read written by Curtis Manley, which won a CLEL Bell Award and was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. Kate Berube lives in Oregon with her family.

Willow is an American tabby domestic short-haired cat owned by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. She was adopted by the Biden family from Rick Telesz, a farmer in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Willow is named after Jill Biden’s hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

NEMESIS IS BACK FOR REVENGE IN “ROGUES’ GALLERY”

Jocie McKade

3 April 2024

Millarworld and Dark Horse Comics are proud to present the debut of a brand new arc in the bestselling thriller, Nemesis: Rogues’ Gallery. Artists Valerio Giangiordano and Lee Loughridge join comics legend Mark Millar, as Nemesis claws himself back from the brink. The five-issue series includes cover art from Giangiordano and issue #1 features a variant from Jae Lee with colors by June Chung.

“I’ve read Dark Horse Comics since I was a teenager and am both excited and a little bit proud to be launching this massive wave of books with the guys,” said Millar. “Kicking it all off with Nemesis just feels right as it’s been the most asked about character since our Big game crossover concluded at Christmas. This franchise was co-created with artist Steve McNiven and both he and Jorge Jimenez (Nemesis Reloaded) set a pretty damn high bar, but Valerio clears it with a double flip. The art on this book is INSANE and I think a superstar is born. I can’t wait for you all to see it and look forward to a long fruitful relationship with the company. Check our socials for lots of little previews in the weeks ahead.”

Immediately following the brutal events of Millar’s smash hit Big Game, Nemesis is all but dead; broken and destroyed. All that remains is the consuming focus, hell-bent on vengeance against every single person who wronged him. The bloody retribution begins here as he marshals together a plan for the ages.

The sequel to Big Game, Nemesis: Rogues’ Gallery #1 (of 5) conscripts your local comic shop into this revenge plot on July 24, 2024. Pre-order today.

Be sure to follow DarkHorseComics on social media and check our website, www.darkhorse.com for more news, announcements, and updates.

Sneak Peek: The Ministry of Time: A Novel by Kaliane Bradley

Jocie McKade

3 April 2024

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

A time travel romance, a spy thriller, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.

Al Pacino, to Publish Highly-Anticipated Memoir, SONNY BOY

Jocie McKade

2 April 2024

Penguin Press announced earlier this week that it will publish Al Pacino’s new memoir, SONNY BOY, on October 8, 2024. SONNY BOY is an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in full. To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies—The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon—that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such force.

But Pacino was in his midthirties by then, and had already lived several lives. A fixture of avant-garde theater in New York, he had led a bohemian existence, working odd jobs to support his craft. He was raised by a fiercely loving but mentally unwell mother and her parents after his father left them when he was young, but in a real sense he was raised by the streets of the South Bronx, and by the troop of buccaneering young friends he ran with, whose spirits never left him. After a teacher recognized his acting promise and pushed him toward New York’s fabled High School of Performing Arts, the die was cast. In good times and bad, in poverty and in wealth and in poverty again, through pain and joy, acting was his lifeline, its community his tribe.

Sonny Boy is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide. All the great roles, the essential collaborations, and the important relationships are given their full due, as is the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce at the highest levels. The book’s golden thread, however, is the spirit of love and purpose. Love can fail you, and you can be defeated in your ambitions—the same lights that shine bright can also dim. But Al Pacino was lucky enough to fall deeply in love with a craft before he had the foggiest idea of any of its earthly rewards, and he never fell out of love. That has made all the difference.

Al Pacino says, “I wrote Sonny Boy to express what I’ve seen and been through in my life. It has been an incredibly personal and revealing experience to reflect on this journey and what acting has allowed me to do and the worlds it has opened up. My whole life has been a moonshot, and I’ve been a pretty lucky guy so far.”

SONNY BOY will be published in the US in hardcover, audio, and ebook on October 8, 2024.

About Al Pacino

Photo credit: Brigitte Lacombe.

Actor and director Al Pacino is a unique and enduring figure in the world of American stage and film. He grew up in New York City’s South Bronx, attended the School of Performing Art, and studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio with Charles Laughton and the Actors Studio with mentor Lee Strasberg. He has been nominated for the Academy Award nine times, for movies including The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, The Godfather Part II, and The Irishman, and won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1992 for Scent of a Woman. He has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award nineteen times, and won four, and has been nominated for three Tonys and won two. Pacino has been awarded the Kennedy Center Honor, the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, the National Merit of Arts from President Obama, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures.

PenguinRandomHouse

Sneak Peek: CROW TALK by Eileen Garvin

Jocie McKade

2 April 2024

CROW TALK by Eileen Garvin

Nationally bestselling author of The Music of Bees Eileen Garvin returns with a moving story of hope, healing, and unexpected friendship set amidst the wild natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Frankie O’Neill and Anne Ryan would seem to have nothing in common. Frankie is a lonely ornithologist struggling to salvage her dissertation on the spotted owl following a rift with her advisor. Anne is an Irish musician far from home and family, raising her five-year-old, Aiden, who refuses to speak.

At Beauty Bay, a community of summer homes nestled on the shores of June Lake, in the remote foothills of Mount Adams, it’s off-season with most houses shuttered for the fall. But Frankie, adrift, returns to the rundown caretaker’s cottage that has been in the hardworking O’Neill family for generations—a beloved place and a constant reminder of the family she has lost. And Anne, in the wake of a tragedy that has disrupted her career and silenced her music, has fled to the neighboring house, a showy summer home owned by her husband’s wealthy family.

When Frankie finds an injured baby crow in the forest, little does she realize that the charming bird will bring all three lost souls—Frankie, Anne, and Aiden—together on a journey toward hope, healing, and rediscovering joy. Crow Talk is an achingly beautiful story of love, grief, friendship, and the healing power of nature in the darkest of times.

BUY LINKS

B&N

AMAZON

BOOKSHOP

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

https://www.eileengarvin.com/

Born and raised in eastern Washington, Eileen Garvin lives in Hood River, Oregon.

Her debut novel, The Music of Bees, is a national bestseller.

The Music of Bees was named a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, a Good Housekeeping Book club Pick, a People Magazine Best New Book, an IndieNext Pick, a Library Reads Pick, a Christian Science Monitor Pick, and named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by BookRiot, Bookish, Nerd Daily, The Tempest, Midwestness and others.

Her new novel, Crow Talk, will be out in April 2024 and has been named one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2024 by Zibby Mag.

Eileen’s memoir, How to be a Sister, was named an Indie Next by IndieBound and was chosen as a Target Book of the Month and a Kindle Book of the Month. How to be a Sister was recently released in audiobook.

Her essays have appeared with Mom’s Don’t Have Time to Read Books, The Oregonian, PsychologyToday.com, and Creative Non-Fiction Magazine.

Eileen shares her backyard with four chickens, wild birds of all kinds, and about 120,000 honeybees.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/eileengarvin/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/eileen.garvin

X: https://twitter.com/eileengarvin?lang=en

Mysteries Based on Real Historical Figures

Jocie McKade

2 April 2024

Ever wondered how real historical greats like Charles Dickens or Mary Shelley would stack up to literary detectives like Sherlock Holmes or Mrs. Marple? We’ve got books with some ideas…

To Slip the Bonds of Earth by Amanda Flower

Katharine Wright, overshadowed by her famed brothers Wilbur and Orville, emerges as a clever sleuth in Amanda Flower’s historical mystery, set against the backdrop of the Wright Brothers’ groundbreaking flight. When their groundbreaking flyer plans are stolen at a party, it falls to Katharine to unravel the mystery and the stakes rise dramatically when her prime suspect turns up dead. Now, she must navigate a perilous investigation to clear her brothers’ names, proving that her intellect and ingenuity are just as remarkable as their historic achievements.

A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge

In the enchanting backdrop of post-war Paris, American expat Tabitha Knight and chef-in-training Julia Child revel in the resurgence of the City of Light. Yet, their culinary delight takes a dark turn when a Cordon Bleu master chef drops dead during a public demonstration, setting off a chain of poisonings. As the investigation unfolds, Tabitha and Julia navigate the labyrinthine corridors of wartime secrets, determined to unmask a killer in this delectable blend of murder mystery and culinary intrigue.

A Twist of Murder by Heather Redmond

Charles Dickens steps into the role of amateur sleuth in this enthralling Victorian mystery, when he tries to unravel the disappearance of orphans Ollie, John, and Arthur. When Dickens finds a servant girl connected to a missing treasure map the boys are looking for strangled in an icehouse he and his fiancée, Kate Hogarth, must navigate the dangerous twists of this case, artfully dodging false leads and red herrings to rescue the boys before the sinister “X” marks the spot of their demise.

Murder by Invitation Only by Colleen Cambridge

A supposedly harmless murder-themed game takes a sinister turn when the staged corpse turns out to be a real victim. Phyllida Bright, Agatha Christie’s capable housekeeper and amateur sleuth, steps into action, guiding the local constable through a tangled web of motives and role-playing connections, Phyllida discovers that the Murder Game’s participants had more than just a fictional vendetta against their host. Now, embroiled in a fiendishly puzzling case, she must outfox a killer who refuses to play by the rules.

Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond

In the gaslit streets of 1814 London, years before she penned Frankenstein, Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane “Claire” Clairmont, fueled by intellect and unconventional upbringing, embark on an unexpected adventure. The arrival of Percy Bysshe Shelley, a charismatic poet and radical, sets off a chain of events leading to a shocking murder investigation. As Mary, Jane, and Shelley delve into the mystery, they uncover a web of secrets within Shelley’s inner circle.

Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books.

The Secret Doors of Cannondale – A New Middle-Grade Fantasy By Stephanie Brick

Jocie McKade

1 April 2024

When twelve-year-old Adeline Perle’s transient family finally plants roots in an old, creaky house, the girl craves to build the lasting friendships she never had. She gets more than she bargained for when the house’s hidden door unveils a portal to other realms where she is confronted with magical creatures and unusual people, good and evil, and a boy who’s desperate to help her find her way home. Author Stephanie Brick masterfully creates a story of belonging, self-discovery, and survival with her new middle-grade portal fantasy, The Secret Doors of Cannondale, the debut installment in a trilogy.

In Brick’s intriguing story, Adeline’s mother’s Navy job had them moving every three years, making the girl a constant outsider and forging friendships difficult. Adeline feels promise when their final move is to a house called Cannondale, an old and creaky place with hidden rooms, invisible wall panels, and secret doors. She’s exploring when she comes upon a camouflaged door that reveals a secret room with a curious box. What she finds inside will change Adeline’s whole world.

Adeline is thrilled when she meets an affable group of friendly teens at Cannondale who take to her immediately, including a fifteen-year-old boy named Gabriel. Finally feeling close to having the type of friendships she’s always sought, she decides to share with them the unusual secret box she found. But before she gets the chance, Adeline is unknowingly thrust through a portal into extraordinary realms of magic, soaring stone islands, savage monsters, placid worlds, and warring peoples of a once tranquil place called Nouvaal—one side led through deceit by a brutal and manipulative ruler bent on expropriating all magic for her own dark power, the other led by a kind and altruistic leader whose mission is to bring back peace and prosperity.

Adeline is astonished when it appears Gabriel has followed her through the portal to guard her from the very realm she’s ended up—Nouvaal, a place the boy seems to be well-acquainted with. Adeline is trapped, in danger for having discovered the long-hidden treasure that will give unending power to the one who possesses it. She finds a loyal companion in Trixy, a clever fox-like creature who helps her and Gabriel in a race against time to get back to Cannondale while saving Nouvaal from its own destruction and from losing magic forever.

Author Stephanie Brick expertly weaves a story that is timeless, bringing together relatable elements for middle-grade readers of wanting to belong, feeling loved, and being valued. Immersed in infinite and amazing worlds, on a journey steeped in magic and friendship, The Secret Doors of Cannondale is perfect for young readers looking for the next enduring fantasy classic. It is available now wherever fine books are sold.

https://www.stephaniebrick.com/secretdoors

1...626364...937 Page 63 of 937