SPOTLIGHT - HISTORICAL THRILLER - THE SECRET-KEEPER;S SHIPWRECK (Mayhem in Gold Rush San Francisco) by Jess Wells

In Gold Rush San Francisco, an enterprising Irishman and his wife pose as undertakers to bury the secrets of the upper class and hide a gun-running business until they are targeted by vigilantes and the demand for land derails their operation.

The Secret-Keeper’s Shipwreck:
Mayhem in Gold Rush San Francisco
by Jess Wells
Genre: Historical Survival Thriller, Western Literary Fiction

San Francisco, 1850. A city of sudden fortunes, desperate lives and secrets that cannot safely be entrusted to the living.

Aidan O’Reilly arrives in the restless young city as an undertaker. Yet his true business is something altogether different. For those wealthy enough to require discretion, he provides places where stolen gold, forged documents, illicit fortunes and inconvenient histories can remain hidden.

Then he meets Kate Cooper, a young woman whose extraordinary gift for numbers makes her invaluable—and whose courage makes her something more. Together they build a life and a business as San Francisco is transformed around them by fire, cholera, corruption and violence.

As cemeteries are emptied to make way for profitable land, vigilantes patrol the streets and the city’s most vulnerable are forced to fight for survival, Aidan and Kate find themselves drawn deeper into a world where morality is rarely simple and every secret has a price.

 

Praise for The Secret-Keeper's Shipwreck

 

Jess Wells's novel The Secret Keeper's Shipwreck is a gripping, well researched and skillfully crafted historical fiction with gritty worldbuilding. I particularly enjoyed its main characters, Aidan and Kate who bring the history of San Francisco in the Gold Rush days vividly to life. Aidan's thoughts and emotions are skillfully interwoven as they come up with ways to turn situations to their advantage, fighting their way through terrifying and disastrous losses. What an amazing story. The end is out of this world. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories of the West, California and the Gold Rush. – Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite

 

Author Jess Wells made sure readers experience the San Francisco Gold Rush. The narrative was so strong with such vivid details that I could feel the excitement and utter danger. I could smell the mud and feel the chaos of the city from the very first page. Aidan is morally gray, resourceful, and quick on his feet. Kate is an absolute powerhouse of a character. The author incorporated research into the story perfectly --terrifying and heartbreaking at the same time. The pace was perfect. The Secret-Keeper's Shipwreck is an outstanding historical novel, and fans of the genre will love it! – Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

 

The Secret-Keeper's Shipwreck is a well written, well-researched novel. Jess Wells has created a wonderful story around a collection of eccentric and shady characters that actually existed in early San Francisco and has given them a colorful, fictional interaction. The author has a firm grasp on the recorded history of the period, and this gives the work an air of authority and believability. This is a great read and one I highly recommend. – Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

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Jess Wells is the author of eight novels and five books of short stories, winner of the Nautilus Silver Prize for Small Press Fiction with a Social Impact, Bronze Winner of the Foreword Indies Awards, a finalist for Historical Fiction from the Foreword Indies Awards, a four-time finalist for the national Lambda Literary Awards, a member of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival Hall of Fame, and a recipient of a San Francisco Arts Commission Grant for Literature. Her books are sold through all online distributors, and her audio books can be found on Spotify, iTunes, Audible, and Hoopla, among other locations. Her work has been included in more than three dozen anthologies and literary journals, reprinted in the United Kingdom and translated into Italian and Dutch. She has taught at literary conferences and teaching locations across the U.S. Visit her website at www.jesswells.com or her Wikipedia page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Wells. 

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SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY LGBTQ+ - THE HANDYMAN'S HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER by Nick Poff

What begins as plans for a quiet ceremony soon becomes something much bigger, a joyful celebration of love, family, resilience, and a thirty-four-year commitment that deserves to be honored in unforgettable style.

The Handyman’s Happily-Ever-After
The Handyman, #7
by Nick Poff
Genre: LGBTQ+, M/M Contemporary Romance

In the winter of 2015, Ed Stephens and his longtime partner Rick are settling into life at Penfield Manor.

With retirement looming, old friends scattered, and the realities of aging becoming impossible to ignore, they find comfort in family, loyal friends, and the steady stream of guests who pass through what they affectionately call “The Hotel Penfield Manor.”

But life has surprises in store. A grandson is on the way, a troubled young relative needs refuge, and a wave of intolerance in their Indiana community forces Ed and Rick to confront a question they have postponed for more than three decades: should they finally marry?

What begins as plans for a quiet ceremony soon becomes something much bigger, a joyful celebration of love, family, resilience, and a thirty-four-year commitment that deserves to be honored in unforgettable style. 

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Ed was on his way home for lunch after a computer job Friday morning when his phone began to blow up. Now what? He wondered. When he reached the driveway he grabbed his phone and saw text messages from Rex and Gordy. Aw geez, what did that putz of a governor do now? As he sat debating whether to read them or not, texts came in from Paul, Muriel, and even Phil Sturgis. There was a news alert attached to Phil’s so he opened that one first. Same-Sex Marriage: Supreme Court Rules in Favor, President Obama Calls It 'Victory for America.’

Ed shook his head in disbelief. He’d had absolutely no faith in a favorable ruling from the court and had done his best to ignore the whole thing. But now, suddenly, something he never thought he’d see in his lifetime had happened. He and Rick had the right to marry, not only in Indiana, but anywhere in the United States. I’ll be damned, he thought. He looked at the ring on his left hand, the one Rick had put on his finger thirty-four years earlier, the one he’d been half afraid to wear at first as he worried about what people might say. But now, but now…

   That evening Ed and Rick sat in front of the computer in the study reading every article, every reaction, and seeing in the photos every bit of joy coming from people like them all across the country. Then one image stopped their scrolling, the sight of the White House glowing in rainbow colored lights. They stared at it until the screen saver kicked in and replaced it with a photo of Dwight.

   “Even back in ’08 I knew Obama was the president we had been waiting for,” Ed said, breaking the silence.

   “I still can’t completely wrap my head around it,” Rick said softly. He shook the mouse and the White House came back into view. “The president of the United States is happy for us. He calls this a victory. For the first time in my life I feel like a first class citizen of this country. We belong. We matter.” He whooped joyously. “How ‘bout that!”

   Ed laughed at Rick’s exuberance. “How ‘bout that,” he repeated.

   Rick turned to Ed, his eyes bright. “So what do you think, babe?”

   “Huh? Think about what?”

   “You wanna get married?”

   Ed swallowed a smile and said as seriously as he could: “Are you sure you want to enter into an archaic heterosexual tradition?”

   Rick shrugged. “Why the hell not?” He took Ed’s hand. “I didn’t want to when it became legal in our state because I didn’t think it would last. I was sure the decision would get overturned. I mean, it still might. I’m sure there are people out there right now shitting their pants in horror and planning its downfall. Fuck ‘em. Let’s enjoy this moment while it lasts. The president,” he added, “would approve.”

   “Okay.”

   “Okay what?”

   “What?”

   “I seem to recall,” Rick said, hands on hips, “that I did what proposing there was to do the first time.”

   “Oh! It’s my turn.”

   “You betcha, mister.”

   Ed took a deep breath. “Well, in that case.”  He got to his knee beside Rick. He reached for his hand and said solemnly, “Richard John Benton, will you marry me?”

   Rick’s warm and tender smile spread across his face. “Yes.”

  They reached for each and sealed the deal with a kiss.

**Don’t miss the rest of the books in the Handyman Series! **

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NICK POFF lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in an early 20th century historical neighborhood. A widower, he shares his home with his cat, Jasper. He is a life-long Hoosier, a distinction with which he has a love/hate relationship.

Poff spent thirty years in the radio industry in northeast Indiana as a disc jockey, copy writer, producer, program manager and music director. When technology allowed radio corporations to begin shedding programming staff, he decided to take a chance at something he had long wanted to do, writing stories for gay men such as he living in the wide open space between Provincetown and West Hollywood. This resulted in a book series about handyman Ed Stephens. Ed meets his dream man, Rick, in 1980, and through six books, Poff tells the tale of a gay couple living in a small Indiana town through the 1980’s. In 2025 he decided to add one more book, set in 2015, when same sex marriage was legalized nationwide in order to give Ed and Rick the finale he felt they deserved.

You can more about him and his work at nickpoffauthor.com, on Facebook at Nick Poff Author, and Amazon Authors.

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COVER REVEAL - PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE - NOWHERE MAN by Rosie Genova

She escaped him once—and she’s been running ever since.

But more than fifty years later, he’s about to catch up…

Nowhere Man
by Rosie Genova
Genre: Psychological Suspense, Thriller, Cold Case Dual Timeline

She escaped him once—and she’s been running ever since. But more than fifty years later, he’s about to catch up…

Allison Russo knows that older women become invisible, which is exactly how she likes it—the serial killer she escaped from as a child is out of prison and determined to track her down.

In the hot summer of 1966, twelve-year-old Ally loves the Mets, Spiderman comics, and Diana Ross. But Ally’s quiet existence in her working-class New Jersey town is shattered when she accepts a ride from teenage serial killer Steven Manning. Trapped in the car and driven to a desolate wood, Ally frantically fights off her attacker. Though she manages to save herself, she withdraws inside her locked house, telling no one about what happened. And despite the disappearance of two other girls that summer, she stays silent. But when Manning threatens her mother, Ally turns investigator, playing a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that ends in a terrifying Halloween night chase.

More than half a century later, Allison, now a mother and grandmother, gets a visit from retired police officer Hal Greenwood: Steven Manning was released on early parole. Greenwood, who arrested Manning years before, seeks her help with an unsolved murder case of a girl missing since the sixties, and another likely victim of the serial killer. Allison refuses, planning to change her identity and flee. Until a find in her attic turns out to be evidence from the cold case—and Manning begins stalking her daughter. Now Allison must once again face the demon in the rusty red Chevy. And prepare herself for a reckoning that’s long overdue…

 A dual-timeline, twisty story of psychological suspense inspired by a real-life case and the music of the sixties.

**Releases January 12, 2027- PreOrder Now!!**

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Proud Jersey girl Rosie Genova is a multi-genre author. She is the author of two standalone suspense novels, Seeing Things, and her newest release, Nowhere Man. Her best-known work is a Jersey shore cozy series, The Italian Kitchen Mysteries, and The Tess Mancini Time Travel Mysteries, set in 1955 Atlantic City. She has also penned a couple of rom-coms that presently live in her computer files (but are longing to be released into the wild). A former teacher and journalist, Rosie’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of publications, including Entrepreneur magazine and The New York Times. The mother of three sons, Rosie still lives in her favorite state with her husband, too many dusty antiques, and a charming mutt named Lucy.

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SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - FANTASY - SHADOW STALKER EPISODES 1 - 6 by Renee Scattergood

Hunted by an empire, haunted by prophecy—

Auren's power could save or destroy the world.

Shadow Stalker - Episodes 1-6
Shadow Stalker Bundles Part 1
by Renee Scattergood
Genre: Grimdark Fantasy

"This is the first time I’ve read a serial and I didn’t know what to expect. I was pulled into the story right away. The pacing was cleverly crafted so that while the action had the pages turning, there was enough back story to keep you rooted in the plot." ~ Melissa Barker-Simpson, Author of the Morgan and Fairchild Series

"Scattergood's writing style is simple and straightforward and her characters very believable." ~ Grant Leishman, Author of Tortured Minds

"One of the best things about the series are the characters, who are human and sympathetic. The heroine is both a tough, capable young woman, and a naive and self-centered teenager; the tension between the two sides of her personality as she is suddenly forced to leave childhood behind and enter into adulthood is often well-captured, as is her ambivalent relationship with her foster father." ~ E.P. Clark, Author of The Zemnian Trilogy

“Hunted by an empire, haunted by prophecy—Auren’s power could save or destroy the world.”

The shadows are calling—and they know her name.

For eighteen years, Auren Trask has lived under the watchful eye of her foster father, Kado. He’s trained her in combat, wilderness survival, and strategy, but never explained why. His strict rules and secrecy have left her feeling trapped, desperate for freedom and a normal life with her friends.

That all changes the night she sneaks away for a simple camping trip. When the Galvadi Empire invades, burning villages and capturing innocents, Auren’s world shatters. She and her friends barely escape with their lives—thanks to Kado’s sudden appearance and skills that suggest he’s far more than a reclusive courier.

As the Galvadi tighten their grip on the Serpent Isles, Auren discovers she is at the center of a prophecy that has haunted the empire for generations. She is the delohi-saqu, a shadow stalker destined—according to Galvadi belief—to plunge the world into darkness. To stop that future, they will hunt her without mercy.

But the truth is far more dangerous than the Galvadi know. Auren’s powers are awakening, shadows whisper secrets in her dreams, and even Kado can no longer shield her from the path ahead. To survive, she must confront the terrifying legacy of the shadow stalkers and decide whether destiny is a prison…or a weapon.

Shadow Stalker Part 1 (Episodes 1–6) launches Renee Scattergood’s dark fantasy serial, a journey through treachery, prophecy, and the struggle between fear and hope. Perfect for fans of epic adventure, morally complex heroes, and worlds where light and darkness are never simple.

**Get it FREE!!**

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Episode 2 — The Delohi-Saqu's Fate

Chapter 1 | Something in the darkness

I tried to think of something else, but my mind went blank. Looking around, I suddenly grew agitated at not being able to see anything. If I didn't keep my mind occupied, I'd risk a panic attack. All I could think about was the darkness and how much I wanted to get out. I was about to scream in frustration again when I heard pebbles crunch.

"Who's there?"

No one answered.

It was just my imagination, I told myself, until something cold and wet brushed my neck. The thing sniffed at me, sending shivers through my body that had nothing to do with the cool, damp air. I gasped and stiffened. My first instinct was to move away as fast as possible, but my training took over. I slowed my breathing and held myself as still as I could. Yet my heart pounded uncontrollably, and I would have sworn the sound echoed off the cavern walls.

It sniffed me again, nudging my face with its nose and emitting a low, guttural growl. Its foul breath suggested it had eaten recently, so it likely wouldn't be hungry for a while. If it had meant to harm me, it probably would have by now. But what was its purpose? And how did it get here? I tried to move away, but it growled and pushed me forcefully with its head. When I remained still, it clamped its jaws on my arm and started dragging me along the floor.

"Let me go!" I cried, punching the animal's thick fur.

It yelped and snapped at my hand. I scooted away as fast as I could, but it grabbed my arm again and pulled me the other way. This time, it dragged me along on my knees. To keep from falling forward, I had no choice but to go where it wanted me to go. It didn't let go until we reached the stream. Then it nudged me a couple of times towards the water.

"What do you want with me?"

I shook my head. Now I was talking to an animal, as though it would answer. I tried to back away again, but it snarled and clamped down on my ankle. Though it didn't bite me hard, I cried out. It didn't let go until I stopped fighting, and I curled into a ball, hoping to wake from this crazy nightmare.

The lapping water beside me distracted me from my panic attack. The animal nudged me, then resumed drinking. Suddenly, all I heard was the stream gurgling. Although I was, in effect, blind, I knew I was alone. Whatever that thing was, it seemed to vanish as quickly and quietly as it had appeared. To be sure it had gone, I cautiously reached into the space it had occupied moments earlier. It wasn't there, so I listened for pebbles crunching on the rock floor.

"Huh."

Was it all just my imagination? Given that studies indicate hallucinations can start within fifteen minutes of sensory deprivation, and cognitive functions could be affected within hours, it wasn't an unreasonable conclusion. I had no idea how long I had been here, but it must have been at least an hour or two.

I rubbed the welts on my arm where the animal's teeth had raked my skin. For now, I could dismiss any thoughts of insanity. Something had been down there with me. But where did it go? The stream's murmuring sounded louder now, perhaps because I had nothing else to concentrate on. Or maybe it was simply because I realised my throat was parched. I leaned over the water and cupped my hand to drink.

The flavour was unlike anything I had ever tasted, and it left me wondering if it was water at all. It didn't matter. With each sip, I wanted—no, I needed—more. My hand was too small to hold enough to satisfy me, so I put my face to the surface and sucked it in. I gasped for air and noticed the cavern had grown warmer. Even stranger, a faint, odd glow surrounded me.

Now I must have been hallucinating. A greenish mist enveloped me, and shadows moved in the distance. They resembled the shadow people I remembered from my youth. I tried to push myself up, only to realise I was already standing. Huh! Believing I had somehow died, I looked down at where my body should be, expecting to see my lifeless form. But there was nothing—not even the stream.

Renee Scattergood lives in Australia with her husband, Nathan, and adult spawn (yes, that’s what they like to be called). She has always loved fantasy and was inspired to become a storyteller by George Lucas, but she didn't start writing her stories until her late twenties. Now she enjoys writing dark fantasy. She is currently working on a novel series, Shadow Guardians of the Serpent Isles, based on her serial, Shadow Stalker, and a new series called The Emperor’s Blades. Aside from writing, she loves reading (fantasy, of course), watching movies with her family, and watching YouTube Videos with her spawn. Visit her site for more information and a free copy of Shadow Stalker Part 1 (Episodes 1 – 6): https://reneescattergood.au

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BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - HOLIDAY - WINTER LIGHT (Blue Spruce Hills Novella) by Honey Winters

Winter Light

A Blue Spruce Hills Novella

by Honey Winters

Publication date: November 12th 2026

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance, Women’s Fiction

BLURB

For readers who enjoy clean women’s fiction about small towns, new chapters, and later-in-life romance.
***
A small-town librarian, a new neighbor from Colorado, and the brightest Christmas display in the Poconos.

Penny McLauchlin runs the library from a former bank building where the vault is now a reading room. She knows which cart squeaks, which patron wants company rather than a book, and which of the atrium plants needs turning toward the light. What she has stopped knowing is what she wants.

Then a colleague slides a listing for Regional Library Director across her desk — the kind Penny has scrolled past for years — and the thought arrives fully formed: I could.

She applies. And then the quiet season she thought lay ahead turns out to be anything but.

Her sister Jackie moves in. Her daughter is coming home for Christmas with a guest. And Nigel Blake, her new neighbor, has just plugged in a holiday display visible from Mars.

By December, Penny’s street is the brightest one — and the woman who never wanted anything to change has a job interview and is embroiled in a Christmas lights battle that has drawn spectators from across town.

This book is for every woman who has looked around a good life and still wondered whether this was all of it. Winter Light is about wanting things at 55, reaching without wrecking anything, and discovering that contentment isn’t the same as closing the door. Come to Blue Spruce Hills for warm friendships, a Pennsylvania mountain town under snow, a sister who arrives like weather, and a neighbor whose Christmas lights are an argument for joy.

Trope List
Finding yourself at 55
Midlife women’s fiction
Small-town Christmas
Widow opens heart to love again
Neighbors to something more
Sister returns home
Female friendship group
Clean
Low angst
What you can expect:

Heat: clean and wholesome
Tone: cozy women’s fiction, warm and lightly funny
Series: A Blue Spruce Hills Novella, interconnected standalone
POV: third person, past tense, single POV
Content Notes: reference to past spousal loss (off page, years earlier); no violence; no swearing
Comps: Debbie Macomber, Nancy Thayer, Sheila Roberts

Welcome to Blue Spruce Hills: A mountain town that reinvented itself once already and knows something about new chapters. Come for snow, tea, good friends, poetry night at the Tea House, and a holiday season worth remembering.

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EXCERPT

Two big candles sat square in the middle of the cake—a five and a five.

The lights dimmed, and Penny was treated to an unharmonious Happy Birthday. Then came a chant that the kids had done when they were young and the adults had continued. Luckily, they now counted by fives.

“Are you five? Are you ten? Are you fifteen?” Shannon, Wendy, and Jennifer chanted.

As they counted up, Penny’s mind focused on her “new chapter,” as Jennifer called it. What new chapter? She had no news to share. Shannon had a new gallery showing. Jennifer was trying a new hobby. Wendy was going on vacation to Thailand.

“Are you thirty?”

Penny was simply going about her life. Day after day after day.

“Are you thirty-five?”

It wasn’t that her life was empty.

“Are you forty?”

Nor was she lonely.

“Are you forty-five?”

Nothing was wrong, per se.

“Are you fifty?”

But three words began to form, not quite solid yet, but taking shape.

“Are you fifty-five?”

Is this it?

“Stop,” Penny said, and the women clapped.

“Okay, Pen, blow out the candles and make a wish,” Shannon said.

Penny closed her eyes and did exactly that.

***

After about five minutes of hugging, Penny finally left Shannon’s. Her hands were toasty in her new gloves. Her journal was in her tote bag, and her framed picture was tucked under her arm.

The night was quiet. Her feet crunched on the fall leaves, and she could hear a muffled TV. Penny had walked this walk so many times she knew where the sidewalk tilted because of tree roots and when to expect Mr. Phillip’s dog to start barking.

For the first time, she didn’t find that familiarity comforting. Nothing had changed from yesterday, but everything felt a little different. It was silly. Nothing more than the stress of a birthday.

But that feeling lingered.

 

Author Info

I love writing the kind of stories I want to curl up with—heartfelt, uplifting stories about women in midlife navigating life’s ups and downs. My books celebrate the bonds of friendship, the magic of second chances, and the belief that it’s never too late to fall in love.

Whether it’s a cozy lakeside summer, a small-town reunion, or an unexpected romance that catches you by surprise, I believe every chapter of life holds something sweet waiting to be discovered.

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