Anticipation
Jul 05, 2025 5:01 pm
July is here!
It's holidays, and beaches, and sun.
And I have good news.
The edits are back for Murder, Magic, and Maple Fudge and by the time this is sent out, the book should be finished, formatted and ready for publication. So I'm officially announcing the release date: July 17th.
Sort of.
One witch. One dead body. Bakeries shouldn’t deliver murder.
After leaving her old existence and coven politics behind, Bridget Redwood relishes cozy, small town living and the joys of running a bakery. Now, witchcraft means never burning her caramel.
Until the day her landlord ends up murdered on the floor of her shop.
It’s a recipe for trouble, and Bridget must muster all her magic to deal with a community of suspects. Confronted with a ghost and a decades old mystery, the clues lead her to a hidden room and a lost grimoire, before pointing straight at her arrogant rival. But are the clues leading to the truth? Or is another sinister force at work?
Can Bridget unravel deadly secrets in time to save her sleepy little town of Easthaven Bay and avoid becoming the next victim?
If you’re looking for your next cozy paranormal, read Murder, Magic, and Maple Fudge, the first book in the Sweet Spells Mysteries series.
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What did I mean?
Well, I'm not doing a preorder for this launch, but something called a soft launch. Which is great for you newsletter subscribers, because it means you get the live book link earlier than the official launch date when I blast the link out to the world. So look for an extra mail-out this month sometime between July 14th and 17th with the release announcement.
Now on to other book news.
Updates for July
- The edits for Tales of the Norse Gods are on track and chugging forward toward that November publication. The evil chicken and the rest of the misfits will soon be set loose. (If you are new and are not familiar with my evil chicken, check out this video).
- It's looking more and more like the fifth Heyward and Andersen story will not be published until 2026. Sorry everyone.
- My Authortube Writing Conference presentation went well and the whole conference was a success.
Some of my books are part of the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale.
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/A._F.Stewart
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Speaking of the AWC, two of the presentations this year were demonstrations involving the site, Laterpress, and serialized fiction. I've wanted to try serializing a book for some time, but never found a platform that suited me. Laterpress has an interesting dual pricing model that I like (readers can subscribe to an author or purchase serial novels individually).
Here are my questions to you: Are you interested in serialized fiction? Would you check out new books if I branched out and posted them on Laterpress before publishing them?
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The Shadows and Ink Podcast
June's podcast episode is an interview with author Leigh Kenny where we talk about Irish Legends. A fun conversation. Check it out at the link below.
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Giveaways and Books To Browse
Fantastic FANTASY Megasale
Ends July 31st!
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Horror eBooks
Ends July 30th!
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HORROR
The Ghosts of Eastern State: Echoes from America’s Most Haunted Prison by Grant Kelly
Enter the chilling world of one of America’s most haunted landmarks in Eastern State Penitentiary. Once a groundbreaking prison designed for reform, Eastern State Penitentiary is now a crumbling relic filled with dark history and paranormal legends. From the anguished cries of inmates in the cursed solitary cells to the shadowy figure of Al Capone haunted by his past, this book explores the eerie echoes of despair and death that still linger.
Uncover the mysteries of Death Row, the haunted courtyard, and the ghostly wardens who patrol its corridors. With spine-tingling eyewitness accounts, chilling paranormal evidence, and tales of lingering spirits, this book takes you deep into the penitentiary’s haunted heart.
Perfect for fans of ghost stories, history, and the supernatural, this gripping account will leave you questioning what lies beyond the shadows. Dare to discover the secrets of Eastern State Penitentiary, but beware, its spirits may follow you home.
Note: this is a true crime horror book
Scorned Women: Medusa by Faith Marlow
Medusa.
The name alone is frightening.
It chills the blood and conjures images of a terrifying monster.
But could there be more?
A daughter.
A protector.
A lover.
A victim.
Legend tells us how she died.
Now it is time to discover how she lived.
The Haunting of Gallagher Hotel by K.T. Rose
In the Gallagher Hotel, every room holds a nightmare, and every guest becomes prey.
When Riley accepts a serving position at an exclusive party in the infamous Gallagher Hotel, she sees it as a chance to move past her son's tragic death. Instead, she steps into a supernatural nightmare. Together with Chris, a mysterious thief haunted by his own tortured history, she discovers the hotel's current owner isn't who she claims to be - but rather the vengeful spirit of an executed criminal.
As malevolent forces trap them inside, Riley and Chris witness horrifying manifestations and uncover dark secrets hidden within the hotel's Victorian walls. The spiritual and material realms blur, and the body count rises. A sinister hotel manager reveals his true demonic nature, and ancient evils awaken. Can they expose the hotel's macabre history and survive the night, or will they join the ranks of the hotel's permanent ghostly residents?
The Haunting of Gallagher Hotel stands as the latest bone-chilling addition to K.T. Rose's horror collection. If you crave atmospheric hauntings, supernatural suspense, and relentless terror, then you'll be mesmerized by this blood-curdling tale.
FANTASY
Bishop's Crossing by D. M. Mewha
After thirteen years of chasing everything that goes bump in the night, Jason Bishop thought he wanted a quiet life. At least that’s what he told himself when he left the paranormal scene to focus on the kind of domestic bliss he’d never been very good at. Turns out leaving his found family and thirteen years of fighting shadows behind is even harder than convincing the love of his life he’s no longer a self-centered asshole.
Now the clock is ticking as he’s dragged back into the life he left behind. The solution? Simple: find the missing daughter of the Voodoo King of New Orleans to stop an occult gang war and The Church won't kill his child. All he has to do is ask for help from the people he abandoned and give up his dreams of a normal life.
“I recognize a junkie when I see one, and being ‘in the know’ is your drug of choice.”
Bishop's Crossing is an adult urban fantasy novel that follows Jason Bishop and his colorful group of friends as they deal with vampires, self-righteous warrior priests, demons, and other horrors across New Orleans, racing against the oncoming war between dark forces that threaten the people Jason loves most.
The Sky Place by Lyla Cork
A defiant princess. A desperate man. Ancient magic unites two unlikely allies, born centuries apart, in a struggle for survival.
The year is A.D. 562. Nineteen-year-old Ixchel is a Maya princess of Tikal who dreams of harnessing the magic of the gods. But her life is torn asunder when war erupts between Tikal and Caracol. She believes her dreams are shattered, but her incredible journey has just begun.
In the present, Mitch is a workaholic surgeon haunted by regret. On a medical mission in the jungles of Belize, he is attacked and left for dead. Caught between life and death, Mitch descends into the underworld where he discovers that ancient magic endures, and Ixchel alone can save him as he faces off against the demons of Xibalba.
But Mitch isn't the only one who needs saving...
From the shadows of death, ancient magic rises and transforms a man's ordinary life into a harrowing quest to save the woman he loves.
The Sky Place is a dark fantasy that combines historical fiction with modern life in a gripping blend of myth, magic, love, and war.
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My Merch Stores:
Vintage and artsy designs on a variety of products
Scifi, fantasy, and horror designs on a variety of products
Writer and reader-based designs on a variety of products
(with new Canadian designs)
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Find me on:
Website | Facebook Group | YouTube | BookBub
Instagram | BlueSky | TikTok| My Amazon page
Lemon Squeezy Store | My Books on StoryOrigin
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That's it for this edition. And I'll return next month with more updates.
