In memoriam

I lost my mother, Cynthia Dobson, this morning. She had a brief stay in hospice care after a massive stroke a week ago. She was a smart, caring woman, a wonderful mother, and a perfect partner of 62 years to my father. I owe much of my love of books to her. As a librarian, she got us to the Ames Public Library multiple times a month to check out stacks of books to read. For me, those stacks were mostly sci-fi and fantasy, but for her it was mysteries, which she devoured to the tune of 3-4 books a week for nearly her whole life. I so enjoyed sharing my mystery books with her since I started this writing gig about seven years ago, and I'm so sad that I won't be able to get her thoughts and advice (and unwavering support) moving forward. I won't write much in the newsletter this time, but I did want to share this photo.

This is Mom earning her Ph.D. in sociology in 1979 (after a MLS in 1964 or so). She's 37 in this picture, and I (on the left) am 9. I don't know how she managed to finish an advanced degree with these two idiots making constant demands on her time and sanity, but I'm proud as hell of her five decades later. She was smart, funny, warm, supremely competent, and spent most of her time in the world caring for others in big ways and small.

Some stories to try

I'm part of several author collectives, and we share each other's work to try to help all of us reach more readers. In many cases, the books we share are are free or discounted. Sometimes, they ask that you sign up for a newsletter like this one. Here are some new books I have to share this month:

First, I have Reality's End by J.P. Babb. A Canadian post-apocalyptic tale with hostile fairies and a physicist lead - sounds like great stuff, and it has only five-star ratings so far.

Next, I have Return to the Galaxy by B.A. Gillies, the first book of his seven-part series about a dying SAS soldier transformed into a supersoldier just in time to defend Earth against an alien threat that's not unrelated to humanity's surprise origin on another world. A lot going on there! A 4.3-star average on over a thousand reviews, and free if you have Amazon Prime as part of their Prime reading program.

Next, I have a sneak peek at Saga of Bazor by Deb CarverOwens. A sci-fi story about a diverse group trying to save their home, this download introduces the characters and setting.

Next, I have The Survivors by Richard Rimington. This is a free book, a prelude to Richard's space opera series about people struggling to save humanity against long odds.

Next, I have a free preview of Blood in the Stone by Kaylor Vane (a great fantasy author name if I ever heard one). You can check out the opening of this book for free and see if it's for you. A dungeon-oriented epic fantasy, this could be a lot of fun.

Finally, I have a group promo with a bunch of indie mysteries to explore. There are a ton here to check out, and if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, they're free for you to read.

Thanks

Thanks so much for being part of my newsletter community. I hope you are able to hold your loved ones close.

Dave