Cyber Monday sale at Untreed Reads!

For today only, you can get 40% off all my fiction at Untreed Reads!

This includes:

Thorn in the Flesh

Kate Harris, a lecturer in her late thirties, is attacked in her home and left for dead. This terrible assault and the anonymous hate letters she starts to receive bring to light the past she’d prefer to leave behind, a past which includes the son she bore in her teenage years and whom she chose to give away. 

What happens to Kate also affects the people she counts as friends and colleagues now. She has been in love with her best friend, Nicky, for a long time but Nicky is happily married with two young children and Kate is determined never to upset the lives of those she cares for. 

However, when she makes the momentous decision to contact the father of her long-forgotten son, and then to trace her son as well, Kate inadvertently sets in motion a series of frightening events she seems to have no control over. Can she protect herself and those she loves from the menacing enemy who stalks them all? 


The Girl in the Painting and Other Stories

A brand-new collection...and three new stories!

For years, Anne Brooke has wowed reading audiences with her ability to write exceptional tales in multiple genres. From science fiction to romance, horror to tales based on stories from the Bible, Anne has consistently produced some of the most intriguing and gripping works available.

For the first time, Anne's stories from Untreed Reads are collected in one volume. 

Butterfly Girl and Truth or Dare

Two great erotic short stories in one volume!

"Butterfly Girl": Abi's marriage is happy enough, but she's bored. When she meets Tina online, they quickly become friends. Soon their virtual friendship becomes the mainstay of Abi's life, and when Tina propositions her, Abi's initial surprise gives way to an unexpected and overwhelming desire.

"Truth or Dare": Kate and Suzie have always been best friends, for as long as they can remember. However, one night at the pub away from their menfolk leads them both to startling revelations as they resurrect their old childhood game of Truth or Dare.

Not only that, but all my Lori Olding children's fiction has a 40% discount as well:

The Origami Nun

Seven-year-old Ruth can't speak, but that doesn't mean she can't think. She knows her birthday is going to be good as her beloved great-aunt has exciting plans for her. What she doesn't expect is a magical paper nun, an encounter with a bully who may not be what she seems, or a school day to remember. Because, before her special day is over, Ruth is in for some very big surprises.

A short chapter book recommended for ages 6-9.

Queen of the Fluffy Pens

Queen of the Fluffy Pens, Queenie, is keen to move her beloved brood across their owner's kitchen to be nearer the window. Life will be wonderful there as they'll have lots of space and sunshine to enjoy. First, however, Queenie has to learn how to fly. Once she's mastered that skill, she and her two friends, Betsy and Tanya, set out on their epic journey. On the way, they encounter a very strange fly indeed, a friendly bee and a frightening hornet. They also learn something very important about the value of friendship. Can they survive their great adventure, and will their new home be all they've hoped for?

Recommended for ages 6-9.

So whatever you choose, have a great Cyber Monday and happy reading!

Anne Brooke Books
Lori Olding Children's Fiction

New children's book - buy one get one free!

I'm happy to announce that my latest children's book (under my Lori Olding pseudonym) is Queen of the Fluffy Pens and this book is published today by Untreed Reads!

Queen of the Fluffy Pens, Queenie, is keen to move her beloved brood across their owner's kitchen to be nearer the window. Life will be wonderful there as they'll have lots of space and sunshine to enjoy. First, however, Queenie has to learn how to fly. Once she's mastered that skill, she and her two friends, Betsy and Tanya, set out on their epic journey. On the way, they encounter a very strange fly indeed, a friendly bee and a frightening hornet. They also learn something very important about the value of friendship. Can they survive their great adventure, and will their new home be all they've hoped for?

Recommended for ages 6-9.

Here's an extract for you:

She stood nine inches high with her tiara and she was without a doubt the best of her breed. The label hanging from her glittery pink neck and resting on her pink fluffy body told anyone who cared to read it that she was the “Queen of Fluffy Pens.”

It was a title she was very proud of. She took great pleasure in reminding her fluffy pen friends of its importance if she felt they might have forgotten it. This was for their own good, of course. Queenie (as she was known to the same friends) always took her responsibilities seriously.

 

“You see,” she was saying now, as they gathered around her, fluffy feathers fluttering out and bright glitter glistening. “You see, we need to take matters under our own wing and we need to have an adventure.”

Five pairs of eyes looked back at her and then, as if they were of one mind, they all blinked and looked at each other. And then at her again.

Queenie waited. She was good at doing this. Leading a group of fluffy pens of very different natures had taught her the art of being still. Sometimes her charges needed time to think. While she waited, she gazed round at her closest friends. First of all, there was George, with his red, white and blue feathers, and the Union Jack he always carried in his beak. She loved his patriotism, especially in the Jubilee Year, but the flag did make it difficult for him to talk.

Next to him stood Dizzy Duck. She was the only duck in a group made entirely of chickens, but they loved her anyway. Queenie was a great believer in the truth that just because someone was different didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends. Dizzy was very funny, but a bit scatty every now and then. Her feathers were purple and spiky and glittery all at the same time, and she could always be spotted in a crowd. This could be very useful.

Then Queenie smiled at Marmaduke. He was the brainy one in her flock, though more often than not he tended to be serious. His feathers were curly and bright orange, so he wasn’t very good at hiding. Never mind being spotted in a crowd, Marmaduke could be spotted on a dark night when there was no moon. Occasionally this could be useful too. 

There were two more in her close set but, as everyone knows, birds can only count up to three, so Queenie couldn’t look at anyone else yet. Besides, George was squeaking, and Marmaduke was trying to make out what he was saying.

“Will there be tea and sandwiches?” he asked her around his flag, his accent so posh that only those born and brought up in the southern counties of England could understand him. It was just the way he was made. There was nothing to be done about it …

Not only that, but as a special discount offer, if you buy one Lori Olding book direct from Untreed Reads, then you get another absolutely FREE! Happy reading!

Lori Olding

Sprinkle a little magic into your life with The Origami Nun!

Magical children's book, The Origami Nun, is published today! You can find it for only 77p or starting at 99c at Amazon US, Amazon UK and at Omnilit Books and at a variety of other ebook retailers too.

Seven-year old Ruth can't speak, but that doesn't mean she can't think. She knows her birthday is going to be good as her beloved great-aunt has exciting plans for her. What she doesn't expect is a magical paper nun, an encounter with a bully who may not be what she seems or a school day to remember. Because, before her special day is over, Ruth is in for some very big surprises.




Reviews:

"What a delightfully written book! This is one I plan to share with my daughter at some point because I think she would like it, too! I love the fact that the author featured a mute heroine, and magic is infused in such a wonderful way. In addition to that, it deals with a subject with which our youth are very familiar - bullying! … I connected with the character, the story, and I enjoyed the magical nature of the story … I hope the author writes several sequels!" [From a 5-star review at My Devotional Thoughts]

"I really enjoyed reading this shorter story. The author portrayed the characters well and had a great story line … This is a terrifically inspirational and uplifting story for children and adults alike." [From a review at The Cover Books]

"Magic is in the air. Come see how Ruth and others learn the importance of respect for each other even though they are different and that each person has a different story or reason for being different. I recommend this book for ages 6 and up." [From a 4.5 star review at Fire and Ice Reviews]

Happy reading!

Lori Olding Children's Books

The Origami Nun: now available for pre-order!

I'm happy to announce that children's book The Origami Nun will be published by Untreed Reads on 8 September and is now available for pre-order at Omnilit Books.

Seven-year old Ruth can't speak, but that doesn't mean she can't think. She knows her birthday is going to be good as her beloved great-aunt has exciting plans for her. What she doesn't expect is a magical paper nun, an encounter with a bully who may not be what she seems or a school day to remember. Because, before her special day is over, Ruth is in for some very big surprises.

Here are some early reviews:

"What a delightfully written book! This is one I plan to share with my daughter at some point because I think she would like it, too! I love the fact that the author featured a mute heroine, and magic is infused in such a wonderful way. In addition to that, it deals with a subject with which our youth are very familiar - bullying! … I connected with the character, the story, and I enjoyed the magical nature of the story … I hope the author writes several sequels!" [From a 5-star review at My Devotional Thoughts]

"I really enjoyed reading this shorter story. The author portrayed the characters well and had a great story line … This is a terrifically inspirational and uplifting story for children and adults alike." [From a review at The Cover Books]

"Magic is in the air. Come see how Ruth and others learn the importance of respect for each other even though they are different and that each person has a different story or reason for being different. I recommend this book for ages 6 and up." [From a 4.5 star review at Fire and Ice Reviews]

All best!

Lori Olding Books

Short story collection: more discounts!

There's 30% off my short story collection, The Girl in The Painting and Other Stories, direct from Untreed Reads. Here's the blurb:

A brand-new collection...and three new stories!

For years, Anne Brooke has wowed reading audiences with her ability to write exceptional tales in multiple genres. From science fiction to romance, horror to tales based on stories from the Bible, Anne has consistently produced some of the most intriguing and gripping works available.

And here's an extract from one of the included stories, Painting from Life:

I was with my wife the first time I saw him. He was an old man, weathered in the sun and wind, and the shock hit me like a storm on the sea. It was almost like love. Although of course it couldn’t have been. Not really and not then.

Amanda and I had been walking along the beach. Hand in hand, which was something we rarely did. It was autumn and the wind was piercing the layers of wool and cotton I’d wrapped around myself. The sand under my feet was white like salt and I wished I could take off my shoes and bury my toes deep in its grainy softness, but I didn’t. Amanda would have thought it strange and the last thing I wanted to do was to upset her. Though neither of us acknowledged it at the time, we were on a mission to save our marriage. We’d been together for five years, three of those as man and wife, but somewhere along the way, in the middle of the struggle to make a living and the complications which arise from being with someone else, we’d lost the importance of it all. I’d imagined a weekend away and time shared together in the town which Amanda had loved as a child would put us back on the road to intimacy.

Her eyes had sparkled when I’d told her my plan.

‘What about your work?’ she’d asked.

‘Forget it. You’re the most important thing,’ I’d said, my lips nuzzling her neck at the curve of her shoulder, breathing in the scent of apples and heather from her skin.

It was true, at the time. A mere couple of hours later on that Friday night in September, we were grappling together on the small double bed in the Sea View Hotel. It was the first time we’d had sex in weeks and it had been good for both of us. So good that afterwards, with the warm glow of mutual satisfaction still upon us, we’d decided on a stroll along the beach.

Which was when I saw him. I’d laughed at something Amanda had said, throwing my head back and letting the sound of my laughter mingle with the rhythm of the grey-blue waves caressing the shore. At the corner of my eye, something moved and I turned to see what it was. Fifty or sixty yards away from us on the edge of the sand, an old man was sitting on a bench, gazing towards the sea. The sound we were making must have caused him to jump and the movement startled me. Now his eyes were meeting mine, causing a jolt of recognition, even understanding, in my heart. No, somewhere deeper. In my belly, from where it surged in a torrent of blood down through my legs and feet, and up into my chest, arms, fingers and at last into my mind. I gazed at him in astonishment.

He was old, a thin wiry body wrapped in a green fisherman’s jumper, 

faded cords protecting his legs. His hands were gnarled like the rocks, strong fingers burnt brown by the sun. But it was his face which captured me, even at such a distance, and never really let me go. His skin was wrinkled, lines etched from forehead to chin and flowing down his neck. Every mark gave a hint of the character beneath and drew my gaze to his eyes. Though I couldn’t study them closely at that stage, I later came to know their deep blue richness with the scattered flecks of grey like the sea almost as if they were my own.

Happy reading!

Anne Brooke Books
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy