Book Tour ~ Jane Avril: The Music of Moulin Rouge - A Novel by M. L. Malcolm

 

 

Book Details:

Book Title: Jane Avril: The Muse of the Moulin Rouge by M. L. Malcolm
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  337 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher:  A Good Read Publishing
Release date:  February 2026
Content Rating: PG +M: Some non-explicit discussions of sex; one subtle yet explicit sex scene and a brief discussion of suicide

Book Description:

Born the bastard daughter of an aristocrat, Jane Avril became the most famous dancer at the most famous dance hall in the world during the "Gay 90's" in Paris: the Moulin Rouge. Beautiful, intelligent, and fiercely independent, she earned a place among the most famous artists, writers, and entertainers of her day, including Henri Toulouse Lautrec, who immortalized her in his paintings and posters. Immerse yourself in the turbulent and fascinating life of a Belle Epoque legend as she struggles out of poverty into the limelight, learning how to live and love as Queen of La Danse.

Buy the Book:
Amazon  
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Meet the Author:

M.L. Malcolm loves readers! She has visited with over a hundred book clubs all over the country, and is happy to use Zoom or whatever technology is available to connect when a personal visit isn't possible. She's also a history geek, so she loves reading and writing historical fiction.

She began her professional career as an attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. After practicing law for three years, M.L. determined that "she and the law were not meant for each other," and is now a self-described "recovering attorney." 

As part of her recovery strategy, M.L. yielded to her entrepreneurial inclinations and took over a struggling travel agency. She ran the business successfully for several years before selling it to a larger company, then retired from the labor force to spend more time with her children and pursue her life-long ambition to become a writer. She has also amassed an impressive hat collection (and yes, she does wear them). 

M.L. has won several awards, including recognition in the prestigious Lorian Hemingway International Short Story Competition, and a silver medal from ForeWord magazine for Best Historical Fiction Book of the Year. "Heart of Lies" was chosen by the American Booksellers Association as an "Indie Pick" and a "Recommended Book Club Read" selection, and M.L. was selected by Target Stores as an "Author to Watch". She has also worked as a free-lance journalist for newspapers and magazines in Washington, DC and Los Angeles.

She and her family currently live in Washington, DC. M.L. is her nickname. Her full name is Mary Lee Malcolm

connect with the author:  goodreads

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Enter the Giveaway:

Jane Avril: The Muse of the Moulin Rouge by M. L. Malcolm

Book Tour ~ I Love it When We Read Together by Karolyn Wallace

 

Children's Books / Early Learning Beginner Reader

Date Published: 08-12-2025

Publisher: Mission Point Press

I Love It When We Read Together invites reading partners to create their own special rituals with gentle prompts and endearing illustrations that encourage kids to read along, spot animals, and spark lively conversations. This book is perfect for building fluency and connection. Inspired by the literacy challenges of the pandemic, early childhood educator Karolyn Wallace crafts a cozy experience that helps families bring the joy of reading home.

This playful book turns reading into an adventure, inviting
kids and grown-ups to ask questions, laugh out loud,
and dive into stories together!

About the Author

Karolyn Wallace is a seasoned educator with over twenty years of experience teaching in elementary classrooms across public and private schools in Maryland, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New York. Before that, she was a broadcast journalist at local news affiliates in Los Angeles and Flint, Michigan. She is currently part of the team at The Children’s Learning Lab, where experienced educators connect with elementary students for online learning. She divides her time between Michigan and California, enjoying the company of her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Contact Links

Website

Goodreads

Instagram

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/LoveWhenWeReadTogether 

Amazon

Book Tour ~ The Bric-a-Brac of Mickey Mack by Mickey Mack

 

Poetry /Comedy Satire Gift Rhyme Millennial Humor Silverstein Memory

Date Published: 04-15-2026

Publisher: The Tink and Tank Press

A wry poetry collection that captures the jarring sink-or-swim leap into adulthood. This book honors the limbo of exiting youth, a unique period where responsibility suddenly smashes the youthful optimist, crushing it under the crippling weight of adulthood. Twenty-somethings scatter across life's spectrum with some jobless and couch-surfing, while others marry, become parents, and buy a house. Everyone eventually finds themselves old enough to fight in foreign wars but too young to rent a car. It's the fast, brutal shift to an unguarded world, to bowling without bumpers. You've entered a chaotic soup of competing ambitions and subterfuge, where one hand offers help while the other conceals a knife. You're expected to be an adult without ever having been one, like seeing the ocean from afar and suddenly wrestling its waves. This book highlights the inevitable sense of crushing defeat and loss, but reveals the importance of laughing anyway. After all, life is a game of avoiding the consequences of your own actions. The Bric-a-Brac of Mickey Mack will hand you a mirror and dare you to laugh at its reflection.

About the Author

Mickey Mack is a world-weary traveler and obsessive collector of life’s absurd talismans and trinkets. After years of eavesdropping on bar-stool confessions around the globe, he distills the Suffering Olympics of modern adulthood into witty, rhythmic heroic couplets.

Contact Links

Website

Instagram

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/BricaBrackMickeyMack 

Amazon

Book Blitz ~ Gabriel - Boys of Richland by Daniela Romero

 

Boys of Richland
Daniela Romero
Publication date: June 7th 2026
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Sports

One girl on the edge.
One obsessive college soccer star determined to save her.
One devastating love story that nearly destroys them both.

Cecilia Russo was ready to disappear the night Gabriel Herrera found her.

Now, the star athlete refuses to let her go.

Gabriel forces his way into Cecilia’s life with the same intensity he brings to the field—reckless, relentless, and impossible to ignore. The more he pushes past her walls, the more dangerous their connection becomes.

Because Gabriel doesn’t just want to protect her.
He wants to consume her.

What starts as grief, anger, and stolen nights spirals into obsession, codependency, and a love neither of them knows how to survive. Especially when the ghosts haunting Cecilia refuse to stay buried.

With trauma, betrayal, and a looming trial threatening to tear them apart, Gabriel and Cecilia are forced to decide if love can truly heal two broken people—or if some damage is impossible to come back from.

Perfect for readers who love:
• College soccer romance
• Obsessive, protective heroes
• He falls first
• Who hurt you
• Emotional trauma and healing
• Touch-her-and-die tension
• Found family

This omnibus edition includes: The Savage, The Striker, and The Replay.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Dropping one knee on the mattress, he lays me back, all the while kissing me, caressing me. My body sinks into the comforter and I freeze, locking up at the feel of his strong, powerful frame hovering over mine.

I can’t help my reaction. Squeezing my eyes closed, I count to ten in a desperate attempt to talk myself down. Gabriel doesn’t notice at first. He continues to kiss me, trailing his lips across my cheek and along my jawline. One hand holds my hip, pressing me down, pinning me in place.

I can’t… I open and close my mouth, struggling to breathe.

Panic rises in my chest and my breaths come out as heavy pants. Gabriel shifts his weight, moving his position to settle himself beside me.

He props himself up on one elbow while his other arm curls around my hip, tugging me close as he rolls me to my side to face him. “Hey,” he whispers against my lips. “We’re not going any further than this.” His words are meant to reassure me, but I’m having a hard time getting enough air into my lungs. I swallow hard and open my eyes, peering up at him between my lashes. He lifts a hand and strokes his thumb along my jaw, eyes filled with concern.

“I’m sorry.” My cheeks burn and I look away, but his hand cupping my jaw draws my attention back to him.

“Don’t apologize,” he says. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m not here to get in your pants. That’s not what I’m after.”

My brows furrow together. “It’s not?”

He barks out a laugh and presses a quick kiss to my lips, unraveling the knot of tension inside me. “I mean, I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about it.” He waggles his brows and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. “But we’ll move at your pace. Whatever it might be. This, us, it’s new,” he tells me, reaching down to lace the fingers of his hand with mine. “We don’t have to rush things. I’ll be happy if you let me hold you.” He presses another quick kiss to my lips. “And happier if I can kiss you.”

I worry my bottom lip, looking down at our entwined hands. I don’t want to over analyze what this means. He’s kissed me twice now. But that doesn’t mean this is a relationship. I’ve never done casual, but maybe casual is exactly what I need.

“We don’t need to take anything further than that,” Gabriel assures me.

“I—” His expression is tight, almost hopeful, as he waits for me to respond, but I don’t know how to put words to what I want to say. Gabriel is infuriating, but there’s no denying I’m attracted to him. That he brings out this side of me that I had buried away. He pushes me, gets under my skin. But more importantly, he makes me feel alive.

“What if I want to do more?” I ask.

His adam’s apple bobs in his throat and he tucks a loose tendril of hair behind my ears. “I don’t think—“

“Please.” My eyes stay locked on his and electricity crackles between us as indecision plays out across his face. I want to chase this feeling. To know I’m not broken beyond repair, and I think Gabriel can give me that.

“You said we could be broken together,” I remind him.

His gaze rakes over my face, looking for any sign of indecision, but he won’t find one. I’m sure about this, or at least as sure as I can be.

He licks his lips and his eyes flick to my mouth, a hungry look taking over his expression. “Are you sure?” His voice is husky and I squeeze my legs together as I nod in confirmation.

“Yes.”

“We’re not having sex.”

I open my mouth to argue, but he raises one hand to stop me.

“I’m not saying I don’t want to.” He pulls me impossibly close, pressing the hard length of his erection against my abdomen to show me the extent of his desire. “But, you’re not ready. And I’m not going to take advantage of you.”

I chew on my bottom lip, feeling the sting of his rejection, but nod my head anyway, accepting defeat until he adds, “That doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel good.”

My head jerks up and he grins.

“Would you like that?” he asks. “You want me to make you feel good?”

Author Bio:

Daniela Romero is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of emotionally intense, trope-packed romance novels that break hearts and heal them in equal measure. Known for her angsty enemies-to-lovers stories, possessive heroes, and fierce heroines, she writes steamy new adult and paranormal romance that keeps readers hooked from the first page to the last.

Her books feature unforgettable characters, explosive chemistry, and emotional journeys set in vivid worlds—whether on the football field at Sun Valley High or deep within supernatural realms.

A Bay Area native now living in Washington State, Daniela is a proud Latina, a devoted wife, and a mom to three wild and wonderful kids. When she's not writing or wrangling words, you can find her curled up with a book, binge-watching TV with a crochet hook in hand, or plotting her next fictional heartbreaker.

She believes in love, redemption, and happily ever afters—no matter how messy the journey.

Website / Gooodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

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Boys of Richland Blitz

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Book Blitz ~ Miro - Embracing the Unknown by Enas Nour

 

Literary Fiction, Cat Fiction

Date Published: May 22, 2026

A deeply moving novel told through the eyes of a cat named Miro, who begins life in the fragile warmth of his mother’s embrace, only to be swept into a world shaped by separation, survival, love, and loss.

From one cramped apartment to another unfamiliar home, Miro is carried through the unpredictable hands of fate, drifting between tenderness and cruelty, safety and fear. Through the eyes of a growing cat trying to understand the strange creatures who control his world, he learns—step by painful step—what it means to trust, to survive, and to search for belonging in a world that rarely explains itself, and even more rarely shows mercy.

As he grows, Miro observes the humans around him with startling sensitivity: their loneliness, contradictions, tenderness, and hidden darkness. Through his innocent yet deeply perceptive voice, ordinary moments become profound meditations on fear, attachment, identity, and the search for home.

Both heartbreaking and tender, Miro: Embracing the Unknown is not merely the story of a cat—it is the story of any soul trying to find warmth and meaning in an uncertain world.

 

About the Author

Enas Nour is a physician and writer based in Germany, where she combines her medical career with a lifelong passion for literature and creative expression. Drawn to storytelling from an early age, she explores themes of human emotion, resilience, and connection through compelling and thought-provoking narratives. Her writing is marked by empathy, insight, and vivid detail, creating immersive stories that resonate deeply with readers and reflect the complexities of the human experience.

 

Contact Link

BookBuzz

 

Purchase Link

Amazon

Book Blitz ~ Dune Queen by Amina Adamou

 

Dune Queen
Amina Adamou
Publication date: June 6th 2026
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

When Salima Farhan turns eighteen, she thinks she’s finally old enough to escape the absurd teachings of the cult her parents joined ever since she was a kid, but Farik Masood, the founder and leader of the Crescent Compound, has other plans for her: he wants her to join a recruitment program to bring in more cult members.

Salima agrees to join the program in order to eventually escape—but she quickly regrets that decision when she finds out Masood’s ‘program’ is actually a front for something far more sinister. Knocked unconscious before she can run, she wakes up two months later only to be told that she now has the same magic as djinn, mischievous, mythical beings who are normally invisible to the human eye. And as a reward for these powers, she’s expected to use her new abilities to help Masood take over the world.

Distraught but determined, Salima must fight for her freedom and for the innocent lives Masood wants to destroy—even if it means marrying the very djinn who has sworn to protect her enemy.

Amazon

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Author Bio:

Amina Adamou is a Nigerien living in Niamey, Niger, where several of her books are based on. As a kid, she wanted to become a manga artist, but after suffering defeat after defeat at the hands of complicated battle scenes, seemingly endless panels of scenery, and an aching hand, she threw in the towel and decided to tell stories in a different way. When not reading or writing, she likes to watch K-dramas and listen to K-pop. You can contact her at AminaAdamouAuthor@gmail.com

Facebook / Instagram

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Teaser ~ The Shores of Our Souls by Kathryn Brown Ramsperger

 

Multicultural Family Saga / Fiction

Date Published: 4-21-2026

Publisher: Ground One Press

She’s a sheltered American. He’s a Middle Eastern diplomat. Can their love lead to lasting peace overseas?

New York City, 1981. Dianna leaves her small southern town for the bright lights and rich culture of the Big Apple and a prime job at the Met. Sparks fly when she crosses paths with a charming Lebanese diplomat. A shared night of passion launches her into an exciting romance and opens her eyes to a bloody conflict far from home. But as warring factions take hold overseas, she can’t shake the feeling that her new love is hiding dark secrets.

Qasim has never known peace. When he gets the chance to bring his country’s troubles before the United Nations, he abandons his family obligations to heal his war-torn homeland. But his true mission takes a detour when he falls for a beautiful American woman. Against the urging of his closest friend and mentor, he wants to share his heart and hopes with her.

In the face of cultural barriers and mounting war, can Dianna and Qasim find the strength to stand up for their love and a lasting peace?

 
Excerpt

February 13, 1981, New York City

Dianna scans the bar through strobe-lit smoke. A haze casts a film on the room’s mirrored walls, hung to give the illusion of space.

“Are you sure this is where you want to be tonight?” Sophia waves her elegant hand through the smoke and lights a cigarette. She feels a pang of guilt for dragging Sophia here. Two decades older, Sophia is more fairy godmother than buddy.

“Sorry,” is all Dianna shouts over the din and shrugs. She catches her stomach sticking out ever so slightly in one of the mirrors and takes a deep breath to pull it in.

“Dianna, I’m afraid I can’t stay much longer,” Sophia says.

Doubting she has the courage to stay here alone, Dianna ponders her options. She looks up at the scum-covered ceiling and asks for inner strength. The subway will close soon, and she has no car.

Then she sees him.

He wears a European suit. An expensive watch with a black face and gold hands glints on his right wrist. Not much taller than she, but wiry, he seems at once exotic and familiar: olive skin graces distinct, proportionate features. His dark hair reminds her of her mother’s, and his graceful stance, her father’s. He moves with a purposeful gait, arms relaxed, head tilted slightly to the right. He seems part of a world she has yet to experience.

The man circles her, moving through the crowd, around chatting couples, each time drawing nearer, until he stands before her, touching her forearm. “Have you seen a woman...?” he begins. Dianna misses the rest of his sentence because of the blaring music, his accent, and the word “woman.” He could be fibbing to make himself appear less threatening. Or maybe he has been stood up. “Look around you,” she says and laughs. “Women everywhere. What did she look like?”

He moves in closer and speaks directly into her ear so she can hear him. Dianna shivers as she catches a whiff of his cologne. Her eyes catch his. With his tailored suit and self-possessed energy, he almost fits right in. Yet his eyes betray him. This man has suffered. She knows all about pretending. She’s hooked. Dianna gazes at the green stone with a pang of pride. She doubts this man wants to hear much about her college days or the job that put her through school. “Yes,” she replies.

 

About the Author

KATHRYN BROWN RAMSPERGER is an award-winning author, editor, and creativity coach. A former National Geographic writer and researcher and humanitarian staff member for the International Red Cross, she has lived and worked in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, regions that deeply inform her storytelling. The Shores of Our Souls is a Foreword Indies finalist and a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Literary Competition. She’s a recipient of the Hollins University Fiction Award.

Having firsthand experience in the places she writes about, Kathryn brings a unique authenticity to her stories, blending rich cultural details with the universal themes of love, redemption, and peace. She studied creative writing at Hollins University, and publications management at George Washington University. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband. They have two adult children, off to their own world adventures, but still parent a feisty feline. Next on their bucket list: Croatia, Portugal, or Tanzania!

Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Goodreads

Instagram

Tiktok

Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/TheShoresofOurSouls

Amazon

Book Blast ~ The Super Seeders by Miles Hillmann

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Miles Hillmann will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Super Seeders is based on first-hand accounts from the scientists, breeders, and curators who have built the seven pillars of today's plant genetics revolution. It begins with the guardians of global gene banks, conserving the rare and diverse crop genes that form agriculture's safety net. From these collections, plant geneticists are now unlocking hidden traits with fast-moving genome technologies, transforming the possibilities of crop improvement.

International research centres and the groundbreaking Plant Treaty have opened the floodgates for the free exchange of genetic material, enabling a new wave of discovery. Crop breeders are translating these breakthroughs into reality, delivering drought-tolerant, disease-resistant, and higher-yielding varieties for farmers.

The book raises a pressing question: will this revolution reach the 70 percent of Africans who still depend on subsistence farming? The answer will shape not only the future of food in Africa, but the future of food security worldwide.

A story of ingenuity and urgency, The Super Seeders captures the hopes and challenges of the women and men driving a genetic transformation of agriculture—and the farmers whose lives depend on its success.

Read an Excerpt

In the cool, rolling hills of southern Ethiopia’s Wolaita Highlands, the sun crested the teff and barley fields and coloured the red soil with long shadows. Selam, widow and mother of four, wrapped her scarf around her tightly and came out into the morning light from her thatched tukul house, her hands clasped around a woven basket.

She headed for the community seed bank, a mud-brick hut just outside the school, amidst the eucalyptus trees. Inside the hut, the scent of dried grain and neem leaves filled the air. Wooden shelves ran around the room, where clay jars and gourd containers were labelled neatly in Amharic: Aba Dula wheat, Dabo barley, Red sorghum of Wando. Each had a history, some passed down from grandparents, others brought by farmers like her.

“Selam, good morning!” said Abebe, the seed bank coordinator and the village elder. His weathered face creased into a smile behind his grey beard. “We’ve just finished processing the new batch of the sorghum seed. Strong stalks. Early maturation. Your father preferred this variety.”

Selam smiled. She remembered sowing that very same red sorghum as a child alongside her parents. It had been gone for years only to reappear thanks to the gene bank.

About the Author: Miles Hillmann is a lifelong entrepreneur with a career that bridges scientific curiosity and hands-on innovation, from his early work at the Kabanyolo Agricultural Research Station in Uganda during Idi Amin's fall to experiencing food shortage and famine in the Ethiopian Central Highlands. His work encompassed everything from agricultural development to building flash flood irrigation food-for-work systems.

His first company developed processes for food industry materials. Concurrently he pioneered real-time organic material analysis. He then created one of the UK's major pollution control companies supplying specialist materials to companies in Europe, Nigeria and the Middle East. This led him to establish companies in e-commerce, accredited pollution control training and flood control.

This book is the story of the scientists, curators, and plant breeders leading this movement, told in their voices, through his lens.

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834188350
Articles: https://superseeders.co.uk/articles-insights/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/70074419.Miles_Hillmann

Book Blitz ~ Deceptive Inheritance - Remnants of the Lost by Jennifer Anne Davis

 

Deceptive Inheritance
Jennifer Anne Davis
(Remnants of the Lost, #1)
Publication date: June 9th 2026
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Laney Lake transfers to Stonemore University with a plan: two years of freedom before real life drags her back home. After a lifetime of overprotective parents and careful rules, she’s determined to finally live by making friends, saying yes more often, and experiencing the things she’s always been told to avoid.

Then Rowan Ward notices her.

To the rest of campus, he’s the rugby captain. He’s charming, confident, and impossible to miss. To himself, he’s a werewolf barely maintaining control. Rowan is the next alpha, bound to a future already chosen for him. His girlfriend is perfect on paper. She’s from a powerful bloodline, unquestioned loyalty, and the one his father expects him to marry. It should be enough.

It isn’t.

Laney pulls at him in a way nothing ever has, stripping control down to instinct and want. He knows he should stay away. Instead, he watches her. Circles her. Fights urges that feel older than reason.

Laney doesn’t know what he’s hiding. She only knows that when he’s near, her body wakes up and she’s warm, restless, and painfully aware of how badly she wants him to touch her. As Laney leans into her stolen freedom and Rowan teeters on the edge of breaking every rule he’s sworn to follow, old laws begin to strain. Because Laney isn’t ordinary. And if Rowan’s world discovers why she matters, choosing her could cost him everything.

She wanted two years of fun.
He was never supposed to want her.
But some instincts don’t care about rules.
And some sparks are born to burn.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

I opened the door, got out, walked around the front of the car, and stood there staring at the empty field before me.

Then I fell to my knees and screamed. It seemed as if something were clawing inside me, begging to be set free. That only frightened me even more.

“What’s going on?” Sarah asked, coming to my side and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “You’re scaring me.”

Tears streamed down my face. It took me a minute before I could answer. “That makes two of us. I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know what I am. My own parents are lying to me.” I’d never been so afraid in all my life.

“What are we going to do?” Sarah asked.

I loved that there was a we in this. It made me feel less alone. “Right now, we’re not going to do anything. We’re still investigating because we don’t have enough information to know how to move forward.”

“Are you going to talk to your mom?”

“Eventually. But not yet. I don’t want either of my parents to know I suspect something.”

“Okay.” Sarah stood and pulled me to my feet.

And then I remembered what Adan had asked about whether my parents were my biological parents. “First, I need to see who I’m living with.”

“This is seriously like something out of a movie,” Sarah said. “Like this is insane.”

I happened to agree with her. It all seemed so surreal, that I was having trouble believing any of it myself. “I’m going to need you to be quiet about it.” We got back in the car. “Don’t talk to anyone about this. Promise me.”

“I promise I won’t say anything.”

I pulled back onto the street and started driving toward my house, wondering who and what I was.

Author Bio:

Jennifer Anne Davis is the bestselling, award-winning author of YA fantasy and NA paranormal romance. She graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. She lives in the San Diego area with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband and their rambunctious, spoiled GSP.

Her three adult children are in college and graduate school. When she’s not writing, Jennifer can be found reading, crocheting, or baking sourdough bread.

Jennifer has always loved writing stories where the stakes are high and the tension is even higher.

Awards:
Cage of Deceit: Winner 2018 Kindle Book Awards
The Key: Finalist 2014 USA Book Awards
The Voice: Finalist 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
The Voice: Winner 2013 San Diego Book Awards

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Bookbub / Instagram / X / Tiktok

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Teaser ~ Pridelands by Jade Buchanan

 

An LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi Paranormal Action Romance

Date Published: June 12, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press

Stranded... on Earth. Thrust together by fate, can these offworlders find a way to connect?

The Pridelands 1: Darren’s Surprise

Darren is looking for his brother, but he ends up finding something a little more alien. Durai has come to claim his mate. He won’t let anything get in his way. Not even Darren.

The Pridelands 2: Zula’s Stand

Jai realizes he’s found two people that complete him. Only, one wants nothing to do with him, and the other claims he’s only interested in women.

The Pridelands 3: Sheer’s Choice

Jai’s sister, Rabi’a, isn’t going to sit down and let any man determine her future. She has claws of her own, and Tigris Sheer Ma’at and Leo Rais Steinsson are about to feel them.

The Pridelands 4: Griffin’s Joy

Griffin and Mazin have finally found a woman who completes them both. All they have to do is seduce her. Easy, right? Not if Joy has her way.

The Pridelands 5: Khalid’s Challenge

Khalid Steinsson and Pran Devan were once deeply in love. It will take something monumental to bring them back together.

The Pridelands 6: Achan’s Peace

Achan’s nightmares won’t let him move forward. Hunter Miles needs to be able to express his love for Achan. Tafa Morn never expected to find two wounded souls that needed his particular brand of care. Now that he has, he doesn’t plan to let them go.

Publisher's Note: The Pridelands Box Set contains the previously released novellas Darren's Surprise, Zula's Stand, Sheer's Choice, Griffin's Joy, Khalid's Challenge, and Achan's Peace.

 

Excerpt from Darren's Surprise

Copyright ©2026 Jade Buchanan

Stifling a yawn with the back of his hand, he surveyed the loft. A bunk bed was sidled up against the wall beside him. A single bedside table was arranged on the side closest to the stairs, nestled between the dresser and the bed. A large area rug was the only decoration in the middle of the room. Across from it, a very small double bed was set up, the covers strewn about as if a wild animal had slept there the night before.

He tensed, spying the results of his late night.

Sheets of formerly white paper littered the floor. Sketches covered the three walls. It appeared as if he'd gone on some drawing binge last night.

Picking up one piece of paper, he studied the drawing. Anthropomorphic cats sprawled along the page. A head here, a hand there, a full body just barely traced out.

The next sheet he picked up had the same theme as the first. On this one he'd focused on an ear, the pointed tip, the hint of fur shading the delicate slope. He'd drawn the ear from the front and back and every other angle he could possibly imagine.

The next sheet portrayed various tails, some rough and some more detailed. There was one covered in crescent shaped spots, and another that had a hint of stripes.

Every sheet he picked up had the same theme. He'd even used up several sheets just drawing eyes. The corners tilted up in amusement, narrowed with heat, wide with surprise.

Turning his attention to the walls, he realized he'd gone into even more detail here. A planet was stretched above his dad's bed, hints of trees and mountains sketched out in minute detail. Around the planet, he'd obviously started and halted several prototypes, because small shadows of round globes circled the larger shape.

He had no idea where he'd gotten this inspiration from, but he wasn't going to complain. It was some of his best work recently. Apparently he only needed to come out to Bumfuck, Nowhere, to get plenty of material for his next project.

The bunk bed wall and the wall by the stairs were covered with various drawings, some of his past work that had been up for years. He'd done that over a decade ago. It'd been so long he barely noticed it anymore.

Darren scratched his belly, looking down at his chest covered only by the freckles he'd cursed since junior high. He was barefoot, his feet peeking out from under the worn and faded jeans. They were a size too large on him -- courtesy of his rebellious teenage years when he'd been in love with a certain rapper/male model. God, that man was gorgeous. Darren sighed in remembrance. He'd jacked off on more than one occasion to pictures of the underwear model.

Hell, at least his own tighty-whiteys weren't showing above the waistband. Come to think of it, he wasn't wearing underwear. His pants were in danger of falling completely off, hanging precariously from his narrow hips. Darren sniffed, trying to remember when he'd last had clean clothes. The jeans he'd originally found in a forgotten cupboard set along the wall beside the stairs. He hadn't realized he'd left clothes behind but he was grateful for it when his previous jeans just about stood up and demanded to be washed.

Making his way down the stairs into the main room of the cabin, he looked around to see what kind of trouble he'd gotten into out here. His dad was going to tear a strip off him. He was still mad about the two walls in the loft, and Darren had done that in his teens.

Directly across from him were more anthropomorphic cats, drawn up and around the front door. Hell, he'd even drawn on the back of the door itself. He was so screwed when his dad saw this.

Cats of every species… some covered in stripes, some in spots, some furry with tufts of fur along their cheeks. The majority of them resembled lions, though, sleek and beautiful cats. With one single big cat front and center dwarfing the others.

Make that cat men, since every one of them was anatomically correct, especially the large lion creature in the center of the wall. He blinked, impressed despite himself. He'd definitely been more than generous when he'd been shading in the cats' nether regions. Good on him, it'd obviously been way too long since he'd been laid.

No way would he get away with that in a movie. Lordy, he still considered himself lucky every time he got a job on another film. The last thing he needed was for some bigwig to see this display and he'd be laughed out of Hollywood for being a perv.

Not that there weren't a fair share of pervs in Hollywood, but he prided himself on being above the rest of the riffraff.

He turned to view the wall to his left, behind the ragged couch. The two windows interrupted the mural, but it was still impressive.

A massive warship sat high within a galaxy of stars. He'd paid special attention to each constellation, meticulously drawing every tiny detail.

This was by far his best work.

The warship was shaded intricately with blue ink, each hatch set apart from the sleek lines of the ship. What appeared to be weapons stood out from the simple style of the rest of the craft, bulging along the sides and at the front. The entire top of the ship was open, the hint of glass reflecting back at him. Shapes were present behind the glass, but he couldn't quite make them out.

"Not bad," he murmured. "A race of alien beings inhabiting a large planet. A ship carrying space explorers from Earth crash lands. Suddenly the cat-like aliens take the humans prisoner, binding them and using them as slaves."

He snorted, laughing at himself.

"Yeah, sounds familiar. Planet of the Apes, anyone? Strike one for Darren. Although it wouldn't be too bad to be used as a sex slave by some of these big guys. Talk about wishful thinking."

 

About the Author

Jade's writing is as eclectic as her reading tastes, with over thirty five erotic romance stories currently published. She has been known to accept writing challenges from friends and family just to see their reactions. Jade is a firm believer that love and romance are universal concepts, no matter a person's gender identity or sexual orientation.

Originally from Northern Ontario, she's lived in British Columbia and the Sultanate of Oman in the Middle East. Jade currently lives in Calgary, Alberta where she's hard at work on her next story. Jade loves to hear from readers!

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