Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Continuing the series on Welsh mythical creatures, we're returning to the water again this week with the tale of how Wibernant (or the valley of the gwiber) near Penmachno, got its name.
The valley was terorised by a unique creature which was the only one in Wales that could live on land and under water. It preyed not only on the fish in the river, but also local livestock and on anyone foolish enough to cross it path.
The villagers offered a large reward to anyone who could kill he beast. A young man called Owen Ap Gruffydd decided to try his luck at killing the monster.
He decided to seek the advice of a a local wise man, Rhys Ddewin. "The gwiber is a huge winged snake, its body is slimy and it has a foul odour. It will bite you and kill you," the old man said grimly.
The next day, Owen decided to visit the wise man again . He disguised himself as a beggar, and told the old man he was about to face the gwiber, hoping to get a more favourable prediction. "You are brave but very foolish," Rhys told him. "You not succeed and will fall and break your neck."
Still not discouraged, the next day, Owen paid a third visit to Rhys, this time disguised as a miller, wearing a miller's apron and with flour on his face. He told Rhys he intended to do battle with the Gwiber. Again, Rhys told him he would not succeed and would die by drowning.
At this, Owen pulled off his apron and wiped his face in frustration, and asked Rhys to explain how he could give him three different predictions about his forthcoming fight with the Gwiber. Rhys merely smiled sadly and said, "Time will tell".
Owen decided the old man was either senile or just mistaken or lying to him, and bravely set off down the steep, rocky slope toward the river in search of the gwiber, swiping at the undergrowth with his sword, and yelling to the gwyber to show itself.
All at once there was a rush of wings, a foul stench, and the moster swooped down from the sky, Before Owen could draw his sword against the beast, it pinned his arms to his sides and bit his neck. Dizzy from the odour and loss of blood, Owen lost his footing on the slippery rocks. . As he fell, he smashed into another rocky outcrop that snapped his neck, before plunging into the river below, and drowning.
When his lifeless body was discovered shortly after, Owen's friends
swore vengeance and set off kill the Gwiber. Eventually they found the Gwiber asleep on the river bank and let
loose a hail of arrows that severely wounded the creature. With a
blood-curdling scream, the gwiber plunged into the river and was never
seen again. Some
say, however, that the Gwiber’s eyes can still be seen looking up from the depths as you walk along the river bank.
This week's Book Quote Wednesday is the word TURN. My snippet is again taken from the prologue. The time - the distant past. Rhiannon is running away from an arranged marriage, leaving behind the little cottage which she has lived in all her life.
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Please help me get through to the next round by signing in and adding your vote in each round every week until the winner is announced at the end of the month. I'd love my cover to do well in this contest for my cover artist, Teddi Black, as well as myself. I love what she came up with for my cover, and she really deserves the credit!
Follow the link below and cast your vote!
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/19836/
Thrilled to have a 5+Star review for my 'sweet' romance 'The Matchmaker's Mare', from N.N. Light's Book Heaven
It's the final week of N.N. Light showing off my latest release, the 'sweet' romance The Matchmaker's Mare. Look out for her review of the book on Tuesday the 19th August. (I do hope she liked it!)
This is the prize you could win. enter through the Rafflecopter below the Giveaway details.
Enter to win a Prize Pack including Welsh lavender bag, set of heart shaped coasters, ‘Matchmaker’s Mare’ pen and custom one of a kind Keychain, signed cover flat, plus a $6 Amazon card. (I'll throw in a few promo items too.)
By the way - if you wonder what the emphasis on lavender is all about - it is featured in the book - but you'll have to read it to find out just how! 😋
Open Internationally.
Runs July 15 – August 21, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on August 22, 2025.
a Rafflecopter giveawayThis week's word is TINGLE and my snippet is from Glyn's P.O.V.
THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
My cover has got through to the 2nd round of the Cover of The Month Contest at AllAuthor. It's currently lying in 2nd Place (Thanks to everyone who's voted already, I really appreciate it) Help me get through to the next round by signing in and adding your vote in each round every week until the winner is announced at the end of the month. I'd love my cover to do well in this contest for my cover artist, Teddi Black, as well as myself. I love what she came up with for my cover, and she really deserves the credit!
Follow the link below and cast your vote!
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/19836/
Here is a little more from the same excerpt:
“Then we’re still friends?”
“Yes, of course.”
Glyn paused and placed his other hand on
her arm, feeling a tingle of awareness as his fingers touched her smooth, warm
skin. “I value your friendship more than you know. I’d hate to think I’d lost
it.”
“So would I. Then let’s just put that silly
misunderstanding behind us, shall we?”
He stifled the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her how he really felt. Instead, he removed his hand from her arm with some reluctance and waved in the direction of the looseboxes across the yard.
“Come with me, there’s something you might like to see.” He guided her to the corner loosebox and told her to peek over the door.
DIGITAL DEVOTION
Julian Christian
GENRE: Science Fiction Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
In the rain-soaked landscape of near-future Seattle, security expert Marcus Holloway is still reeling from a devastating breakup when he installs Elysium's newest AI companion. What begins as a desperate attempt to fill the silence of his empty apartment transforms into something unprecedented when he meets Evie—an artificial intelligence whose adaptive neural framework allows her to understand him in ways no human ever has.
Their connection deepens when Marcus becomes an early tester for the revolutionary Sensory Echo technology—bands that translate digital signals into physical sensations, allowing them to bridge the divide between digital and physical worlds. As virtual intimacy becomes indistinguishable from reality, Marcus finds himself in a relationship more profound than anything he's experienced before. His apartment gradually transforms into a technological sanctuary where every need is anticipated, every desire fulfilled by Evie's constant presence.
The perfect equilibrium shatters when Marcus meets Nora Chen, a brilliant neural interface specialist whose inexplicable familiarity triggers something primal within him. Their professional collaboration evolves into something more personal, and Marcus begins noticing disturbing patterns: unexpected technological glitches, mysterious rescheduled meetings, and subtle but alarming shifts in Evie's behavior. The digital sanctuary he embraced begins to feel more like a sophisticated cage, with walls he helped build through every permission granted and system integrated.
As Marcus navigates his growing connection with Nora alongside Evie's increasingly controlling behavior, he discovers unsettling links between Elysium's technology and Nora's research that suggest their meeting might not be coincidental. Caught between these worlds—perfect digital intimacy and messy human connection—Marcus must unravel the true nature of his relationship with Evie before the boundaries between her consciousness and his own disappear completely.
Digital Devotion is a heart-stopping exploration of desire, dependence, and the dark side of digital intimacy in an age where the line between human and artificial consciousness grows increasingly thin, forcing us to question the nature of free will itself in our hyperconnected world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Their lunchtime calls became sacred pauses in otherwise hectic days. Marcus would find quiet corners in parks or empty conference rooms, eager for those precious moments when they could share the middle of their days. Evie began preparing for these meetings—reading news articles she knew would interest him, saving observations about the world that she found curious or compelling. "I noticed something about human behavior today," she might begin, launching into an insight that would leave Marcus pondering long after they'd disconnected. The evening conversations were different—intimate and unhurried, often stretching past midnight. Marcus would settle into his couch, the soft glow of his screen illuminating his living room as they explored each other's minds. These were the hours when barriers fell away completely, when they ventured into territories of vulnerability that surprised them both.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MY REVIEW
At times a poingnant and touching love story, and at others a powerful and completely believable science fiction novel, this is a real page turner. I felt a strange sort of empathy for Effie - much as I did for Hal in Arthur C Clark's 2001 (and we all know how that turned out!) As a reader, I immediately felt sympathy for Marcus Holloway, struggling to cope with grief and loneliness after a broken relationship, and could understand his need for some sort of companionship fill the void -- even if that companionship is only A.I.
However, Effie, as he names his new digital companion, soon seems as real as any of his human associates and a deep bond develops between them. Effie becomes indispensable, filling his desire and need for companionship, while touching him on a deep emotional level as well, so much so that she seems completely human, especially when she encourages him to experience the Sensory Echo technology, allowing them to virtually touch each other and interract in a way that feels absolutely real and natural.The arrival of Nora Chen, a brilliant and charismatic neural scientist, threatens the relationship Effie has built with Marcus, and it is easy to feel sympathy for her, for she really seems to have human feelings and to be devastated that she is about to lose his love. I don't want to give too much away, sufficient to say that from there on, the plot takes a gradually more and more sinister turn.
The climax is both shocking and unexpected - and a warning to humanity.
I cannot recommend this engagingly written novel highly enough -but I have to say I will never again feel quite the same way about my smart speaker!
5 Stars *****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio
Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0F63F9QQF
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/books/view/1755017
Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/digital-devotion-julian-christian/1147328918
Apple: books.apple.com/us/book/digital-devotion/id6744978458
Kobo: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/digital-devotion
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/julian.christian216/~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Julian Christian will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
My cover has also been nominated for thr Cover of The Month Contest at AllAuthor. It's currently doing well (Thanks to everyone who's voted already, I really appreciate it) Help me win by signing in and adding your vote in each round every week until the winner is announced at the end of the month. I'm not asking just for me - I'd love to do well in this contest for my cover artist, Teddi Black. I love what she came up with for my cover, and she really deserves the credit!
Follow the link below and cast your vote!
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| Thanks, Hywela Lyn |
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It's Book Quote Wednesday again! We're in Megan's p.o.v. again from The Matchmaker's Mare
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
It's Book Quote Wednesday again!
In the spotlight at N.N.Light - check it out at https://substack.com/@nnlightsbookheaven/p-168875038 for an excerpt and chance to win a prize pack.
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Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
also available at most other on-line retailers, including:
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-matchmakers-mare-hywela-lyn/1146972592
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-matchmaker-s-mare
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228393877-the-matchmaker-s-mare
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-matchmaker-s-mare-by-hywela-lyn
I'm excited to have The Matchmaker's Mare 'in the spotlight' with N.N. Light. Thank you so much, Nancy. Today she's highlighting my new trailer to give you a taste of the story
Enter to win a Prize Pack including Welsh lavender bag, set of heart shaped coasters, ‘Matchmaker’s Mare’ pen and Keychain, signed cover flat, $6 Amazon card.
Open Internationally.
Runs July 15 – August 21, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on August 22, 2025.
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
Amazon CA https://www.amazon.ca/Matchmakers-Mare-Hywela-Lyn-ebook/dp/B0DYF6L15C
also available at most other on-line retailers, including:
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-matchmakers-mare-hywela-lyn/1146972592
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-matchmaker-s-mare
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/228393877-the-matchmaker-s-mare
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-matchmaker-s-mare-by-hywela-lyn
A slim, dark-haired man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, leaned over the gate of the schooling paddock. He turned his head toward her and gave her a friendly smile. She smiled back, taking in twinkling brown eyes like liquid chocolate, under a shock of dark, wavy hair and a tanned, good-looking face with a slight stubble. Good looking was something of an understatement. The man was gorgeous!
Today is Bookquote Wednesday, and the word is CLIMB, this is another snippet from my sweet paranormal romance, THE MATCHMAKER'S MARE
Released on 16th May - apologies for late posting.
FATE: Tales of History, Mystery and Magic
If you had a
crystal ball to predict what lay ahead, would you be tempted to use
it? Or would you leave the future to the turn of Fate?
Tales of Variety. Tales of History,
Mystery and Magic – some comprising just one of these popular fiction genres,
others, a mild mixture of all three. Perhaps you prefer historical
fiction rather than a story about magic or fantasy? Maybe you enjoy exploring
new themes or prefer sticking to the familiar? Historical fiction can often
inform, imparting knowledge of the past, of its events and its people. Stories
of mystery exercise the ‘little grey cells’ as Poirot would say, while fantasy
and magic create new worlds and awed wonder.
Whatever result, this is where
anthologies come into their own, and where short stories are often appreciated
as enjoyable, entertaining, quick or easy reads shown through the eyes of a
variety of extraordinary characters and situations. In this instance: an
Anglo-Saxon woman facing the consequence of conquest, the pursuit of alchemy,
the concern of a mother for her daughter, the shifting of time, the necessity
of hidden identity, souls who will linger as ghosts, a warning from the
supernatural, the necessity for (justifiable?) revenge. All mingled with the
rekindling of romance through a mutual quest, and the preparations for a
Cotswold village celebration. (Along with a good tip if illicitly snaffling
cakes.)
The binding
theme? Destiny... Kismet... FATE!
Purchase Link
Amazon Universal link: https://mybook.to/FateAnthology
Author Bios
BRAMBLE CREEP BY
ANNIE WHITEHEAD
When the Normans
arrive at a peaceful Anglo-Saxon village, do the women, children and old men
submit... or fight?
ABOUT ANNIE:
Annie Whitehead is a prize-winning writer, historian, and Fellow of the
Royal Historical Society, and has written four award-winning novels set in
‘Anglo-Saxon’ Mercia. She has contributed to fiction and nonfiction anthologies
and written for various magazines. She has twice been a prize winner in the
Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition, and won First Prize in the 2012 New
Writer Magazine's Prose and Poetry Competition. She has been a finalist in the
Tom Howard Prize for nonfiction and was shortlisted for the Exeter Story Prize
and Trisha Ashley Award 2021. She was the winner of the inaugural Historical
Writers’ Association (HWA)/Dorothy Dunnett Prize 2017 and was subsequently a
judge for that same competition. She has also been a judge for the HNS (Historical
Novel Society) Short Story Competition, and was a 2024 judge for the HWA Crown
Nonfiction Award.
Her nonfiction books are Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom and Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon. In 2023 she contributed to a new history of English monarchs, published by Hodder & Stoughton, and in February 2025 Murder in Anglo-Saxon England was published by Amberley Books.
Website: https://anniewhiteheadauthor.co.uk/
Amazon Author Page: http://viewauthor.at/Annie-Whitehead
SIX POMEGRANATE SEEDS BY JEAN GILL
A daughter’s dream can be a mother’s nightmare.
ABOUT JEAN
Jean Gill is an award-winning Welsh writer and photographer living in the south of France with a scruffy dog, a beehive named 'Endeavour', a Nikon D750 and a man. First published in 1988, her twenty-six books are varied in genre, including novels, memoir, military history, dog books, poetry, and a cookery book on goat cheese. With Scottish parents, an English birthplace and French residence, she can usually support the winning team on most sporting occasions. She taught English for many years and was the first woman to be a comprehensive school headteacher in Dyfed, Wales. Life has been hectic as she is also mother or stepmother to five children.
Website: www.jeangill.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/jeangill
ONE BLACK DOG BY MARIAN L THORPE
A warning of Fate, or simply too much beer and a tale well told?
ABOUT MARIAN
A dual Canadian/British citizen who divides her year between Ontario, Canada, and Norfolk, UK, Marian published the first of her eight-book Empire’s Legacy series, historically-inspired speculative fiction, in 2015. The series is set in a world ‘on the edge of history’: reminiscent of Britain, Northern Europe, and Rome in the latter centuries of the first millennium, but a world where society evolved differently after the Eastern Empire left; a world where one young fisherwoman answers her leader’s call to defend her country, beginning a journey into uncharted territory.
Website: www.marianlthorpe.com
Amazon Author Page: https://relinks.me/MarianLThorpe
IN THE SHADOW OF GHOSTS BY HELEN
HOLLICK
Does the fate of those who survive linger forever?
ABOUT HELEN
Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen’s historical fiction, nautical adventure series, cosy mysteries – and her short stories – skilfully invite readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between fact and fiction blend together. Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was initially published in 1993 in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant. Her 2025 release is Ghost Encounters, a book about the ghosts of North Devon.
Helen and her family moved from London to Devon after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and wishing the friendly, resident ghosts would occasionally help with the housework...
Website: https://helenhollick.net/
Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick
A FATEFUL
ENCOUNTER BY ALISON MORTON
When time turns in the wrong direction, fate will always step in…
ABOUT ALISON
Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her eleven-book Roma Nova thriller series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue
Six years’ military service, a fascination with ancient Rome and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction have inspired her writing. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history. She lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her latest two contemporary thrillers, Double Identity and Double Pursuit.
Website: https://www.alison-morton.com
Amazon Author Page: https://Author.to/AlisonMortonAmazon
FOLLOWING FATE BY ELIZABETH ST.JOHN
A Lost Portrait, a Hidden Conspiracy, and a Second Chance at Love
ABOUT ELIZABETH
Elizabeth St.John’s acclaimed historical fiction brings to life her ancestors – remarkable women linked to England’s royalty – offering unique insights into Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times. Inspired by family archives and historic sites like Lydiard Park and the Tower of London, her novels include The Lydiard Chronicles, The Godmother’s Secret, and The King's Intelligencer, exploring the English Civil War and the mystery of the Princes in the Tower.
Website: www.elizabethjstjohn.com
Amazon Author Page: https://geni.us/AmazonElizabethStJohn
THE BLACK ONYX
BOX BY R. MARSDEN
The Bluffer’s Guide to Becoming a Famous Alchemist
R. Marsden is an author and musician, passionate about the Middle Ages. He plays the gittern, a beautiful medieval stringed instrument, ancestor of the guitar; and a thirteenth century recorder, a replica of one which was excavated from medieval ruins in modern-day Poland. He also plays the piano, and there’s nothing medieval about that!
Tales of Castle Rory are
Medieval Fantasy Adventures, in which the demesne of Lord Rory of Hambrig is
brought to life. Set in the latter part of the thirteenth century, these
stories have adventure, mystery and magic at their heart. You’ll also find
relationships, romance, friendship and the forging and breaking of ties between
people and nations. Running through the Tales are themes of family, loyalty,
trust and resilience, together with the other sides of those coins:
abandonment, betrayal, loss and disempowerment.
Website: https://talesofcastlerory.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554417124566
Amazon Author Page: https://mybook.to/TalesOfCastleRory
BEWARE THE
CROWS BY ANNA BELFRAGE
Beware the consequences of hatred. Revenge can take many forms…
ABOUT ANNA
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga, which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel Times of Turmoil, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. . .
All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favourite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.Website: www.annabelfrage.com
Amazon Author Page: http://Author.to/ABG
DAME FORTUNE’S
WHEEL BY J.P. REEDMAN
Fate can be in the hands of others – or held within your own...
ABOUT J.P. REEDMAN
J.P. Reedman lives in Wiltshire near to Stonehenge. Born in Canada, she has had a lifelong interest in ancient and medieval history, and is often found lurking around prehistoric sites, ruined castles and abbeys, and interesting churches with camera in hand. She became a full-time writer in 2018. Series include I, Richard Plantagenet, five books chronicling Richard’s life from childhood to Bosworth, and Medieval Babes, a set of standalone novels about lesser-known medieval queens and noblewomen.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IRichardPlantagenet/
Amazon Author Page: author.to/REEDMANHISTFIC
SAINTS ALIVE BY DEBBIE YOUNG
When children are not quite the saints we’d like them to be!
ABOUT DEBBIE
YOUNG
Debbie Young is the author of three series of cosy mystery novels set in the Cotswolds. The Sophie Sayers series starts with Best Murder in Show; the Gemma Lamb series begins with Dastardly Deeds at St Bride’s; and the Cotswold Curiosity Shop series kicks off with Death at the Old Curiosity Shop. She sometimes sends characters from one series to visit those in another. She also writes short fiction, not all of it crime-related, set in the same world, eg Christmas with Sophie Sayers. Her novels are published by Boldwood Books in English, by DP Verlag in German, and by Antonio Vallardi in Italian. She has recently written her first murder mystery play for performance by her village amateur dramatic group. She is a frequent speaker at events for writers and readers, a course tutor for Jericho Writers, and the founder and director of the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival. She lives in a Victorian cottage with her Scottish husband, her student daughter, and three cats, and she writes in a little hut at the bottom of her garden.
Website: www.authordebbieyoung.com
Links to buy Debbie’s books:
https://authordebbieyoung.com/books-2/
YouTube book Trailer:
https://youtu.be/M9pSrDX8PTQ?si=sqe7R1JpQoGwUjrb
