Blog
First in Series books, free on PRIME!
For PRIME members – you can start my two most popular series now for free! THE HOUSE ON BLACKBERRY HILL is the first book in my Jewell Cove series – an inherited mansion holds the secret to Abby’s family history, and a hunky contractor helps her restore both the house and her heart. And SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, first in the Darling VT series, is a book of starting over. Lauren is divorced and moved back to her hometown to run a garden center, and has to confront the boy who brKindle Daily Deal for The House on Blackberry Hill
One day only! Today is a Kindle Daily Deal for THE HOUSE ON BLACKBERRY HILL – it’s on for half price! Get it for just $2.49 today and start the Jewell Cove series.
A family mystery, a ghost from the past, and new-found love will draw readers into this compelling story, first in the Jewell Cove series by NYT Bestselling Author, Donna Alward.
Abby Foster never expected to inherit an old family mansion. Her plan is to refurbish it, put it on the market, and head home to Nova Scotia. But the house—and the dark family secrets hidden within it—catch her in its spell. And before long she’s drawn into the close-knit town of Jewell Cove and falling for her sexy contractor, Tom Arseneault.
Tom hides away in his secluded cottage where he can nurse his grief and broken heart in private. Then Abby arrives in town, and the restoration job at Blackberry Hill is too tempting to resist, much like its determined and beautiful owner. Soon Tom’s heart to begins to thaw…and love comes knocking.
When Abby’s search for the truth leads to dangerous consequences, she realizes Tom isn’t over his broken heart. Will she choose to stay and take a chance on a man still in love with another? Or will she leave Jewell Cove—and heart—behind forever?
Step into the Story Highlights
This month at STEP INTO THE STORY we chatted about some fabulous books! To catch up on our highlights:
Our Book of the Month Book Chat was THE PHOENIX CROWN – check out our discussion on YouTube.
On March 26, Sara Ackerman joined us for our Featured Author Interview to talk about her latest release, THE UNCHARTED FLIGHT OF OLIVIA WEST. Sara was utterly lovely and you can watch our broadcast here.
I did a One-Minute Review of FAST GIRLS by Elise Hooper on Facebook – this title is part of our 2024 Reading Challenge and it was lovely!
And Barb highlighted CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS, the new book by Denny S Bryce and Eliza Knight about the friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe.
For more fun content including cover reveals, history snippets, and lots of book chat, join our Step Into The Story Facebook group. You can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel – subscribe to get our bi-monthly features!
Reissue: A Cadence Creek Christmas
A Cadence Creek Christmas is reissued today, which means all 6 of the Cadence Creek stories are now republished! It’s available for kindle and in paperback at https://amzn.to/4c9DMF7.
The final three Cadence Creek stories feature the Shepard siblings, and this is Taylor’s story…
*
Come to Cadence Creek for the wedding of the season…
Event Planner Taylor Shepard makes a point of not organizing Christmas weddings, but she can’t turn down her brother’s request for her first-class services. She leaves her home of Vancouver behind and journeys to Cadence Creek to plan the big event and finds herself falling for the small town’s holiday charm. It doesn’t help that she keeps running into reticent rancher and reluctant groomsman Rhys Bullock—not her type at all. So why can’t she stop thinking about him?
Rhys has seen Taylor’s type before. The bossy city girl will plan the wedding, take in the scenery, and high-tail it back to the west coast as soon as the holiday is over. But as the Christmas spirit begins to take over the town, he glimpses a side of her he never expected. The connection between them is surprising and strong, an unexpected gift Rhys never knew he needed. But how can their romance last beyond the season, when their lives are so far apart?
*
I don’t know about you, but I actually love reading holiday stories when it’s NOT the season – so go ahead and grab this one now for some feel good romance!
Get Ready to Rumble!
Fun news from The Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia – and me!
On March 21, two teams of 6 Nova Scotia authors will compete to “chain-write” two short stories, each author writing up to 300 words before passing on the keyboard – including me, on the Plot Thickeners team!
Hosted at Propeller Brewing Co. (2015 Gottingen St., Halifax), the event will include both the public writing rumble (2:00pm to 6:30pm) and a reading of the competing stories (6:45pm). The event is free to attend, with in-person donations accepted.
Sponsorships of individual rumblers are accepted until the event concludes. This is a major fundraising event for the Writer’s Fed, with proceeds going to fund the Charles R Saunders Prize: One prize ($1,000 cash and a $3,000-value 5-month literary mentorship through the Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program) is awarded each year to an emerging writer with an in-progress work in speculative fiction or in nonfiction that shows promise and career-advancing merit. Priority is given to writers from marginalized communities, including but not limited to writers marginalized on the basis of ability, disability, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality.
And there are PERKS for sponsoring your favourite rumbler! Each person who sponsors me will be able to choose a book from my backlist (ebook only)!
And the Writer’s Federation also offers prizes which are cumulative:
- $15 (a charitable tax receipt in the amount of your donation),
- $25 (a digital copy of the two teams’ stories),
- $50 (a copy of Omnibus: Five Years of Poetry in Motion)
- $75 (a WFNS Notebook Set), and
- $100 (a chance of having your name used in your sponsored team’s story).
I would be THRILLED to have your support! You can sponsor me here by choosing The Plot Thickeners for team and then my name from the Rumbler drop down! Thank you so much!
Start these series with Prime Reading!
Are you an Amazon Prime member? If so, you can get the first book in both my Jewell Cove and Darling VT series in the Prime Reading program!
The House on Blackberry Hill: A family mystery, a ghost from the past, and new-found love will draw readers into this compelling story, first in the Jewell Cove series. When Abby Foster inherits the Maine mansion, she also inherits a family secret and meets her match in the sexy contractor she hires to rehab the house. https://amzn.to/4aag4Xy
Somebody Like You: Come home to Darling, VT, and a heartwarming series opener! Aiden Gallagher broke Laurel Stone’s heart back in high school. Now she’s back in Darling following a divorce and determined to start over, only to discover that the sexy cop still holds a piece of her heart. https://amzn.to/3PgGKOh
Limited time sale on The Cowboy’s Code
I’m gearing up for the release of the last Cadence Creek miniseries title, and I thought what better way to celebrate than to offer a Kindle Countdown deal?
From March 1-7, readers in the US and UK can get the first book in the Cadence Creek series for just 99 cents! THE COWBOY’S CODE features a sexy as sin rancher, a strong, stubborn social worker, and a cause close to both of their hearts…
He’ll do anything to protect the ones he loves…
Social worker Angela Beck has too much to do to wait around for a cowboy who’s all charm and little substance. Setting up her women’s shelter means everything to her. Trouble is, she needs the support of Sam Diamond and his family to get the project off the ground. And that means working together…
Sam has always loved a challenge, and the sharp-tongued Angela has him on his toes. As they work together to make the shelter a reality, he discovers the warm, vibrant woman beneath the efficient exterior. She might just be the kind of woman he’s been waiting for…
But trusting doesn’t come easily to Angela—she’s learned to count on herself and not lean on others, especially the sexy rancher with a protective streak. When Angela’s painful past resurfaces, Sam knows it’s time for him to step up and be the man she needs—and hopefully win her heart.
SOMEBODY LIKE YOU is in Prime Reading
Hey all – just dropping by with a note to let you all know that SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, the first book in my Darling VT series, is still available in Prime Reading! If you are a Prime member, you can read this book for free on your kindle (or in the kindle app!)
Come home to Darling, VT, and a heartwarming series by New York Times Bestselling Author, Donna Alward!
You can go home again…
After a heartbreaking divorce, Laurel Stone returns to Darling looking for a do-over. She’s certainly not searching for romance, especially from Aiden Gallagher, the boy who broke her heart in high school. She’s happy to focus on her new business, until a theft sends Aiden – now a cop – to her doorstep.
Aiden’s left his teenage hellion years in the rear-view mirror, and he wishes more than anything to have a second chance with Laurel. But she’s understandably cautious, even as the chemistry still sizzles between them whenever their paths cross.
When Laurel’s new employee, a homeless veteran, is assaulted, the two must unite to find his assailant. The barriers between them tumble one by one, until Aiden comes up with a plan to give Laurel what she’s always secretly dreamed of. But can Laurel move beyond the hurts of the past to embrace a new future?
Release week thank you!
Thank you so much for helping me celebrate release week for PROMISE AT REFUGE POINT! I’m thrilled with the response so far and so happy this book is finally out in the world.
There have already been some great reader reviews:
“Donna Alward’s story skillfully and realistically illustrates how two insecure and lonely characters gradually begin to rely on each other and eventually fall completely in love. This story is so emotional and eloquent that I must admit that I used a few tissues while I was reading it. Readers will fall in love with these two intelligent, independent and extremely sensitive characters! I highly recommend this book!” – Lisa, Goodreads
“Great love story…” Susan, Amazon reader
And because this *is* the last book in the series:
“A wonderful end to a series of founding fathers, intrigue, mystery, and romance in a small town.” – Moira, Goodreads
Promise at Refuge Point is out today!
Is there any better way to spend Valentine’s Day than with a fantastic romance novel? It sure seemed like the perfect time to release one, and today PROMISE AT REFUGE POINT – the final book in my Jewell Cove series – hits the shelves! It’s available in ebook and paperback, and also for free in the Kindle Unlimited plan from Amazon.
I have LOVED writing this series, starting with THE HOUSE ON BLACKBERRY HILL. When I started it, I did all the initial worldbuilding for the town of Jewell Cove along Maine’s midcoast. I wanted the landscape to be similar to Nova Scotia’s south shore (which is one of my fave spots!) and I modeled it on two towns that I kind of blended together – Mahone Bay and Lunenburg. At the center of that first book was also a gorgeous (yet neglected) mansion that I modeled on two museums here in Nova Scotia: Prescott House in Starr’s Point, and Uniacke House in Mount Uniacke. Throughout the books, the images of the house, the waterfront, the sparkling bay and the quaint shops along the Main Street… they gave me so much joy and comfort. I love that cozy small-town feel!
Of course that often comes with a side of “everyone knows everyone else’s business” so….
You can BUY (yay!) it right now at Amazon and read it for free in Kindle Unlimited, or order the paperback from your favorite vendor in a few days’ time, once vendors have populated their titles!