Blog Tour: SWEPT AWAY by Jo A. Hiestand

SWEPT AWAY

by Jo A. Hiestand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Dan Winter asks his friend, former police detective Michael McLaren, to discover what happened to his wife, Ellie, who disappeared on the third day of the couple's holiday on Bow Island. Dan thinks she was swept away by rough ocean waves. Perhaps, but after three weeks there is no sign of her, alive or dead.

McLaren's inquiry seems to be going along swimmingly until the police suspect Dan of killing Ellie and hiding her body. Now McLaren has to dive deeper for the truth. Was Ellie really swept away or did she disappear of her own volition, perhaps helped by a wildlife expert who knows all the hiding place on the island? Or there's the Chaucer-spouting war veteran who seems eager to help with anything. Or did Dan actually murder her?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt Three:

"What do you think happened to Ellie? I suppose she was killed. I mean, with the sea it would be easy to...dispose of her body, wouldn't it? I heard Bow Island is desolate in spots." Melanie stared at McLaren, her face still holding its color, so there was no sign she would shy from the truth.

McLaren stretched again and grabbed her hand. His hand easily enveloped hers, and he held it as he answered her question. "I don't know how anyone's ever going to discover the truth, if I'm honest with you. I think there are four choices for the outcome. Pick your favorite, and it has as good a chance of being the right closing to her disappearance as any of the other options."

She nodded, waiting quietly.

"In no particular order and giving no weight to any of the scenarios, these are my ideas at the moment. One. She was accidentally swept into the sea and she drowned. Her body might wash ashore later, but until it does..." He stopped as he recalled Scott Forsyth's recitation about bodies, and swallowed before continuing. "Two. She met someone—a friend or one of her potential lovers, doesn't matter which—and was killed accidentally, and the person panicked and rolled her into the sea. Three. She met someone, and this someone murdered her on purpose for whatever reason. Could be robbery. Or there is the fourth choice. She left of her own volition and is living away from Dan, either living alone or with someone."  Quiet crept into the room again as the words hung in the air. "Does this help or just complicate the situation, knowing what might have happened to her?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes a British mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries) and a Missouri-based cozy mystery series (Cookies & Kilts Mysteries) that is grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots out of scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.

Book DNA: https://shepherd.com/best-books/closed-circle-mystery

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jo-a-hiestand

Booklisti: https://booklisti.com/johiestand

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritishandUS/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AnglophileJo

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/joahiestand

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/JoHiestand

Website: http://www.johiestand.com

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MysteryAuthorinSTL

Trade Paper - Amazon: bit.ly/3Z7ee6i

Hard Cover – Amazon: bit.ly/4tjqQVR

Ebook -

Amazon: bit.ly/3Mefrps

B&N: bit.ly/4tgXZl4

BookBub: bit.ly/3O2SfLB

Kobo: bit.ly/4c1Lu6y

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Jo Hiestand will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

Blog Tour: My Friends and I Spot series by Thuan Doan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. T.X. Troan 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.

Perfect for curious minds and sharp eyes, these interactive puzzle picture books encourage creativity and exploration while fostering a love of reading. Can you and your friends find everything that lurks in these places? Get ready for unforgettable adventures filled with magic, mystery, and a whole lot of fun!

Fantasyland (Book 1) Blurb:

Join Evan and Page on an enchanting adventure in My Friends and I Spot Fantasyland: A Puzzle Picture Book! From creepy spiders lurking in shadowy corners to shimmering butterflies fluttering through sunlit glades, this captivating search-and-find journey invites readers of all ages to step into a vibrant world brimming with delightful surprises and mysterious wonders.

Perfect for curious minds and sharp eyes, this interactive puzzle picture book encourages creativity and exploration while fostering a love of reading. Can you and your friends find everything that lurks in this place? Get ready for an unforgettable adventure filled with magic, mystery, and a whole lot of fun!

Review of MY FRIENDS AND I SPOT: FANTASYLAND 

Another fun activity book for kids! Can you find all the items on the list? If you enjoyed Highlights for Kids, you will love these picture search puzzles. Loved the colorful illustrations. A great way to keep kids entertained!

 

Rating: 5 stars

Time Travel (Book 2) Blurb:

Embark on an exhilarating journey with Jason and Mary as they navigate through unexpected challenges and captivating experiences.

This children's book combines fun dialogues with engaging search-and-find illustrations to offer young readers an exciting exploration of imagination and adventure throughout various periods and places in time. Each page will not only encourage reading but also develop observation skills and spark curiosity about history, science fiction, and the ocean's mysteries.

Review of MY FRIENDS AND I SPOT: TIME TRAVEL 

Can you spot all the items on the time travel list? I liked the colorful illustrations. The gravestone scene was the best. A fun puzzle book for kids! This book will take them places.

Rating: 5 stars

About the Author:

Thuan Doan is an award-winning author of the Sophia Freeman series. He conceived his first middle-grade fantasy novel, Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain, during a trip to Gabriola Island, British Columbia in the summer of 2013. Then he took his work and settled in a small town of Enderby, where it’s peaceful and quiet.

Thuan is writing under a pen name of T.X. Troan. “X” stands for Xu, his grandmother’s name who passed away. And “Troan” is a combination of his parents' names.

“No matter how this turns out, I want my family to be a part of this wonderful journey.”

Website: http://www.txtroan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TXTroan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/txtroan/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18815756.T_X_Troan

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07ML3W2WW/allbooks
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/T.X.%20Troan%20My%20friends%20and%20I%20spot
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/browse/0?facet=brand:T+X+Troan
BookShop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/my-friends-and-i-spot-fantasyland-a-puzzle-picture-book/e050b9b6fdb1d79a

Blog Tour: LAST BITE by Amy S. Peele

Contemporary/Women's/Romance

Date Published: 02-24-2026

Publisher: She Writes Press

A mouth-watering home run of a beach read, this lighthearted romantic comedy featuring a newly widowed fortysomething takes the reader on a joyful romp through-out some of Chicago’s finest eateries—with a dash of Cubs baseball on the side.

In the heart of Chicago, forty-five-year-old Angie Sortino finds herself at a crossroads. Recently widowed, she discovers that her deceased husband, Vinnie, has left her penniless, and she is forced to take a job at Chicago City Hall as a cleaning woman until Vinnie’s City pension can be cleared up. Then her spirited twenty-two-year-old niece, Gina Paloni, and her best friend Kim Yang, approach her with a dream of starting a catering company targeting funeral parlors—and Angie sees a chance to reawaken her own culinary aspirations.

As the three women embark on this new venture, they face the challenges of the catering business, from securing clients to perfecting their menu. Angie and Gina’s love for the Chicago Cubs adds a playful twist to their journey, as they often find inspiration in the vibrant atmosphere of Wrigley Field. Gina’s youthful enthusiasm contrasts with Angie’s cautious nature, leading to hilarious mishaps, unexpected romantic encounters, and heartfelt moments.

Through late-night brainstorming sessions and spontaneous cooking experiments, Angie begins to find her voice, both in the kitchen and in her life. With the support of a respected funeral director, Gina and Kim, and an unexpected new love interest, Angie learns to embrace her worth and pursue happiness.

About the Author

Amy S. Peele, is the author of Cut, Match, and Hold, medical mysteries with a mission and a side of humor. Her books have won the NYC Big Book Award, Chanticleer International Book Awards, IPPY, Independent Press Awards, and more. Before becoming a writer, Amy enjoyed a fascinating thirty-five-year career in the organ transplant. She also studied improv at Second City Players workshop for a year. She is, and will always be, a die-hard Cubs fan. You can find out more about her by visiting www. amyspeele.com. Amy resides in Novato, California, with her husband, Mark Schatz, and their loyal dog, Rusty.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Blog

Instagram

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Bookshop

Blog Tour: STRINGS by Jan Merritt

Contemporary Romance, Romantic Drama, Women’s Fiction

Date Published: 11-21-2025

With a national lockdown looming, a Southern journalist flees north, determined to jumpstart her career in the safety of a Minnesota wilderness, feisty and wary of entanglements, she piques the interest of a bored Native American rock star.

A pandemic is spreading across the globe. A national lockdown looms in the United States. A Southern journalist sees a chance to protect her health and jumpstart her career by escaping north to a Minnesota wilderness. Feisty and wary of entanglement, she piques the interest of a bored Native American rock star on his way home.

Robby Song’s career may be on hold, but Grace Wheeler is on a mission to build hers. To Robby, she’s an intriguing challenge. To Grace, he’s a distraction she’s not ready to handle. But the brutal Northwoods winter is coming. Grace flees back south . . . to soul-searching isolation and a puzzling middle-of-the-night call.

 

About the Author

Jan Merritt is passionate about teaching both in the classroom and on horses, but brain cancer changed her life. Surgeries and treatments have left her with a new brain, one that does not have skills to teach middle school English or balance to ride horses . . . but loves to create stories.

Jan lives on the coast of South Carolina with strong ties to northern Minnesota. Growing up was filled with rich but conflicting narratives. Her dad told stories about his pioneering Minnesota family, egalitarian values, and the importance of self-reliance. They made annual trips to family cabins on a lake north of Duluth. But in her friends’ homes back in Charleston, she was immersed in plantation lore, tales of the Confederacy, and exclusive traditions of a social set that she was not born into. She is married to a musician who is also a mental health therapist. They have three children.

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/STRINGSJanMerritt

Amazon

Blog Tour: A PROOF OF LOVE by Merida Johns

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will receive a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A fictional story with a memoir overlay as narrator Katie Blake reflects on life in small town America and the principles, influences, and big personalities she wants you to never forget.

It’s Memorial Day weekend, 2009, and the town gossips have their shorts in a twist about a mysterious newcomer who wears tie-dye, colorful headbands, clunky necklaces, and rings on every finger.“Who installs a ceiling fan on a Victorian porch?” cries Ned Boomer, Woodburg’s grumpiest man, and the town gossips concur, “She must be a hippie, witch, or maybe worse . . . a socialist.”

Hell-bent on preventing a neighborhood blow-up, precocious, nine-year-old Katie Blake launches a covert investigation to gather the truth about the enigmatic Rose. But when she discovers a decades-old secret binding her, Rose, and bad-tempered Ned Boomer, her world takes a turn.

Penning a memoir sixteen years later, Katie is forced to reconsider whether the real proof of love was in preventing a neighborhood war or finding friendship and comfort among three unlikely grief-stricken souls who should never be forgotten.

Read an Excerpt

Gram taught me to be independent, manage my anxieties, and have confidence in myself, showing me how to use my imagination to wiggle out of a jam or face the “grim crossroads” when confused or sad.

The first time I cried and lost it over a complicated computer problem, she said, “Be inventive, Katie! What can you do to calm down and think things through?”

We put our heads together to come up with ideas. Gram said she brewed herself a cup of tea when needing a break. Mom worked on crossword puzzles. Dad played solitaire. My one decadent delight was a FatBoy ice cream, and that’s how Gram and I hatched the plan of taking two ice cream sandwiches and hiding them under the frozen vegetables to create my private emergency stash.

“Close your eyes, breathe, take a bite, and replace the leftovers. No one will suspect anything. Our little secret. . .”

About the Author:

At heart, I am a storyteller who writes women’s fiction and stories of courage and discovery, showcasing the protagonist’s journey toward a more fulfilled self.

My passion is writing women’s fiction and exploring the human experience—how ordinary people tackle challenges, endure sorrow and betrayal, wrestle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives. My insight into the power of fiction came during a conference call in late 2017 with a group of fellow life coaches. “What would it be like to help women and men achieve a flourishing life through storytelling?” I asked them.

After that phone call, I got started answering that question. The result was my debut novel titled Blackhorse Road, a compelling story of womanhood and the power of choice, gratitude, and forgiveness, published July 21, 2020, by Coffee Cup Press, followed by Flower Girl (2022), Flawless Witness (2023), and now A Proof of Love (2026)

Before embracing writing fiction, I was the author of health informatics and leadership textbooks. Later, I put my leadership experience to use as a leadership coach, focusing on supporting others to fulfill their leadership and economic potential. My range of nonfiction is available on my Amazon Author Page.

Substack: https://meridajohns.substack.com/
Facebook: https://meridajohns.substack.com/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/MeridaJohns
Website: https://www.MeridaJohnsAuthor.com