Arizona Authors Association: 2025

Monday, January 20, 2025

New Release: The Irish Girl - by Ashley E. Sweeney

From multi-award-winning historical fiction author Ashley E. Sweeney comes a family saga about the Irish immigrant experience spanning New York, Chicago, and Colorado so compelling that, USA Today best-selling author Kelli Estes says, “I read this story in one sitting.”

Thirteen-year-old Mary Agnes Coyne, forced from her home in rural Ireland in 1886 after being accused of incest, endures a treacherous voyage across the Atlantic alone to an unknown life in America. From the tenements of New York to the rough alleys of Chicago, Mary Agnes suffers the bitter taste of prejudice for the crime of being poor and Irish.

After moving west to Colorado, Mary Agnes again faces hardships and grapples with heritage, religion, and matters of the heart. Will she ever find a home to call her own? Where?

Ashley E. Sweeney is the award-winning author of Eliza Waite and Answer Creek, both winning multiple awards including the Nancy Pearl Book Award and the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award. Hardland is her third novel. A native New Yorker and graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, she now spends winters in Tucson, Arizona and summers in the Pacific Northwest. She is at work on her fourth novel, based on the life of her Irish great-grandmother who lived in the American West in the 1880s and 1890s. Sweeney is a member of Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Pacific Northwest Authors Association, Arizona Authors Association, Historical Novel Society, and Story Circle Network. You can reach her at https://ashleysweeneyauthor.com

Monday, January 13, 2025

New Release: China Gate - The Year of the Dragon - by Frank G. Davis

Joshua Brown and his team have been tasked with fighting The War on Crime. A war has begun in China and a Taiwanese triad has taken advantage of the situation. In the mountains near Taipei the Heavenly Way Alliance triad has new leaders. They use the China war as a distraction to expand their drug trade and other deadly opportunities in America. The Wu brothers, Yen and Li, begin their assault on Chinatown in Portland, Oregon. They estimate it will be an easy target to begin their growth. But things don’t go as planned. As the Lunar New Year approaches, Uncle Chen was a bigger challenge than they had imagined.

The author of 13 science fiction books, Frank G. Davis began reading science fiction in elementary school, favoring Robert Heinlein to the degree that he currently has all of Heinlein’s books in his library. He began writing his own novels when COVID 19 trapped him in his home office. As soon as he felt safe leaving the house, he joined Inklings at the Vista Grande Library in Casa Grande, meeting twice a month. One member gave him the name of an editor/publisher, and before 2020 was out, he had published his first book—a series of short stories. His latest novel is the sixth book in his War on Crime series.

Monday, January 6, 2025

Holidays in the rear-view mirror - Happy 2025 - by Vijaya Schartz

My latest release, Standalone, Find it at BWL
or at: amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo

For most, the holidays are a busy time, with parties, guests, food, shopping, drinks, presents, travels, family, friends, charities, and some work in between. I try to avoid most of that and only accept invitations from very good friends. This picture was taken the 20th, with JD Shipton, my BWL editor, and other BWL authors living in Arizona.

From left to right: Beverly Petrone, Vijaya Schartz, JD Shipton, Dean Hovey and his wife Julie

December 27th also happens to be my birthday. A rotten date for a kid expecting presents, but hey, that’s life. The picture was taken at Macayo’s with the traditional birthday hat and baked ice-cream. My Tai-Chi students surprised me with a birthday celebration in early December.

I do put up a Christmas tree… which Pasha (my feline companion) enjoys very much, especially at night when I’m not watching. On the picture (bottom right) he looks innocent enough, but believe me, he is not. Every morning, I find ornaments on the floor, all the way under the furniture. Maybe I spoiled him, holding and kissing him and telling him I love him even when he has been naughty. My philosophy is: cats will be cats.

The truth is, I’m a hermit at heart (typical Capricorn), and when I have a few days off, I like to lock myself in my cave and write… especially when I am starting a new series, like right now. Immersing myself in the story, without interruptions or obligations, is essential for my muse. My title coming next year will be about a group of Protectors, on another planet, after a cataclysm almost destroyed it. The philosophical background will be Tai-Chi.

I hope this holiday season finds you healthy, happy, loved, and surrounded by warmth (or snow if that’s what you like). Wishing you happiness, good health, and success for the year 2025.