April - Don't Be a Fool!

The most important book I've read this year

April Fool’s Day can be fun…if you’re the one playing the tricks on people and not the one being tricked. The internet can be a dangerous place on April Fool’s Day, with even the most straight-laced people and companies sometimes getting into the act.

Here are a few of the best of April Fool’s Day 2024:

Historical Fiction

The Crimson Plains is moving along

I’m 30 chapters deep in my “coming to America” historical fiction novel. Knee deep in research about the steamships of the day. Here is an example of the kind of cabin they may have traveled in:

There were 1700+ passengers on my great grandfather’s ship and most of them were in what is referred to as steerage/3rd class. This is an example of one of the cabins available. Most of the steerage passengers weren’t in cabins, but just slept in a big room with everyone else on cots. If you’re in the US and use Kindle Vella, you can stay up with the story here.

Non-Fiction

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt - 5

If you have children, especially children at home, you need to read this book. There are few books more worth recommending than The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.

Impeccably researched to find out the answer to the question? “Why are mental health problems so common in the upcoming generations?” The answer is disturbing, but mostly because of the frank discussion of where we find ourselves.

However, unlike some books of this type, the author actually researches and presents solutions for the problems. Some of them might be difficult, but they’re better than continuing on the path we’re on. If you care about kids, whether as a parent or educator, you need to read this book. It might just give you a path to hope for the future for the next generation. I wrote a full review of this book for my blog, if you’re interested in reading more about why I recommend it.

Free/Discounted Books

This month, I’m joining with other Indie Authors in three different genres to promote books that are available for free or discounted. Click the Banners below to check out some of these great Indie Books! Note: Just taking a look to see what’s there helps me in my cross promotional efforts with these authors ;)

I write in all of these genres, and if you’re a voracious reader like me, you’re always looking for something more to read.

Kindle Vella - Now 1st 10 free! (US Only)

I wanted to post this again for new subscribers. If you’re in the US, please click the link below to sample the first 10 chapters of all of my stories. :)

Summarized well by my friend’s graphic below. The big news is all US Amazon Readers can read the first 10 episodes of every Kindle Vella for free! All of my stories appear on Kindle Vella first. It’s a wonderful, motivational platform for authors and the feedback I receive there means better books when they come out in print. If you haven’t checked it out, it will help me even if you only read the free episodes. Kindle Vella is the best way to support me as an indie author by being a kind of “first reader” for my stories.

For your convenience, I’ve made one link that gives short descriptions of all my stories on Kindle Vella. :)