Monday, July 21, 2025

Two Uplifting Short Stories About Love, Hope, and Second Chances

 We’re thrilled to share the release of two uplifting short stories from Autumn Cotter—each filled with heart, healing, and the kind of feel-good romance that lingers long after the final page.


Whether you're looking for a cozy afternoon read or a reminder that it's never too late for love, these stories deliver charm, warmth, and just the right dose of second chances.

💖 What You Can Expect:

  • Strong, relatable women finding their way
  • Unexpected paths to self-discovery
  • Clean, uplifting romance with emotional depth
  • Happy endings that feel both earned and satisfying

If you’ve ever found yourself starting over—or wished you could—these short stories are for you.


"Wilde Hopes and Dreams"

Gemma Wilde seeks solace in a remote mountain cabin, where the serene beauty of the mountains, with their whispering winds and rustling leaves, offers her a gentle escape. She finds unexpected purpose in her watercolor paintings of wildflowers, leading her to a surprising commission and a heartwarming connection with a neighboring writer, Garrison Dawes, who shares a similar loss. Gemma’s journey is one of healing, rediscovering passion, and embracing a new beginning.

 

Who is this story for?

This story is perfect for readers who enjoy heartwarming contemporary romances, particularly those who appreciate stories about healing from grief and finding love again. Women, especially those who have experienced loss or are looking for a story of hope and resilience, would likely connect with Gemma’s journey.

Buy Today - Available in Kindle Unlimited


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"The Garden She Chose"

Jocelyn Montgomery, stifled by her privileged yet predictable life, makes a daring choice to escape the gilded cage of her family’s expectations and discover who she truly is beneath the layers of privilege and expectation. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, she encounters an unexpected ally in Griffin Hughes, leading her to a future filled with possibility.

 

Who is this story for?

This story will resonate with both young adult and adult women, particularly those who enjoy sweet contemporary romance with a focus on self-discovery and personal growth.

Buy Today - Available in Kindle Unlimited


📚 Ready to fall in love again, or for the first time? Grab your copies now and rediscover the joy of a fresh start.

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The Author

Autumn Cotter, a pseudonym, spent two decades solving people problems in the corporate world. She now channels her experience into bringing mindful stillness and creative inspiration to others. She lives in the mountains among wildflowers and dreams where she writes stories.

www.autumncotter.com


Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Excerpt: 'The Standing Stone on the Moor' by Allie Cresswell

 Once - A site of gathering, ceremony, and sacrifice. Now - A marker, pointing the lost toward home. Author Allie Cresswell joins us from the UK to share a glimpse into her sixteenth novel, The Standing Stone on the Moor.

Read the full post at booksandbenches.com/post/excerpt-the-standing-stone-on-the-moor-allie-cresswell



Wednesday, March 26, 2025

'The Midnight of Eights' by Justin Newland - Elizabethan Adventure, Thriller, and Mystery

"There were two specific events that defined the tumultuous Elizabethan era more than any others; one was the circumnavigation from 1577-1580 and the second was repulse of the Spanish Armada in 1588." Author Justin Newland joins us with a look at what inspired him to write The Midnight of Eights. Scroll down to read the full of his interesting post.


About The Midnight of Eights

by Justin Newland

1580.

Nelan Michaels docks at Plymouth after sailing around the world aboard the Golden Hind. He seeks only to master his mystical powers – the mark of the salamander, that mysterious spirit of fire – and reunite with his beloved Eleanor.

After delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, he’s recruited into the service of the Queen’s spymaster, where his astral abilities help him to predict and thwart future plots against the realm.

But in 1588, the Spanish Armada threatens England’s shores.

So how could the fledgling navy of a small, misty isle on the edge of mainland Europe repulse the greatest fleet in the world?

Was the Queen right when she claimed it was divine intervention, saying, ‘He blew with His winds, and they were scattered!’?

Or was it an entirely different intervention – the extraordinary conjunction of coincidences that Nelan’s astral powers brought to bear on that fateful Midnight of Eights?



Buy the Book

What inspired me to write The Midnight of Eights?

A Guest Post by Justin Newland

The main reason was to explore England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. Because before that time, England was a remote, misty Isle on the edge of mainland Europe and European affairs. After the Tudor era, England set its feet into its early adulthood towards becoming a player on the world stage.

There were two specific events that defined the tumultuous Elizabethan era more than any others; one was the circumnavigation from 1577-1580 and the second was repulse of the Spanish Armada in 1588.


I was inspired to write about both of these events in a two part series; the first, The Mark of the Salamander, follows Drake’s epic journey around the globe, and the second, The Midnight of Eights, culminates in the defeat of the Armada.

Although written as a stand-alone, Book two continues the storyline of Book one, and begins when Nelan returns to Plymouth from the sailing the Seven Seas with Drake.

From a cursory glance, you would think that Spanish Armada should have achieved its objective. This was to sail with an army and supplies from Spain to the Netherlands to pick up more Spanish soldiers, who were fighting there against the Dutch, sail across the English Channel and invade England. The ultimate purpose of the Armada – and the invasion of England - was to depose Queen Elizabeth, who had already been excommunicated by the Pope, who called her a heretic and pretender to the throne.

If the invasion had succeeded, we would now all speak Spanish and you’d be reading this in Spanish, because that would have been its effect on our world today.

In those days, King Philip of Spain governed a huge Empire that stretched from South America to Mexico and Panama to the spice Isles in the Far East. England’s ‘empire’ composed of England, Wales and Ireland. Calais, England’s last foothold on mainland Europe, had been lost early in Elizabeth’s reign. The comparison is stark.

Why did the Armada fail?

Was it to do with the leadership of the Armada? Early in 1588, the Armada’s experienced Admiral Santa Cruz died and was replaced by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a land-based military commander who had no experience of naval warfare.

Was it the outdated tactics used by the Spanish, who used their 150 vessels as a cargo fleet, and not as a naval instrument to attack the English fleet?

Was it related to the fact that the Spanish ships, galleons and galleasses (with rowers), often had high castles at the stern of the ships, and because of their bulk, were slow to manoeuvre, and could only sail when the wind was behind?

The English ships were more streamlined and smaller, and so faster and even their cannon were better made, lighter and so more easily moved around on deck, while the Spanish cannon was fixed to the deck, limiting their firing range.

Was it Spanish seamanship, who had sent ships around the world for decades (e.g. with Ferdinand Magellan) decades before Drake achieved the same feat in the Golden Hind?

Did these factors result coalesce into an overriding arrogance that expected victory? And was compounded by their firm belief that God was on their side? After all, the Pope had blessed the Armada flag. Victory was assured, wasn’t it? Did that make the Spanish disdainful of the English, who, as Protestants, and heretics, were seen as lesser, and therefore easily defeated?

Yet, the English prevailed.

Why? Was it, as Queen Elizabeth said afterwards, that God’s will prevailed and He sent the winds that dispersed the Armada? Or was it, as I discovered in the research, a completely different set of extraordinary circumstances related to the number 8 that conspired to aid England’s attempt to retain its sovereignty?

Read The Midnight of Eights and decide for yourself.

Justin Newland

18th March 2025 



Author Justin Newland


JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.

Undeterred by the award of a Maths Doctorate, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. His second book, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.

The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023), is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age.

The latest is The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), the second in The Island of Angels series, which charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.

His work in progress is The Spirit of the Times which explores the events of the 14th Century featuring an unlikely cast of the Silk Road, Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, and a nursery rhyme that begins ‘Ring a-ring a-roses’.

Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

www.justinnewland.com


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Book Title: The Midnight of Eights

Series: The Island of Angels (This is book 2 of 2. The first book is called The Mark of the Salamander. Book 2 is written as a stand-alone, or can be read after reading book 1.)

Author: Justin Newland

Publication Date: 28th October 2024

Publisher: The Book Guild 

Page Length: 288

Genre: Historical Fiction

Images in Post: Provided by the author, courtesy of Wikipedia


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Tuesday, March 18, 2025

'Sword Brethren' by Jon Byrne - Medieval Adventure

Author Jon Byrne joins us today for an interview as we delve into his evocatively titled novel, Sword Brethren. Jon shares some interesting behind-the-scene tidbits into the writing of Sword Brethren.

Bound by faith. Forged in battle. Haunted by doubt.

View the full post at booksandbenches.com



Monday, March 17, 2025

'The Rune Stone' by Julia Ibbotson - Time-Slip Mystery and Romance

Uncovering the secrets of The Rune Stone, a haunting tale of time-slip mystery and romance. Check out book 3 of the Dr DuLac series by Julia Ibbotson.

View the full post at booksandbenches.com

The Rune Stone by Julia Ibbotson - book cover