#SaturdaySpotlight is on D.V. Stone & Red Gate Farm!

Good Morning and Welcome to Another Edition of Saturday Spotlight,

I've been down in the back this week so I'm not going to spend a lot of time lollygagging around. I'm just going to turn the blog over to D.V. Stone to share with us her latest release, Red Gate Farm. Take it away, Donna...

Thanks, Pam!

Where I found Red Gate Farm

I'd been in a bit of writer quicksand. Several books that are works in progress got stuck in the messy middle. I needed a palette cleanser. What to do? Agent Carters are always fun to write, and I often drive past an old, abandoned abbey outside of a town near me. When I put my fingers to the keyboard to do research, something didn't sit right with me. After mulling over the problem, I realized what was bothering me. I was taking something that had been dedicated to God and turning it into a paranormal ghost story. Now I love paranormal. I love a ghost story. But this building needed more from me.

I sank myself into research. The original place was called Red Gate Farm in the 1800s, and was owned by a man who also owned two local newspapers. My imagination took off. 

There's been a lot of tongue wagging about several topics I touch on in the story. Eminent domain is one of them. Is your property really your property? News. When does it cross over from relaying information to being a commentary? Political influence and how it shapes our lives and community, and the people it hurts.

I'm not promoting any side. Truly. Both sides are guilty of influence peddling, in my opinion. 

What I want to express is what happens to regular people when these things converge upon them. My writing is relational, not out to prove a side. About how we can make a difference in the lives of others. How faith can comfort and guide us. 

There are a lot of experiences from my past that I've folded into the story. Life on the farm. Having horses. Being involved in animal rescue with dogs and cats. I also added one of my favorite animals, goats. 

If you've been following me, you know that I've utilized my local farmers' market to a great extent this year. I've canned and frozen a lot of fresh produce. It also brought to mind things that I'd nearly forgotten from my years living on a farm.

Here's a little more about the book...

Tagline: A heartwarming tale of second chances and the healing power of coming home.

Logline: A spirited rancher and a country boy returning home find themselves tangled in horses, government notices, and a little lakeside magic—where second chances bloom and love trots in on four hooves.

Blurb

Nestled in the countryside on the outskirts of Lake Unami, Little Flower Ranch is more than just a patch of land—it’s Addie Martin’s whole world. Her dogs, goats, and horses, both rescued and boarded, know her better than most people do. A life built with grit and rooted in compassion. Until Addie’s peaceful life is thrown into turmoil by a man from her past, with a government notice that threatens to take it all away. 

Henry Price never planned to come back to Red Gate Farm, but after losing his job and his sense of purpose, the old homestead near Lake Unami calls him back to the place where he grew up surrounded by love and family. But the simpler life may not be so simple when your family introduces you to a woman who has troubles of her own. 

 

Lake Unami has its own quiet magic, the kind that works through neighbors, animals, and special guardians. As Addie and Henry navigate old wounds and new beginnings, they’ll discover that sometimes the smallest towns hold the biggest miracles… especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

Excerpt: Henry rolled onto his back. Great. He winced, climbed back to his feet, and wandered down the hallway where circa 1960s wallpaper was peeling in places. 

His great-grandmother had hung the vibrant orange and yellow flowers well before he’d been born, and his grandparents never took the time to change it. Saying it was enough work to keep the house and farm running, decorating was a luxury.

The practicality of his grands made Henry smile on the way to the kitchen, the heart of the home. 

He leaned against the archway, gazing into the room where the old chrome and Formica table sat, surrounded by red vinyl chairs. Frozen in time, but for the dust, it looked the same. Grandma Price never saw the need to upgrade, even after her mother passed. Even after Cooper, Henry’s father, gave her a dishwasher for Christmas the year before he died. She never used it. No, the farmhouse sink was all she needed. 

“It’s a perfectly fine and workable kitchen,” She told all the grand and great-grandkids when they’d come to visit. “Washing dishes by hand teaches you to be patient and mindful.”

Henry was never a visitor like his cousins; he lived here, it’s where he’d grown up. Dad was a single father after Henry’s mother left. Farm life wasn’t for her. She never even contacted Henry when his father passed. 

But for his father, it was a way of life. He and his grandparents raised Henry here. They taught him everything he needed to know about the land. How to keep things going. Dad tried to pass the love of farm life down to Henry. But back then, he thought he was more like his mother, that farming life wasn’t for him. 

After high school, he left the farm to study journalism. Luck was on his side, and he scored a position in the newsroom at a national paper. 

What a laugh. He should have been born a hundred years ago. The rapid decline of the industry, especially after the pandemic, then the final blow last month had left him without a job. 

When Grandma passed in her late nineties, she’d left Red Gate Farm to him. His cousins were great. No one questioned the fact that he was the primary beneficiary. Luckily, with his small inheritance, including this house and property, and some savvy investments, he’d been able to build a respectable nest egg. 

They say you can’t go home, but yep, you could when your career folds and all that’s left of your life is a broken-down farm in nowhere New Jersey. He walked over and slumped into his usual spot at the table. “What am I going to do with this place?” 

He didn’t know where to begin. Then his pity party was interrupted by a memory.

“Henry George Price.” Great-grandma Thérèse wiped her hands on the ruffled apron she always wore. “The Good Lord gave you a brain and two hands. Trust in Him. He’ll set you on the right path.”

Well, he’d wandered off that path for sure. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d thought about God, much less listened to Him. Henry buried his face in his hands and, for the first time since he was a boy, he cried.

D. V. Stone is an award‑winning author and speaker known for crafting stories filled with heart, hope, and a touch of the extraordinary. Writing across middle‑grade paranormal mysteries, fantasy, and romance, she blends emotional depth with imaginative adventure. Drawing on her background in human and animal medical fields, she brings empathy and authenticity to every character. Based in Northern, New Jersey, she finds inspiration in travel, nature, and seasonal traditions. Through her popular blog and community outreach, she champions creativity and connection, inviting readers and writers alike to celebrate the power of story. You can find out more at:  https://www.dvstoneauthor.com/ AND https://linktr.ee/d.v.stone

Get your copy of Red Gate Farm at: Amazon, B&N, GoodReads, & Other Online Retailers HERE.

THANKS, Donna!

You can check out DV's other spotlights HERE.

Until next week, Happy Reading!

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Randy Overbeck & Abigail Trench!

Good Morning and Welcome Back to Another Edition of Saturday Spotlight!

Today's guest is not new to our blog but he's bringing us his brand new book, Abigail Trench.

Good to have you back, Randy. Your book sounds amazing. Please tell us why you wrote it.

Thanks for the opportunity to share Abigail with your visitors, Pam.

I’ve been interested in the Revolutionary War for years, reading numerous books, fiction and nonfiction and watching movies and shows about the era. More recently, I started learning about the Culper Ring, the secret spy organization created by George Washington. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became, especially since this part of our history was new to me. I don’t think my teachers even mentioned the Culper Ring in my American History classes.

I discovered the Ring consisted primarily of six men and one woman who took the role of secrecy to heart. Most never revealed even to family and friends that they had been spies during to revolution and beyond. This code of secrecy was so well protected that historians took years and sometimes centuries to uncover the identities of the operatives of the ring. In fact, the true identity of the sixth and final man was not confirmed by historians until the 1930’s, a hundred and fifty years after. And historians have never been able to agree on the identity of the lone female operative.

I was so intrigued by this mystery I seized it. ABIGAIL TRENCH is my fictional version of that female member of Washington’s spy ring, and I created a character to step into those shoes. It was great fun digging the historical sources for crumbs I could weave into my Revolutionary War thriller. I’m anxious to see what readers think of my ABIGAIL.

OH WOW, Randy, I did not like any form of History so I'm impressed. That said, I remember reading Celia Garth while in highschool (many, many moons ago) and she was a Patriot spy!

Give us more please...

Sure... Here is the Blurb...

 A vivid, propulsive Revolutionary-era thriller with the spy-craft verve of the streaming hit TURN: Washington’s Spies and the electricity of 1776’s New York that Hamilton lovers will recognize, this story is inspired by the lone female operative in Washington’s spy ring.

In occupied New York, a schoolteacher with everything to lose turns information into a weapon, threading between Redcoats and rebels as plots against Washington gather steam.

After rogue Redcoats assault her and strip her family’s Long Island farm, Abigail Trench fights to survive in New York City—tutoring in a high-ranking British officer’s Water Street household by day, navigating taverns, informants, and soldiers by night. Through Abigail’s keen eyes—and a counter-narrative following a principled British major—the novel renders the moral gray zones of occupation with gritty intimacy. As rumors swirl of a strike at General Washington, Abigail’s vantage inside upper-crust parlors and rough waterfront rooms makes her an ideal courier—and a target. 

This historical thriller delivers high tension, textured world-building, and a captivating heroine who put it all on the line for freedom.

And an Excerpt...

As Abigail’s feet clattered on the boards, she thought the whole thing through. If the British started printing fake currency and circulating it, the Continental bills of credit would be worth…nothing. Such a move would infuriate all the businessmen. Even Loyalist merchants would suffer, because they depend on customers, both rebel and Tory. The entire economy of the colonies would collapse.

She stopped and glanced around her at the businesses up and down the street. The furrier, the blacksmith, the dry goods store, inns and taverns—they would all suffer. They wouldn’t be able to feed their families. In the harbor, three merchant ships bobbed in the waves. Who would have money to pay for goods transported across the ocean?  

Sweeping her gaze across the workers scurrying in and out of warehouses, on and off the ships, another thought came to her. Without Continental currency, there would be no way to fund the war. The only currency anyone anywhere would accept would be British pounds. 

So caught up in her thoughts, Abigail almost missed the turn onto Crown to get to Williams. The wind, which so often blew off the East River, seemed to die down today, making the city streets still. She’d taken a few quick steps down the walkway when she heard a voice from the alley ahead, a voice she recognized. Too well. She froze.

“My money’s as good as anyone else, ya little dollywop!” It was Reeves. Here.

Molly called, “I don’t hafta. Get your hands off me.” Then, “Lemme go. That hurts.”

There, at the foot of the alley she saw Molly squirming in the arms of a much larger man in uniform. The soldier stood with his back to her, but Abigail didn’t need him to turn around. The ugly orange scarf around his neck gave him away. She pounded down the dirt alley and called ahead, “Just let her go, Reeves. Go find yourself another jack.”

Reeves turned at the words, releasing one arm. When he saw Abigail striding toward him, he grinned, a lecherous smirk revealing the ugly broken teeth she remembered from Long Island. “Abigail, er I should say, the fine Miss Trench.”

Uh, Oh, sounds like trouble for sure! How about you give us the lowdown on yourself and tell us where we can get a copy of Abigail Trench, please...

Of course, as you mentioned, folks can find out more about me on my Featured Author Page here on the blog, or on my Website, but I'll share my official bio with you all...

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author, speaker and podcaster. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades and has mined that experience to create captivating fiction, authoring two series, the bestselling series, “The Haunted Shores Mysteries,” and the award-winning series, “Lessons in Peril.” His novels have won critical acclaim and garnered national awards including Mystery of the Year (ReaderViews) Best Book Award (Chanticleer Books and Reviews) and the Gold Award (Literary Titan) and amassed hundreds of 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. 

Dr. Overbeck also hosts the popular podcast, “Great Stories about Great Storytellers,” which reveals the unusual and sometimes strange backstories of famous authors, directors and poets and can be heard wherever listeners get their podcasts. He is a speaker in considerable demand, sharing his popular presentations about ghosts and the world of book publishing with hundreds of audiences all over the U.S. 

As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop.

When he’s not researching, writing, speaking or podcasting, Randy enjoys traveling with his wife Cathy and visiting both his far-flung family and the scenic locations around this country, often in search of inspiration for his next great story.

Contact him at: randyoverbeck@authorrandyoverbeck.com and connect with him on Facebook,  Amazon, Instagram, BookBub and GoodReads.

Abigail Trench can be found at Amazon and other online retailers HERE.

THANK You, so much, Randy for joining us today. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your new release AND...

Thank You, Friends, for stopping by and cheering Randy on! You can heck out Randy's prevous post Here and of course, find his Featured Author Page Here.

Until next week, take care, God bless and remember to take time and escape in a great story.

PamT