Check out this new release by Charles Breakfield and Rox Burkey!

Writing duo Charles Breakfield and Rox Burkey are back with a new offering, Tears Fears or Cheers. Read below to learn more about this great new read!

1. What inspired Tears Fears or Cheers?
   We found the story of JoAnn and her tragic beginnings needed closure. Many people
   have challenges to face and overcome. We find character in how people choose to get
   past those issues fascinating. We also wanted to create a chance to show how
   women’s empowerment starts from within. What some might see as success on the
   outside may hide emotional scars that are hard to heal. We believe this story shows
   possibilities for readers to consider.
2. What do you find most rewarding in writing fiction? The most challenging?
   Breakfield and Burkey spent years separately and jointly creating technology-based
   white papers. Our professional careers landed us in the same workplace. We crafted
   documents for internal and external customers to share new technical inroads, security
   issues, and migration between various platforms/applications. Taking that foundational
   knowledge and crafting a fictional thriller storyline added fun to what many feel is a
   boring subject. We believe fictional writing is rewarding because it lets technology bend
   while creating characters to enjoy and eliminate. Our biggest challenge in fiction is
   writing fast enough to share what is in our creative minds.
3. Tell me about your character, Jo Wagner. What drives her?
   Jo never felt she’d find a family after her parents’ death. Her adoptive parents opened a
   door to global fame and recognition as a teen model for a Brazilian fashion house. She
   fell in love with a technology genius, JJ, and compares their backgrounds, fearing hers
   is lacking. JJ sees a beautiful person that he adores to distraction. He recognizes her
   lack of confidence and provides positive support. She is looking to stand on her own.
4. What’s next for the Breakfield/Burkey writing duo?
   Breakfield and Burkey are finishing the first book in their new Enigma Heirs series,
   Enigma Tracer. This story will be on pre-order in early 2023. Readers can visit our
   website EnigmaSeries.com to learn more of the details on that release as it becomes
   available, and subscribe to our email for chances at specials and fun. Below is a snippet
   of the summary for Enigma Tracer and draft cover.

December Book Discussion

Willie’s Women met for the last time on a Monday this month. Next year discussion will be the 3rd Sunday starting in January.

BERTHA-ROSE is currently enjoying Louise Penny’s The Madness of Crowds, this month’s selection in Bertha-Rose’s local book club. This is # 17 in the Chief Inspector Gamache Series. Bertha-Rose gives it 4 Stars.

DAWN newcomer to the group is admittedly not a reader but with great enthusiasm shared with us some books she’s reading in preparation for a trip to Italy January 27-Feb 7. She first mentioned Frommer’s EasyGuide to Rome, Florence and Venice but due to too much text and not enough photos. Dawn found it unsatisfactory. She prefers DK Eyewitness Rome and showed the lovely photos of basilicas and other lovely landmarks. In fact, she would give this guide 10 Stars if the rating went that high! She is also studying Fast Talk Italian but has no rating for it yet.

JENNY gives 4-4.5 stars to Richard Osman’s The Bullet That Missed, #3 in Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. Jenny suggests reading the series in order for the most enjoyable reading experience. Jenny currently is reading Kate Atkinson’s The Shrines of Gaiety and has no rating for it yet.

PENI JO is currently reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. A selection from another book club, the main character makes a deal with the devil to live forever but the catch is, everyone who meets her immediately forgets she exists. So far Peni Jo gives it a 2.5, hoping it picks up in pace.Peni Jo also just finished her local book club’s January selection, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson. A relatively quick read, Peni Jo gives it 3 stars.

In January Willie’s Women will begin meeting on the 3rd Sunday of each month in the group’s zoom room at 3pm Eastern. Non-RHS members are invited to attend one time, so check us out!

Check out Kim Lengling’s When Hope Found Me!

Looking for something inspirational to read? Kim Lengling’s got you covered. Check out her latest offering!

1 . How did you and coauthor Annette Pearson begin your collaboration on this series of inspirational
books?
We initially met through an international women’s networking group and got to know each other
through the zoom meetups provided by the group. We soon became friends and regularly kept in touch.
It was a hot August day, and I was sitting on my back deck when, seemingly out of nowhere, I felt
overwhelmed with emotions and heard a whisper, “There are stories to be told.” With a bit of an
attitude, I thought, “Okay, if this is God, I’ve already shared my story. It was hard, but I did it. How often
do I have to share?”
Again, I hear “stories to be told,” and the scene before me, which is my backyard, turned into a black-
and-white scene as if it were an old movie reel. Within the scene was a young lady on her knees,
sobbing. You could feel the emotion radiating out of the scene. It lasted a second, but I knew who the
person was and what the reminder was. Years ago, the young woman was me crying out to the God, I
told myself I didn’t believe in.
I knew then what the message was—stories, as in many stories, needed to be told. So, I contacted
Annette to get her thoughts on my idea when she laughed and told me she was starting a faith-based
publishing company. We were both excited by my call’s timing. So, we took it from there and went by
faith.
I then reached out to a few ladies I knew and asked if they’d like to participate in an anthology I was
coordinating. They said yes; I reached out to a few more ladies, and they said yes. I soon had 20 women
who wanted to share their stories of Grace. But it didn’t stop there. More women reached out, and I
soon realized this would be more than one book. It turned into a 3-book series, which brought us to
where we are now, with When Hope Found Me recently released.

2.You’re extremely open about very personal subjects in your books. Do you find the writing process
personally cathartic?
Years ago, it didn’t feel cathartic when I was first asked to share my story. On the contrary, it felt like I
was reopening a wound, and I wasn’t sure I could let that personal demon out into the light. Rationally, I
knew doing so would be a part of the healing process, yet it was daunting.
Afterward, I was regularly asked to speak at church groups, women’s groups, etc. I found the more I
shared, the lighter the burden became. I soon realized that by sharing, I was opening the door, just a
crack, for others carrying demons to see a bit of light.
Once I realized that my story was helping others, I knew I had to continue, regardless of whether it
made me uncomfortable. You know the saying, “turn your mess into a message”? That is what I am
trying to do; take my mess and turn it into a positive message for others, a nugget of Hope.

3.What do you hope your readers get from reading When Hope Found Me?
There will be one story that will resonate with whoever is reading the book. One story that will touch
someone and have them think, “Ah, I’m not the only one,” or “Maybe I CAN get through this.”
The book touches on many tough subjects, and the coauthors have shown courage in sharing their
stories in the Hope that it will help someone else.
The book’s premise is to help others, give a bit of light, and toss nuggets of Hope into what can feel like
a dark world.

4.Are more inspirational works on the horizon for you?
Indeed, there is! I have all kinds of ideas, and since I love coordinating anthologies and bringing people
together, I will keep doing so.
The next one will be out in late Spring of 2023 and will be called Pawprints on the Couch. So, stay tuned
for that one!