⭐PUYB Virtual Book Club⭐

⭐Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tour Kick Off⭐A Change in Plans by Mike Martin #Mystery

Food, family, friends and a few dead bodies…

RCMP officer Winston Windflower’s rare afternoon off gets interrupted when a hit and run turns into murder and he must pull together a team of Mounties from Newfoundland to resolve the crime. Following the money and fentanyl— and bodies—Windflower and his team join forces with police officers in southern Ontario to take down an international drug-smuggling ring.

Windflower must face personal doubts and fears when fellow Mountie Fil Romano is kidnapped. While the higher-ups at HQ make plans to give safe passage to the drug lords in return for Romano’s life, Windflower worries Romano will get caught in the crossfire. Windflower again looks to his friends and allies for help in the difficult hours and days ahead.

╰┈➤Book Details

Genre: Mystery
Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery/Police Procedural
Language: English
Pages: 278
Paperback ISBN: TBA

A Change in Plans is available at Amazon.

╰┈➤Here’s What Readers Have To Say!

“

╰┈➤Read if you love…

Mystery

̷̊̊̊̊̊ International Drug-Smuggling Ring

Kidnapping

Dead Bodies

Canadian Mounties to the Rescue

Edge of Your Seat Excitement

Excerpt:

Summer was nearing its end in the small town of Grand Bank on the eastern shore of Canada. Winston Windflower, husband, father and RCMP officer, was enjoying some quiet time while his wife, Sheila Hillier, and their two girls, Amelia Louise and Stella, were in St. John’s for their annual back-to-school shopping spree. He was alone except for his four-legged friends. Lady, an eight-year-old collie, was still frisky and ready to go for a walk as always. Molly, the cat, was ageless and just about lifeless as she sat in her bed waiting for the next treat to fall in front of her.

It was a fine, sunny day as Windflower looked out of their home onto the Atlantic Ocean. Because it was so nice, he had taken the afternoon off for picking berries. The summer had been unusually hot and sticky, and that meant the berries were out a little earlier than usual. His fervent hope was that his special picking spot had not been disturbed by early pickers trampling down bushes and limiting the harvest.

If things went well, he could pick a gallon of berries in a couple of hours, and if he was super lucky, Sheila would make something fabulous with the blueberries when she got back. Maybe a pie or even one of her blueberry specialties. Windflower salivated when he imagined all of that deliciousness. He grabbed a couple of Tupperware containers and a bottle of water and then headed for his favourite spot.

There was a congregation of berry pickers at the closest picking location, just past the clinic. Bent over, they paid him little attention. He didn’t mind being ignored. The area was too busy and crowded for him. He took the trail down by the brook and then up the hill to the lookout. He paused for a moment to take in the majestic view of Grand Bank. Windflower glanced over the brook to the town and the wharf, all the way to the craggy outcrop that the locals called the Cape. Then he continued on up over the hill and towards the other side.

He veered off the path about halfway down and was very pleased to find his desired location calm and untouched. He said a silent prayer of thanks to Creator and began his task. Some people would have thought of this as work, but Windflower found berry picking both meditative and spiritual. It reconnected him to the land and made him think of his early days growing up on the reserve in Pink Lake, Alberta. His Cree family would all go berry picking for the day, bringing a lunch and a kettle to make tea.

He soon had one container filled and was working on the second when his pocket buzzed. He checked the number on his phone. It was Corporal Samira Gupta, his right-hand assistant, calling from the bigger community of Marystown. He had made arrangements with his boss, Superintendent Ron Quigley, that he would take the job as acting inspector for the region as long as he could stay in Grand Bank and have an assistant in Marystown. Gupta filled her role perfectly.

“What’s up, Corporal?” asked Windflower.

“Sorry to bother you,” said Gupta. “Betsy said you were off. But I thought you should know. We had a hit and run in Marystown. Over near Walmart. A woman in her forties is in hospital. Sergeant Tizzard is on the scene.” Eddie Tizzard was one of Windflower’s long-time friends and co-workers. They’d been working together for the last 10 years in one way or another.

“That’s a dangerous area,” said Windflower. “How is the woman?”

“She was unconscious when they brought her to the hospital in Burin,” said Gupta. “But no other information so far.”

“And the driver?”

“We’re working on it. Tizzard has a team doing interviews from the scene.”

“It’s busy around there. Somebody would have seen something.”

“That was our thinking, too,” Gupta agreed. “If we don’t get anything back soon from the canvass, we’ll do a media hit.”

“Perfect. Keep me posted.”

Now that his reverie had been disrupted, Windflower packed up his stuff and headed back down to his car. He was driving towards home when he noticed the driver of a passing car flashing their headlights at him. He slowed down and pulled over and then went to see if they were okay. As he got closer, he squinted to see Moira Stoodley, co-owner of the Mug-Up Café, the best and only diner in Grand Bank, in the driver’s seat. She was also the wife of his best friend, Herb Stoodley, who was tutoring him in two very diverse subjects—classical music, about which Windflower knew next to nothing before he met Herb, and trout and salmon fishing, which he thought he had mastered but now realized he was only a beginner.

He assumed Moira had stopped him to say hello or to pass along a message from her husband. But it was much more serious.

“I saw Mike Winger, that crazy-looking guy, back on the road,” said Moira. “It looked like his wheelchair had tipped over. A few young fellers were helping him get back up. But he looked in bad shape. Had a cut over his forehead. I asked him if he was okay. He told me to mind my business and went on home. You might want to check in on him.”

It wasn’t exactly his job to look after wandering locals, but it had become expected of the lone police officer in the community. He may have the high and mighty title of acting inspector, but his day job consisted of part-time social worker, youth counsellor and senior companion when he wasn’t solving crimes or directing the limited amount of traffic that Grand Bank produced.

Helping citizens in distress certainly fell into his ‘other related duties’, and Mike Winger seemed to be in constant need of assistance of one kind or another. Mostly of his own doing.

Windflower knew a little about the man from his many interactions with him. Winger was an American and a veteran of the Gulf Wars. After he left the military, he got certified as a refrigeration mechanic and started wandering around, first in the United States and then into Canada. He ended up in the Grand Bank area working for fish plants and discovered a place where nobody really knew him but welcomed him anyway.

Mike Winger finally felt at home. He bought a house and found a girl who eventually moved in.

His life seemed perfect until… the crash that changed his life. His girlfriend was killed instantly as his car slid off the highway to avoid a moose one late spring morning. He was left with one leg paralyzed and the other badly damaged. Stuck with his feeling of loss and grief, he turned to alcohol and then drugs. Then he became mean and isolated. His scooter was his only escape, but even that turned out to be another source of problems.

Windflower had rescued him and the scooter more times than he could remember. From ditches by the side of the road. From a farmer’s field. From the pub, more than once, when he had been asked to leave, none too politely. One time from the cemetery, although Windflower wasn’t exactly sure how that happened. Mike Winger was certainly one of Windflower’s pet irritants in Grand Bank. But since neither of them were going anywhere soon, they had figured out how to survive, if not get along, together.

– Excerpted from A Change in Plans by Mike Martin, Ottawa Press and Publishing, 2026. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 17 books in this light mystery series with the publication of A Change in Plans.

A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. All That Glitters was shortlisted for the LOLA 2024 Must Read Book of the year award.

Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest Darkest Before the Dawn was released as an audiobook in 2024. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

Visit Mike’s website at https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com.

Connect with him on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore

╰┈➤ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mike54martin

⭐Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tour Kick Off⭐The Wars Between by Lee Mavin #YA #fantasy

A Young Adult Fantasy Novel Exploring Themes of Conflict, Propaganda and Empathy…

For centuries there had been an ongoing war between Asalandia, the proud monarchy of the east and Kastanair the progressive democracy of the west. However, the years of war would end with the most unlikely turn of events.

Outis Everrett, the disappointment of his family, a measly poet, is suddenly thrusted into an epic adventure across the sea, with the King’s blessing. His poem, the poem that somehow won the first annual Asalandian poetry competition, was meant to be taken across the seas, to the enemy island of Kastanair, there, it would be read by the President of Kastanair, the newly elected and very progressive, Penelope Chinwa and she was supposed stop the war after reading those so special words.

So Outis set sail aboard the Golden ship, guided and protected by the Knights of Sunrise and their adventures began. The Knights are led by Bartholemew Aries, the most famous soldier in Asalandia, though when their ship drifts off course to the mysterious island of Aquos Atalantious, the Princess of the island soon lures him to stay. So, the Knights of Sunrise become distracted by the beauties of this foreign island. After failing to find the prince, who had been taken by a monstrous octopus, the Golden ship sails onto Kastanair, without its leader, who had fallen in love with the Princess. They then sail to Syanthia, where the worlds’ meat was produced. There they meet, the young Kastanairian, Gwenia Xiachung, an enthusiastic vegan on a mission to stop everyone eating meat. Outis is thrown into a pig saving mission with Gwenia and is intrigued by the young girl. After saving the pigs and convincing the head of meat production to change his ways with a beautiful poem about animal empathy, Gwenia falls in love with Outis. She joins him and the Knights of Sunrise on the voyage to back to her country, Kastanair. Once they finally reach the shores of Kastanair, they are attacked on the shores by a small army, led by Caslian Jesper, the tough captain who worked his soldiers to exhaustion. The Knights, Outis and Gwenia are rescued by Nastab and his band of terrorists who take them on horseback through Kastanair to Mount Xian. Nastab and his men come from a rebel group who had been dwelling on the plateau of Mount Xian, plotting to overthrow the government of Kastanair. However, their leader, who had driven their group to crimes and violence, was hoarding their food and treasure.

Caslian Jesper follows the terrorists to Mount Xian, in pursuit of two of his enemies at once, the terrorists and the Asalandians. Outis and Gwenia are suddenly taken off their horses by huge hawks, who fly them up Mount Xian, to a cave opening. There Gwenia and Outis meet The Tall Man, a strange man with huge black eyes who has no name. He takes them into the cave, and they fall more tall people. There they learn that the tall people had been in the caves for hundreds of years and they care not for treasures of war. The tall man collects water from an underground stream and fruits from the cave roofs and they take Outis and Gwenia up to the top of the mountain. There they find Caslian’s army had managed to climb to the top of the mountain in attempt to attack but they were too drained to fight so the tall man shared his fruit with them. Both sides rested as Outis read a poem to the leader of the terrorists.

Outis and Gwenia are then taken to the capital, by an eclectic group including Nastab, The Tall Man and the Knights of Sunrise, they journey through the planes of Kastanair where they are attacked by wolves. The Knights and Nastab fight the wolves off valiantly and they continue. When they finally reach the capital Outis reads his poem to the President, but it is not the words of his poem alone that convince her to stop the war, it is the group he brings with him, a group of once enemies, who had come together with the same goal.

╰┈➤Book Details

Genre: YA Fantasy
Language: English
Pages: 300

To find out how to purchase this book, visit the author’s website at leejmavin.com.

╰┈➤Read if you love…

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧Fantasy

Unputdownable

Coming of Age

༄.ೃ࿔*Page Turner

Excerpt:

Outis Everrett was an overthinker. Every night he would toss and turn in his tiny chamber and go over and over the things he had to do the next day. He would plan the next day and things he would say, over and over in his mind, until he slowly became too tired to think and then he would finally fall asleep. He had been like this for a while now and try as he might, he couldn’t change this habit. He became sleepy with this constant worrying and it became difficult to do his day-to-day tasks. During the days, he would mope about with his head down, being of little use to anyone. To anyone else, he was a nobody, a useless man that was easy to forget, but Outis Everrett was much more than that. Outis Everrett was a poet. Outis loved poetry and wrote poetry a lot, but he didn’t consider himself an actual poet at the time. He simply thought very little of himself. One thing he knew for sure, he wasn’t a strong man. He wasn’t a sailor, a guard or a soldier and he didn’t ever want to become one of these.

He sighed and thought of his father’s words, ‘We come from a long line of warriors, long have we held our swords high and defended our lands with pride. It is your destiny, my son, to take up arms and keep fighting.’

But he was no warrior, and he was as thin as limegoat and he had been cursed with his mother’s short stature. He was shorter than the average Asalandian and was a lot weaker. He spoke with a soft, unsure voice and often didn’t say anything at all. He rarely exercised and even his hair was unusually dark for an Asalandian (it was light brown, most Asalandians were blonde). He had avoided any kind of conflict his whole life, running from the bullies that called him Tiny in Sword School. As a child he often hid away in his room and read, he loved the adventure stories of journeys, and he especially loved the poets of the old world. He loved imagining, dreaming of far off lands, tales of monsters and horror. He was intrigued by the notion of destiny and longed for love. He was lonely and hid his thoughts from everyone. He thought nobody would understand him and was scared to look vulnerable. He just read all the time by himself and at times he wrote. He was an amazing poet but poets weren’t really talked about much in Asalandia. In fact, poetry wasn’t read much at all.

To be shunned was uncommon and not talked about. Most children (all able-bodied) trained hard before the test and if they failed, they tried again. Outis was shunned from the warriorship because he failed to take the final test. The reason for this was because he was too scared and couldn’t swing a sword hard enough to even make a sound. He was always a quiet young man, troubled by the weight of society, pressuring young men to fight, leading them to be battle ready. Everyone was constantly hearing about the threat of the enemy, every day they heard about the Kastanarians getting closer or the Kastanarians were preparing for war. The King was announcing it constantly and it was always being proclaimed from the palace. During these frequent announcements, everyone had to stand and listen. This was an unspoken rule and most people wanted to listen to the kings’ announcements. Outis wasn’t one of those people. He stopped listening to the kings’ announcements long ago and decided he would focus on other things. One of those things was poetry. He had read all the old poets over the years and started writing his own poetry out of frustration. He wanted to write poetry about the way things really were. He practiced his style constantly in his room, late at night, all by himself, slowly developing his voice. Then he wrote a very special poem. It was this very poem that changed the course of history in Asalandia. Yes, a poem did that. As absurd as it may seem, Outis managed to write the most amazing words every written. He crafted those words so beautifully that once you read it, your life would be forever different. That poem was such a special sonnet, it led to everything that happened afterward. It was in the lines of that poem that gave birth to the timeless truths, and they all came into view and the men that swayed power became powerless.

You might ask, how did the king manage to come across the poem of such an unimportant commoner like Outis. Well, that is a good question indeed. You see, around about the time Outis was masterfully creating the poem that changed the world forever, the King was actually going through a sort of inner, self-reflective process that had the Queen and the entire royal family particularly worried. It all started with the rain. Now Asalandia, famous for its beautiful sunshine, mostly had perfect weather, warm in the day, cool at night, deep blue skies that reflected the dark blue seas and it normally only rained during the rainy season for one month. However, that particular year, the rainy season stretched on for three months and it wasn’t just the typically light pitter patter, this was drizzle and depressing downpour, nonstop. So, this kept the King off his horses, which he loved dearly, and kept him in his chambers. This was where the King discovered poetry. The King couldn’t sleep well during the rainy season, so he often requested books from the library and read them to the wee hours of the morning. He started with the Histories and became quite depressed reading about all the wars, invasions, death and destruction. This left him feeling empty and alone, so he searched for more books. He was brought poetry and he instantly fell in love with it. He loved the rhyming patterns of the old poets and would sing them in his bed, often waking the poor Queen, who was getting very worried about her husband.

The King read poem after poem and slowly came to the realisation that something was missing. All the poems praised the warriors and gave thanks to all the kings. All the poems depicted Asalandia as heaven on earth, yet when he looked outside his window, all he saw was rain. He craved a poem that spoke the truth, that was as reflective as the water in Lake Asalandian (that is the clearest, cleanest and most beautiful lake in Asalandia), but he didn’t find it in his library. So, he slept less and less and worried with his head down reading, until he came up with it. The first Annual Poem Contest! This was the Contest that started it all and it was the king’s idea. He had signs made up immediately and had them posted all over the city. One sign happened to be posted right under Outis Everrett’s little house. When Outis saw the sign on the way, branded with the Kings sunbeam stamp of approval he was most pleased. It read:

The 1st Annual Poem Contest

Under order of the king, every man willing must enter the first annual poetry contest of Asalandia. The theme to the contest is: Asalandia, the winner receives fame and fortune beyond their wildest dreams and the highest honour, dinner with the king.

– Excerpted from The War Between by Lee J. Mavin, Tellwell Talent, 2026. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Lee J Mavin is the author of 11 books. He is also a teacher and father. He has a Masters in Creative Writing and am solely focused on writing fiction (fantasy and horror) and poetry. He is now in collaboration the illustrator Karolina Piotrowski, a Polish artist who has brought many stories to life. He has worked and studied in China and Japan and studied with Dr Xiaohuan Zhao (a master of Chinese poetry) to complete his book Li Bai’s Shadow, at the University of Sydney. He has two children who are both avid readers, so he is always in the loop with trends in children’s fiction. He is married and lives in Sydney, where he teaches English.

His latest book is the YA fantasy, The Wars Between.

Visit his website at leejmavin.com.

Connect with him on social media at:

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.mavin.925/

╰┈➤ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mavin798

╰┈➤ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5103759.Lee_J_Mavin

╰┈➤ TikTok ➜ https://www.tiktok.com/@leemavin4

PUYB Author Talks: ⭐A Bookish Conversation with 'The Copper Scroll' Nicholas Teeguarden⭐ #interview

Nicholas Teeguarden is the award-winning author of Masa Chronicles: The Copper Scroll, a biblical-archaeological thriller blending international suspense, ancient mystery, and faith-driven storytelling. His debut novel is a ChristLit Book of the Year Finalist, a Titan Gold Medal Winner, and has earned praise from readers for its gripping pace and moral depth. Nicholas hosts Teeguarden’s Writing Room, a weekly series chronicling his creative process and the ongoing development of the Masa Chronicles. He resides in Oklahoma and is currently working on the next book.

╰┈➤Visit Nick’s website at www.nickteeguarden.com.

Connect with him at the following social networks:

╰┈➤ X: https://twitter.com/nickteeguarden

╰┈➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579248636306

╰┈➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickteeguarden

╰┈➤ BookBub: The Copper Scroll: Masa Chronicles (The Masa Chronicles Book 1) by Nicholas Teeguarden – BookBub

╰┈➤ Goodreads: Masa Chronicles: The Copper Scroll by Nicholas Teeguarden | Goodreads

╰┈➤ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_TUwTK0lQI0eu6_6QEyYQ/

Can you tell us a little about yourself? Are you a full-time author?

I’m a husband, dad, and U.S. Army veteran who now writes faith‑infused thrillers from small‑town Oklahoma.

I’m not a full‑time author yet, but writing takes up a big part of my life alongside family and church; it’s where I process faith, questions, and some of what I carried home from deployment.

Can you tell us about The Copper Scroll?

The Copper Scroll is an archaeological thriller about Joshua “Masa” Bennett, an American veteran and grad student who travels to Jordan to study the most mysterious of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What starts as a quest for academic glory turns into a dangerous chase from Qumran to Masada to Capernaum, as Joshua’s team uncovers artifacts that could reshape how people understand Jesus — and draws the attention of ISIS, modern Templars, Mossad, and church power brokers who all have something to lose.

Can you tell us a little about the characters?

Joshua “Masa” Bennett is driven by faith, trauma from his Army years, and his grandfather’s old stories about hidden treasures and scrolls; he’s brave, curious, and sometimes reckless.

Alongside him are Noa, a sharp and guarded Israeli researcher, and Amina, a determined Palestinian journalist; together with figures like Father Nance and Rabbi Cohen, they’re forced into fragile alliances across deep historical divides as the danger escalates.

Where is this book set and why did you choose that location?

The Copper Scroll is set in the modern Middle East — Amman and the Jordan Museum, then into the Judean desert at Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea, and Capernaum — anchored by Joshua’s start at the University of Arkansas.

I chose those locations because they’re the real landscapes of the Copper Scroll, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Gospels, and I wanted readers to feel like they were walking those sites themselves as the mystery unfolds.

How can people benefit from reading The Copper Scroll?

On the surface, readers get a fast‑paced treasure‑hunt thriller, but beneath that they’re invited to wrestle with the tension between faith and proof: what we do when new evidence presses on old beliefs.

I also hope it nudges people to see the Middle East — and the believers, skeptics, Israelis, Palestinians, and local communities who live there — as real neighbors with complex stories, not just as background to the nightly news.

Is The Copper Scroll your only book?

So far. The Copper Scroll is the first book in The Masa Chronicles, and I’m currently about halfway through book two.

What’s next for you?

Next up is the release of my new novel, The Boy from the Vines, planned for next month.

At the same time, I’m drafting the second Masa Chronicles novel, continuing Joshua’s journey as he deals with the fallout from The Copper Scroll and stumbles into a new set of historical and spiritual fault lines.

Where to purchase the book

You can pick up The Copper Scroll here:

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-copper-scroll-nicholas-teeguarden/1148003400

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-copper-scroll-masa-chronicles-nicholas-teeguarden/001ca6b309301d61

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Copper-Scroll-Masa-Chronicles-Paperback-9798999106025/17490255545

Surprise Castle: https://surprisecastle.com/products/the-copper-scroll-masa-chronicles-9798999106025

And you can request it through libraries that carry the print edition.

Where to find Nicholas:

Readers can find and follow me here:

Website: https://www.nickteeguarden.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickteeguarden/

X: https://x.com/nickteeguarden

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/people/Nicholas-Teeguarden/61579248636306/

Inside the Book

The Copper Scroll follows historian Joshua “Masa” Bennett as he journeys into the heart of the Middle East in an attempt to unlock the secrets hidden within the legendary Copper Scroll. Just as he begins making progress, disturbing warnings and shadowy sightings reveal that other powerful forces are also closing in: Templars, ISIS operatives, and government intelligence groups, each hiding their own motives for uncovering what the scroll may reveal.

Drawn deeper into a world of danger, deception, and spiritual tension, Masa must navigate hostile territory, shifting alliances, and a truth far more explosive than he ever imagined. As past and present violently intersect, he realizes the stakes extend far beyond archaeology, the secrets of the Copper Scroll could alter geopolitical power and shake the foundations of faith itself.

A blend of international suspense, ancient mystery, and truths long buried beneath history, The Copper Scroll delivers a gripping thriller for fans of Joel Rosenberg, Dan Brown, and archaeological adventure stories rooted in real-world intrigue.

╰┈➤Book Details

Genre: Archaeological Thriller/Suspense/Action Adventure
Sub-genre: International Mystery & Crime
Pages: 230
Paperback ISBN: ‎ 978-1509264681
Kindle ISBN: 979-8999106025
Publisher: Independent
Formats: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook & Kindle Unlimited

⤷Read sample here.

⤷The Copper Scroll is available at Amazon.

*****

╰┈➤Here’s What Readers Have To Say!

“The Copper Scroll: Masa Chronicles, authored by Nicholas Teeguarden, is extraordinary piece of literature that has made a significant impact on me. The last time I felt this level of excitement about a book was while reading the Bible for the first time, a bold comparison, but one that underscores the author’s exceptional God given talent!” – Louise Jane, CEO The Christlit Book Award

“The Copper Scroll is more of a quest for truth than a treasure hunt. I recommend this book to lovers of historical books with a bit of danger, and it put me in the mood to find out about Qumran myself.” – Mary Clarke for Readers Favorite

I’d recommend The Copper Scroll to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries wrapped in modern storytelling. If you like a blend of Indiana Jones energy with a more thoughtful, personal core, this book will hit the right notes. It would appeal to readers curious about archaeology, faith, or just a good chase story where the stakes feel both grand and intimate. It left me thoughtful, a little breathless, and eager to see where Masa’s journey goes next. -Literary Titan

PUYB Author Talks: ⭐A Bookish Conversation with 'Evan's Gift' Karen Charles⭐ #interview

Karen Charles grew up in West Africa and traveled to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Her rich background and lifetime experiences are reflected in the depth of her writing. In her stories, she transforms real-life narratives into gripping fiction thrillers. Her novels intricately weave the threads of truth into a tapestry of suspense, intrigue, and riveting storytelling. She is the author of two children’s books, “Freeman Earns a Bike” and “Evan’s Gifts,” and three thrillers based on true stories. “Fateful Connections” takes place in the aftermath of 9/11, and “Blazing Upheaval” takes place during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and the Northridge earthquake. “A Glimpse Too Far” offers all the mystery and heart-pounding suspense of a psychological thriller and is based on a true story.

Karen Charles has two businesses—a global company that trains international teachers to teach American English and an Airbnb on a beautiful bay in Washington State, where she currently resides with her husband.

Visit her website at www.weaveofsuspense.com.

Connect with her on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? Are you a full-time author?

I wear a few different hats. I’m a part-time author, but storytelling has always been part of who I am. My primary work is training teachers internationally to teach American English, which allows me to connect with people and cultures around the world. I also run an Airbnb year-round, which keeps me grounded in hospitality and human connection. Writing fits naturally alongside these roles because all of them, in one way or another, are about people, empathy, and communication.

Can you tell us about Evan’s Gift?

Evan’s Gift is a story about a young boy who faces a simple yet powerful choice. Evan dreams of getting a new bike, but when he sees a greater need, he makes a decision that changes not only someone else’s life, but his own. The story gently shows children that kindness, compassion, and generosity often come at a cost, but the rewards are far greater than anything we can buy.

Can you tell us a little about the characters?

Evan is a thoughtful, kind-hearted boy who represents the best of what children are capable of when they listen to their hearts. The supporting characters, his family, dorm parents, roommates, classmates, and friends, help shape his understanding of empathy and responsibility. Each character plays a role in showing that even small actions can create meaningful change.

Where is this book set, and why did you choose that location?

The story is set in Africa, which is very close to my heart. I grew up at an American boarding school in Nigeria, and those early experiences deeply shaped how I see the world. I wanted the setting to reflect a place where community, generosity, and human connection are essential to daily life. Africa felt like the perfect backdrop for a story about compassion, awareness, and seeing beyond oneself.

How can people benefit from reading Evan’s Gift?

Children learn that kindness matters and that their choices, even small ones, can make a difference. For parents and educators, the book opens the door to meaningful conversations about empathy, gratitude, and social responsibility. It’s especially useful in classrooms and homes as a gentle introduction to social-emotional learning.

Is Evan’s Gift your only book?

No, I’ve written books for both children and adults. My adult novels are psychological thrillers based on true events, while Evan’s Gift reflects my lifelong work with children, education, and cross-cultural experiences. Although the genres differ, all my writing explores human behavior, compassion, and the choices we make.

Thank you so much for this interview, Karen. What’s next for you?

Thank you, it’s been a pleasure. I plan to continue training teachers internationally while sharing Evan’s Gift with schools, libraries, and families. I’m also always writing, sometimes children’s stories, sometimes novels for adults, because storytelling remains one of the most powerful ways we connect and learn from one another.