Friday, August 6, 2021

Thankful For So Many Things

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights and choose love and light.

I’ve so many things for which I’m thankful including being a part of Romancing The Genres, a WindtreePress author and a great grandmama. I’m celebrating all three today and a little bit more by writing this post, spending time with my great grands (so post may be shorter than usual) and introducing you to my fellow authors at Windtree Press and sharing with you links to a couple of authors I really love to read. An added bonus is talking a bit about my favorite independent book store, Jan’s Paperbacks, Beaverton, OR.

My great grands are 6 and 4 years old. Unfortunately they live 5 hours away so I do not see them as often as I’d like. When I learned I was to be a great grandmother, I thought that a bit of a mouthful. I didn’t care for Nana (reminded me of the dog in Peter Pan). I know there are other monikers for grandma, etc. but I decided I’d be Grandmama (two ma’s instead of one). I’ve no idea what we’ll do when they come visit. That’s always a surprise.

I joined Windtree Press, an author cooperative, in 2014. We now have over 20 authors and 200 titles. Check out our website and learn more about the variety of authors that make up Windtree Press. One of my favorites is Paty Jager, who published her 50th title in May. Another one of my favorites is Maggie Lynch, one of the founders of WP. Maggie not only writes books that speak to life’s challenges, she does it in a variety of genres!

Jan’s Paperbacks has, as far as I know, always supported romance authors. Here is the link to see if an Indie Book Store in your area is involved in the Indie Bookstore Romance Day event. And those authors I love to read? While I am a longtime fan of both Paty Jager and Maggie Lynch, new on my list is Eleri Grace

Perhaps because I had an uncle who was a bombardier during WWII stationed in England so flying over Europe including Germany, I’ve found her books fascinating and thus another window into that part of my uncle’s life. Ms. Grace’s Red Cross Clubmobile Girls series is so well researched, I found myself slogging through the mud, ice, snow in Europe (Courage To Be Counted) and dealing with bugs, snakes and the tropical jungle in Carry a Crusading Spirit.  

I’ll be at Jan’s on Saturday, August 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. I’ll have copies of my The Sacred Women’s Circle series available as well as free gift to anyone who stops by whether they purchase a book or not. Authors involved in Romance Bookstore day are donating to at least one basket.

If you are in the area, I’d love to meet you. After this past year, I’m excited to be able to reconnect in person with people. We will be outdoors and appropriately spaced.

And if you can’t stop by and are not yet on my mailing list, you can sign up for Choices here. I’ve created a new free offering that includes the novella Sarah’s Ankh along with the first chapter of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl. I hope you enjoy them.

Look for my next non-fiction Yes, You Can Create The Life You Love this fall.

All of my books are available at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series on her website JudithAshley.net

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on Facebook!

© 2021 Judith Ashley


14 comments:

Diana McCollum said...

Judith,
Congrats on your upcoming book signing. Paty and Maggie are two of my favorite authors also. Another Windtree press author I've enjoyed is Deb and you!

Great blog post.

Diana

Sarah Raplee said...

Sounds like a fun event on Sat, 8/21.

I am also a fan of the Windtree Press authors mentioned above, as well as YOU Judith, Medical Mystery/Thriller Author Melissa Yi, Romance Author Delsora Lowe and Paranormal Romance Author Diana McCollum!

Paty Jager said...

Judith, I'm happy you enjoy my books. I also am a fan of your Sacred Women's Circle books. I agree, Jan's is a great independent book store that is willing to help authors get out in the public. And I am lucky to be a part of Windtree Press. Great post! Enjoy those grands!

Judith Ashley said...

Diana, thanks for commenting. Windtree Press has some fantastic authors and my post has more than one link to WP's website to help readers find new-to-them authors as well as those of us who are familiar to them.

Judith Ashley said...

Sarah, Medical Mystery/Thriller Author Melissa Yi is not one of WP's authors I've read. I tend to stay away from any book with "Thriller" in the description so that also leave Pamela Cowan off my list. Maybe some day I'll be brave enough to read a thriller in the daytime --- maybe morning and an hour at a time so I can purge the "thriller" part out of my brain before bedtime? Nightmares are so not fun.

Judith Ashley said...

Paty, I was delighted to have them all visit and exhausted after two hours. My great grandson is constantly moving and talking and not slowly or quietly - lol. I've no memory of ever having that much energy...and that could just be me. My family always told stories of me talking a mile a minute when I had my own language - hands flying and face lit with animation - and they had no idea what I was going on about. Love these kinds of stories and my great granddaughter likes to hear me talk about her when she was a baby.

Deb N said...

Judith - so glad you had a wonderful time with great-grands. Yes - lots of energy in that age group. I was on overload after a week with my grands - despite the fact I loved every minute of their visit, it took me a few days to recover...and I've always been a talker. I agree on thrillers...but I do read ones written by my author friends. Sometimes it takes me months to finish a book as I read a few pages at a time and have to stop when I get to a scary part. I can't not read them, as they are wonderful writers and good friends, but I do suffer from both day- and nightmares.

Lucy Monroe said...

I’m so glad you got to see your family for your birthday! Happy birthday and best wishes for a wonderful year! Looking forward to signing with you on the 21st. 🤗

Judith Ashley said...

Deb, it is worth the recovery time to see them. Got stocked up on smiles and hugs and just hearing my "name" (Grandmama). I thought going for a walk would help burn up some of their energy...I was the one lagging on the way back. Much too hot for me. When it comes to thrillers, you are a better friend than I am. I do use that strategy on suspense novels.

Judith Ashley said...

Lucy, looking forward to signing with you on the 21st also. Thanks for stopping by!

Maggie Lynch said...

Thanks for all the shout outs on Windtree Press, Judith. I feel so happy that the press has grown slowly and we have so many committed authors, including our Canadian author Melissa Yuan-Innes. We are now up to 300 titles and 26 authors. I am so thankful for this community!

Judith Ashley said...

Maggie, thanks for stopping by and updating the stats for Windtree Press!

Eleri Grace said...

Judith - Thank you so much for the shout-out! I'm absolutely thrilled that you enjoyed my books and my Red Cross Girl heroines. I love hearing from happy readers. Enjoy your indie event at Jan's later this month.

Judith Ashley said...

Eleri, I'd have "tagged?" you on Facebook but couldn't find you. I will, eventually, spend a day getting reviews written and posted on your books as well as for other authors I've enjoyed. I've decided it will be better to just have a specific day assigned to do that because so far my "i'll do it soon or even 'this week'" isn't working.