2022 promises to be an exciting year. I have so many stories I want to share with my readers. So many that I am creating my own Advance Reader team.
What is Ashleigh's Advance Reader Team? Before publishing my books, I need readers to tell me what works and what doesn't. This is where advance readers come in.
Alpha readers will read first drafts of a story, providing me with feedback of the overall story, such as whether the pacing felt off or the plot was difficult to determine.
Beta readers will read final drafts of a story, letting me know if they notice any major flaws, such as an unfinished character arc or a plot hole.
ARC readers will receive a copy of the final book just prior to publication. In return for a free copy, you are agreeing to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, your blog, or wherever else you review books.
Are there any catches? Just one. By joining this team, you are signing up for another mailing list, so you will be receiving more emails from me. My goal is to send one email a month with upcoming advance reader opportunities, but there may be some months where I send two or three.
Are there bonuses? Well, you get to read my books before anyone else. But, if that isn't enough incentive, how about some free books?
Every book you read, you will be offered a free copy of the book when it is published. Additionally, US Alpha and Beta readers have the option of receiving a free, signed paperback of the book. (Unfortunately, at the moment, shipping costs make this unavailable to other countries.)
You will also be invited to all cover reveals and book release parties for the books you read.
What if I don't like any of the advance books? That depends. If you are reading the book and you don't like it, I would love to hear why.
However, if you are reading the email with the advance book options and none of the books sound appealing? No problem. Next month's email may contain a different selection. I write romance, mystery, and adventure books for adults, young adults, and middle grade. It may take a few months, but I'm sure you'll find something that you will like.
What if I change my mind? Not a problem. You can unsubscribe from the team at any time.
Does Ashleigh's Advance Reader Team sound right for you?
Hartfield Chronicles
Melinda and Pat are both happy to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. But when rumors of Pat and another girl appear in the celebrity gossip columns, his relationship with Melinda is tested.
Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Friday.
Here's what you've missed
Episode 65: Melinda embarks on some holiday traditions while Pat spends the day in New York City.
Reviews from Ashleigh's Bookshelf
For mystery readers
Well-Offed in Vermont
Amy Patricia Meade
Stella and Nick can't wait to move into their new house in rural Vermont. There's just one problem: a dead guy in their well. Forced to stay in a privative hunting cabin, the newcomers take it upon themselves to solve the mystery so they can finally unpack their moving van.
For children
Babies On Board (Part 2)
Susan Marie Chapman
Natalia Loseva
When Grumpy the Iguana, Green Parrot, Mr. Squirrel and Little Mouse set out for a night at the beach, they never expect to spend the night helping baby sea turtles find their father.
For adults
Pixie's Gift
Raven Wolfe
Four years after the death of her brother, Stephanie is still tortured by nightmares about the water. Meanwhile, Adam is numb from the recent loss of the woman he loved. They don't know each other yet, but a gift from Pixie is just what they need to begin healing.
Free Books
Nearly Late
Who Knew High School Reunions Could be Fun?
Sometimes I'm Sorry isn't Enough
No one likes a high school reunion. Ok, maybe some people do. Those who are born with the rare amalgamation of genes that allow for a Disney movie version of secondary school. It wasn’t the case for Jenny then, and it certainly wasn’t the case for her now.
Ongoing fights with brain cancer left her with a permanent bad hair day for her teen years and the only thing worse than disinterest from an adolescent peer group is pity. Nothing sexy about that. Not then, not now. Luckily, most of the time, high school feels very far away. Ten years away. Except it’s not anymore. The reunion is looming, and Jenny has already RSVP’d with a plus one. Finally, a chance to show up looking decent, image vastly improved by the date on her arm. Or it would have been, had he not dumped her.
She’d cancel, but she can’t. She’s got a job teaching in the same school as of January, so this Christmas party is a must. A holiday high school reunion?
What could be worse?
Maybe, it’s finding out the date her best friend pulls together last minute is actually her high school boyfriend. Back, and hotter than ever.
Destination: Maui
The first book in a series about a mystery-solving travel writer
The last thing Samantha Powers expected to do on her first official trip as a travel writer was help solve a murder.
Samantha (“Sam”) Powers, a 34-year-old investigative reporter, has returned to her hometown of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, to take care of her ailing father, the town’s former police chief. At the urging of a family friend, she takes a job as the new travel columnist for "Carmel Today," a local lifestyle magazine.
After a few months of writing about area hotels and restaurants and navigating the office dynamics at her new position, Sam sets out on her first big press trip to a luxury resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui. There she meets her fellow travel writers and the resort representatives hosting the trip, all of whom become suspects when one of the writers—someone almost everyone had a reason to want to kill—is found dead in his suite. Sam’s detective skills come in handy as she helps the handsome (and, yes, single) Maui detective solve the crime.
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Would you like a free book in exchange for an honest review?
Talisman of El
An Epic YA fantasy adventure with bold heroes
Mankind's only hope is not human.
WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS A LIE?
One Planet.
Two Worlds.
Population: Human … 7 billion.
Others … unknown.
When 14-year-old Charlie Blake wakes up sweating and gasping for air in the middle of the night, he knows it is happening again. This time he witnesses a brutal murder. He’s afraid to tell anyone. No one would believe him… because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago — the day before his dad died.
Charlie doesn’t know why this is happening. He would give anything to have an ordinary life. The problem: he doesn’t belong in the world he knows as home.
He belongs with the others.
Other Books on Sale
Captured in Paint
Paintings can stir emotions, but for Julia, emotions bring paintings to life…literally.
Ice Princess.
That’s what the kids at St Peter’s High call seventeen-year-old Julia Parsons, the girl who doesn’t show emotion. But that all changes when Julia loses the protection of her late mother’s charmed necklace, and the emotions that have been locked deep inside her are unleashed. Now, after years of priding herself on being calm, cool and collected, Julia is forced to accept two life-altering revelations—she can feel just as deeply as any other teen and her emotions can make paintings come alive.
As Julia struggles to control her ability, she discovers that her boyfriend, Nick, is trapped inside a mural that she herself created. She enters the wintry world to save him before it’s painted over but quickly realises that a mysterious force is keeping Nick tethered to the work of art.
Unless Julia can learn how to harness the power of her new and unfamiliar emotions, they won’t make it out of the painting alive.
Falling In Love
Sometimes you need the help of friends
Four women, three men, and a baby...
Anna, Thea, Claudia, and Christine are about to start their post-university lives. However, their well-laid-out plans disappear like fog in an early summer morning as they face an unplanned pregnancy, kidnapping, misunderstanding, and betrayal.
Graham, Stefan, and Howard struggle as the events unfold and realize they have to step up and bring their A-game to keep their girls.
Will their friendship survive the challenges they face, and will they have a shot at true love?
Secrets of a Small Town
A Paige Moore Mystery
A murder in the sleepy town of Otter Rock forces two old friends together as they race against time to find the killer
When attorney Paige Moore returns to home to Otter Rock she was determined to focus on her own health and wellbeing. But when one of her clients suddenly turns up dead, she can’t let it go. Throwing herself into the investigation, she is surprised to find herself working with an old school friend that she hasn’t seen in years.
Jack Lewis definitely hadn’t expected to ever see Paige again, and he hadn’t been prepared to suddenly be working with her on a murder investigation. Trying to prove himself as a worthy sheriff, he’ll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this mystery. Along the way, he finds himself remembering just how captivating Paige can be. Now, the two of them have to navigate the rocky waters of their relationship as they attempt to reconcile their memories of each other with the people they are now.
Together, they must face the twists and turns of Cynthia Johnson’s life, uncovering family drama, hidden foes and a secret so well concealed by Cynthia that no one knew. None of the evidence adds up, and they rush to solve the clues that have been left behind before the trail goes cold forever. Otter Rock holds its secrets well, and it will be a fight to force them into the open.
