book feature

Missing Outlander? Read a Book – by a Fan!

We say it all the time – “because she wrote a book.” Yes, Diana’s books have brought us together – but they’ve also inspired others to become authors, and drawn those who have written their own books to the fandom! So, it’s only fitting that we fill this Droughtlander with some new books by our fandom sisters (and brothers) – check out these available titles.  Have you read any of them? Let us know in the comments. And if I’ve missed anyone, feel free to put that info in the comments too!

Click on book titles for links to purchase.


Meredith R. Stoddard
Once & Future (series)
Contemporary Fantasy
Series summary: Celtic legends and modern life collide in this saga of a contemporary woman coming to grips with a destiny set in motion generations ago.  Inspired by her unusual childhood in rural Appalachia, Sarah MacAlpin is set on pursuing a career as a folklorist. She had a rough start in life, but has worked tirelessly to set herself on the right track. Just when Sarah comes closest to reaching her professional goals, a startling revelation turns her whole world upside down. Can she survive what fate has in store for her, or will she follow in her mother’s footsteps down the road to madness?
Books in the series: The River Maiden (Book 1); Cauldron (Book 2); Thrice to Thine (Book 3)

Jennifer Townsend
How Much Do You Dare To Share? Get Ready to Go There
Real life short stories
A series of real life short stories drawn from the relatable life experiences of three women. Get ready for a good laugh, a good cry, and maybe even an “aha” moment.

 

Lisa O’Neill
The Swamp Witch (Sweetwater Series Book 4)
Suspense/Romance
They say that the human brain can remain active up to ten minutes after the heart stops. Maybe that was why Annabelle Aldridge could remember watching herself die… Having been brought back from the brink of death after surviving a horrific attack, Annabelle Aldridge seeks to make a new start in a home she inherited from her beloved great aunt. However, almost from the moment she sets foot in Sweetwater, South Carolina, things begin to go awry. As Annabelle experiences for herself why her home has earned its reputation, she and Harlan race against the clock to uncover long buried secrets. In doing so, they find themselves the target of some of Briarleaf’s former residents… both the living and the dead.

Barbara Lieberman
The Treasure of Ravenwood; To Miss The Stars; Message on the Wind (McEwen Series); several others
Romance/Historical
The Treasure of Ravenwood: A fairy tale for the young and the young at heart, requested by my daughter and inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella (fairy tale)
To Miss the Stars: A letter is misdirected and a man’s well-ordered life is changed forever. (romance)
Message on the Wind (Book One in The McEwen Series): A young woman leaves everything she knows behind, to start a new life. She’ll change the lives of others along the way. (Historical Romance)
To Reap a Whirlwind (Book Two in the McEwen Series): Choices have consequences and, for the McEwen family, those consequences reverberate across the generations.

Robert Grant Wealleans
Murder at Culloden House; By Two; Mars Rush! and others
Mystery; science fiction

Mystery at Culloden House:  a murder/mystery/spy combo that takes place at one of my favorite hotels (Diana Gabaldon permitted me to make her a bit character).
By Two: about a couple, a NYC detective who wins the NYS lottery and an heiress, who team up on the west coast in California for family and investigation. A missing person case becomes a volcano of intrigue, murder, and mayhem.
Mars Rush!: my view of how a manned Mars mission must go after “Steven Trask” has a colossal and tragic failure in his first attempt to land humanity there.

Shawn Bird
Murdering Mr. Edwards (novella)
Short stories
A different staff member murders the obnoxious English teacher in each of 12 interlinked short stories.  Diana Gabaldon called Murdering Mr. Edwards “A clever, funny and totally  engaging noir-vella! Loved it!”

 

Elena Mikalsen
Wrapped in the Stars
Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Struggling with guilt over her sister’s death and the stress of her medical residency, Maya Radelis runs away to Scotland. A robin seems to lead her to an antique shop, where she finds a century-old engagement ring. But what is the ring’s history? Will Maya’s own life have the same tragedy of lost love?

T.J. Michaels
Hide No More; Gathering of the Storms; others
Sci fi/time travel with paranormal elements
Hide No MoreScharsi has spent years hiding from the Amalgamation and their Interplanetary Military Force. As a Gen8 super soldier created by their hands, they are the definition of evil in her world. But the time for hiding is over. Now, she hunts the IMF agent who killed the only man who ever loved her. No one will stand in the way of her or her hand cannons. 
Gathering of the Storms (series): After the Breaking, many flocked from their devastated homelands to the new province of Draema to begin anew in the most technologically advanced province on the continent. Those who called themselves Gaian chose to walk a different, ancient path. Now, a lethal threat to their homelands bring them together again.

Lizette Agenbach
Utopia: The Journey
Fantasy
After a sad turn of events, Stephanie van Lille leaves her beloved homeland to tutor in Nassau. In her mind’s eye, this was her new beginning. By supernatural circumstances, she lands amongst strangers. Unable to return to Nassau, she feels trapped. Her interest in people leads her to many new characters, who aren’t quite what they seem. She crosses paths with the Prince of Bohemia, who teaches her that acceptance and forgiveness begins within oneself. Her faith is tested in this intricate world, full of magic and mystery. This is her journey—surviving through heartships and amazing goosebump moments to a life that would never be the same again.

Fran Laniado
Beautiful: A Tale of Beauties and Beasts
Fantasy

Eimear is Faerie. She left the land of her birth to find a place where she felt like she could belong. She finds herself in the World, a strange place, where she is the only magical being, and she begins to build a life for herself. But when she encounters Finn, supernaturally beautiful but thoughtless and selfish, she gets angry. In a fit of rage, she casts a spell on Finn. It’s a spell that she can’t undo, even when she discovers that she’s ruined Finn’s life. Eimear must go on a perilous journey that will force her to confront everything that she ran away from when she left Faerie.

Elise McCune
Castle of Dreams
Historical Fiction

Growing up together in a mysterious castle in far north Queensland, Rose and Vivien Blake are very close sisters. But during World War II their relationship becomes strained when they fall in love with the same dashing but enigmatic American soldier, Robert Shine. Rose’s daughter, Linda, has long sensed a secret in her mother’s past, but Rose has always resisted Linda’s questions, preferring to focus on the present. Years later Rose’s granddaughter, Stella, also becomes fascinated by the shroud of secrecy surrounding her grandmother’s life. Intent on unraveling the truth, she visits the now-ruined castle where Rose and Vivien grew up to see if she can find out more. Captivating and compelling, Castle of Dreams is about love, secrets, lies–and the perils of delving into the past.

Loretta Giacoletto
Family Deceptions; others
Italian-American sagas

FAMILY DECEPTIONS presents two generations of earthy characters who learn to thrive and/or survive through a series of misdeeds. THE FAMILY ANGEL is a saga about the Americanization of an Italian family of bootleggers, coalminers, winemakers and priests, and a mysterious black angel who sticks his nose in the family business. CHICAGO’S HEADMISTRESS, a prequel and partial parallel to THE FAMILY ANGEL, follows a 1905 Italian street urchin’s notorious rise to wealth and power as the headmistress of Night School, Chicago’s most infamous men’s club in the 1920s.

Sherry V. Ostroff
Caledonia
Historical Fiction

Anna Issac’s choices are bleak. Suicide is more appealing than marrying the revolting Frenchman her spiteful brother has chosen for her. The only other option is to beg a man she barely knows, a Highlander, to help her run away. Escape would be a challenge for any fifteen-year-old, but it is particularly difficult for a Jewess living in 17th century Scotland. Anna’s tale would have remained a secret, except three centuries later the death of Hanna Duncan’s father on 9/11 unleashes a chain of events that leads her to an ancient key with a peculiar etching. CALEDONIA is a tale of these two strong women separated by three centuries but bound by mysterious circumstances. 21st century Hanna keeps uncovering evidence linking her to 17th century Anna. Both women experience romance, adventure, and tragedy as the reader witnesses them becoming more and more connected.

Krista Lakes
Saltwater Kisses; others
Contemporary Romance

When small-town girl Emma LaRue won a vacation to an exclusive tropical island, a last minute cancellation meant she would be going by herself. Shy and studious, she never had time to fall in love, and often wondered if she was just meant to be alone. However, that all changed when a handsome stranger literally walked into her life while on the beach and sparks began to fly. New York’s most eligible billionaire bachelor Jack Saunders thought this vacation would be the perfect escape, one last hurrah, before taking full control of his father’s company. Emma must choose between following her dreams or following her heart. Will she be content at being nothing more than the billionaire’s wife, or will she return to her normal life with only memories of saltwater kisses?

Ali Littman
Radio Underground
Historical Fiction

Radio Underground is the story of a family ripped apart by revolution, illuminating a time when news, rock ‘n’ roll and underground journalism forever changed the lives of those living behind the Iron Curtain. Radio Underground is a beautiful, relevant novel that explores the lengths and limits of love, family and the power of expression.

 

S.R. Algernon
Walls and Wonders; Souls and Hallows
Short Story Collections

WALLS AND WONDERS: In uncertain times, we will build walls to protect what we have or build wonders to inspire the future? SOULS AND HALLOWS: What will we put faith in and where will we find purpose in life?

Jan Ackerson
Stolen Postcards
Short Stories
Stolen Postcards has a cast of three hundred and sixty-six characters (maybe a few more)–a new one for each day of the year. But unlike a sprawling epic that covers years or decades in the lives of its characters, in this book you’ll read only a pivotal moment for each person. Each story has been written in exactly one hundred words. They’re depictions of that moment in time when a life teeters, and then either wobbles off in a new direction or settles more firmly into the old one.
Tricia Leedom
Key West Escape Series (Rum Runner and Bahama Mama)
Romantic Adventure
Rum Runner: When uptight English socialite Sophie Davies-Stone travels to Key West to meet her biological father, a disgruntled drug lord tries to kidnap her and use as bait to lure her father out of hiding. Ex-Navy SEAL Jimmy Panama comes to her rescue, but Sophie has no patience for the exasperating man until she realizes she needs his help if she’s going to find her father before his enemies do. As they set off on a perilous Caribbean adventure, Sophie is determined to ignore her attraction to the irreverent American, but the threat of danger ignites a sizzling passion between them, and Sophie finds herself falling for a man she’s not certain she can trust.
Christina Greer
Everything’s Jake
Young Adult

Everything’s Jake is about a teen boy who suffers from anxiety and panic disorder, but feels he needs to hide everything from his friends. Irrational thoughts spiral Jake out of control which leads to agoraphobic behaviors.

Told through inner dialogue, and messages from a mysterious girl he meets on a plane, “Everything’s Jake” will surely give voice to anyone who has ever suffered with mental illness.

Rose Phillips
Color Me Gray (and others)
Contemporary Young Adult

Saying goodbye to friends is hard. Being the only one left behind? Unbearable. Mags is sure she will suffocate on loneliness when her friends head off to college. They get new adventures while she gets to live in the same house, on the same street, in the same city she’s been forever. When the hottest guy at a party hits on her, she’s convinced her world has shifted, that between fashion school and the start of a relationship, she too will have a chance at a new life. She’s right. Everything changes that night. Just not in the way she dreamed.

Jennifer Jeffries
An Unexpected Highlander
Romance

When tragedy strikes, Eliza must carry on her father’s legacy while settling in New Zealand during the Thames gold rush, and she is forced to deal with Angus McTavish, who brings every type of trouble a young woman doesn’t need. A HEART OF GOLD New Zealand 1872 – the gold rush brings men of all sorts seeking their fortune. Some are desperate and dangerous, some are shaking off their pasts, and some are looking to make a better life in a new land. Fresh from Scotland, Angus McTavish arrives at the Attwater family’s doorstep bringing hope and a dark past that might ruin the future of the woman who has captured his heart.

Susie Brown and Margaret Warner
Lone Pine
Children

A soldier on a battlefield at Gallipoli sends a pine cone home to his mother, not knowing that his simple gift will become a national symbol of remembrance. Based on a true story, Lone Pine encompasses both personal experience and a nation-defining event.

Karen Cimms
Broadway Beans
RomanticComedy

Opposites collide when Malibu meets Bensonhurst. Aiden Winchester’s heart has just been shredded by his longtime girlfriend and leading lady. Worse yet, they have to pretend they’re still America’s sweethearts until after their next picture is released. With the next six months looking more like American Horror Story than a Lifetime channel love story, Aiden heads east to make his stage debut. But when an adorably feisty barista nearly kills him with a latte, it turns out his heart may not be as broken as he thought.

Laura Cassar
Ranger: A PTSD Service Dog
Children

A book to help children and their families understand PTSD. “Ranger: A PTSD Service Dog” tells Ranger’s story in his own unique first-person voice. It explains how Ranger is trained and how he helps his soldier return to a more normal life. When unexpected danger occurs, Ranger surpasses his training to come to the rescue! *All proceeds from the sale of this book go to Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs to help a Veteran in need get his or her own Ranger.

Lillah Lawson
Monarchs Under the Sassafras Tree
Historical Fiction

Monarchs focuses on O.T. Lawrence, a poor cotton farmer in 1920s rural Georgia. Times are hard, what with the boll weevil, the drought, and illness running rampant through the quiet farm town of Five Forks. Still, life is idyllic; O.T. is married to his high school sweetheart, has three adorable children, and his twin brother Walt, the most important person in his world, by his side. O.T. seeks solace in the people he loves and the life he’s worked so hard for…until, in one fell swoop, he loses everything he holds dear in the span of a week.

Gail Lee Cowdin
Deception and Redemption (Quay Thompson series)
Crime/Detective Fiction

My novels are set in Minnesota with BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) detectives Quay Thompson and his partner Samantha (Sam) Atwood. Deception and Redemption is a fast-paced chase to capture a group called SPARTA involved in murders related to the theft of stem-cell research data from a local lab.

Brian K. Lowe
The Invisible City
Science Fiction

In the midst of battle, Captain Charles Clee stumbles onto a secret archaeological expedition from the 23rd century and finds himself stranded nearly one million years in the future. When the woman he loves is kidnapped by one of Earth’s alien overlords, he becomes the enemy of one of the most powerful men in the world.

Julia Brannan
The Jacobite Chronicles (series)
Historical Fiction

It is 1743 and following the death of their father, Beth Cunningham’s despicable brother Richard returns from the army to claim his share of the family estate. Beth’s hopes for a quiet life are dashed when Richard, dissatisfied with his meagre inheritance and desperate for promotion decides to force her into a marriage for his financial and military gain. He will let absolutely nothing get in his way so Beth is forced into a reconciliation with her aristocratic cousins in order to gain an advantageous marriage. Thrown into the glittering social whirl of Georgian high society, she is unprepared and out of her depth. In desperation she reluctantly makes a choice of husband in order to escape her cruel brother.

Carol Sherman-Jones
My Life as a Gay Man in a Straight Woman’s Body
Short Stories

There is little about Carol Sherman-Jones’ life that one could characterize as normal. How many other sixth graders do you know who would hire the playground bully to break her arm just so she could get some attention? How many people do you know who have wrestled a midget in lime Jell-O to earn some rent money? How many people do you know who have purchased a rundown bar for one dollar and then, with no business experience whatsoever, turned it into wildly successful gay bar? Carol Sherman-Jones has done all that and a lot more.


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