FLOATING IN THE MIDDLE sings about nature like no other! Set on the gorgeous, but rough California coast north of San Francisco, seven friends unite for a weekend in a remote beach house. Rather than just fun and games, however, Tam, the protagonist, has come to find out if, after long separation from her husband, Jamie, he’s willing to try again. Because she is. Tension continues to build via the feisty dynamics of people who’ve known one another for a long time, and from n

Buy BLISS ROAD now! When writing BLISS ROAD , my memoir about being the daughter of an undiagnosed autistic dad, I found almost no resources to help me understand and heal from the emotional distance that can occur between neurotypical kids and their neurodiverse parents. Then I found the Adult Children of Autistic Parents Facebook page. Run by a caring, sensitive moderator, there are now over 500 members from around the world. If you know of anyone who might be struggling

I do so much weird research for my books that I thought I’d start sharing some with you. The above fish knife is made by a company called Maestro Wu , which claims its knives are made “from salvaged artillery shells fired on Taiwan by mainland China since the early 1900s.” I found the detail when looking for the knife that one of my OCEAN LIGHT (due out January 2028) characters would use: a Chinese American woman who does surf fishing in SoCal (Malibu area). Out of curiosit

Buy SCATTERED LIGHT! Even when writing WINTER LIGHT , my YA book about Mary Donahue as a teen, I already had the ghost of an idea: to show her life in a trilogy. Now that SCATTERED LIGHT , the second book, was just published, I’m hard at work on the third book, OCEAN LIGHT. This has always been my thinking: we all have points in our life where we change, and change big because of what happens to us. After my mom died, I changed, and changed big. Big enough to write my memoir

I’ve never done an Instagram Live interview before, but I know Elaina Battista-Parsons is going to make it fun! 3:30 Pacific/5:30 Central/6:30 Eastern TONIGHT, Nov. 10, 2025 IG @WritingInThe.Winter To get your name is the drawing for the 2-book set giveaway of WINTER LIGHT and SCATTERED LIGHT … Do as the video says: leave a question or comment below regarding protag Mary Donahue, or on Elaina’s IG profile during the event. I hope to see you there! ___ For updates about Mart

Buy NOW! My third book was just published by Vine Leaves Press , a traditional small press based in Greece and founded by publisher Jessica Bell. Everybody knows buying from Amazon is convenient, but it also sucks money away from presses like this one and authors like me. Here’s how VLP is digging out from under the Online Behemoth, and 3 reasons to peruse their bookstore this holiday season: They’re giving a 25% discount on SCATTERED LIGHT and all books until Dec. 5. They’r

Buy NOW! Don’t like to buy books without getting a recommendation? Consider following these Instagram bookstagrammers. They’re reading copies of SCATTERED LIGHT , and will post every day with comments and reactions. They’re not shy about giving their opinions! Dec. 1 @katiesluvtoread Dec. 2 @bluefairybugsbooks Dec. 3 @book_a_holic_17 Dec. 4 @reading_mel Dec. 5 @bianca_reads_books Dec. 6 @afelton6212 Dec. 7 @daisyhollands Thank you, Kelly Lacey and Love Book Tours , for organi

Shop NOW! Tired of giving your money to corporations? This holiday season, here are 3 tips to supporting your literary artists in your community: buy books from local small press authors like me buy straight from the small presses buy from local bookstores, or through BookShop.org , which supports both! We authors are here for you and have something for everyone you love! ___ For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: MarthaEn

Buy NOW! I’ve interviewed a lot of people in my career as a writer and journalist, but none have been as interesting as interviewing Mary Donahue, the protagonist of SCATTERED LIGHT (just published!). Find out how she answered on Women Writers, Women’s Books , a fantastic website of books by/for/and about strong women. Look for “Character interview: Martha Engber.” What would you ask Mary? ___ For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to he

Order NOW! I'm so grateful to Haley Blanchard of Readers' Favorite for giving me a 5-star review! Here's the whole review: "Scattered Light by Martha Engber follows Mary Donahue, a smart but cautious lawyer in Chicago who has just won a big case on her 36th birthday. To celebrate, she decides to treat herself to lunch at Herzl's. This is where she meets Damba Rugundi, a law professor and human rights activist from Uganda. Damba is charming and graceful, and what starts as a p

Order SCATTERED LIGHT now! I know carving a few minutes out of your evening might not sound like fun, but then you’ve never seen a free spirit like Elaina Battista-Parsons operate! Please join our discussion and get the chance to win a free copy of SCATTERED LIGHT ! 6:30 EST (3:30 Pacific/4:30 Central) Wed., Dec. 10 IG Live (@WritingInThe.Winter) ___ For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: MarthaEngber.com . SCATTERED LIGHT

Buy NOW! I love strong, feisty, smart female protagonists. In THE MAESTRO'S DAUGHTER by Catherine Thrush (The Lady Blade Series Book 1), teen Francesca de DiCesare, daughter of the Maestro, a famous fencing master in 1716 Tuscany, Italy, is all that. A natural rebel, Francesca strongly objects to everything young ladies are supposed to learn in order to become the wives of nobles. Cooking, household management, gardening. No thanks! What she really wants to do is fence like

Read NOW! My thanks goes out to Barbara Bos of Women Writers, Women’s Books , which just published my essay, "Scattered Light": How Fiction Can Help Us Heal Our Own Past Trauma . I hope you take a read and let me know: Does fiction help you discover more about yourself, and in some cases, heal? ___ For updates about Martha’s forthcoming books, news and giveaways, subscribe to her website: MarthaEngber.com . SCATTERED LIGHT , a novel, sequel to WINTER LIGHT , (Nov. 2025) THE F

Jim Zervanos’ newest book, AMERICAN GYRO is a deeply immersive dive into the world of a Greek-American family in the Philadelphia area. When the book opens, we’re with teenager Johnny Demos’ as he and his family keep vigil at the deathbed of Johnny's grandfather, the patriarchal immigrant who established a restaurant on which the family continues to thrive. But Johnny wants to be free of the expectation he’ll remain in the area and work at the restaurant. He’s got his own dr

When THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGB , the story of two female warriors in precolonial Connecticut, was first published, I ran a Facebook ad. A number of indigenous people commented, wondering if I was Native American, and if not, whether I made the same mistake a lot of non-Native American people do, that indigenous tribes were/are more or less all the same. I’m not indigenous, and I did not make that mistake for two reasons. My research illuminated how different each

Buy NOW! Who'd have thunk that when I was writing this young adult novel when my own kids were small that I'd have grown a character that...

buy NOW! Here’s hoping you can spread the love that little bit more and help me crest that magical 100 reviews on Amazon (104 ratings on...

by Scott Gould Buy NOW! I’m a sucker for dysfunctional family stories that hinge on colorful characters, humor that hits home at just the...

Buy NOW! Happy birthday to THE FALCON, THE WOLF AND THE HUMMINGBIRD ! It launched three years ago and has aroused a lot of comments from...

by Ian M. Rogers Buy NOW! https://vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/last-radiance-by-karen-malpede I never would have imagined a...