Dawnland by Tess Callahan is a contemporary family life fiction filled to the brim with family secrets and misunderstandings.

April has been friends with brothers Allen and Oliver since childhood. Al was bold, athletic, and always pushing boundaries. Oliver was quiet, studious, and always towing the line. April came from a bad home and though she loved Oliver, never felt she deserved him - even after they share their love for one another while in Ireland. In the end, April chooses Al, making the next fifteen years difficult, at best.

The main portion of the story takes place during a one-week summer vacation on the Cape - something the family has done for years. Only this time, the pretense unravels and secrets come roaring out. The question is, who will survive unscathed when the dust settles?
I loved this story and can't get April, Al, Meredith, Oliver, Hal, Beryl, and the children out of my mind. It's a great read.

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My guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Van Haney, author of the books Stories to Curl Your Toes and Bloody Ever After. Today, Van is here to talk to us about her early career in film, how that shaped her writing, and writing tips she’s learned along the way.

​Vanessa grew up in the new-age circus known as the entertainment industry. She was first published in an anthology of poems in 1997. In the early 2000's she was showcased in young filmmaker competitions for her screenplays, and in 2018 while getting her Master's in Education she self-published her first book of short stories, Stories to Curl Your Toes. Now after two children and a move to the Pacific Northwest she's unleashing her stories into the world once again.

(Review by Carole O'Neill)

History, Tragedy, Personal loss and second chances – A newly released historical novel by New York Times bestselling author, Donna Jones Alward will keep you guessing until the end.

A WW1 tragedy shakes the core of Canadian Army Nurse, Nora Crowell as she tries to do her part to save the many wounded from the Halifax Harbor explosion. She spends day and night stitching up French soldiers, hardly finding time to nourish herself. On the other side of town, new mother, Charlotte Campbell tries to accept a life with her difficult in-laws after her husband is reported dead in the trenches across the Atlantic.

Both women find themselves searching for the same miracle until an amazing twist reveals the need for each to move on to a life neither thought possible. As one woman’s strength gives acknowledgement to her weakness, the other’s weakness shows her a way to accept a life she could only dream about.

Donna Jones Alward’s well-written historical fiction, When the World Fell Silent, was released on July 20, 2024. The pages won’t turn fast enough as you wait to see if Nora’s sister and her family will survive the destruction; or will Charlotte’s secret change everyone’s life.

Put this one at the top of that book pile on your reading table.

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