​Welcome to Online for Authors! I'm Teri, your host, and today I had the pleasure of chatting with Del Howison, the multifaceted author behind "The Survival of Margaret Thomas." Known for his prolific horror writing, Del takes us on a unique journey through the Wild West, offering readers a story that diverges from his usual genre. If you're interested in Westerns, character-driven narratives, or the concept of found family, this book might just be for you.

Wonderland is a memoir by Patricia Knight Meyer. Here, she explores not just what it means to be adopted but to learn that your adoption wasn't legal - what it means to feel like property being bought and sold.

In addition to the legal ramifications, like no birth certificate, which in today's world can mean no ability to take employment or leave the country, Patricia also looks at the emotional ramifications. And in her particular case, the placement wasn't vetted, meaning she endured less than stellar circumstances.

As I read, I felt badly for Patricia, but also her parents who desparately wanted a child and could see no path forward except through the black-market. I also felt for them as they struggled with that decision, one that likely fueled their addictions and other mental health issues. Then, we watch as Patricia finally learns who her biological parents were - and the difficulties that come when trying to figure out a family you never knew.

This memoir helped me see that adoption, though touted as a cure-all for unwanted pregnancy, isn't necessarily the solution. Kids want to know their roots and feel lost without them. Adopted parents are fearful they will lose the child they love. Greedy intermediaries get involved to make money on desperation.

This is a good book that will give you a glimpse into one adoptee's life and what it took to finally bring her to a good space.

Purchase a copy of Wonderland on Amazon:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/46cTAoU​
Kindle: https://amzn.to/4iidQwA

See more book reviews here.

Always on a Tuesday is a literary fiction by Lizzete S. Tupas. This debut novel is about Loren, a middle-aged career woman who, on the outside, appears to have it all together. She has a great job. She's had long-term relationships. She has work associates. She helps take care of her aging parents.

However, on the inside? She's falling apart and has been for as long as she can remember. When issues at work, her family, and her social life all collide, the internal noise becomes noticable on the outside, and her actions and reactions make her take a deeper look.

One of the lines in the book that I love is when people tell Loren, "But you look good." So many times, what we have going on inside doesn't show. In fact, many people struggling with issues, mental health concerns, addictions, identity, and more function in society while quietly dying inside.

If you like a book that is very much inside of one woman's head, then this is the book for you.

Purchase a copy of Always on a Tuesday on Amazon:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4wXpDnv​
Kindle: https://amzn.to/4xfgbfG

See more book reviews here.