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Judith Sterling

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Judith Sterling

Tag Archives: N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

Wintertime Reading Bookish Event ~ NIGHT OF THE OWL

25 Wednesday Jan 2023

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Amazon gift card, giveaway, Judith Sterling, medieval romance, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, Night of the Owl, The Novels of Ravenwood, time travel romance, winter reads, Wintertime Reading Bookish Event

I’m excited to be a part of the Wintertime Reading Bookish Event at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven! My time travel romance Night of the Owl is one of today’s featured titles. Check out all of the books and enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

The giveaway is open internationally and runs through January 31, 2023. A winner will be drawn February 1. Good luck, and have a wonderful day! 🙂

New Year New Books Fete ~ TRIP THE LIGHT PHANTASMIC

13 Friday Jan 2023

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Amazon gift card, gothic cozy, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, New Year New Books Fete, The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Trip the Light Phantasmic

Good morning! Today, my latest release, Trip the Light Phantasmic, is one of the featured books in N. N. Light’s Book Heaven’s New Year New Books Fete. Check it out here!

One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card. Enter the giveaway here! You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win. The drawing will be held on February 1, 2023. Wishing you the best of luck!

New Year New Books Fete ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

01 Sunday Jan 2023

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Amazon gift card, cozy mystery, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, New Year New Books Fete, New Year's resolutions, The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Trip the Light Phantasmic

Calling all readers! It’s a brand new year, and I’m ringing in 2023 with the New Year New Books Fete at N. N. Light’s Book Heaven. Twenty-four books from multiple genres will be featured, and there’s a chance to win a $75 Amazon gift card.

I’m thrilled to be a part of this event. My latest release, Trip the Light Phantasmic, will be featured on January 13, and I’ll be talking about my resolutions/goals for 2023.

Bookmark this bookish get-together and tell your friends: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/new-year-new-books-fete

Two wins in the N. N. Light Book Awards!

22 Thursday Dec 2022

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Best Book of the Year, Best Paranormal Fantasy of 2022, Guardians of Erin, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light Book Awards, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, The Spear Alight, YA paranormal fantasy, young adult series

Great news this morning! The N. N. Light Book Award winners were announced, and The Spear Alight won Best Book of the Year and Best Paranormal Fantasy! I’m so thrilled and grateful for these early Christmas presents. Congrats to all the winners! 🙂

I’m up for Best US Author of the Year, Best Book of the Year, and Best Paranormal Fantasy!

15 Thursday Dec 2022

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award finalist, Best Book of the Year, Best US Author of the Year, Guardians of Erin, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light Book Awards, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, The Spear Alight, YA paranormal fantasy, young adult series

Wonderful news! I just learned that I’m a finalist for Best US Author of the Year in the N. N. Light Book Awards! The Spear Alight, the final book in my YA paranormal fantasy series, is also up for Best Book of the Year and Best Paranormal/Paranormal Fantasy of the Year. No matter who wins, I’m incredibly honored and grateful to be a triple finalist. An early Christmas present! 🙂

5+ Stars for TRIP THE LIGHT PHANTASMIC!

05 Monday Dec 2022

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five-star review, gothic cozy, gothic mystery series, gothic paranormal mystery, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, Paranormal Romance Guild, Readers' Favorite, The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Trip the Light Phantasmic

Good news this morning! N. N. Light’s Book Heaven gave my new release 5+ stars! Here’s a snippet of the review:

“An intoxicating gothic paranormal mystery…The world-building was impeccable and classic Judith Sterling. The paranormal aspects were brilliant…I couldn’t put this book down. Highly recommend!”

If you’re interested, you can read the entire review here. Readers’ Favorite also gave Trip the Light Phantasmic five stars:

“A delightful and original story that follows Gwyn as she falls down the rabbit hole into a gothic world where she finds mystery, romance, and magic.”

Paranormal Romance Guild gave it five stars too:

“Such a unique story…I have no doubt you will be as engrossed as I was.”

All in all, this is a great start for the new series, and I’m deeply grateful to my readers and reviewers. Now I need to get back to work on the detailed outline of the second book in the series. Have a wonderful week! 🙂

Curl Up with a Book Month Giveaway ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

01 Thursday Dec 2022

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cozy mystery, Curl Up with a Book Giveaway, gift cards, gothic cozy, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, new release, The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Trip the Light Phantasmic

There’s nothing quite so cozy as curling up with a good book, especially at this time of year. N. N. Light’s Book Heaven has a fantastic giveaway this month with more than thirty prizes: new releases, backlist titles, and gift cards. You might even win my new release, Trip the Light Phantasmic.

Check out all the prizes here. If there’s a particular one you want, be sure to mention it when entering the giveaway here. Good luck, and have a magical holiday season! 🙂

TRIP THE LIGHT PHANTASMIC ~ Release Day

11 Friday Nov 2022

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amateur sleuth mystery, Anastasia Abboud, Author Interview, excerpt, gothic cozy, gothic mystery series, gothic paranormal mystery, Judith Sterling, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, new release, new series, The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Trip the Light Phantasmic, worldwide release

Today’s the day! Trip the Light Phantasmic is now out and about, and I’m so excited about this new series. I hope you have as much fun reading the book as I had writing it. N. N. Light’s Book Heaven is spotlighting it here. In addition, author Anastasia Abboud interviewed me, not only about this new release but about writing in general. Check out her feature here.

Once again, here’s the blurb:

Gwyneth Camm has just inherited her great-aunt’s house in Salem, Massachusetts, along with an extensive collection of gothic romance novels. As a PhD student who prefers “serious” books, Gwyn has always avoided pulp fiction. Now, in honor of her beloved Aunt Ethel, she gives one of the gothics a try…and promptly falls asleep.

When she wakes, she finds herself inside the story, thrust by forces unknown into the heroine’s role. There’s magic afoot, and the only way back to her own life is to play her part and solve the mystery.

When fiction becomes fact, anything can happen…

I shared an excerpt a couple of days ago, but here’s another peek at the story:

The down comforter’s gentle weight soothed my tired frame. My thoughts drifted, and I hovered on the edge of sleep.

Bang!

I lurched upright. The nightlight’s glow bathed the room in blue. I was alone, and all was still.

Bang!

A door slam? Possibly. The noise came from downstairs, toward the back of the house. The library.

Frowning, I slipped out of bed. I tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding the spots that creaked the most. When I reached the bottom, I peered down the hall. A sliver of light spanned the width of the wooden floor. Its source was the library, whose door was ajar. I distinctly recalled turning off that light and leaving the door fully open before heading upstairs for the night.

My heart beat faster. Doors didn’t close themselves. Neither did lights switch themselves on. There must be an intruder.

With haste and not a little horror, I checked the front door, then the back. Both were still locked. Hmm. Okay.

I crept to the library and paused outside it. The silence within was absolute.

Only one choice led to an answer. Here goes nothing. I held my breath and peeked inside. The room appeared to be empty, apart from Aunt Ethel’s legion of books, her comfy chair, the large antique table she’d used as a desk, and…

A single paperback, lying in the center of the wide-plank floor.

“Where did you come from?” Obviously, from one of the built-in bookcases. But who placed it there?

I entered the room and approached the rogue book. Crouching, I picked it up. Then I stood and examined the cover. A scantily clad, windblown woman fled a dark, looming house. The title read Thornehaven.

A gothic, the genre Aunt Ethel preferred above all others. She had hundreds of them, from different periods, but the majority were published in the 1960s and ĘĽ70s.

My lips curled into a reminiscent smile. How many times had she sat snug in that chair, devouring one of these novels? Too many to count. I often kept her company, ensconcing myself at her desk to work on jigsaw puzzles.

Words I’d spoken as a teenager echoed in my mind. “But Aunt Ethel, you’re an English lit professor. Why are you reading gothic pulp fiction?”

She gave as good as she got. “You love gothic architecture and solving puzzles. Why aren’t you reading it?”

It was a fair question. I told her I preferred “serious” books and fitting together real-life clues: events which orchestrated key moments in history; the links between different languages, alive and dead; and the ultimate linguistic puzzle of how the human mind stored and computed all language. I joked with her about the tendency of gothic covers to feature a damsel in distress wearing a flowing gown of some sort. I was no doomed heroine, quivering with need for a man to come and rescue me. Not then and definitely not today.

I glanced down at my current attire. But I am running around in the middle of the night, wearing a nightgown. Grinning, I shook my head. She should see me now.

My right arm began to tingle. The sensation crept down to my fingers and up my neck to the right side of my face. Slowly, I turned my head in that direction. If I didn’t know better, I’d think…

“Aunt Ethel?”

I felt half-foolish, half-hopeful that she stood there beside me, vying with the material world for my attention. Had she slammed the door and moved the book?

I cleared my throat. “I don’t know if you’re actually here or I’m imagining things, but what’s the deal with this book?” A new thought hit me. “Don’t tell me you’re still trying to get me to read gothics, even in the afterlife.” Again, I shook my head. “Nah, that would be crazy.”

A delicate, floral scent filled my nostrils. Lavender! She’d always used lavender soap.

“Oh my God. Is it really you?” Hot tears pricked my eyes. “I miss you so much. I…” A lump formed in my throat, but I pushed through the emotion. “All right. Have it your way. If you’re so determined I read this, I’ll do it.”

I sniffled. The lavender scent was gone, as was the tingling sensation. She’d made her point, and I’d made a promise. Done and done. With book in hand, I settled onto the cushioned chair and heaved a weary sigh. “Only for you, Aunt Ethel.”

I inspected the back-cover copy. “Linda Brett had come to Thornehaven to do a job, but the old house harbored secrets…and murder.”

It had potential. More of the plot waited below, but I decided to ignore it and let said “secrets” unfold in their own time. A lion’s yawn escaped me as I flipped the book back over and opened it. According to the copyright page, Thornehaven was published in 1966. The musty smell and yellowed pages confirmed it.

Yawning again, I turned to the first page of the narrative. How much I read, I can’t recall, but no more than a few paragraphs. Fatigue set in fast, crossing my eyes and tempting me toward sleep.

The next thing I knew, I stood on a sloping lawn in front of a Gothic Revival mansion hewn from somber gray stone. The place was massive and imposing, with numerous turrets and classic Gothic tracery, and it perfectly matched the description I’d read moments before. According to the story, the expansive property sat on the Hudson River in upstate New York.

Is this a dream? If so, it was more vivid than any I’d ever experienced. The faint, smoky trace of a bonfire haunted the air. The trees flanking the property displayed the red, orange, and yellow leaves of fall. They flaunted their bright colors in seeming defiance of the leaden sky, rustling in the chill wind which grazed my cheeks and raised goose bumps on my legs.

My legs. Why are they colder than the rest of me? I looked down, and the answer was clear. Apart from two charcoal gray suitcases, one on either side, only pantyhose shielded my limbs, which were thinner than they should be.

Whose legs are those? And what the hell am I wearing? An open coat revealed a blue knit suit whose skirt fell just short of my knees, and I wore matching, low-heeled shoes. I was a walking—well, standing—tribute to the mid-1960s. Wait a minute. That’s what the protagonist wore in the book.

And what did she do next? She picked up her luggage and proceeded to the manor’s entrance. I might as well do the same.

The suitcases were heavy, more substantial than a dream should allow. What does she have in these things? Slabs of granite?

As I lumbered forward, the front door opened to reveal a tall, thin, thirty-something woman in a black dress. Her short, dark hair had petal-shaped layers, giving the overall “do” the semblance of an artichoke. She looked me up and down and attempted a smile, then abandoned the effort. “Miss Brett, I presume? Welcome to Thornehaven.”

Buy the book:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Kobo | Goodreads | BookBub

Thank you for your interest and support. Have a great weekend! 🙂

Holiday Gift Guide ~ TRIP THE LIGHT PHANTASMIC

09 Wednesday Nov 2022

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cozy mystery, excerpt, gothic paranormal mystery, holiday gift guide, holiday gifts, holiday read, holiday shopping, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, sneak peek, The Gothic Gwyn Mysteries, Trip the Light Phantasmic, upcoming release

Good morning! N. N. Light’s Book Heaven has already featured some wonderful titles in their 2022 Holiday Gift Guide, and there are more to come! Today’s guide is for mystery lovers, and my upcoming release, Trip the Light Phantasmic, might be just what you’re looking for. Check it out here!

Only two more days until the worldwide release of the book! Here’s a first look inside it:

I stepped out into the crisp, fresh air of an autumn evening and inhaled deeply. To my eyes—and lungs—the terrace was Heaven, illuminated by electric lights whose glow reached partway down a wide stone staircase. Darkness hid the rest of the grounds and whatever else lay beyond.

I turned to my savior as he closed the doors to the dining room. “How can I thank you enough?”

“By telling me the real reason why you wanted to leave.” He closed the distance between us. His broad shoulders looked sturdy, dependable.

“I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

“I still want to know.”

“I’m sensitive to cigarette smoke. I was okay with it for a while, but then I had to get out of there.”

He performed a little smile. “You sound just like…”

I held my tongue, expecting him to elaborate, but the wait was wasted. “You were saying…”

He shook his head as though shaking off a memory. “Never mind. Why didn’t you tell the truth?”

“I didn’t want to seem rude. But I suppose I did anyway.”

“You’ll have to forgive Mother. She’s had her share of tragedy.” He took a deep breath, then sighed. “She was once a prima ballerina…world-famous. Until she married my father. They were happy for a time. Then she had an accident and was paralyzed from the waist down.”

“How horrible.”

He nodded. “Being confined to a wheelchair is…difficult for her, perhaps harder than for most.”

Out of nowhere, an icy gust swiped me. I shivered and rubbed my bare arms.

“You’re cold.” He removed his jacket and placed it around my shoulders. Though haunted by the smell of smoke, it infused me with his warmth and an odd sense of intimacy. He lingered behind me.

“Thank you.” Twisting around, I looked up into his finely chiseled face and detected a hint of interest.

His pupils expanded. “It’s the least I can do.”

Oh yeah? What more could you do if I let you? Best not to think about that.

A slight movement at one of the windows caught my eye. Penny, the maid, watched us from inside the house. Before I could acknowledge her presence, she dropped the curtain, hiding herself from view.

Okay. That was interesting.

Edgar followed my gaze. “What is it?”

“We had an audience.”

“Oh?”

“Penny was watching from that window.” I pointed to the one in question.

“Ah, Penny. I’ve known her a long time, and she’s a curious girl. Of course, it wouldn’t surprise me if she had company.”

I turned to face him. “Meaning?”

“This house has many eyes, and they’re always watching. You’d do well to remember that.”

Dude, you just upped the creep factor by half. “I’ll try.” I doffed his jacket and handed it back to him. “Thanks for this. I’m going now.”

“Where to?”

“My room. I know it’s early, but—”

“You’ve had a long day.”

You have no idea. “Yes. Should I go back through the dining room?”

“Better not. Roland will still be smoking. Go through the drawing room, over there.” He indicated the other set of French doors. His eyes held understanding, and if I wasn’t mistaken, regret. “Good night, Gwyn.”

“Good night.”

That’s all for now. Have a beautiful Wednesday! 🙂

Gobble Up Books Giveaway ~ THE NOVELS OF RAVENWOOD

02 Wednesday Nov 2022

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Flight of the Raven, Gobble Up Books Giveaway, Judith Sterling, literary giveaway, medieval romance series, N. N. Light's Book Heaven, Night of the Owl, prizes, Return of the Raven, Shadow of the Swan, Soul of the Wolf, The Novels of Ravenwood, time travel romance

Feast on this incredible event hosted by N. N. Light’s Book Heaven! New releases and wonderful backlist titles (e-copy and audiobooks) gathered for one spectacular giveaway, which you can check out here.

You can even enter to win an e-copy of my entire medieval romance/time travel series, The Novels of Ravenwood. That’s five free books!

If there’s a particular prize you’d like to win, be sure to mention it when entering the giveaway here. Good luck!

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Recent Posts

  • PRG Reviewer’s Choice Award ~ TRIP THE LIGHT PHANTASMIC
  • PRG Reviewer’s Choice Nominee ~ TRIP THE LIGHT PHANTASMIC
  • Wintertime Reading Bookish Event ~ NIGHT OF THE OWL
  • New Year New Books Fete ~ TRIP THE LIGHT PHANTASMIC
  • New Year New Books Fete ~ N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

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