Kelly Ames for the Stars

  VACANCY: Secrets and Second Chances in Small Texas Town By Jann Alexander Women’s Fiction / Mystery and Crime Publisher: Black Rose Writing Publication Date: September 24, 2026 SYNOPSIS A struggling single mother and a suspicious widow, at odds. Both have a habit of hiding from hard truths. INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS Helen is childless and widowed after a long marriage and gets a second chance with a long-lost love. But she’s grieving her hidden regrets. She bonds with her quiet kindergarten student and doubts the girl’s struggling single mother, Charlene, is fit to parent. Charlene’s hiding a secret of her own, and she resents Helen’s interference. She’s determined to make a better life for her young daughter, the teenage boy her ex left behind, and the baby on the way when a scarred veteran offers to lend a hand. A tragedy no one sees coming forces the two women to unite, as small-town bias threatens to destroy innocent lives. But first, Helen and Charlene must confront the vacanc...

  UP FROM HELL Echoes of the Past: Crimes in Central Texas Book 1 By Joan Moran Crime Thriller Publisher: Next Chapter Publication Date: April 7, 2026 SYNOPSIS Growing up in Las Vegas, Neil Dixon's future looked bleak. The son of a drug-addicted mother, he didn't have a lot of options until a police officer, Sergeant Finch, pulled him from danger and sent him to a new life in Texas. Now, years later, Neil has become the police officer he always wanted to be—steady, principled, and unafraid to stand alone. But Jarrell, Texas, is not the clean slate he hoped for. Corruption in the department is rampant, and traffickers operate across the border. When Neil’s mother dies, he returns to Las Vegas and meets the father he’s never known. He gets pulled into a deadly game with his father that stretches from Vegas to the police department in Jarrell, to cartel-scarred border towns. To survive, he must decide what kind of man he truly is - and how far he’s willing to go to stop the people...