A. J. Alexander

Middle Europe 1285   … The little boy was almost invisible. His family didn’t understand him, and neither did his neighbors. To his parents, it was easiest to let their youngest son follow his own trails and interests than trying to educate him.   His mother, Lady Patrizia Bauerling, Duchess of Glohtal, a family branch of the Danubian Monarchy, and Duke Siegfried of Glohtal were already…

While the first criminal story I ever wrote flowed like a creek, the second one flows like a swamp… I can’t get out of the character problem. I tend to prepare very well, even more since I found out I cannot write a crime story without very, very careful planning, including the characters. In the first book, that worked quite well. The second book has a major flaw: the characters. I can’t get…

The Grand Illusion: Arrival at Versailles, 1682 We are in the month of May in the year 1682, a moment of absolute historical rupture. Your physical presence is crossing for the first time the threshold of those massive entrance gates, decorated with a thick layer of gold leaf, of the gigantic complex called Versailles. Your field of vision is immediately occupied by a monumental building front,…

Clothes might make the man, but expensive cars don’t necessarily make fantastic drivers. A few days ago I was driving across the ‘pampa’, fields, woods, some ponds, lakes, deer, ducks, geese, raptors, groundhogs, squirrels, chipmunks, and more… it was beautiful, sunny, and a bit dangerous with all the animal activity, so I slowed down and took it easy. The guy behind me in a blue sports…

Author Name: D. M. Kannapan Release Date: Saturday, January 03 2026 Tour Type: 7-Day Blog Tour Tour Start Date: Wednesday, May 20 2026 Publishing Company: D. M. Kannapan Cover Artist: D. M. Kannapan Primary Plot Arc: Speculative Fiction Main Genre(s): Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult Sub-Genres: climate fiction, cozy-adjacent fantasy Story Type: Novel (>50k) Word Count:…

Picture courtesy of Google.com Picture courtesy of daysname.com _______________________________________________ The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home Tour was up, middle of JuneShe was plannin’ a welcome home barbecueGreen bean casserole, Grandma’s recipeThere was a knock on her door ’round two o’clockTwo uniforms and her heart stoppedYellow ribbon ’round an oak treeBlowing in the…

We’ve all heard it used to shut down an argument or demand absolute loyalty: “Blood is thicker than water.” In modern conversations, it’s the ultimate family-first mantra. The general consensus is that the “blood” of biological family creates a bond far more binding than the “water” of friendships, marriages, or choice alliances. It implies that DNA trumps everything else, obligating you to…

This post was published first here on ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ September 17, 2020, and belongs to the most successful posts! A Man’s Facial Hair And How To Decode His Personality Today I found an amusing article on the HuffPost blog that decodes a man’s personality according to his beard fashion. I have moved the biggest part of the blog post here, but to finish reading the entire post, I…

HA!! A Coupon!!! As of TODAY 3 Books In The Council of Twelve Series Will Be 50% Off On Smashwords! Until May 31, 2026 Bounty Hunter Check out the Trailer Dream Walker Check out the Trailer River Guardian Check out the Trailer To order the ebooks, go to the respective links on the left side in the Smashwords Shop, and add the Coupon Code UWEFW on the way out to get your 50% off!

I have been reading several books lately, which I had to frown. I wasn’t exactly sure how realistic their ‘natural’ causes of death were, and I wanted to check that. Since I put some time into this matter and wanted it researched, I decided I could as well share the outcome with fellow authors and readers. Heart Attack One of the most difficult to ‘prove’ is the Heart Attack. ‘CardaHealth.com‘…

As many of you know, I love reading one or another Historical Romance set in the Regency period, and, like many others, I’m a bit in love with the Bridgertons. Of course, I love their costumes, as much fantasy as they are… Think back to the Bridgertons, Daphne, and the Featherington girls in their dresses – and now have a look at dresses that are far more ‘reality’ and historically…

Many of my friends, followers, relatives, and readers, are amazing and wonderful Moms. Today, May 10, 2026, is their day of celebration and recognition. This is a day where people tell their Moms ‘Thank You’, and let them know how happy they are, their Mom’s are in their lives.For our 2026 uMother’s Day I wish all Mom’s out there: Picture Courtesy of Google.com But let’s not forget the Mom’s…

Author Name: BJ Sikes Release Date: Friday, May 01 2026 Tour Type: 7-Day Blog Tour Tour Start Date: Friday, May 01 2026 Publishing Company: Self published Cover Artist: Lizbe Coetzee Primary Plot Arc: Romance Pairings (Only if PRIMARILY a romance): F/F Main Genre(s): Romance Sub-Genres: Historical, steampunk Story Type: Novel (>50k) Word Count: 63k LGBTQ+ Identities (if applicable):…

When it comes to writing, with six published books and the seventh in the series in line, I sometimes feel a little bit like I need to keep things in my books a secret, fearfully protecting my stories because I could give away too much to the ones who haven’t read ‘The Council of Twelve’ series yet. But aren’t the background stories, the little details, behind the scenes, the interesting part of…