It's a new year with new stories to tell and new books to write!

Hello! This is Marianne Thomas, aka, Mary-Kate Thomas, the pen name under which I write the Castlewood High Tales, a retold sweet romance series. I'm excited - and maybe a little nervous - to send my very first author newsletter. Bear with me, dear readers, and thanks for your support of my first novel, Pumpkin Run.  

Read on to hear about my next book, what I've been reading, and my first group promo with other sweet romance authors whose books can be read for free in Kindle Unlimited during February.  

Castlewood High Tales, Book 2

Team Peabrain

I've been hard at work on the next book in the Castlewood High Tales series, Team Peabrain, a modern sweet romance retelling of the classic fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Anderson. Team Peabrain releases on April 15. 2021, but you can click on the cover image below to read the book description on Amazon, and you can even preorder while you're there, too. 

Books, Books, Books!

Like most writers, my love of storytelling goes hand in hand with being a lifelong reader. I usually have a few books I'm reading at any given time from a wide variety of genres, both fiction and non-fiction.

Here are a few I've finished recently...no spoilers, I promise.  

1. Year One by Nora Roberts. I gravitated toward this one given the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar in the initial event that sets up the story in The Stand by Stephen King, but with a more magical touch to how the story unfolds.

2. Far Away by Lisa Graff. A coming of age type story with elements of family secrets, mystery, and the supernatural.   

3. Watership Down by Richard Adams. I usually read on my iPhone (I love my Kindle app), but when my phone was a bit squirrelly the other night, I picked up my well-loved and oft-read paperback copy of this book. This is one of those books from which I take something new every time I re-read it. An absolute classic.

Sweet Romantic Tales for Valentines!

It's February and if you're not looking for love, you might still be in the mood for a sweet and clean romance story. If you're a Kindle Unlimited member, you can choose from almost 50 sweet and clean romance stories this month included in this group promo, from cowboy romances, to billiionaire romances, to young adult romances. 

 Pumpkin Run is part of this group promo and I'm excited to partner with these authors to promote their books, too. Promo ends February 26, 2021. Click the image below to find your next KU sweet romance read!