New Year, New Books – Pre-Order + AudioBook

Happy New Year, readers! Happy 2025! I hope your holidays were joyous and restful. I am praying for all of you in the coming year and I ask that you please pray for me.

What’s in this Edition:

Indie Author Insights – My 2024 Annual Report

One Month Until Release Day – Updates on Stars in the Storm

New in AudioBookSparks Fly Upward is now available.

Releasing in January– Other authors’ new releases I’m most excited about.

2024 Indie Author Insights

As an independently published author, I founded Purple Mask Publishing in 2017 with a ten-year goal to break even by 2027. Every year I get closer, but the reality is that I still often have to use my personal funds to pay the bills. Authors don’t write books to make money. We write because we need to, it’s therapeutic, it inspires our readers, and (most of the time) it brings us joy. We write because we have stories that have to be told and hopefully, those stories can help others in some way. And for Christian writers, most importantly, because we strive to bring God glory. For all these reasons, I love what I do even during years without profit, as it was in 2024. Here’s a brief summary of what Purple Mask Publishing accomplished this year:

One Month until Release Day!

We’ve almost made it to another publication day! Stars in the Storm releases on February 9 with Cade and Alice Ann’s story and the conclusion of the Larksong Legacy series. Over the next few weeks, I am incorporating feedback from my beta readers, completing a final read through, and formatting the final versions. I am also loving this series photo (above) by Sarah Everest, who is one of my beta readers and an author in her own right. Check out this fun reel she shared with me.

Pre-orders are now available in eBook at all major retailers and in paperback at my online store. Paperbacks will be available at other retailers on release day.

Pre-Order Stars in the Storm – eBook

Pre-Order Stars in the Storm – Paperback

Catch Up with the Rest of the Series.

New in AudioBook

Good news, audiobook readers! Sparks Fly Upward has now joined the first two Larksong novels on Audible and iTunes. As usual, Tawnya Rollingson knocked Garrett and Martha’s story out of the park with her fabulous historical fiction narration. Tawnya’s YouTube page has videos for all her narrations including this one for Sparks.

We also have a limited number of free Audible codes for all three books in the series. To request one, simply reply to this email.

Get your audiobook of Sparks Fly Upward.

Releasing in January

Need another read? Here are the new releases I’m excited about:

  1. The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman – The 1920s meets Back to the Future as a young woman time travels and discovers that she’s erasing herself from history
  2. The Indigo Heiress by Laura Frantz – An intriguing 1774 romance from the indigo plantations of Virginia to the hills of Scotland
  3. When Stars Light the Sky by Elizabeth Camden – Gilded Age romance set at the dawn of World War I
  4. When the Avalanche Roared by Lauralee Bliss – a fictional account of the 1909 avalanche and train disaster in Wellington, Washington
  5. With This Ring by Amy Clipston – Small town second chance romance

Want to know what I’m currently reading? Follow me on GoodReads.

Did you know reviews help both readers and authors? Even one sentence is enough, and every word greatly appreciated. Consider leaving a rating on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and/or your favorite retailer!


Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

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Purple Mask Publishing

2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33

St. Charles, MO 63303

Top 10 Must-Read Books of 2024

As the year comes to a close, here are my Top 10 recommended reads from 2024, listed first by genre, then by author’s last name. I also challenged myself to read at least 10 Catholic authors (read 10) and 10 indie-published books (read 15). Have you read any of these? Which books should I add to my must-read list in 2025?

* equals indie-published book

It was so hard to make a Top 10 list for historical fiction, which is why I moved Time Travel to its own category below. These 10 are the ones that stood out to me as Must Reads. Several are from a series, and I recommend beginning with Book 1. For a full list of my 4 and 5 star historical fiction reads, visit my Goodreads page.

Dual Timeline Civil War and Modern Day: A Million Little Choices by Tamra Alexander, Regency: Lost in Wonder by Liz Chapman, 1890s: The Oystercatcher of Southwark by Erica Colahan, 1920s: *Purest Joys Restored by Jennifer Q. Hunt, Regency: The Christmas Foundling by Martha Keyes, Medieval Fantasy: *Perilous by Susan Laspe, Mid-19th Century: *A Class Inherited by Susie Murphy (Note for my clean readers: I would not consider this book “clean,” but it is a wonderful series.), 1880s: The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano, French Revolution: To Crown with Liberty by Karen Ullo, 1920s: *Cocktails Before Midnight by Tanya E. Williams

I didn’t read as much Contemporary Fiction, so it wasn’t as difficult to decide on my 10 favorites. These are all solid romantic reads. With the exception of Hannah Hood Lucero’s books, the others are either first-in-series or standalone.

All In Good Time by Carolyn Astfalk, Mind of Her Own by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, One Foggy Christmas by Kortney Keisel, Beau on the Bayou, Crossfire at the Precipice, and Dereliction of the Heart by Hannah Hood Lucero, The Great Date Experiement by Ashley Mays, Love in the Eternal City by Rebecca W. Martin, Bram Baxter Marries the Wrong Sister by Latisha Sexton, Hear the Falling Snow by Storm Shultz

Time Travel and Dystopian are two of my favorite genres, but I find that really great reads are becoming fewer and farther between. I’m happy to say that wasn’t true this year with some really wonderful selections.

Time Travel: In Another Time by Jillian Cantor (Note for my clean readers: I would not consider this book “clean,” but it is a unique story.), Estuary, Riptide, and *Three Wishes by Lisa T. Bergren, When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer, *All These Threads of Time by Sarah Crowne. Dystopian: The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes, Death Panels by Michelle Buckman, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (I recommend listening to this one on audiobook.)

My Catholic reads were extremely varied this year from historical to fantasy to dystopian to non-fiction with all but two being new to me authors.

Contemporary Fiction: *All in Good Time by Carolyn Astfalk, Dystopian: Death Panels by Michelle Buckman, Non-Fiction Inspirational: He Leadeth Me by Walter J. Ciszek and Daniel L. Flaherty, Historical Fiction: The Oystercatcher of Southwark by Erica Colahan, Time Travel: *All These Threads of Time by Sarah Crowne, Non-Fiction Inspirational: Behold the Mystery: A Deeper Understanding of the Catholic Mass by Mark Hart, Historical Fantasy: *Perilous and *Delirious by Susan Laspe, Contemporary Fiction: Love in the Enternal City by Rebecca W. Martin, Non-Fiction Devotional: *Breathe Deeply by Allison Ramirez, Historical Fiction: To Crown with Liberty by Karen Ullo

Want to know what I’m currently reading? Follow me on GoodReads.

Did you know reviews help both readers and authors? Even one sentence is enough, and every word greatly appreciated. Consider leaving a rating on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and/or your favorite retailer!


Until next time, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

Follow me on:
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COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2024

Purple Mask Publishing

2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33

St. Charles, MO 63303

Top Ten Tuesday – Books to Read During a Storm (aka Dysopian Titles)

Happy Tuesday, readers! Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly blog challenge hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday, multiple bloggers share their favorite books from a selected topic. Today’s topic is “Books to Read During a Storm.” We could interpret this however we wanted. One of my favorite genres for both books and movies is disaster or dystopian stories, and to me, it just feels right to read these during a storm. So here are ten of my favorite dystopian novels. (Quite a departure from the Christmas novels of last week, huh?)

  • The Nightmare Virus by Nadine Brandes
  • Death Panels by Michelle Buckman
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  • The Divided Kingdom by Allison Ramirez
  • The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
  • The Desolate World by Kortney Keisel
  • Secrets in the Mist by Morgan L. Busse
  • The Line Between by Tosca Lee
  • Divergent by Veronica Roth
  • 1984 by George Orwell

Have you read any of these? Is there another dystopian novel you would recommend?

If you enjoyed this post, I encourage you to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, which includes updates on my books, behind the scenes information, and upcoming promotions. You can subscribe to updates by entering your e-mail on the Newsletter page. E-mail addresses are never sold or distributed. You may unsubscribe at any time.

COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2024

Top Ten Tuesday – Christmas Books

Happy Tuesday, readers! Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly blog challenge hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Every Tuesday, multiple bloggers share their favorite books from a selected topic. Today’s topic is a Freebie which means we get to choose, so today I chose Fictional novels set at Christmastime.

  • The Unbroken Song by Jennifer Q. Hunt
  • Cocktails Before Midnight by Tanya E. Williams
  • Headwater Holiday by Hannah Hood Lucero
  • One Foggy Christmas by Kortney Keisel
  • Let Nothing You Dismay by Jennifer Q. Hunt
  • Hear the Falling Snow by Storm Shultz
  • The Christmas Foundling by Martha Keyes
  • A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman
  • Christmas Still by Jennifer Q. Hunt
  • Until We All Share Joy by Heather Wood

Have you read any of these? Is there another holiday favorite you would recommend?

If you enjoyed this post, I encourage you to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, which includes updates on my books, behind the scenes information, and upcoming promotions. You can subscribe to updates by entering your e-mail on the Newsletter page. E-mail addresses are never sold or distributed. You may unsubscribe at any time.

COPYRIGHT © KELSEY GIETL 2024

Cover Reveals Galore!

Happy December, readers! I hope all my American readers had a good Thanksgiving. Thank you to all who entered the “Pray with Us” giveaway and congratulations to our winner, Sharon G.

What’s in this Edition:

Cover Reveal + Updates for Stars in the Storm

Triple Christmas Cover Reveal – My 3 latest holiday cover designs

Releasing in December– Other authors’ new releases I’m most excited about.

Cover Reveal + Updates for Stars in the Storm

Stars in the Storm is now out with my fantastic beta reader team for review. Their changes/questions will come back by early January and then I’ll have (hopefully!) only one more round of edits to complete before it’s ready to publish. February 9 is right around the corner and I’m getting antsy to share this final Larksong story with you. I really love where the series ended up!

And now, without further ado, the cover reveal for Stars in the Storm. Reply to this email and let me know what you think!

Doesn’t Alice Ann look great next to Sarah, Coraline, and Martha?

Pre-Order Stars in the Storm – eBook

Pre-Order Stars in the Storm – Paperback

Catch Up with the Rest of the Series.

Triple Christmas Cover Reveal

If you’re following the authors below, you’ve likely already seen the covers for their Christmas novels, but this is the first time revealing them to my newsletter subscribers and I’m beyond excited. I had so much fun designing covers for these three lovely women and their beautiful faith-filled stories. I’ve designed several covers for Jennifer Q. Hunt and Hannah Hood Lucero before, but this was my first for Heather Wood and I think the result turned out great. All three books are now available for purchase and just in time for the holiday season.

Releasing in December

Need another read? Here are the new releases I’m excited about:

  1. Let Nothing You Dismay by Jennifer Q. Hunt – merges the best of her two series together in one inspirational Christmas novella. I was a beta reader and it was so good!
  2. Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer – “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Sleeping Beauty” entwine for a romantic fairy tale retelling that explores the power of true love conquering even the darkest of nights
  3. Stormsight by Jessica Dean Norris – the third and final book in her Dragon Guardian Chronicles fantasy series
  4. Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson – a high school history teacher must learn to heal and forgive when she has the opportunity to meet the child she put up for adoption
  5. So Into You by Kathleen Fuller – Opposites attract in this heartfelt rom-com about overcoming your past and embracing all that life has to offer

Want to know what I’m currently reading? Follow me on GoodReads.

Did you know reviews help both readers and authors? Even one sentence is enough, and every word greatly appreciated. Consider leaving a rating on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and/or your favorite retailer!


Until next month, happy reading!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Kelsey

Purchase signed copies of my books: kelseygietl.com

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Purple Mask Publishing

2025 Zumbehl Rd, Ste. 33

St. Charles, MO 63303

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Kelsey Gietl - Author

Historical Fiction with a Dose of Romance and a Dash of Intrigue

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