March 8 is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year’s theme is “embrace equality” and it serves as a call to action for the collective advancement of gender equity around the world. In that spirit, let’s take a moment to recognize the importance of books, ebooks, and authors in creating equal opportunities for women everywhere.
Books have long been a powerful platform for amplifying diverse voices and perspectives. From I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou to The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates and Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez, books provide readers with insight into issues related to gender equality which can help promote understanding and empathy among readers from all walks of life. By featuring stories about these issues written by women themselves books can play an important role in empowering readers to work towards greater equality in their own communities.
With the rise of ebooks in recent years, readers now have even more access to stories written by female authors – giving them more opportunities to learn about different cultures and experiences from around the world. Women authors are flourishing in the indie publishing world, where 67% of top-rated, self-published books are written by women, compared to just 39% of traditionally published books.
So, how about a few books with strong female protagonists by a prolific female indie author dedicated to bringing you stories that address challenges of today’s women and entertain you at the same time? (Yes, that would be me.)
Unlawful Harvest
Unlawful Harvest is a Kenzie Kirsch Medical Thriller. If you have been reading the Zachary Goldman Mysteries, then you have met Kenzie Kirsch, who works in the medical examiner’s office.
This story will take you back to before Kenzie started medical school, to the case that first attracted her to medical investigation.
When an Urban Legend becomes reality
Kenzie Kirsch had led a sheltered life; daughter of a wealthy lobbyist, her way had been paved for her, and she wasn’t really required to do much in life. There were events to make an appearance at, boards to sit on, fundraisers to support, but she could pick and choose what she wanted to do and how busy she wanted to be.
When she set out to find out why her sister Amanda was so ill, she had no idea where her amateur investigation would take her. Amanda’s illness had never been discussed. Amanda deserved her privacy.
As Kenzie’s questions take her deeper and deeper into the murky world of transplant tourism, Kenzie starts to wonder just what her parents have been covering up, and who else’s life might hang in the balance.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed the fast pace of the story which kept me flipping pages late into the night. It is one of those books you just don’t want to put down until you have read the very last word. If you enjoy suspense, intrigue, family drama, spell-binding imagery and great character development, you will absolutely enjoy reading this book.
If you are a reader of the Zachary Goldman Mysteries series, you have already met Kenzie Kirsch. This series is a spinoff from Zachary Goldman Mysteries, giving Kenzie a front-and-center position in solving medical mysteries.
Looking for a strong female lead in an engaging medical mystery? Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman brings you an up-and-coming Medical Examiner’s Assistant who is right up your alley.
Join Dr. Kenzie Kirsch as she uncovers mysteries, conspiracies, and thrills!
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Out With the Sunset
There’s nothing like jumping straight into the deep end.
Margie Patenaude is new in town and wasn’t expecting to get called to a murder scene on her daughter’s first day of school.
It’s an ugly murder in a beautiful setting. How can Calgary’s park-goers feel safe with a murderer still on the streets—or pathways? Margie and the team are on the case while at the same time she and her daughter try to acclimatize to the new city.
If she wants her coworkers to believe that she’s not just a ‘diversity hire,’ she needs to show them what she’s made of and track this killer down.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This promises to be a wonderful series with fantastic characters, interesting locations, and fascinating glimpses into different cultures. The story is of novella length and can easily be read in one sitting if so desired, there is no offensive language, no sex, no graphic violence – just a whopping good story everyone can enjoy.
—txdoc
Looking for a police procedural set in picturesque Canada? Let Award-winning and Bestselling Author P.D. Workman take you her favourite Calgary parks, as Métis detective Margie Patenaude investigates a murder in this fast-paced new series.
These short mysteries are just right for those days when you could use a break from your busy life. Take a walk in a Calgary park with Parks Pat.
Lose yourself in a new mystery today!
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Ruby, Between the Cracks
Winner of “In The Margins” Top Ten Best Books for Teens Award 2015, awarded to relevant books for our communities that validate, illuminate and humanize those living in the margins.
If you asked Ruby, she’d tell you she’s happy with her life. She’s tough and independent and doesn’t depend on anyone else. The road that has led her here has not been easy, and she’s blocked a lot of it from her memory.
But things aren’t as rosy as she would have everyone believe, and the road ahead of her is filled not only with gangs, drugs, and depression, but other challenges that Ruby hasn’t even imagined.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️If I could rate a book 10 stars outta 5, I would… This book was absolutely amazing and I would go through everything I loved about it if I could, but that’s the thing—I loved EVERYTHING. Every single last detail… Definitely one of the best books I have EVER read. —Britt, Goodreads reviewer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I sure would love to see this book as a movie. Her stories are so believable and you can’t help but feel like you know these people. You find your self crying, laughing and feeling the characters emotions. Now if an author can make you cry and feel every emotion in a story, she is one hell of an author. —Pamela, Goodreads reviewer
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Stand Alone
Is Justine crazy?
Everyone thinks so…
Her mother. The kids at school, and the teachers and administrators too. Even the police who pick her up from her night rambles. Maybe them most of all.
Justine’s therapist says she is ‘troubled’, but it means the same thing. He thinks that her vivid, reoccurring nightmares and atrocious behavior point to some trauma in her past; but Em, Justine’s mother, can’t explain it.
Justine used to have Christian, her best friend and skateboard partner. He was the only one who accepted her. Maybe because skating is the only time that Justine is really free to be herself. Now that Christian is gone… Justine keeps thinking things can’t get any worse.
Even as she sees her life spinning further and further out of control, Justine can’t give up her sense of who she is—someone far different than the loving daughter Em expects her to be—to just fit in and be happy. She is sure that Em secretly holds the key to who Justine really is. But if she does, Em isn’t talking.
The portrayal of Justine felt very true to me. I had a troubled childhood and youth myself and I really identified with Justine’s feelings, words, and actions. Some of the things Justine said and did were things I said and did when I was her age. The characters felt very three-dimensional and real. The story pulled me in and I just had to know how it ended! I swayed back and forth in my opinions about all the characters and was very satisfied with how everything played out in the end.
—Sparrow, Amazon reader
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Cynthia Has a Secret
One day, fifteen-year-old Carmina Knight’s life was perfect, and the next, she’d lost everything. Her family, her home, almost everything that she knew. Alone on the streets, she can’t trust anyone, but she also can’t make it alone.
Neil Crowther is the investigator on the Knight case. He knows that he has to unravel the web of deceit and track Carmina down quickly, or there will be no one left to save.
It takes a while to learn Cynthia’s secret. The author keeps us in suspense, which keeps us riveted to the story. I would recommend this book to boys and girls from upper grade school to high school.
—Victoria, Goodreads Reader
This is a great story of a young girl’s struggle to survive
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Questing for a Dream
Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author P.D. Workman’s compelling and poignant account of Native teen Nadie Laplante’s quest for meaning and purpose. This thought-provoking and eye-opening story of poverty, prejudice and addiction will inspire readers of all ages and remind them that they are not alone.
Nadie is a bright, caring teen growing up Manitoba Cree growing up in abject poverty. She tries to balance school attendance, caring for her younger cousin Luyu, and spending time with handsome, impish Mouse, her best friend and confidante. Together, they strive to find the path to happiness on the reservation.
But tragedy strikes and Nadie’s is devastated by Luyu’s accidental death. Unable to find comfort in Mouse’s arms or Grandfather’s traditional mourning rites, Nadie leaves the band and strikes off on her own, searching for meaning and a new life in the outside world.
Can Nadie find happiness and a place of her own in a foreign world where she is abused and discriminated against? Completely alone for the first time in her life, it is a challenge such as Nadie has never before faced.
“P.D. Workman’s skilled narrative of Nadie and her poignant journey to wholeness is a thoughtful expose of shattered dreams and tragic youth sure to resonate with every reader.”
“An inspiring book which can encourage the reader to face the challenges in life’s journey and to accept the lessons that come as a result.”
By the author of the award-winning Ruby, Between the Cracks, this engaging and unforgettable story of Nadie’s journey to find a place in the world amidst heartache and hopelessness will inspire you to face your challenges with courage and become a happier and stronger person.
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Easily one of the most thought-provoking and compelling reads of the year, Ms. Workman has written a masterful contemporary account of one native teen’s journey from home and the possibilities for hope even for those drowning in poverty, prejudice, and addiction … A must-read tale for any book lover!
Sarah E. Bradley, InD’tale Magazine
