Dear friends, the Kergulen series has come to a close, and I'm launching a comical, Urban Fantasy series called Just West of Orlando.
For so many people, this has been an incredibly difficult time, and the Just West of Orlando series is the epitome of escape fiction. As the name implies, it's set west of Orlando in a diverse and sometimes whacky neighborhood where some of the neighbors are more than they seem. The tone is light, the characters are fun, and the endings are happy.
The first book, Won't You Be Mine? It's a Beautiful Day in the Nightmarehood is in the final round of edits, and book two is over halfway through the first draft. Book one is available for preorder in ebook, and will release in less than two months. I'm on schedule to release at least three books a year, so no long waits.
Click the cover below to preorder your copy today!

Hello!
The Hordes of Haran is just about a week from release!

I hope you've reserved your copy. If not, it's not too late. I mean, it's not like there's a deadline.

In all seriousness, I believe you'll enjoy it. It packs a wide range of emotional experiences, as well as plenty of action, humor, and creepiness. And it's a long book, so plenty of bang for your buck! I'm proud of the final result.

Happy reading!
​Find it here. Available as a Kindle e-book or in paperback.

Hey!
You all have waited so long for this book to come out, I'm offering the e-book for pre-order at a discounted price of $2.99 until July 22, 2020. It's on sale for you, so grab it before it goes up!
Click here to get it on Amazon!

Encouraging, Entertaining, Interesting...

Hello!

The Blog is kind of clunky for general interaction and posts, so I've been having all the fun over on Facebook. From now until further notice, this Blog and the email notification will be reserved--at least mostly--for actual book news, such as updates on new releases and the occasional sale.

I do encourage you to find me on Facebook if you haven't already.

It's R.A. White Books and More, same as here, and I post something encouraging, entertaining, or interesting pretty much every day. It's also where I go for input. Comments and conversation are so much simpler over there, and can happen almost in real time (or in true real time if you want a video chat!), so it just makes sense to invest more time and effort into Facebook. I hope to see you there!
​Subscribe for book news.

Originally Posted on Facebook:
​I see people posting about how NOT posting demonstrates a lack of support. I totally get that. But if I don't post, maybe it's because it's just a little too personal for Facebook. Because my little guy likes to run around outside. Because my little guy is growing up. Because unless things change, my little guy is going to be seen as threatening when he goes out for a walk, or sits in his car listening to music, or visits friends in a rich neighborhood.
I want this page to be fun and interesting, a place people look when they want to smile. But some days I just can't.

This tiny crab spider protects my papayas just outside the lanai where I like to write. She keeps a beautiful web, and more importantly, keeps down the mosquito population. Her horns are cool and even pretty, in a creepy kind of way. I can't tell you how many times I've almost gotten a face full of her when moving around in the garden. *Shiver* Although she's been here for several weeks, we haven't named her. Any suggestions?
​Subscribe

My work on the first draft of The Hordes of Haran is coming to a close. Within the next two weeks, I will start sending it out to the first round of editors. If you're the kind of person who doesn't get overly hung up on typos, but plot inconsistencies and continuity errors drive you nuts, please consider doing a read through for me. I could send you a pdf. or a file for kindle. If you're great at catching typos, let me know that, too, and I'll get back to you in a month or two :). Thank you!

Dear friends,
Out of consideration for the current world situation, I am lowering the prices of all my ebooks to $.99 until at least the end of May, 2020. If you have friends, acquaintances, or social media contacts who might like to have a good book to relax to while they cope with the chaos, please share. Thank you. I hope that you all are well and finding your balance.
​Find the series on Amazon by clicking here.

​Sometimes a mango tree doesn't flower or fruit because it has parasites leaching the life from it. Generally speaking, a small infestation won't hold it back, but pile on too many bugs or a thick coating of fungus, and you won't end up with any fruit.
I get this. When I have too many things sucking the life from me, I can't grow or produce fruit, either. I may feel busy, may feel good about how much I'm giving, but I'm not growing healthy fruit. Easy object lesson.
But I have this pampered little mango tree in my backyard. She's vibrant and healthy. The only bug on her is a bright green guardian, a jewel-like spider. She feels strong. Her roots are deep.
And she hasn't even thought about blooming this year.
I finally went online to figure out what was wrong. It turns out that if a mango tree is too pampered with regular watering or too much fertilizer, she might not bloom. She might be too comfortable to bother. Who knew? I should have saved time, water, and money. So, what can I do to get my tree to bloom and produce fruit? First, I can stop pampering it. Easy enough. But if I really want it to refocus on fruiting, if I want it to move forward, I can give it some adversity. The most recommended method of doing this was to beat the trunk and limbs, thereby stressing it. The stress sends signals that shock the tree into action, letting it know that something is wrong, and that it had better get to work on personal development, so to speak.
Can you believe that? Obviously, too much stress could injure or kill it, but the right amount can precede valuable changes. And that's why I was out beating my mango tree with a mallet this morning. I'll let you know if it works.
I'm not one who believes that a supernatural force causes trauma or stress in life. I'm not even one to say everything happens for a purpose, other than the purpose we give it. I do not represent God in this story. But I do firmly believe that when I'm feeling good about my place in life, when things are comfortable, I might need a dry spell or something shocking to help me refocus and move forward.

Dear friends,
None of us are strangers to struggle. We've all been sick. We've all been worried about a loved one. Probably all of us have been concerned about our financial futures. And so, maybe Covid 19 should just go on the list with the rest of our hard times as nothing special. But it won't, will it? There's something different about this. It's different because we have never lived through a pandemic that changed daily life so dramatically for the entire world.
Yes, this is different.
I have three more movies for you this week, inspiring films to remind you to look up, but I encourage you to use media as a drug only occasionally. Instead of trying to survive this time, try to thrive. If you suddenly have more time on your hands, invest it in new skills, in gardens, in relationships. Be smart, huddle in at home. But don't huddle in fear. 

1. Harriet. It's hard to believe anyone hasn't seen Harriet yet, but this would be a good time for a re-view, don't you think? And if you haven't seen it… for goodness' sake, dude, stop what you're doing and make it happen! While it doesn't stay 100% true to details, it seems to encompass Harriet Tubman's stubborn courage, faith, and sense of responsibility very well, and I recognized most of the events portrayed in the film from a book Trooper and I read about her.
Find Harriet here.
 
2. I Feel Pretty. I rented this movie with low hopes, knowing from the preview that it would be crude, and figuring that all the funniest parts were probably in the preview because that's how it usually works. Despite my reservations, the main premise attracted me. What if we all woke up believing we were drop-dead gorgeous? The idea was sound enough to convince me to pick it up at Redbox.
I was beyond impressed.
Yes, there is a kind of goofy sex scene that can be zipped through pretty easily, but other than that, I found it surprisingly clean. Not perfect, but for a PG13 comedy, not bad at all. I hate when writers don't have anything genuinely funny to say, so they fill space with vulgarity and cheap, brainless innuendo. This movie wasn't like that. It was funny, but more than that, it had heart and depth I hadn't anticipated. Secondary characters were like real people with actual perspectives and personalities, rather than caricatures stuck in place simply for the next gag. The main character has an actual character arc! Definitely not for kids, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It did a fantastic job of showing the power of self-perception.
Find I Feel Pretty here.
 
3. The Biggest Little Farm. This is actually a documovie about a couple who leaves their home in the city to take over a dead farm in the country. Over the course of years—despite setbacks involving pests, coyotes, drought, flood, and more— their efforts bring life to a desert, resulting in a bounty of organic foods. This isn't a movie with a plot, it's a story of two people and the others who come together with them to make something great out of something no one would want for a backyard. This spoke to my deep need to be close to nature, to work with it toward healing for the planet and for us. I don't have investors to help me turn my yard into a chemical-free paradise, and I don't think my husband is ready to start looking for organic farming start up money, but I have taken steps. And while we're home for a couple of months, we're building garden beds to go with our trees and ducks. Even if you live in an apartment, with no interest in farms whatsoever, you may find yourself inspired to start a patio or window garden.
Find The Biggest Little Farm here.