INDIVIDUAL BOOK PAGES

The Old Mermaid's Tale: A Romance of the Great Lakes
(novel)

Each Angel Burns
(novel)

My Last Romance & other
passions (short stories)

The Mermaid Shawl
& other Beauties
(lace knitwear design )

BLOGS

WEB LINKS

Welcome to my web site. Here you will find information on my books -- both paperback and e-books. Please visit my blog: Parlez-Moi Blog for more information on my books and for book reviews, interviews with independent authors, knitting patterns, recipes, and blog posts on a variety of subjects. Thanks for visiting!

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK or DIGITAL
	The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall: Secrets of Marienstadt "...a rich tapestry that will forever reflect Pennsylvania Dutch history, ancestry, and legends." - Kiana Davenport, author of Shark Dialogues and The Spy Lover A novel told in eleven stories set in Marienstadt, a fictional Pennsylvania Dutch community in the Allegheny Highlands. Meet Oliver, the powerful but reclusive woodsman; Father Nick Bauer; Gretchen, owner of The Calico Cuckoo Quilt Shop; the devastatingly handsome Chief of Police, Henry Werner; Dean Ginther, the patrolman who loves to ticket nuns; Lola Eckert, a beautiful but bashful strudel artist; Peeper Baumgratz, who is ready for the Apocalypse; Sister Ursula, the nun with a snowplow; Mulligan Wolfe, the pig farmer who can dance, and many more. Volume 1 for Kindle Volume 2 for Kindle Volume 3 for Kindle Boxed Set of All 3: Kindle or Nook Paperback: Amazon or Barnes and Noble
	Depraved Heart: A Novel Paperback: from Amazon & from Barnes & Noble Digital: for Kindle & for Nook Growing up in Salem, Massachusetts, art curator Tempest Hobbs was surrounded by metaphysical practitioners but considers her own empathic powers a curse. The thoughts and feelings that assault her grow so powerful that she is confined to a psychiatric hospital. Upon her return home, badly shaken and weak, she discovers a letter from Hathor, the mysterious mansion of the Ravenscroft family. Located on the island of Hephzibah Regrets just off the coast, Hathor has fascinated the locals for over a century. Said to be filled with fabulous art and “fairy retreats” where lavish parties are held, Hathor has been passed on through successive generations of Ravenscrofts. But sixteen years ago, during one of those parties, the distinguished dancer and Ravenscroft heir, Raven Silver was shot and killed. Syd Jupiter, a powerful NFL fullback and husband of Raven's sister and dance partner Rachel, was convicted of the depraved heart murder of his brother-in-law and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.
The letter is from Syd Jupiter who is now paroled and living at Hathor. Wyatt Ravenscroft, Rachel and Raven's grandfather, is dead and has left his entire estate to Anjelica, Syd and Rachel's fifteen-year-old daughter. In the letter Syd offers Tempest the opportunity to live at Hathor for the summer while evaluating and cataloging the vast art collection. It is also a welcome opportunity for her to be away from the constant pressures of her life in society. Tempest     is dazzled by the art collection she discovers but she is   soon   aware that there are secrets and lies all around her.   Hathor's   housekeeper, Audrey, hates Syd and was once, Tempest   discovers,   Raven's lover. Miles Wainwright, a local fisherman   and the only   witness to the murder, is hiding something,   and Anjelica lives   in fear that Syd will be sent back to   prison. And then there is   Syd's mother, Marie-Isobel, the   owner of a Santeria shop in New   Orleans' French Quarter,   who joins them for the summer with her   candles and “cleansing” rituals. In the fishing village on Hephzibah Regrets the locals gather every night in the Riptide where men drink and talk fishing, women spin and knit, and everyone relishes the rumors and tales about Hathor. They tell stories of Will Silver, the father Raven and Rachel never knew, and of wild Rosalind, their beautiful mother who died in an insane asylum. As the heat of summer intensifies Tempest learns more about the residents of Hathor with all their secrets, deceptions, love affairs, madness, and mysterious deaths. And about Syd Jupiter who is as enigmatic as he is alluring.  Read more....
NOW AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE
	Mardi Gras Was Over: Three Love Stories Three Short Love Stories (12k words total): Mardi Gras Was Over - He arrived on a Harley one dark night and swept her off to Mardi Gras -- then off her feet. Now a lot of years have passed.  The Mermaid Shawl - She moved to an island in the Great Lakes to heal from a loss. There she found two great loves -- the lace shawls she designed to sell and the beautiful stranger she pulled from the sea.  Sailor's Valentine - Lobsterman Tristan Hancock was a loner with a sordid past, shop-owner Minerva Light was a newcomer with a mind of her own. Nobody in Port St. Magnus was ready for the two of them together.  1.49 for KINDLE
The Reluctant Belsnickel of Opelt's Wood Novelette (23k words) – YA / General Adult / Romance – When Father Nicholas Bauer becomes the pastor of St. Walburga's in a rural Pennsylvania Dutch community he make it his mission to revive some of the Old World Traditions including Belsnickel. According to the local legend, Belsnickel was an old man who lived in the woods and visited children on the evening of December 6th to see if they've been bad or good. He recruits his childhood friend Gretchen Fritz who owns a quilting shop called the Calico Cuckoo. Both of them grew up with Oliver Eberstark and Father Nick is determined to get Oliver to play Belsnickel for the local children. When they were young Oliver was a popular athlete and local heart-throb but now he is a recluse he lives alone at his grandfather's sawmill deep in Opelt's Wood. As the plans for Belsnickel and Christmas progress Father Nick hopes to understand what happened to Oliver and why he is now a hermit and Gretchen rediscovers why half the girls in town had crushes on him. $.99 KINDLE
	Download the FREE sampler today! Romance, Crime, Good Food: The Kathleen Valentine Sampler 4 short stories • 3 chapters • 2 essays • 8 recipes PDF (read online or print) | MOBI (for Kindle) |  EPUB (for other e-readers)
"Brief Escapes" - 99¢ Novelettes and Short Stories in e-format. Available for Kindle, Nook, and other e-readers.
Arthur's Story: A Love Story YA/Coming of Age Kindle	The Crazy Old Lady In The Attic Psychological Horror Kindle • Nook		Ghosts of a Beach Town in Winter Suspense / Ghosts Kindle • Nook	Two Short Stories about Revenge Crime / Horror Kindle
BOOKS in PAPERBACK or DIGITAL
		The Old Mermaid's Tale "A beautiful story, beautifully told." - Susan Oleksiw, A Murderous Innocence "A timeless lovestory rich in maritime lore."      - BookLovers Alert 2007 Rising Star Nominee "People ask me if I, as a fisherman, ever encountered a mermaid. I have in this book and they are better than I imagined. This is hot."       - Mark S. Williams, F/V Black Sheep Order from Amazon Read the First Chapter • WATCH THE VIDEO Visit The Old Mermaid's Tale Website
Kiana Davenport, author of Shark Dialogues, Song of the Exile, and House of Many Gods posted the following to Amazon about The Old Mermaid's Tale: If we are fortunate, sometimes a novel interrupts our lives with its grandeur, superlative writing, its memorable, heroic characters. THE OLD MERMAID'S TALE is such a book. Instantly intriguing, wildly imaginative and informative, it swept me into the Great Lakes region of the United States, bodies of water I had always thought of as mysterious, even mythical. With the Great Lakes as background, Kathleen Valentine has created a tale of Everywoman who has ever been drawn to the unknown, even the forbidden, in search of her destiny. At the end of THE OLD MERMAID'S TALE I bowed my head in wonder at what Kathleen Valentine has accomplished, a novel that is a treasure-house of the Great Lakes maritime history and lore. But more importantly, a magnificent story of obsession and redemption, of finding one's destiny, then finding one's way home. Here is an old-fashioned story that transports us and educates us as epic novels do, a story that reminds us of the power of unconditional love, and of the miracle and brevity of our human existence. I want to reiterate what another reviewer has said: 'THE OLD MERMAID'S TALE raises the bar for those publishing independently. It casts adrift the myth that indie-published novels are inferior to novels published traditionally.' Amen. This is a great novel. Like great novels, it engaged all my emotions, and I wept at the end. I feel privileged to have read it. Thank you, Kathleen Valentine. (Read the complete review.)
			Each Angel Burns is now available in paperback or e-format from Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com and other online booksellers READ THE FIRST CHAPTER! Available for Kindle or Nook
Each Angel Burns by Kathleen Valentine In the latter part of the 19th century the Monastery of St. Gabriel the Archangel was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean on a peninsula in Maine. From its earliest days there were rumors of strange activity there --- tunnels through the cliff were reported to give access for smugglers, a miracle-working nun was said to live there, and a group of drunken lumberjacks who stormed the convent to kidnap wives claimed to have been vanquished by a giant angel with a flaming sword. One hundred years later, when the last of the old cloistered nuns was removed to a retirement home, the decision was made to close and sell the convent. That's when it was discovered that he convent's treasure, a marble statue of the Archangel Gabriel by Italian sculptor Giovanni Dupré, was missing. More......
NOW AVAILABLE FOR KINDLE #1 Top Rated Lace Knitting book & #20 Top Rated Needlework book on Kindle
Just got my hands on your e-book "Mermaid Shawls", and am absolutely delighted! Thanks for all the tips, suggestions ~ and heart ~ that are in the book. It is wonderful! - KathyO in Ferndale, WA I just bought your book, after looking at the inside. It is just what I have been looking for, Your illustrations and  commentary have eased my fear of starting a shawl. - Margaret in Canada			PAPERBACK NOW AVAILABLE!!! From AMAZON         From BARNES & NOBLE Worth every cent, in my opinion. This is one I will read and re-read. - MMario on Knitter's Review. I just purchased and downloaded your e-book. How fabulous it is!!! The download was easy and zippy fast. - kknitterkc on Ravelry Note: As soon as you complete your purchase your screen should be redirected to the download site. If you wait more than 2 minutes and do not see the PDF file (7.5MB) please email me and I will send you the link for downloading. Please be advised that some email programs have been filtering out the redirection, AOL especially may do this. If you are not redirected, email and I will send the link. The Mermaid Shawl: Shawls, Cocoons & Wraps by Kathleen Valentine Inspired by the popularity of The Mermaid Shawl first featured on Parlez-Moi Blog, this book provides instruction for the Mermaid Shawl and two variations, the Gypsy Shawl, and the Shawl of Falling Leaves and Shooting Stars. In addition there are chapters on creating Emily's Shawl, four stoles and wraps and how to convert a rectangular shawl into a cocoon. Photographs, charts, and illustrations. Available as an eBook or as a paperback.
			The new expanded and redesigned edition of Fry Bacon. Add Onions: The Valentine Family & Friends Cookbook: five generations of good eating Amazon.com  |  Barnes & Noble Paperback: 178 pages ISBN-10: 0978594045 ISBN-13: 978-09785940
In this combination memoir and family cookbook blogger and novelist Kathleen Valentine combines 30 posts from her blog with nearly 400 recipes collected from family and friends. Growing up in a "mostly Pennsylvania Dutch" family she collected and recorded recipes from grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, cousins, friends, etc. which were combined in the first Valentine Family & Friends Cookbook published in 1981. This was expanded in the 1992 edition and now, in this third edition, nearly 400 recipes combine with essays recording memories of growing up in rural Pennsylvania and photographs from six generations. Essays topics include making sauerkraut and soltz (sultz) (a German pickled meat loaf), toasting marshmallows and catching fireflies, the old-country Christmas traditions of making stollen and visits from Belsnickle, old world ghost stories, their grandmother's quilts, and more. Traditional family recipes include schmarn, panhaas, moultasha, a variety of sausage recipes, hassenpfeffer, and liver dumplings, a wide variety of pickles and relishes, as well as keuchels (a type of fried dough), apple dumplings, and rhubarb crisps and pies. Contemporary recipes from the younger generations of the Valentine family expand the collection with everything from dips and cocktails to chowders, cakes and cookies. Among the more popular recipes first featured on Valentine's blog are: three maple syrup pies apricot-apple crisp with maple cream caramel peachy-pear pandowdy honey & white peach pie Pennsylvania Dutch hot and sour soup Though this collection is a memoir  in food of the Valentine family it could be the story of any first, second and third generation immigrant family.
			My Last Romance & other passions by Kathleen Valentine Eight stories that celebrate the wonder of finding love... These stories sweep the reader into sensuous worlds where ordinary people discover, or rediscover, love. Foolish love, forbidden love, married love – even murderous love, each story is a seductive jewel populated with characters that seem like someone we could know – or someone we could be. Each of the stories in this collection is an exquisitely rendered portrait of people from a broad range of ages each proving that passion and love are eternal, regardless of life's far-ranging challenges. Buy from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com
Visit KnitYourTailOff.com for more information on downloadable patterns in PDF format from Ravelry or Kindle format from Amazon.