BayCon 2026

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a great week. Over the Fourth of July weekend I was at BayCon/Westercon (learn more here) at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara California. I have to admit I love been at local events, it’s nice to be able to support and attend a con that is in my own backyard.

This year I wasn’t part of the usual group I go with; LimFic (check them out here). This time I was part of the delegation with one of my publishers Water Dragon Publishing (learn more here). I absolutely love when small publishers support their authors by attending events, I know not all publishers do this, but I believe they should doing these events together gives the author a chance to attend an conference they might not have been able to attend otherwise, and that was my case this year. I was able to return to this con instead of missing out. I had an absolute blast and really enjoyed hanging out with folks. I also got to represent not only myself but some of my fellow authors; BJ Sikes (learn more here) and J. Scott Coatsworth (find him here). They weren’t able to attend this year so I was happy to be their ambassadors.

Here are some great customs I saw there (and yes there were loads more).

Despite not being on any panels this year I really enjoyed hanging out at the booth and talking to readers and fans (it’s so nice when people come up and say hello and tell me how much they loved my book and they want to see what else I have). We even managed to set aside almost two hours to have some author readings (again I didn’t get to read this year, there were a lot of authors).

Thank you to everyone who made this a great event. Now here are some of the pictures that I took and want to share. Enjoy!

A couple shots of the reading (this is at the start, by the time we finished we needed to pull in more chairs and we have folks standing around to watch and listen.

Well that was BayCon/Westercon 2026! Until next time I have you have a great week.

Her Runaway Lady by BJ Sikes

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a great day. Today I’m thrilled to share a new sapphic historical romance coming soon by author BJ Sikes (learn more here). The novel; Her Runaway Lady will be out May 1, 2026. but you can pre order the novel here.

Here is the blurb and more details about the novel:

An ambitious young milliner.

A shy noblewoman.

Love is a risk neither can afford.

Solange’s ambition doesn’t leave room for longing. And love was never part of her plan.

Louise-Marie escapes a gilded cage, trading the halls of Versailles for a cramped millinery. She expects hard work—but not Solange.

As their secrets threaten to unravel, one wrong stitch could cost them everything.

I can’t recommend this author and her novels enough. She is a brilliant author and I’m sure you’ll love her books. Pre order Her Runaway Lady now (click here) so you don’t miss out. Until next time have a great week.

The Cultist's Wife by B.J. Sikes

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are having a wonderful week. Today I’m excited to bring you another book recommendation. This story is a bit different then what I typically read, but it’s worth your time and your money.

Today, let’s talk about The Cultist’s Wife by B.J. Sikes (click here to learn more about B.J.):

Gothic Thriller and Gothic Fiction for Sure

This weekend I finished reading The Cultist Wife by B.J. Sikes. This is a beautifully crafted story set in the early 1900s in the Bahamas during the height of the British Empire. The details are spot on and you feel like you are experiencing the oppressive heat along with our three main characters: Clara (The Mother), Elsie (The Maiden, more like The Child) and Irene (The Cone). I was expecting this story to be more Gothic Horror given the description, however that is not the case, so if you want Gothic Horror go read Anne Rice. What I ended up reading was this wonderfully told Gothic Thriller and fiction story, with a healthy dose of history thrown in.

My only issue with the novel (and this should be seen as a credit to the writer) is I found myself getting more and more annoyed with Clara. This really is her story, so we get to spend a lot of time with her. My annoyance wasn’t at how she lived or interacted in this world. My exasperation came from how true to life this character was portrayed. I wanted to reach into the story and yell at her for how she was acting and get on her case about the choices she made. However, Clara, like all the characters in the book, are a product of their time (and this is something Sikes does incredibly well) the characters in the book act as you would expect them to perform given that the story is set in 1908. You’re not going to have modern day characters in this setting (which is something a lot of historical fiction gets wrong), you are going to have female characters (who are strong and intelligent) acting like the subservient creatures that the men, and society, at the time expected. Which honestly annoyed me. Because Clara, as well as Elsie and Irene, are brilliant strong women. Who, if they lived today, would be fiercely resilient, powerful, independent women, and none of them would let the ‘men’ or society treat them the way that they are treated in this novel?

Is this Gothic Horror? Well, sort of, there is a cult, there is a ghost, and there is a bit of what we would call witchcraft/magic, however those items take a backseat to the meat of the story, which is a thriller and fiction adventure.

If Historical Fiction and Gothic Thrillers are your thing, then this is absolutely the story for you.

Well, that’s what I have for you this week. I hope you’ll check out The Cultist’s Wife (buy it here) I’m sure you’ll enjoy the story. Until next time have a great week.