Books by B. L. Thoma

Just Whisper “Freebie”!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 4 Comments

I pondered for a moment as to what my subscribers might enjoy having the opportunity to win for the month of October and then, in a flash of brilliance, I realized that I have a brand new novel out and you might just like one for the First Friday Freebie!  I’m quick like that.

Hear My Whisper Book Cover https://midweststoryteller.com/

Let me tempt you with this from the back of the book.

“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”

Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!

Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?

Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?

Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down? 

To enter to win a free paperback copy of “Hear My Whisper”, the first book in my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series, the first thing you need to do is become an email subscriber HERE if you haven’t already done so. Then, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Can’t wait to curl up with a good book!”

Subscribing is FREE and First Friday Freebies are FREE – don’t you just love it?

Often I fail to invite you to follow Midwest Storyteller on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE, so check those out.

SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!

Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page.   Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.

Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, October 3rd by leaving a comment which says, “Can’t wait to curl up with a good book!”

And now, here are the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

Don’t delay.  You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now!  Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, October 3rd! “Hear My Whisper” is available for pre-order right now, so get all the details on that right here.

Morgan’s Landing – Pre-Order Book 1 Now

~ Midwest Storyteller

Hear My Whisper, the first book in my Morgan’s Landing historical fiction novel series is available for pre-order now.

Physical books are available in both paperback and hardback editions here: Hear My Whisper | Ozark Hollow Press 

Note: I have noticed that if you order extras for family and friends, the publisher will give you FREE SHIPPING. Any combination such as two hardcovers, a hardcover and a paperback, or three paperbacks (or, of course, more) will qualify for free shipping.

Upon release, physical books will also be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You can pre-order the ebook also –

From the Amazon Kindle Store here: 

Amazon.com: Hear My Whisper (The Morgan’s Landing Series Book 1) eBook : Thoma, B.L.: Kindle Store

From Barnes & Noble here: Hear My Whisper by B.L. Thoma | eBook | Barnes & Noble® 

NOTE: If you do plan to order an ebook, I would strongly encourage you to do so on Amazon. This helps build numbers for my book that might give me one of those “bestselling” banners upon release.  That, my dear readers, would be nice!  

My publisher has set the “official” publication date as November 18th. However, that is to allow for any unexpected “stuff that happens”. I am expecting to have physical books available in early to mid-October. 

Book signings will be scheduled soon, and will be announced here at Midwest Storyteller as well as on the Midwest Storyteller Facebook page and the Midwest Storyteller Instagram page.

The act of kindness that would mean the most to me is for you to post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com (or whatever platform for book reviews you prefer).  This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.

Here’s a bit from the back of the book:

“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”

Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!

Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?

Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?

Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down? 

There’s one way to find out!  Pre-order now.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  Are you considering writing a novel, a true story?  Smuffy says he’s going to enjoy the book in his happy place – in the bathtub for a long soak.  Where’s your favorite spot to curl up with a good book?

Morgan’s Landing has Landed!

~ Midwest Storyteller

I am so excited!  I hope you are excited along with me.  The first book in my Morgan’s Landing series, Hear My Whisper, is available for pre-order.  Take a look at the cover.

 Hear My Whisper will be available in paperback and hardcover editions and also as an ebook.  I don’t know how the relationship is between you and the books you read, but I make friends with mine.  Though I’ve read a few books on Kindle (mainly because I couldn’t find them anywhere else), I’m a true book lover and I like to hold the physical book in my own two hands. In our household, we are all book sniffers, burying our noses in the pages to see if they smell as a good book should. I neglected to discuss this fine point with the publisher, so I am hoping that when my own copies of Hear My Whisper arrive, they pass the sniff test. 

If you’d like to pre-order physical books (paperbacks and hardcovers) and get a savings of 20%, click here: Hear My Whisper | Ozark Hollow Press  From September 24 to September 29, 2025, you can use the promo code WHISPER20 to get 20% off your pre-orders.  After this date, the retail prices will be:

            – Paperback – $17.99

            – Hardcover – $25.99

Now for ebooks. They’re great to have with you when you’re on the go, but a trifle difficult to get autographed.

If you’d like to pre-order the ebook, click here for Barnes & Noble:

Hear My Whisper by B.L. Thoma | eBook | Barnes & Noble® 

Click here for Amazon Kindle Store: 

Amazon.com: Hear My Whisper (The Morgan’s Landing Series Book 1) eBook : Thoma, B.L.: Kindle Store

Until September 29, the pre-order price for the ebook will be $2.99. After September 29, the ebook price will increase to the retail price of $5.99. 

I would strongly encourage, if you can possibly do so, to pre-order on Amazon.  This helps build numbers for my book that might give me one of those “bestselling” banners upon release.  That, my dear readers, would be nice!  

My publisher has set the “official” publication date as November 18th. However, that is to allow for any unexpected “stuff that happens” and I am expecting to have books available in early to mid-October.  That’s right around the corner!

The act of kindness that would mean the most to me is for you to post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com (or whatever platform for book reviews you prefer).  This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.

Here’s a bit from the back of the book:

“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”

Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!

Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?

Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?

Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down? 

There’s only one way to find out!  Pre-order now.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  Are you considering writing a novel, a true story?  Smuffy says he’s going to enjoy the book in his happy place – in the bathtub for a long soak.  Where’s your favorite spot to curl up with a good book?

The Big News!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 15 Comments

Sorry to seem absent lately, but I’ve been a bit pre-occupied lately due to this –

First in Novel Series coming soon! www.midweststoryteller.com

I’ve written for years and years. You know how it is – a little bit of this and whole lot of that. I really enjoy writing the humor non-fiction stories here on the blog because they are about my favorite things in life – Smuffy, Lil’ Snookie, Phoebe June and the family stories that shouldn’t be forgotten. And you know I love sharing what I’ve learned about healthy eating and lifestyle with you.

I don’t know if you’ve ever sat down to write a novel. It’s a whole different critter than any of the above and it’s not kid-stuff. It begins as a joy at having a story that you think people will love to read and then it is work, work, work to get it to the place where it can be read.

Several years ago a I had a dream. I don’t say that figuratively. I had a dream one night and when I woke I realized that the entire story was still there in my memory like a downloaded file. I grabbed a spiral book and wrote down every detail.

Little did I know it would be a three-novel series! Little did I know how much historical research, editing, and time it would take to complete. What I found that I knew the least about was the publishing world! Filled with agents, editors, publishers, conferences and my pleas for guidance from more experienced authors, it frustrated me at times to a degree that made me want to pick things up off my desk and throw them against the wall. However, wisdom prevailed. My desk is already messy enough and I didn’t need to make it any worse.

I had confidence in these stories. So, evidently, does the publisher! The first in the series is on the way and I’ll keep you posted here on the blog so that you’ll have plenty of hints along the way and be amongst the first to know the minute it’s available. I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy it!

I believe everyone has a story to tell. If you were going to write a book, would it be fiction or non-fiction? What would it be about? Would it be a mystery, a love story, a true story? Leave a comment and let me know.