--- title: "August round-up: Secret Santa cover, Kobo sale, and delicious figs" description: The Large Print edition of A Slice Of Mystery is out! image: https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembed.filekitcdn.com%2Fe%2FoZtHraW5eTqV44CkQGCcnn%2F39R2kvFqkrZVP6FnB1Z7Bo%2Femail&t=1789570615&ymreqid=18db2881-8618-0531-1cd2-e1000201f400&sig=SujzjYvQZwiKAEMaeBiNug--~D --- [Skip to content](https://sophiemaddon.com/past-newsletters/august-round-up-secret-santa-cover-kobo-sale-and-delicious-figs#main-content) [![](https://sophiemaddon.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Sophie%20Maddon%20logo%20for%20website%2029042025.jpg?width=1024&height=256&name=Sophie%20Maddon%20logo%20for%20website%2029042025.jpg)Homepage](https://sophiemaddon.com/) - [Home](https://sophiemaddon.com) - [Young Adult](https://sophiemaddon.com/young-adult) - [Your Knowledge Or Your Life?](https://sophiemaddon.com/your-knowledge-or-your-life) - [Beyond The Threshold](https://sophiemaddon.com/beyond-the-threshold) - [Adult](https://sophiemaddon.com/adult) - [A Slice Of Mystery](https://sophiemaddon.com/a-slice-of-mystery) - [Read for Free](https://sophiemaddon.com/read-for-free) - [Large Print](https://sophiemaddon.com/largeprint) - [About](https://sophiemaddon.com/about) - [Contact](https://sophiemaddon.com/contact) - [Past Newsletters](https://sophiemaddon.com/past-newsletters) - [Home](https://sophiemaddon.com) - [Young Adult](https://sophiemaddon.com/young-adult) - [Your Knowledge Or Your Life?](https://sophiemaddon.com/your-knowledge-or-your-life) - [Beyond The Threshold](https://sophiemaddon.com/beyond-the-threshold) - [Adult](https://sophiemaddon.com/adult) - [A Slice Of Mystery](https://sophiemaddon.com/a-slice-of-mystery) - [Read for Free](https://sophiemaddon.com/read-for-free) - [Large Print](https://sophiemaddon.com/largeprint) - [About](https://sophiemaddon.com/about) - [Contact](https://sophiemaddon.com/contact) - [Past Newsletters](https://sophiemaddon.com/past-newsletters) ![](https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembed.filekitcdn.com%2Fe%2FoZtHraW5eTqV44CkQGCcnn%2F39R2kvFqkrZVP6FnB1Z7Bo%2Femail&t=1789570615&ymreqid=18db2881-8618-0531-1cd2-e1000201f400&sig=SujzjYvQZwiKAEMaeBiNug--~D) # August round-up: Secret Santa cover, Kobo sale, and delicious figs ![Sophie Maddon](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg) Sophie Maddon August 28, 2026   Hi All! Hope you're having a good day / week / month? I'm not one for chit-chat, so let's dive in! # Book news: ​ The ****Large Print**** edition of [*A Slice Of Mystery*](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/l2hehmhlx3522msgu0/aHR0cHM6Ly9ib29rczJyZWFkLmNvbS9TbGljZU9mTXlzdGVyeQ==) is out, and available everywhere print books are sold (mostly - at I'm writing this, it's still not visible on the B&N website, but Walmart & Waterstone have had it up for two weeks... a mystery!). Think your library might be interested in carrying it? Tell them about it! Want to see how it compares with the regular paperback? There's a sample on my [website](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/m2h7h5h348k55duluq/aHR0cHM6Ly9zb3BoaWVtYWRkb24uY29tL2xhcmdlcHJpbnQ=). PS: looking for it on Amazon? It's buried under "See all format and editions", unless you have the [direct link](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/7qh7h8h9novllea9u6/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvbS9TbGljZS1NeXN0ZXJ5LW15c3RlcnktYW1hdGV1ci1tdXJkZXJzL2RwLzE3Mzg0MzIwNjg=)... and there's no way to fix it, unfortunately. I'm still working on the edits for the *Secret Santa Mystery* - it didn't help that I lost the last few chapters. Went through all the places I could have saved them, but no luck, so I had to rewrite them, and for the ADHD side of my brain, that's agony (I crave novelty!). On a positive note, the cover is done! Check it out, you're the first to see it - what do you think? | ![](https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembed.filekitcdn.com%2Fe%2FoZtHraW5eTqV44CkQGCcnn%2F39R2kvFqkrZVP6FnB1Z7Bo%2Femail&t=1789570615&ymreqid=18db2881-8618-0531-1cd2-e1000201f400&sig=SujzjYvQZwiKAEMaeBiNug--~D) | | --- | ​[*Your Knowledge Or Your Life?*](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/p8heh9h4qzk6o3aru3/aHR0cHM6Ly9ib29rczJyZWFkLmNvbS9Zb3VyS25vd2xlZGdlT3JZb3VyTGlmZQ==) (YKOYL) was featured on page 5 (YA) of the August ****Indie Book Fair**** catalogue - their mission is to connect readers with lovingly crafted books while building a community that celebrates great storytelling and supports fellow authors. They do that primarily through the FREE monthly catalogue of curated indie books! Sounds interesting? ****Request it free**** [****here****](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/kkhmh6hnxlgwv2sku7/aHR0cHM6Ly90aGUtaW5kaWUtYm9vay1mYWlyLmtpdC5jb20vNWVhYTNhMDM4NA==)! | ![](https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembed.filekitcdn.com%2Fe%2FoZtHraW5eTqV44CkQGCcnn%2Fn3D1uhBhZthR1W37Pe9eT5%2Femail&t=1789570615&ymreqid=18db2881-8618-0531-1cd2-e1000201f400&sig=RbHYmus8HtosJg.BatM2ng--~D) ​ | | --- | And while we're talking about YKOYL, I've been toying with the idea of creating a ****dyslexic-friendly**** paperback edition... any thoughts? Just like with the translations, it won't happen until next year, as I'm going to be busy with editing book 2 in the Abigail Palmer series, and writing book 3 this year, but it would be nice to know if there's an interest. ​ # Free Stuff (or close): | ![](https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembed.filekitcdn.com%2Fe%2FoZtHraW5eTqV44CkQGCcnn%2F8g5xeybsNofUNc4yZsfdk5%2Femail&t=1789570615&ymreqid=18db2881-8618-0531-1cd2-e1000201f400&sig=CJosutTIsH4StQVnBsM6wQ--~D) | | --- | Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror fans, the Narratess sale is on this weekend (Aug 29th to Aug 31st)! Never heard of it? Simple: 280+ Indie authors discount their books across all retailers (in some cases down to FREE), and tell the world about it! Click [here](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/9qhzhnhd5pkwrdszu3/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbmRpZWJvb2suc2FsZS8=) to access the sale! PS: the organisers have a "no AI" policy (which applies to cover AND content), in case this matters to you ☺️ ****Kobo Mystery & Thriller**** readers, get ready, the ****Buy One, Get One Free**** promo starts on September 1st, and lasts for the whole of September! [*A Slice Of Mystery*](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/l2hehmhlx3522msgu0/aHR0cHM6Ly9ib29rczJyZWFkLmNvbS9TbGljZU9mTXlzdGVyeQ==) is in the promo, make my day and grab it! Offer available in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. On to the free books... Mystery lovers, check out this [event](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/48hvhehmxrzl8kuqu7/aHR0cHM6Ly9iZi5zb3BoaWVtYWRkb24uY29tL3Rob3Qtc2Fzcy1wcm9tby93Mnd6aW9xZGk3) and this [one](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/08hwh9h2ld0ereapu5/aHR0cHM6Ly9iZi5zb3BoaWVtYWRkb24uY29tL2NvenltYWRuZXNzLWF1Zy80ZzZvZnNkZG41). Looking for Sci-Fi & Fantasy that takes place in another world (or another version of this one)? Check out this [event](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/m2h7h5h348k5zdaluq/aHR0cHM6Ly9iZi5zb3BoaWVtYWRkb24uY29tL3dvcmxkc2JleW9uZGJlbGllZi8yenJkNnl5NGRo)! ​ # Tackling the (out of control) TBR pile: I thought I hadn't done much reading this month, checked my reading app, and indeed, I only read 1 book and 3/4 of one, and both non-fiction. I have no idea where the month has gone, honestly. The one I did read had been on the TBR pile for a while, so it felt like a win: a memoir of an Italo-American family living in Paris for a year. The format, brief, paragraph-long snippets of text, made it really easy to dip in and out, and I did enjoy it overall. If you want to check it out, it's *Paris in Love* by Eloisa James. The other one is actually a re-read, part memoir, part business book. I first read it when I started out in the corporate world, nearly 20 years ago, and I wanted to re-read it before getting rid of it, to make sure I wouldn't find it useful (business books tend to date fast, in my opinion). I'm not quite done yet, but I was surprised to find that it actually held up quite well, and it will go back on the shelf when I'm done, rather than on the donation pile! It's *Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire* by Mireille Guiliano. How has your summer been, reading-wise? Anything you want to recommend? Please tell me, and also tell me why you loved it! ​ # Life news: Where do I start... The house is a mess, the toilet flush broke, a few false starts on a potential new job\*, and definitely not enough sleep. That sums up my August pretty well! Mind you, my fig tree delivered two perfectly ripe and amazingly tasty figs *every day* for three weeks, so it wasn't all bad! \*Update: I got the job and started a couple days before this newsletter goes out... I'm going to be busyyyyyyyy! Love, Sophie ​​[Read for free (or close) with libraries and subscription services!](https://bc48e57b.click.kit-mail3.com/75udle536nt8h6xdlrzizhwqogmokunh5999w/owhkhqhwqr39dziqur/aHR0cHM6Ly9zb3BoaWVtYWRkb24uY29tL3Bhc3QtbmV3c2xldHRlcnMvcmVhZC1teS1ib29rcy1mb3ItZnJlZS1vci1jbG9zZS10by1pdA==)   ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fsophiemaddon.com%2Fpast-newsletters%2Faugust-round-up-secret-santa-cover-kobo-sale-and-delicious-figs](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fsophiemaddon.com%2Fpast-newsletters%2Faugust-round-up-secret-santa-cover-kobo-sale-and-delicious-figs) ## Keep reading ### [July round-up: Title wanted, free books, and lots of reading!](https://sophiemaddon.com/past-newsletters/july-round-up-title-wanted-free-books-and-lots-of-reading) ### [June round-up: What do I do about the dead body?!](https://sophiemaddon.com/past-newsletters/june-round-up-what-do-i-do-about-the-dead-body) - [Home](https://sophiemaddon.com) - [Young Adult](https://sophiemaddon.com/young-adult) - [Adult](https://sophiemaddon.com/adult) - [Read for Free](https://sophiemaddon.com/read-for-free) - [Large Print](https://sophiemaddon.com/largeprint) - [About](https://sophiemaddon.com/about) - [Contact](https://sophiemaddon.com/contact) - [Past Newsletters](https://sophiemaddon.com/past-newsletters) --- Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2025 Sophie Maddon. 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