We hope you enjoyed the March 2024 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Many thanks to Orlando Bartro for his contributions to the magazine.

For our April issue, we are exploring the Fantasy genre.

We are featuring fantasy author J.V. Hilliard. Hilliard is the author of The Warminster Series. He is featured in this month’s Q&A, and I reviewed The Last Keeper, the first novel in The Warminster Series.

This year, I’m writing a short story for each issue related to the theme in some way.

This month I wrote “The Three Warriors of Mortique.” It’s a fantasy about what happens when three warriors become nearly invincible.

To be honest, I wrote the prologue to the story I want to tell. Writing fantasy is complex, and before you can write the story you have to build a fantasy world and create characters. It’s a lot of work, but exciting. Who knows, I might write a fantasy novel based on this prologue. Thanks Joe, for leading me down that rabbit hole.

For our new column, “Happy Birthday,” our author this month is Hans Christian Andersen the Danish author of the world’s most beloved fairy tales. In “Dare to Believe,” we’re featuring two fantasy authors who predate J.R.R. Tolkien.

Our words for April are words and terms readers and writers of the fantasy genre should know.

We’re streaming fantasy films and series. Some are classics and a few are recent Academy Award winners.

This month in “The Twelve Months of Salsa,” I made Spicy Black Bean Salsa. It’s the perfect salsa to add to a salad or put on top of a burrito or inside a tortilla. It’s also great with tortilla chips. You’ll love this recipe. It’s easy to make and I was able to do it with only a makeshift kitchen since my kitchen is being renovated.

This month, Orlando Bartro takes on things intentionally unfinished.

We have some great choices in the fantasy genre for our reading recommendations for kids and adults. Also, check out April in Pictures, and our preview of our May Mystery issue. Take our April quiz about mythical creatures.

We have updated our Author Page to include the works of Lexi J. Kingston, J.V. Hillard, and Maria Simbra.

Everything in Between will be released in audiobook soon. I’ve approved the first nineteen chapters, and I’m anxiously awaiting the second half of the book. I’m sorry the audiobook still isn’t finished, but hold onto those Amazon gift cards, it’s coming!

The internationally best-selling author, Luke Murphy, has a new book out. The Cradle Will Fall hit bookstores on September 30. Charlene Taylor and Calvin Watters are teaming up for their most challenging case ripped from today’s headlines.

Elizabeth Meitzler, who was featured in our December 2022 issue, has a new book out, The Power Move. It’s a hockey-romance novel, and after reading and reviewing her debut novel, I predict this book will be just as entertaining. The Power Move is available on Amazon for paperback or kindle unlimited. Congratulations Elizabeth!

I hope you are carefully vetting the growing list of people who have formally announced their intent to run for office in the 2024 elections. Senatorial and presidential hopefuls have begun campaigning for the 2024 elections, but you still have time to start the vetting process. Please keep showing up and voting. We will never tell you who to vote for, but we will keep telling you to vote and do your homework!

Vet all candidates and insist that all political parties do the same. Which incumbent legislators have actually authored and submitted legislation to benefit Americans? Who’s all talk and soundbites? Who refuses to bring legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives or Senate, so our Representatives/Senators can vote on it? We pay them to conduct the government’s business, not to sit and do nothing. We don’t pay them to do the bidding of political parties or presidential candidates.

Follow the money. Who is the new darling of the billionaires? What will they do, and who will they sell out to keep those dollars rolling in? Vote for the candidates who are the most qualified and who will safeguard our democracy.

Samantha Sayers has been missing since she disappeared on August 1, 2018, after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home.

In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family. As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.

If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family. Because we are an online publication, we can update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page, but only after it is verified. Thank you!

Please share our link, www.thisawfulawesomelife.com with your friends and family.

Even though This Awful Awesome Life is a free publication, our subscription numbers matter. They affect the quality of people we attract to be in our magazine. So far, we’ve been fortunate to feature amazing people from all walks of life, and we want to do even more. You can help by becoming a subscriber and encouraging your friends to read and subscribe to our magazine.

When you subscribe to our free mailing list, each new issue of This Awful Awesome Life will be delivered directly to your inbox with a personal note from me. To subscribe use this link, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/about

You will receive the link for the new issue the same day it is published. Please check your SPAM folder and if you find our email, mark it as not spam. We value your privacy, and we won’t share your name or email address. Your email address is never visible to other subscribers. Our email notices are now sent through Hover because they provide outstanding security to ensure the emails we send are safe.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, you should!

Like us on Facebook for the latest from This Awful Awesome Life!

Happy Reading,

Fran