My favorite books to escape into magical realms, as well as for spiritual enlightenment

Why am I passionate about this?

I started writing way back in grade school, and I love to read. My first book came out in 1990, after much work and many classes. It was one of the proudest days of my life. To date, I've published over forty books, both fiction and non-fiction. I worked hard on my writing and, later, also on developing my psychic gifts to help lost, lonely souls. Both are the result of lots of studying and development, but both of which give me immense satisfaction. Along with years of writing experience, I have over thirty years of paranormal investigative experience.


I wrote...

Southern Charms

By T.M. Simmons,

Book cover of Southern Charms

What is my book about?

At his mother's insistence, city-slicker Shane Morgan reluctantly leaves New York City for the wilds of Texas, searching for the daughter of his mother's best friend. A woman who, unbeknownst to her, is an heiress to a huge fortune. Ellie Parker is the unwanted stepchild doing all the ranch work, while her mother dotes on her real daughter.

When a polished city slicker shows up and imposes himself upon her life, he refuses to be ignored. But when a lady of the evening, claiming to be Ellie's fairy godmother, along with her spoiled white cate, also intrudes at the same time the circus comes to town, it's all too much for Ellie. Amid an atmosphere of deception and disbelief, Ellie finds herself falling in love with the inappropriate Shane Morgan.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Chaos Heir: Beholden

T.M. Simmons Why did I love this book?

The best fantasy book I've ever read.

Geek Corbin and shape-shifting dragon Subtle Jewel, both plagued by demons of their past, are forced into a shaky reliance to stop a war between realms. Their growth is both delicate and understated. I was swept into the trials that slowly built and firmed their lives.

To me, many fantasy books are the same old, same old. Chaos Heir: Beholden is written so well, I easily fell into the story and dangerous adventures of Corbin and Subtle Jewel. It wasn't just escapism, although I truly hated to stop reading to attend to real-world responsibilities.

I rooted for these two, loved the twists and cleverness that let them overcome the dangers and adversities. The story shows how they refuse to let life's falls defeat them.

By A.D. Guzman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chaos Heir as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“It's like you’re two different people, Mr. Knight. One of you is a brilliant young man with a bright future, and the other is a slacker with no greater designs for his life than to see how badly he can fail. … You need to decide which of those people you will be."College student Corbin Knight uses video games to escape a childhood mistake that destroyed his family. Then his past resurfaces when an elf called Shadow returns with an ultimatum for his Beholden: honor your oath or die. Under the Truman-Aelfking Accord, a pact between elf and Beholden, even…


Book cover of A Knight in Shining Armor

T.M. Simmons Why did I love this book?

A Knight in Shining Armor was the first time travel I ever read.

I immediately fell in love with the genre and the story. It is a story with a conflict that appears to be impossible to overcome: two people perfect for each other but without a chance at a future together. Dougless travels back to Nicholas' time, centuries in the past.

To her, he's a miracle, a man who accepts her as she is. The adventures they go through only strengthen their love for each other. Yet there's always the conflict of her returning and leaving him behind.

Still, there's one of those happy-ever-after endings that gives you hope and lingers in your memory rather than a romance you don't remember after you close that last page.

By Jude Deveraux,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Knight in Shining Armor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A time-travel romance featuring a present-day heroine and a dashing hero from the sixteenth century!

Abandoned by a cruel fate, lovely Dougless Montgomery lies weeping upon a cold tombstone in an English church. Suddenly, the most extraordinary man appears. It is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck...and according to his tombstone he died in 1564.

Drawn to his side by a bond so sudden and compelling it overshadows reason, Dougless knows that Nicholas is nothing less than a miracle: a man who does not seek to change her, who finds her perfect, fascinating, just as she is. What Dougless never imagined…


Book cover of You Are Psychic! The Free Soul Method

T.M. Simmons Why did I love this book?

When I realized I had psychic/medium abilities (thanks to my Aunt Belle Brown), I started delving into these gifts deeply, as well as doing paranormal investigations.

After years of training under others, developing myself, and writing about the paranormal, I became confident enough to teach others. By then I had founded a crew (Supernatural Researchers of Texas) and they asked me to teach them.

You are Psychic! was our first "textbook." Sanders is an MIT-trained scientist with a wonderful program for expanding psychic abilities. I found this book invaluable for one of my first books for myself, and the SRT crew agreed it taught them a lot. 

By Pete A. Sanders,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked You Are Psychic! The Free Soul Method as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Use a scientifically proven method to harness your inborn psychic abilities and achieve breakthroughs in everyday life!

Everyone has occasional psychic experiences, but few people realize that it is possible to access ESP on command. Using his extensive study of biomedical chemistry and brain science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pete A. Sanders, Jr., has developed a method to show how we can tap into our psychic abilities at will to expand our knowledge and gain control of our destiny.

By sharing the techniques that he and his instructors have taught to more than half a million people, You…


Book cover of So You Want to be a Medium? A Down-to-earth Guide

T.M. Simmons Why did I love this book?

This book is chock full of more advanced lessons for improving your gifts of psychic abilities.

It was my crew's second "textbook." The Sanders program guide laid a good foundation to build upon, and this book expanded on those lessons. Vanden Eynden calls it a down-to-earth guide, and it is. It has a different slant, more into meditation to get in touch with your spirit guides. But she has a wealth of other information.

The SRT crew enjoyed her lessons and found their gifts growing even more. We use these abilities in our investigations, which are becoming geared to helping homeowners with problematic or malevolent ghosts.

By Rose Vanden Eynden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked So You Want to be a Medium? A Down-to-earth Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Are you fascinated by the spirit world? Wish you could communicate with loved ones on the Other Side? According to Spiritualist minister Rose Vanden Eynden, everyone possesses innate capabilities for spirit communication. Emphasizing the principles of modern Spiritualism, So You Want to Be a Medium? demonstrates how to enhance one's spiritual senses for working between worlds.

Through exercises involving meditation, breathing, dream work, symbols, and energy systems, the author teaches how to prepare one's mind and body for spiritual communication. Readers also learn about the many kinds of spirit guides and elemental energies, how to get in touch with them,…


Book cover of When Ghosts Speak: Understanding the World of Earthbound Spirits

T.M. Simmons Why did I love this book?

I, like thousands of others, watched some of the paranormal shows on TV.

Since I was learning a lot myself, I could dismiss the ones just in it for the shock effects and ratings. I did enjoy Ghost Whisperer, partly because at about the same time I discovered the show, I discovered Winkowski's book. She was the medium upon whom the show was based and she actually consulted for the show.

Her story truly intrigued me, partly because I learned we could actually help lonesome and troubled ghosts cross into the light. I feel it's the most important gift I have these days. So very many souls wander lonely and confused. Helping them cross over is a very satisfying experience.

By Mary Ann Winkowski,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked When Ghosts Speak as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In the bestselling tradition of Rosemary Altea and John Edwards comes the memoir of Mary Ann Winkowski, the real life "Ghost Whisperer" and consultant on the Top 30 CBS show "Ghost Whisperer" starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Lights flicker on and off for no good reason. You feel drained and inexplicably irritable. Your four-year-old is scared to enter her bedroom.

Tell these things to Mary Ann Winkowski, and she'll tell you that you have a ghost.

A happily married, devout Catholic, suburban mother and full-time paranormal investigator, Mary Ann Winkowski has been able to see earthbound spirits, spirits that are trapped…


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Not in the Plan

By Dana Hawkins,

Book cover of Not in the Plan

Dana Hawkins Author Of Not in the Plan

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a contemporary romance writer, mom, queer, dog-lover, and coffee enthusiast. I have a deep love of the genre, particularly sparkly and swoony, sapphic romcoms, with a borderline obsession with happily-ever-afters. Knowing I will always have a happy ending while smiling through pages gives me the comforting hug I sometimes need. My goal is to spread queer joy in my writing and provide a safe, celebratory, and affirming space for my readers to escape reality.

Dana's book list on swoony, sapphic RomComs

What is my book about?

Crushed under writer’s block and a looming deadline, Mack escapes from New York to Seattle. She meets Charlie, a beautiful, generous, nearly bankrupt coffee shop owner recovering from heartbreak. For the first time, Mack has a muse. And then Mack starts using Charlie’s private stories in her novel…

When a storm traps Mack and Charlie in the coffee shop, they share a mind-bending, knee-shaking kiss. But Charlie is an eternal optimist who sleeps with fairy-lights on, while Mack is an ironing-at-5am worrier who sleeps with… everyone. They could never turn this chemistry into something real, right? And if Charlie finds out what Mack has been doing, turning Charlie’s most intimate secrets into a juicy page-turner, will they even have a chance to try?

Not in the Plan

By Dana Hawkins,

What is this book about?

Free-spirited coffee shop owner meets uptight coffee addict. Is an opposites-attract match brewing… or burning?

Crushed under the weight of writer’s block and a looming deadline, Mack escapes from New York to Seattle. She meets Charlie, a beautiful, generous, nearly bankrupt coffee shop owner recovering from heartbreak. For the first time, Mack has a muse. And then Mack starts using Charlie’s private stories in her novel…

When a storm traps Mack and Charlie in the coffee shop, they share a mind-bending, knee-shaking kiss. But Charlie is an eternal optimist who sleeps with fairy-lights on, while Mack is an ironing-at-5am worrier…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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