Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Sherryl Woods | Introducing Chesapeake Shores
Uncategorized / March 31, 2009

As many of you know after finding a character accidentally renamed in my Trinity Harbor trilogy, I am very much a right-brain writer with a terrible tendency to lose track of such pesky little things as names. Imagine, then, the challenge of creating a whole new world…and then trying to keep everyone straight. Even so, I’m so excited to be welcoming you to Chesapeake Shores and the completely dysfunctional and complicated O’Brien family. Kicking off with THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, this new series captures everything I love about family dynamics, romance and the kind of small towns in which we all wish we lived. As the oldest of five siblings, Abby O’Brien Winters took her role as surrogate mother seriously when her parents divorced, especially when it came to Jess, her youngest sister. So when Jess’s dream of renovating The Inn at Eagle Point is threatened by a bank foreclosure, financial whiz Abby comes home to Chesapeake Shores to set things right. Abby’s exactly the kind of take-charge woman that Jess needs, but her bossiness grates and threatens their strong bond as sisters. Add in the complicated relationship each of them has with their father, famed architect Mick O’Brien…

Donna Lea Simpson | Bucking My Own Trend
Uncategorized / March 30, 2009

I wrote traditional Regency romances for six years with Kensington. I read Regency romances. I researched the period, read about the period, loved the period, so when I switched to longer format historical romances, I would naturally write about the Regency period, right? Well, no. I veered off to the late Georgian era. My Awaiting series (Awaiting the Moon, etc.) was set in 1795 Germany, and Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark (Sourcebooks Casablanca – April 2009), the first book in a new series, is set in Yorkshire 1786. Why? At first, I didn’t know a thing about the period, except that George the III was mad (he wasn’t really… oh, he was ill, but it was physical not emotional or mental) and… well, that was pretty much it. You think I’m exaggerating? Click to read the rest of Donna’s blog and to leave a comment. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Laura Griffin | Who doesn’t love a good page-turner?
Uncategorized / March 30, 2009

My favorite experience as a reader is to be riveted by a book and simply unable to stop reading while time ticks by all around me. As you can imagine, this drives my family nuts. I have certain favorite authors (Linda Howard, Karen Robards, Patricia Cornwell, Lee Child, just to name a few), whose books seem to grab hold of me, shove me into a chair, and demand that I stay there until the very last page. Occasionally, I do get up to answer the phone, feed my family, or grab an Oreo, but sleep and other unnecessary activities fall by the wayside. What are your favorite page-turners? For me, they’re often mysteries or romantic suspense stories. Click here to read the rest of Laura’s blog and to leave a comment. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Sandi Shilhanek | Dining With Authors
Sundays with Sandi / March 29, 2009

In my little corner or the world this past week was quite exciting. I had the chance to not only meet but to have dinner with the entertaining author Lisa Lutz. I got books signed for several of my friends, and managed not to forget one for myself. Saturday my friend Yvonne arrived from England, and her visits are always a pleasure, and while we do many varied things we always hit the bookstores; To help welcome her to Dallas in a way that was more special than how I usually welcome her which is take her home and say now what I took her to dinner with the ever delightful Dakota Cassidy and some friends. While paranormal romance might not be my preferred genre I do read selected ones. So when a box from Amazon arrived on my doorstep I had to open it and see what Yvonne was ordering to be picked up when she arrived. The contents…the three current releases from Dakota Cassidy’s Accidental Series. The explanation…Yvonne said, “I’m meeting the author I’m going to buy her books so I can have them signed, and then read them.” I’m taking this comment to mean that Yvonne’s descent…

Sara Reyes | Weekend Films and Taking it Easy…NOT!
Uncategorized / March 28, 2009

Sometimes we all need to just slow down and enjoy the weekend. At least that is what I tell myself on weekends like this one where I’ve got a festival to attend. As many of you know, Gwen is very involved with the film industry and its festivals and this week is a big one in Dallas — AFI DALLAS. If you follow our Twitter feed you’ll notice we’ve been talking lots about the films we’re seeing. Over the weekend the filmmakers come out and talk about the “making of the films” which to be honest is where they grab me. So today I’ll get to learn about taking an idea (or story or book) from conception to the big silver screen, or as the case more often these days to either the Internet screen which can be biggish on the digital monitors or to DVD. It’s always interesting to see the parallels to the publishing of books. And don’t miss the photos with very short blurb about the wonderful authors we met in the past week: Suzanne Arruda and Lisa Lutz. If you can’t get enough of Janet Evanovich (or you miss her early Plum books) try “The Spellmans.”…

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Romance / March 27, 2009

The Heroes of Touch a Dark Wolf, Lure of the Wolf, Kiss of Darkness, and Bride of the Wolf by Jennifer St. Giles. Looking over the four scowling, muscled men surrounding me at the picnic-style table, it seemed to me that their drop-dead sex appeal sucked all of the air from the ranger camp’s dining hall. I fought for a deep breath, started the recorder, and delved right into the interview. The sooner they realized I wasn’t here to steal something sacred from them like their sword or the TV remote, the better off I would be. Provided I could lie that well. The truth was I would have stolen any moment I could in a dark corner. It was my first assignment for Cosmos PQ and I’d felt like a lamb coming into a den of lions when I walked in the door, but now that I’d met them…well that was changing. Jared and Navarre were warriors from the spirit world and Sheriff Sam Sheridan along with Deputy Nick Sinclair were humans from Twilight’s Sheriff’s Department. Before today my closest encounter with the paranormal was hot romance novels, but I had an open mind and always believed where there…

Kyle Mills | Research: The Art of Not Making Things Up
Uncategorized / March 26, 2009

I’ve learned a lot about novel writing in the more than ten years I’ve been doing it, but most of those lessons came with my first, Rising Phoenix. People really care about the books they read. And I love that. Unfortunately, I wrote Rising while I was working full time, so there was no way for me to scout the exotic locations I included. And the Internet didn’t exist yet, so casually clicking my way to enlightenment wasn’t an option. I did the best I could with magazine articles and encyclopedias until the excitement of finding a publisher made me completely forget the stuff I’d glossed over. Click here to read the rest of Kyle’s blog and to leave a comment. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Cynthia Baxter | Confessions of a Mystery Writer . . . Er, Travel Writer
Uncategorized / March 25, 2009

We’re all entitled to an obsession or two, aren’t we? One of mine is travel. I suppose it’s because I spent my childhood in the backseat of a car with my sister and grandmother – often a Volkswagen bug – with my parents in the front seat, acting as pilot and co-pilot. School vacation was synonymous with road trip. Since my father was an English teacher in a neighboring school district, he usually had the same days off that we kids did – and so off we’d go. Our home was on Long Island, in the suburbs of New York, which was a great starting point for traveling all over the eastern half of the United States. The five of us explored New England, Florida, and just about every state in between. (Eastern Canada, too.) We saw the big cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Montreal; historic towns like Williamsburg, Virginia, and Salem, Massachusetts; and places that were just plain fun like Hershey, Pennsylvania, and St. Petersburg, Florida. In fact, Florida was a favorite destination for spring vacations. The drive took about three days, including stops at every Stuckey’s and Horne’s we passed along the way (a blast from the past…

Karen Robards | My First Time
Uncategorized / March 24, 2009

Thanks so much for inviting me to blog! I have to tell you that this is my first time. Yes, (blush), I’m a blog virgin. But I’m so excited about the books I have coming out this month that I jumped at the chance to write about them. First up, on March 24th, is my hardcover romantic thriller, Pursuit, which Booklist said was “tense and erotic” (I love that: erotic!). PW described Pursuit as “exciting…action-packed…and sure to please” and RTBookReviews called it “red-hot.” Then, on March 31st, the paperback edition of my previous hardcover, Guilty, which Booklist called “truly a pleasure” hits the bookstores. If you like my books, I think you’ll love these. I know I loved writing them. Oh, and I have a great new contest on my web-site. Enter and win a free signed book! Click to read the rest of Karen’s blog and to leave a comment. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Elizabeth Hoyt | The Middle Child
Romance / March 23, 2009

So my May book is the third in a four book series set in Georgian England. The series is The Legend of the Four Soldiers and the book is To Beguile a Beast. The other three books are about soldiers coming home from war. But To Beguile a Beast doesn’t have a soldier hero. Sir Alistair Munroe is a civilian naturalist. The other three soldier heroes were in the British army when their regiment was decimated by the French and their Indian allies. They volunteered for the army or bought a commission, but in any case, they chose to be there. Sir Alistair just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. And while the other heroines in The Legend of the Four Soldiers series are aristocratic heroines, Helen Fitzwilliam, the heroine of To Beguile a Beast is no aristocrat. Nor is she a lady. Click to read the rest and to comment on Elizabeth’s blog. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.