Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Nancy Bush | Best Experiences An Author Can Have…
Uncategorized / April 10, 2009

Well, I’m kind of excited. My newest book, UNSEEN, a thriller, debuted on March 31st. UNSEEN is my first solo effort as a romantic-suspense writer and it’s definitely a wild and twisted tale. A real departure from the mystery novels I’ve been writing. (And to those loyal fans who’ve contacted me in fear that I’ve abandoned Jane, Dwayne, The Binkster and the rest of the gang from the Jane Kelly mystery series: They’ll be back, I swear! ) So, how did UNSEEN come to be? Well, a long time ago, in a galaxy far,far away, I read an article in Time Magazine about how young mothers were making money writing romance novels. I told my sister, fellow writer Lisa Jackson, about the article and, as young mothers ourselves, we both sat down and started writing, writing, writing. It’s how both of our careers began. Now, I’m a grandmother. A grandmother! Yikes, rewind. That happened fast! I may need to digress a moment. . . . Get the rest of the story, click here Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Carla Cassidy | In The Good Old Summer Time
Uncategorized / April 9, 2009

I love romantic suspense. I love writing it and reading it. As I was working on my latest release, LAST GASP, I remembered something from my childhood. The setting for this book is a small farm town in western Kansas, much like the place where my grandparents lived. Every summer my brother and I would spend a week on the farm with my grandparents. The house was relatively isolated, surrounded by fields on either side. During the days we’d help feed the chicken, pick vegetables from the garden and ride on the back of the tractor. It was at night when the terror began. Now we’ve got you hooked, click here to find the “terrors” Carla suffered as a child Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Stephanie Bond | What P.I.’s and Novelists Have in Common
Uncategorized / April 8, 2009

After the attacks of 9-11, the Department of Defense gathered top novelists and screenwriters and asked them to put their heads together to come up with worst-case scenarios, trying to stay one step ahead of what terrorists might be planning. I think that speaks volumes for the value of imagination. A few years ago I took the coursework to become a private investigator in the state of Georgia, strictly for research. I was the thorn in all the instructors’ sides because they would explain how something was done and I would raise my hand and ask, “How could a person get around that?” or “How could that go wrong?” I was always trying to figure out how a criminal might try to get away with something or how a situation could be made worse by a loophole in the law. When one of my instructors found out I was a novelist, he remarked that, like writers, the best private investigators and detectives have a fertile imagination. That got me thinking about how many skills overlap the two occupations. Now, you’ve got to find out how they overlap, so click here to finish! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and…

Jodi Thomas | The Birth of a Book…
Uncategorized / April 7, 2009

Today is the day REWRITING MONDAY hits the stands. For a writer it’s kind of like the birth of a child, without all the pain of course. This is my 28th book and still I love going into the bookstores and just holding a copy in my hands. For my first ten books my husband and I made a habit of driving all over town and seeing the books on the shelves in every store. Sometimes I’ll buy three or four of my own book that first day. One kid checking me out late one night asked, “Are you aware all three of these are the same book?” I laughed and said, “Yes, but I just love to read it over and over.” This one will make you laugh and hopefully, you’ll fall in love with the characters. Now finish the blog by clicking here and comment to win your own copy… Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Jade Lee | TORTURED PRO NEEDS HELP. A lot of help…
Uncategorized / April 6, 2009

Some book are written from inspiration. Some books are written because there is a contract. And then there are books that simply won’t shut up!!!!! I write historical romance. That is the core of my career. Historicals set in the Regency era. Historicals set in China. Historicals set wherever my muse and the market wander. And then, because it’s fun, I’ll write contemporary sexy (as with my Blaze books) or paranormal (as with Crimson City or These Boots were Made for Stomping!). But those are just fun books and come along when someone offers the possibility to me, not because I go out searching for them. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good books, but they are written because the opportunity found me, not the other way around. As you may imagine, the above keeps me very busy. So the last thing I needed was a fantasy romance series. Sure, I grew up reading Tolkien like everybody else, loved the Thomas Covenant chronicles (talk about an anti-hero!), and wrote my undergraduate thesis on Narnia. I have adored fantasy for years and mourned the absence of a decent love story in all those coming-of-age-with-magic books. But…and I’m going to put this in…

Sandi Shilhanek | Favorite Reading Place
Sundays with Sandi / April 5, 2009

This week my friend Yvonne is visiting. We’ve of course done some tourist like things and we’ve hit the bookstores looking for some of the recommendations that everyone was so kind to have supplied last week. We went to see the King Tut exhibit that is in my area, and Yvonne bought several souvenirs. I was however a bad hostess, and when we made a pit stop for a quickie snack I promptly forgot I was in charge of them, and lost them! I felt awful when I realized it.The day however turned out to not be a total bust because when we arrived home sitting in my living room was a brand new hand made rocking chair. My 16-year-old son, Brian made it for me. Here is a picture of my new favorite reading place. Do you have a favorite reading place? Is it something special and likely to be handed down for generations like my rocker or is it special just because it happens to be in a great spot and is super comfy? Perhaps even your favorite reading place changes depending on either your mood or the genre of book you’re reading at the moment. Inquiring minds…

Sara Reyes | Books As A Solace
Guests / April 4, 2009

What a difference a week can make! Who knew! I guess everyone, but sometimes days go by without effort; work is done, food is made, eaten, drank, family listened to, friends are seen, all very very routine. And then like a Texas tornado, something happens that can be life changing or enough to jolt one out of the ordinary mundane. My week’s twister makes me reflect on what I do to overcome the, well for lack of a better word, stress. I was greeted at 4am last Sunday with the embodiment of Carrie, yes, from the movie. Blood covered hair, dripping onto the white Greek flokati rug, ripped clothing, and generally messed up figure. Crying, gasping and semi-hysterical. Semi, because she lost her voice screaming during the run home from the flipped car, otherwise, I’m sure she would still have been screaming. Not to worry now, she’s okay and healing, the car, electric pole, and retaining wall, not-so-much. But that figure looming in my memory is much harder to be vanquished than I expected after all the excitement had lapsed. So what to do? Well, I turn to that old stand-by I’ve used for over 45 years. Books. And what…

Linda Bilodeau | OH Those Intriguing Characters
Uncategorized / April 3, 2009

I’m often asked about the characters who live in my stories. Are they based on someone I know? Is there a little of myself in these characters? The answer to both questions is yes, and I believe the talent to create characters comes partly from creativity and partly from understanding human nature. When I construct a story line, I think of who is going to live in that world and what their motives are or should be. Depending on plot, I decide if the women need to be tough, weak, courageous, deceitful or honest to a fault. What makes up their basic personality? In other words, stick that tea bag in a pot of boiling water and see how it holds up. Curious? read the rest of Linda’s blog! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

James LePore | The Suspense Novel
Uncategorized / April 2, 2009

I’ve heard it said that what drives a genre novel is plot, a comedic novel, voice and a literary novel, character. My novel, A World I Never Made, is a genre novel, a thriller, or, as it says on the cover, “a novel of suspense.” It seems to me, however, that a suspense novel can–and should–be character driven as well as story-driven. This is what I aimed for in A World I Never Made, the story of an estranged father and daughter who struggle to reconnect under an extraordinary set of circumstances. Those circumstances include a faked suicide, a betrayal inside the French government and the workings of a little known but extremely deadly terrorist organization. I hope that readers find both the story and the characters compelling and that they have as much fun reading the novel as I did writing it. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Jaye Wells | Conquering Fear Through Fiction
Uncategorized / April 1, 2009

When I was in fourth grade, I convinced myself that a vampire loitered outside my bedroom window waiting for me to go to sleep. Being a precocious child, I decided to outwit this fiend. So when I’d get in bed, I’d lay still and flat as a plank under the covers with a pillow over my head. I’d leave the bedside lamp on too, for that added touch of authenticity. “Nothing to see here. Move along.” My plan must have worked because that vampire never found me. He also never, as I’d hoped he would, bypass my “empty” bed and go down the hall to take care of my sister. Oh well. A few years later, Michael Jackson’s Thriller video gave me nightmares for weeks. In fact, I still can’t watch it now. I didn’t watch the Exorcist until I was in my late twenties, and then stayed up nights imagining that tribal mask peering through my windows at night. Basically, what I’m telling you is I’m a big old sissy. Click here to read the rest of Jaye’s blog and to leave a comment. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.