Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
INGRID WEAVER | VOICES IN YOUR HEAD, AND OTHER WRITING SIDE EFFECTS
Guests / August 31, 2009

One of my pet peeves are the drug commercials on TV that show happy, smiling people who seem totally oblivious to the Voice Of Doom in the background that’s listing all the dire side-effects of whatever they took to get them that happy. So…I got to thinking that nobody warned me before I started to write. No, I just hauled out a typewriter (yes, it was that long ago) and started pounding away. By the time I graduated to a computer, I’d noticed all kinds of side-effects. As a public service, I thought I’d list a few: Symptom: Writing can be hazardous to your health. Long hours spent at the keyboard can lead to eye fatigue, joint fatigue and a whopping case of secretarial spread. Treatment: To relieve eye strain from writing, ensure your computer has several solitaire games, which should be practiced regularly for medicinal purposes. To combat joint fatigue, get a swivel chair or even better, a desk with plenty of interesting things in the drawers that you can take out and play with. Tape dispensers are ideal, as are pens with flowers on the ends. As far as secretarial spread, accept the inevitable and get a bigger…

Sara Reyes | Author + Books + Video = Excitement?
Candace Havens , Saturdays with Sara / August 29, 2009

I always tell people — find something to do that connects with your passion in life and you’ll be successful! And the rule has proved itself over and over again. My passion is books and reading. My talent, if it can labeled, is remembering what I’ve read and making connections. I connect readers with books. If I know someone likes a certain type of book: say historical with lots of sexual tension but with emotion, I’ll say try Mary Balogh or Mary Jo Putney or Loretta Chase. Because those authors will make you weep, laugh and sigh. If someone likes gritty urban fantasy I point them to Kim Harrison or Kelley Armstrong because you’ll find a fast paced action packed adventure in a world that is familiar and yet, not. Well, you get my drift. I’m fortunate as I read fast and I’ve read steadily for a loooong time! Fun Books You Should Get! But I’ve also been able to meet authors, and authors are wonderful people, especially after you get them to open up about their work. Then you can see the passion in their eyes and the emotion in their voice as they tell me about the twists…

Erin Quinn | What If You Could Undo The Past?
Uncategorized / August 28, 2009

Time is something I never have enough of. Like most people, I work a full time job, have a family, and claim some semblance of a life . . . and then there’s that little thing I like to call a writing career . . . . I often feel like I’m meeting myself coming and going—like life is a revolving door and I’m just spinning round and round in it. Thinking about the crazy way time seems to evaporate led me to writing HAUNTING BEAUTY, a novel that explores my personal fascination with time and the idea that the past is not set in stone. Read the rest of Erin’s post by clicking here. There are prizes! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Loucinda McGary | ANNIVERSARIES
Uncategorized / August 27, 2009

First I want to thank all the wonderful folks aFresh Fiction for inviting me here todayand I want to extend SUPER CONGRATS on your anniversary! I’m doubly pleased to be part of your celebration. My second romantic suspense from SourcebooksCasablanca, The Treasures of Venice has an ‘official’ release date of September 1st, but I’m excited to say that copies are already popping up online and in bookstores. This was truly the book of my heart! It not only has a few paranormal elements, but also a dual storyline set in both contemporary Venice and the Renaissance Venice of 1485. This book was a finalist in the 2006 Golden Heart contest and gave me a tremendous boost down the long and winding path to my first sale and many other wonderful writing-related opportunities. Clicke here to read the rest of the article and to comment today and you could be one of two lucky winners! Each winner will receive a copy of The Treasures Of Venice and The Wild Sight Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Tawny Weber | Your Inner Self…Costume Fun
Uncategorized / August 26, 2009

In my upcoming Blaze, FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME, my heroine is attending a class reunion costume party. The rule? To wear a costume that represents her career–without being obvious (ie: no police uniform for a cop). Zoe had a cute costume in mind. One that would show her sense of humor and prove that she was sexy yet fun. Sounds great, right? Just how I’d like to handle going back to see people after a decade. Except there was a little mix-up with Zoe’s costume. Instead of cute and clever, she ended up with black leather and a riding crop. A studded dominatrix costume is hardly the impression she’s looking to make on her old schoolmates. Even if it does bring out her strong-willed inner self. And somehow, by wearing the dominatrix costume and being pushed out of her comfort-zone, Zoe digs a little deeper and faces her own strength–to say nothing of facing all the wildly sexy times her costume inspires with a gorgeous costumed hunk from her past. How about you? What’s your favorite costume idea? And what costume would you wear to represent yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments section by clicking here and we’ll…

Hank Phillippi Ryan | HOW DO YOU TELL THE REAL THING
Uncategorized / August 25, 2009

This time of year, my thoughts turn to love. Why? Because just this time of year, 14 years ago, I met Jonathan. I had been invited to share a house with a group of friends in Nantucket. I was six months (or more?) out of a dead-end relationship (another story) and said–no thanks. And then I reconsidered. Why not take a fun trip? So I packed up my books and my bike and my tennis racket, and headed to Nantucket on the ferry. I was so–unready to meet someone, I didn’t even bring any makeup. (I will pause while you howl with laughter. I’ve been a television reporter for thirty years. I live in make-up.) Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, another person sharing the house had invited Jonathan. And the other person didn’t know I was coming. To read more about Hank Phillipi Ryan’s impromptu love match and learn about her character, Charlotte McNally click here. One thing you do know for sure–it’s contest time! Three commenters will be chosen at random to win their choice of an ARC of PRIME TIME, FACE TIME(book one and two in the series) or the just-released-today AIR TIME! And three more winners will get…

Blythe Gifford | Back To School—EXCITEMENT OR RELIEF
Uncategorized / August 24, 2009

Back to school. Don’t the very words evoke an emotion?For me, the phrase summons crisp, new beginnings. This year, the feeling of anticipation is even more special. My September release, IN THE MASTER’S BED, is a medieval “back to school” story. She’s disguised as a man in a place where women are forbidden. Now, she’s met a man who, for the first time, makes her want to be a woman. What will happen when he discovers her secret and she’s discovered IN THE MASTER’S BED? To tell a back to school story and have a chance to win a copy of IN THE MASTER’S BED click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

SANDI SHILHANEK | THE GREAT LITERARY DEBATE
Guests / August 23, 2009

This week I’m listening to The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews, and while listening one term really struck me. The term was empty literary calories. It was used in reference to tabloids such as The National Enquirer. but I got to wondering if some people might not use it when thinking about romance or other genres which they don’t wish to read themselves. I’m confident that there are people out there who look down upon those people who read anything that is not necessarily thought of as the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. It’s my personal belief that reading is wonderful regardless of what the reader is reading. My family is not compromised of readers, but when my son asks for a strategy guide for a video game I’m eager to comply, because after all doesn’t he have to read it to get the information he is after? To weigh in on the discussion click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Sara Reyes | Reader Interrupted, I Hate When a Good Book Butts into Life!
Saturdays with Sara / August 22, 2009

I picked up two sets of books last weekend at ArmadilloCon, both fantasies, one set by Scott Lynch about otherworldly thieves and Patrice Sarath‘s set in an alternate world of New York about an alternate world coexisting with ours. both have two books in their series and I bought all four books. I even surprise surprise started at book one of each set. Yeah, I’m one of those odd people who can pick up a book and as long as it’s interesting doesn’t matter if it’s book one, seven or three in a series. Started reading the Scott Lynch thieves books. First off let me say, these suckers are HUGE, as in 700 pages. Which makes for a heavy paperback with very thin paper. But they are also fascinating which makes me wish for days without anything else to do but read. Unfortunately that isn’t possible. I have other things crowding my life, such as work, family, even needy pets getting in the way. So I had to resort this past week to sneak reading. Ah, the mark of addiction. First I’d read at night until my eyes couldn’t focus anymore. Who cares about disrupting the house? A pillow over…

Jessica Andersen | FROM BOOK TO MOVIE…CHOOSING THE PERFECT CAST
Uncategorized / August 21, 2009

I’m often asked how I would cast the movie version of SKYKEEPERS, which is the third book in a sexy series about a group of magic-wielding warriors, called Nightkeepers, who must fight the demon creatures of the underworld to prevent the annihilation of mankind on the December 21, 2012 doomsday hinted at by the ancient Mayan calendar. First off, I’d far rather see it be a TV series than a movie. The interwoven storylines, intricate mythology and constantly developing arcs would be tough (imho) to pull off in a two-hour format, but would lend themselves to a (new) Battlestar Galactica-like gritty, character-driven TV series. With more sex. And, as was done in BSG with a few exceptions, I wouldn’t necessarily look to cast known faces in the roles. Don’t stop reading here, you know you want to cast a character in SKYKEEPERS or another book and to enter the one day contest so click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.