Bantam Spectra hosts a smack down on Twitter between characters as diverse as Captain Kirk (Star Trek) versus Captain Mal (Firefly) and more. So borrowing a leaf from his playbook, I want to have some fun over the next few weeks in a smack down of our own. I will post the contestants and my thoughts, you get to vote and post your own. Commentators are automatically entered in a drawing for a special prize. Also, don’t miss tomorrow’s Snips and Clips where the Daily Dose Holiday Giveaway will be announced! Saturday Smackdown: Shape Shifters in the Ring For our inaugural Saturday Smack Down we’re looking at shape shifters, specifically werewolves because there are many other types of shifters out there. First two contestants: Clayton Danvers (Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Other World) and Charles Cornick (Patricia Briggs’ Alpha and Omega series). Read the rest and make your choice Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

This week I’ve decided that I want to know something about your reading preferences. I feel as though since I’ve been contributing to this blog that I’ve told you something of my preferences, and now it’s time to find out a bit about you. Some of the things I want to know about you are ideas that I’ve gotten from my various yahoo groups…so much thanks to those! Are you an end peeker? Do you have to know that the story will end the way you want before you read it? I used to peek at the end of the story, not to determine whether or not I would read the book, but just for the heck of it. For the most part I’ve given that up, but if I find my interest in a book waning I will peek ahead to try to find the motivation to keep on reading, or perhaps read faster to get to that part. To read the rest of The Survey Says….Part One please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

The Others #8 October 2009On Sale: September 29, 2009Featuring: Missy Roper; Graham Winters320 pages ISBN: 031294795XEAN: 9780312947958Mass Market Paperback$7.99 Romance Paranormal Buy at Amazon.com Big Bad Wolf by Christine Warren Every good girl deserves something a little wicked… Graham Winters is a werewolf with a problem. His idiot cousin Curtis wants to take over as Alpha of the Silverback Clan because of an archaic Lupine tradition that says an unmated Lupine can’t lead a pack. So what is Graham supposed to do? Pull a mate out of his hat? Where else will he find the perfect woman for him in time to thwart Curtis’s plans? As it turns out, the answer is right under his nose. Six months of unrequited lust for a playboy werewolf have gotten Missy no closer to fulfilling her fantasy of becoming the love of Graham Winters’s life. But when her four best friends decide to dress her up for a blind date the night of Reggie and Misha’s engagement party, everything changes. Suddenly Graham is declaring his undying lust, the members of his pack are calling her Luna, and his cousin and rival are trying to kill her. Clearly, a little adventure can go a…

I’m thrilled to be a part of FreshFiction and to have the opportunity to introduce you to my series, the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating Mystery Series. The first book in the series is MURDER TAKES THE CAKE. In MURDER TAKES THE CAKE, Daphne Martin returns home to Brea Ridge, Virginia, looking forward to realizing her dream of starting a cake decorating business. But when the meanest gossip in Brea Ridge dies mysteriously, suspicions turn to Daphne. But all Daphne did was deliver a spice cake with cream cheese frosting–and find Yodel’s body. Now Daphne’s got to help solve the murder and clear her good name. Problem is, her hometown is brimming with people who had good reason to kill Yodel, and Daphne’s whole family is among them. MURDER TAKES THE CAKE was published in 2008 but was released on October 16, 2009 in large-print hardcover by Thorndike. BBC Audiobooks in England has also commissioned large-print rights to the book. Click here to read more and learn how to win a copy of DEAD PAN! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Boscastle Family #9 November 2009On Sale: October 27, 2009Featuring: Lord Griffin Boscastle; Harriet Gardner336 pages ISBN: 0345503953EAN: 9780345503954Mass Market Paperback$7.99 Romance Historical Buy at Amazon.com The Wicked Duke Takes A Wifeby Jillian Hunter From London’s ballrooms to its sizzling bedrooms, award-winning author Jillian Hunter spins a seductive dance of desire and breathtaking romance. Lord Griffin Boscastle has no intention of ending his glorious career as a rakehell now that he has inherited a dukedom. Still, there are responsibilities he must discharge before his pleasures resume, including finding a bride, and depositing his incorrigible niece at a relative’s academy outside London. It is at this so-very-proper finishing school that flame-haired instructress Harriet Gardner awakens in Griffin emotions so dangerously intoxicating that he must avoid her at all cost. Yet when Harriet finds work in the townhouse where Griffin resides, her presence tempts him at every turn. Harriet has survived London’s streets far too long to let an arrogant duke woo a bride he doesn’t want when she desires him for herself, and she has seen too much of life not to recognize a man ripe for redemption. But just as Harriet finds the perfect cure for His Lordship’s devilish ways, a…

Fresh Fiction and Barnes & Noble presents… Getting Fresh with Vampires Saturday, November 14th @ 5:00 PM Barnes & Noble Lincoln Park Join Fresh Fiction’s Gwen Reyes for a lively discussion about vampires intoday’s literature & pop culture with Special Guests Candace Havens & Rosemary Clement-Moore They’ll be taking on the Twilight crowd and talking about vampires, Bella,Diaries, Edward and much much more! Special treats available!!! click here for Flyer Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Thank you so much for welcoming me to the blog and giving me a chance to talk about Willoughby’s Return! I loved writing this book. Sense and Sensibility is one of my favourite Austen novels and I enjoyed revisiting all the characters and places associated with them all. Writing the plot and thinking about how the characters interact with one another is one of the biggest joys-another is weaving in clues about what the characters look like and how they dress. It’s important in a historical novel to give a feel of the costume and clothing. The fashion at this time was wonderful. I’m sure part of the success of the recent spate of Austen films and adaptations is down to the accuracy and beauty of Regency dress. Who hasn’t imagined themselves dancing at a candlelit ball in white muslin, silk slippers on their feet, and an ivory fan to flutter? To read the rest of Jane’s blog and to comment for a chance to win please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

The Courtesan Series #4 September 2009On Sale: September 1, 2009Featuring: Duke of Edenham; Penelope Prestwick; Marquis of Iveston336 pages ISBN: 0425229688EAN: 9780425229682Paperback$15.00 Romance Erotica Sensual, Romance Historical Buy at Amazon.com How To Dazzle A Duke by Claudia Dain New in award-winning author Claudia Dain’s dazzling Courtesan series. Miss Penelope Prestwick wants a duke for a husband and clearly the dashing Duke of Edenham is the best choice. Just as Lady Dalby is clearly the best person to arrange the match. But how exactly should Penelope go about dazzling a duke? Surely a show of cleavage never hurt anyone. Perhaps a kiss or two, just to make a lasting impression. And a bit of competition usually helps move things along. To that end, Penelope approaches the Marquis of Iveston with a request. Would he kindly appear interested in her so that the Duke of Edenham will take note of it? Alternately amused and annoyed, Lord Iveston agrees; he even places a wager on White’s betting book to draw attention to the fact that he is pursuing Penelope. Soon, it’s wagers and counter wagers as all of Society tries to determine who will actually marry Penelope. Edenham she’s been hotly pursuing or…

Fresh Takes from the Teen Shelves I was lucky enough to cap off my October with an invitation to speak at the Texas Book Festival on a panel called “Hot Reads for Cool Chicks.”  A flattering invitation, indeed, not least because it presumes I’m cool enough to hang with some pretty neat chicks… Er, authors. Rosemary, Katherine Marsh, Victoria Laurie (holding Peaches), and Isobelle Carmody Katherine Marsh’s novel, THE NIGHT TOURIST won the 2008 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery. It’s a modern twist on the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, told in the underground of New York City. When lonely ninth-grader Jack is injured in an accident, much like the one that killed his mother, his father sends him to a specialist in New York. There he meets Euri, a ghost who becomes his guide to the Underworld that exists beneath the streets of Manhattan. Jack wants to find his mother, but the hazards of searching for her are immense. With witty dialogue, realistic characters and plenty of action, Marsh crafts a charming tale about love, loss and heroic adventure. In THE TWILIGHT PRISONER, Jack revisits the Underworld, taking with him Cora, a girl he hopes to impress. I’m…

Hey ya’ll, welcome to Sharon’s Cozy Corner, where cozy mysteries and their authors are the focus of reviews, interviews and news. I am thrilled to be writing this first of hopefully many columns for Fresh Fiction, and I sincerely hope you, the reader, will enjoy it. Let’s start off looking at what exactly constitutes a “cozy mystery.” According to Wikipedia.org, a cozy mystery is “a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously.” The main characters of these types of mysteries are usually female and are amateur detectives who use their life experiences as a tool for solving crimes. They usually work in an area of interest to women, such as bakeries, tea rooms, scrapbook shops, etc. Often they have a husband, boyfriend, friend or family member working for the police force who can provide them with important information about a case to which they might not otherwise have access. I see cozy mysteries becoming one of the rising genres in women’s fiction today with more and more titles coming out each month, and more publishers adding cozy mysteries to their lineup. It’s an exciting time to explore this fascinating genre. So with no…