Jen’s JewelsGet the lowdown on your favorite authors with Jennifer Vido. I have always been fascinated with the art of knitting. As a child, I would watch in awe as my mother would create beautiful afghans and colorful scarves. She always seemed so relaxed and at ease while masterfully designing her next creation. When the time finally came for me to join in on the fun, it didn’t take long for the “ooh” and “ahh” factor to quickly fade away. Knit one. Purl two. Whatever! Let it suffice to say that it’s not as easy as it looks! The lead character in this month’s s feature title can relate well to my knitting nightmare since she, too, is knitting-challenged! In THE SWEETHEARTS’ KNITTING CLUB, romance writer extraordinaire Lori Wilde takes the reader to the quaint, small town of Twilight, Texas in her new series sure to please her fans. Without a doubt, this delightful story is the perfect read for the holiday season. As part of this interview, Avon Books has generously donated five copies for you, my lucky readers, to win. So, don’t forget to check for the trivia question at the end. And who knows? Perhaps you may…

Leonard LightTales From A Writer’s Life Christmas is a time for happy memories. I have a lot of memories from different Christmases, most of them wonderful. My grandmother loved all the holidays. She always wanted decorations out for every occasion. For Christmas, Mimi had little red velvet reindeer she’d put on her fireplace mantel. There would be a turkey for dinner, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and a chocolate chip cake. I’ve tried many times unsuccessfully to make the chocolate chip cake. My kids have encouraged me to try again. We think the secret may lie in the heaviness of the bundt pan, but I am not so sure. Maybe it was the hands that mixed the cake. Mine hasn’t come close, not yet. Mimi made beautiful Christmas ornaments; she must have made hundreds. Years after she’d made them, and even after a fire in my childhood home destroyed our collection of them, the family is still swamped with ornaments. They are jeweled and tasseled, well over forty years old now. She made them in her basement, which must have taken months. She also needlepointed eight chair cushions for her dining room table, a floral pattern with a beige background that…

Tanzey Talkfor the latest on books and authors. The middle of October found me traveling to Indianapolis with Fresh Fiction reviewer Suan Wilson to attend the 40th Annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. This yearly event is for authors, publishers, readers, booksellers, librarians and anyone interested in all the different types of mysteries. From sweet, cozy, funny tales to dark, dangerous, psychological thrillers and everything in between, this convention had it all. Other representatives of Fresh Fiction in attendance included Sara Reyes, Gwen Reyes, Mindy Ewing and her husband, Alan. With many panels, book signings and other activities going on all the time, it kept us hopping – it was so exciting. We made new contacts with authors and people in the industry, as well as renewing many previous acquaintances. It was exhausting, but well worth it. Be sure to check out 2009 Bouchercon photos on our Flickr link. Here’s a list of Bouchercon’s 2009 Anthony Award Winners. Best Novel: THE BRASS VERDICT – Michael Connelly (Little, Brown) Best First Novel: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Stieg Larsson (Knopf) Best Paperback Original: STATE OF THE ONION – Julie Hyzy (Berkley) Best Short Story: A Sleep Not Unlike Death –…

Sharon’s Cozy CornerAll about the cozy mysteries: interviews, reviews, books The holiday spirits are warm, but the winter weather is as chilling as the mysteries on tap as we venture into December. With Christmas upon us, I thought we’d take a look at the lineup of cozy mysteries with a holiday theme to them. Nether snow, ice, or murder weapons of choice will keep the following authors from dishing up an exciting batch of cozy mysteries sure to entertain us this festive season. I mentioned Cleo Coyle’s HOLIDAY GRIND: A Coffeehouse Mystery (Berkley Prime Crime, Nov. 3rd) last month, and I include it here again because it is just a delightful holiday offering. The mouthwatering recipes alone makes this novel worth reading, but Coyle also delivers a delicious thriller with a side order of romance that will warm reader’s hearts while it tickles their minds and appetites. The holidays are coming and that means more than just eggnog lattes and gingerbread biscotti to Clare Cosi, owner of the Village Blend coffeehouse. But when she finds her friend Alfred Glockner, the part-time comic and genuinely jolly charity Santa, brutally gunned down in a nearby alley, a few subtle clues convince Clare…

December 1 is the launch of Scorched, the second installment of my Dark Forgotten series. Without giving away too many details, the action picks up about a year after Ravenous ends. It’s a stand-alone story, but most of the characters from book one return. Those interested in the fate of Fairview’s police detective, Conall “Mac” Macmillan, will have all their questions answered. Mac is a delightful character to work with: smart, gorgeous, down-to-earth, sense of humor, and basically an all-around good guy. Nevertheless, the agreement between the International Union of Fictional Characters (Paranormal Romance Division) and the Fellowship of Twisted Authors, Inc. gave me a free hand to make his life metaphorical and literal hell. That’s part of the deal that brings you, the readers, the best possible stories. The fellowship stands behind their Tortured Hero Guarantee To read more of CELEBRATE WITH A SCORCHING GOOD TIME and to comment for a chance to win a copy of Scorched please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Welcome to day four of our holiday blog giveaway! I hope you are enjoying these giveaways as much as I am in coordinating them. Today’s giveaway is an autographed copy of Rosemary Clement Moore‘s The Splendor Falls I called this book the best read of 2009. The Splendor Falls Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship. Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. And that’s where things start to get shady. As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand. Then…

September 2009On Sale: August 25, 2009Featuring: Josie Taternall400 pages ISBN: 0143116436EAN: 9780143116431Trade Size$15.00 Women’s Fiction Buy at Amazon.com Bed & Breakfast by Lois Battle Penguin is pleased to reintroduce readers to “born storyteller” (The Washington Post) and New York Times bestselling author Lois Battle and her delightful holiday tale of Josie Taternall and her South Carolina bed and breakfast. After her best friend’s narrow brush with death, Josie decides that life is too short to let old grievances stand in the way of family togetherness. This year, she resolves, her three grown daughters—the girls she raised so carefully yet with such mixed results—will come home for Christmas. With her uncanny ear for Southern sensibility and her sharp-eyed wit, Battle gives us the perfect upstairs/downstairs comedy and a portrait of a family in all its tender, touching, and flawed glory that readers young and old will cherish. Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.