Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Matthew Peterson | FROM ANNE RICE TO DEAN KOONTZ
Uncategorized / December 21, 2009

I really should be writing the next book in my best-selling and award-winning Parallel Worlds series, but a little thing like a fire destroying my house has put a kink in my plans. My new online radio show, The Author Hour: Your Guide to Fantastic Fiction, has also consumed most of my time. Soon after the fire, a representative from VoiceAmerica invited me to be the host of the new show. Little did I know that when I said yes I would be interviewing the top fiction authors in the world. In the past two months I’ve interviewed international best-selling authors like Anne Rice, Dean Koontz, Meg Cabot, Terry Pratchett, Diana Gabaldon, Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Terry Brooks, Christopher Paolini, and Kate DiCamillo. The list goes on and on. Several of my guests have sold over 100 million books. The authors on just one of my up-coming episodes have sold a combined total of 3/4 of a billion books. Yeah, just crazy! Read the rest by clicking here Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

SANDI SHILHANEK | HOW WILL YOU SPEND THE NEXT WEEK
Guests / December 20, 2009

As the holiday shopping season is ending I am wondering did you have to make a mad dash to the mall for one last gift? Did you order your presents online? Or perhaps you even regifted something to someone. I did all of the above this year. Early on my oldest found what he wanted for Christmas, and it was a web only deal. I did however have to go to the store to pick it up in person; it wasn’t delivered to my home. My youngest found what he wanted in a Black Friday ad, so I was up and out dealing with the crowds. Then, there was the gift I gave that was actually something I got in a gift exchange, and knew I wouldn’t use, but hoped the recipient would enjoy. To read more of HOW WILL YOU SPEND THE NEXT WEEK please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Sara Reyes | Something Delicious in the Kitchen means…
Saturdays with Sara / December 19, 2009

It’s the time of year when I need an extra special escape moment or two so I do my old handy escape — fall back into a book. I feel a bit sad because my mother is not longer here, my “old” home in Pennsylvania belongs to Amish families and I feel separated from my roots. It’s a time of reflection on the good old days, or as my son states, “anything in the pass was golden.” That is not true naturally but it does seem sad that I’ll no longer be able to wistfully pine on not being able to go east to the snow and see family. Of course, I had not been able to do that in about 20 years anyway but the point I can not do it ever again makes it all the more poignant. So to return to present day, it’s also the time to be happy for what I do have. First and foremost I have memories and the cookbooks to create some good times for my family today. We practice making the cookies from the MENNONITE COOKBOOK, my grandmother and mother’s only “cookbook.” I mean, if it wasn’t in the MENNONITE COOKBOOK…

Fresh Pick | DAWNKEEPERS by Jessica Andersen
Fresh Pick / December 19, 2009

January 2009On Sale: January 6, 2009Featuring: Nate Blackhawk; Alexis Gray480 pages ISBN: 0451225759EAN: 9780451225757Paperback$7.99 Romance Paranormal Buy at Amazon.com Dawnkeepers by Jessica Andersen A Novel Of The Final Prophecy The countdown to the end of days has begun—and Only the Nightkeepers can stop the annihilation of all mankind… Though a Nightkeeper, Nate Blackhawk refuses to allow others to control his fate. The gods have even tried to influence his love life, sending him visions of Alexis Gray, a sleek blonde who is everything he’s ever wanted in a woman. The two warriors can’t deny their attraction. But a frightening vision leads Nate to distance himself in spite of the intense passion he feels. Thrown together once more, they must reassemble seven Mayan artifacts that hold the key to preventing the end of the world… Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Saturday Smackdown: Gandalf versus Dumbledore
Smackdown / December 19, 2009

The Daily DoseSmattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations Ah the beauty of the holiday season! We kick off our last week in a countdown towards Christmas with last minute shopping, sending holiday cards and sadly, a head cold for the midget. Today’s smackdown is a look at the great wizards of two fabulous series. Both wizards inspire, guide and are tremendously powerful in their own right. I can hardly choose between them and cannot compare them as which is more powerful or which is more inspirational. Therefore, I ask only that you choose which one is your favorite. I know which one is mine. Gandalf the Grey (later the White) Gandalf is a fictional character with major roles in J. R. R. Tolkien‘s novels THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head (after Saruman’s betrayal and fall) of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West. In THE LORD OF THE RINGS, he is initially known as Gandalf the Grey, but after assuming leadership of the Istari, he becomes known as Gandalf the White. Albus…

Fresh Pick | MAYAN SECRETS by Ciar Cullen
Fresh Pick / December 18, 2009

February 2009On Sale: February 1, 2009208 pages ISBN: 1605041092EAN: 9781605041094Trade Size$12.00 Romance Suspense Buy at Amazon.com Mayan Secrets by Ciar Cullen Passion and danger on a collision course with the Mayan Underworld. If you found an antique journal with the map to the Mayan Underworld, would you follow it? If you’re Tyre “Indiana” Rasmussen, you would. Tyre’s reputation for unorthodox treasure hunting is matched only by his reputation for breaking hearts. The ever-professional Troya Twamley is determined to get her hands on the secret journal of a great explorer, even if that means joining forces with the sexy renegade and his oddball crew. Tyre and Troya think they’re about to discover an ancient treasure, but instead find a horror that might end their torrid affair-and their lives. Warning: This story is graphic! Do not read if you dislike hot naked archaeologists doing the Mayan horizontal mambo, exotic locales, and spine-tingling suspense. If breathing and pulse rate increase, seek help immediately. Excerpt “Your ten minutes are up.” Tyre kept hold of her wrist and heat seared up her arm as he rubbed his thumb across her pulse. She felt the beating of his heart beneath her palm and pulled back. He…

Jill Myles |Gentlemen Prefer….Holiday Bark
Uncategorized / December 18, 2009

As we wind through the holidays, my mind is set on my upcoming book release instead of the actual Christmas holiday itself. The stockings are hung, the tree is up, and my mind is still fixated on succubi, vampires, and fallen angels. Not an entirely terrible problem to have, of course. My first novel GENTLEMEN PREFER SUCCUBI comes out on December 29th, so it’s understandable that I’m starting to babble to myself and spend all day either clicking on Amazon.com to check my book ranking or mailing out bookmarks. Or weeping incoherently. But that doesn’t put the holiday goodies on the table, right? And when family is expecting you to bring over something tasty and delicious and holiday-themed, this could leave you in a bit of a quandry. To read more of GENTLEMEN PREFER HOLIDAY BARK please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Fresh Pick | JAKE RANSOM AND THE SKULL KING’S SHADOW by James Rollins
Fresh Pick / December 17, 2009

Jake Ransom #1 April 2009On Sale: April 15, 2009Featuring: Jake Ransom; Kady Ransom256 pages ISBN: 0061473790EAN: 9780061473791Hardcover$18.50 Young Adult, Young Adult Adventure Buy at Amazon.com Jake Ransom And The Skull King’s Shadow by James Rollins When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents—on the expedition from which they never returned—leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents’ disappearance. But even as they enter the gate to this extraordinary place, savage grackyls soar across the sky, diving to attack. Jake’s new friends, the pretty Mayan girl Marika and the Roman Pindor, say the grackyls were created by an evil alchemist—the Skull King. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady—dead or alive. Previous Picks Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Jessica Inclan | Make The Coffee If You Can
Uncategorized / December 17, 2009

People who haven’t had coffee shouldn’t make coffee. I relearned this important lesson a couple of mornings ago upon finding my pot of coffee spilled like a slick across the counter, dripping over the edge, pooling in a coffee pool on the floor. What had I been thinking? Oh, yeah. I hadn’t. And yet, all of us do things we can’t do in order to figure out how to do them. This living thing is a process, and yet, most folks want to avoid the process altogether because it is so damn time consuming. We want to figure things out without having to figure anything out at all. We want the easy bake way of living and haven’t yet realized that the easy bake cake wasn’t very tasty. To read the rest of MAKE THE COFFEE IF YOU CAN and to comment for a chance to win please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

The Magic of Christmas: Books
Holiday / December 16, 2009

The Daily DoseSmattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Whether you call it Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or simply: the holiday season. I love this time of year from the hustle and bustle of shoppers to the profusion of Christmas lights springing up like a verdant field of wild, glowing flowers in the night. Some areas are decorated to the nines, with specialized themes or stories told in imagery while others are simply lights spilling out like gems for the night sky to admire. Finding the Perfect Gift The season is a challenge to how much you know about the people you love. Do you find them the gifts they asked for? The gifts that they would appreciate? Do some items stand up, waving their arms and yell: I would be perfect for him or her! The retail stores are packed to the gills with new items from clothes to books to music and electronics. Video games are often popular and the tried and true stuffed animal remains a seasonal favorite. It doesn’t matter that the stores have been laden with holiday ornamentation since October (and sometimes even earlier). They take…