Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Fresh Pick | A COWBOY CHRISTMAS by Janette Kenny
Fresh Pick / December 6, 2009

October 2009On Sale: October 1, 2009Featuring: Ellie Cade; Reid Barclay352 pages ISBN: 1420106589EAN: 9781420106589Paperback$5.99 Romance Historical Buy at Amazon.com A Cowboy Christmas by Janette Kenny With all his love… One Starry Night Reid Barclay doesn’t have time for Christmas, not with trouble brewing at the Crown Seven Ranch. He’s got prize thoroughbreds to protect and a long- ago wrong that he wants to make right. But the beautiful cook who’s taken over the ranch kitchen is a welcome distraction, even if Ellie Jo Cade burns everything from gingerbread to roast beef. Her sweet face and womanly figure are pure temptation… Cornhusk angels…bright berry garlands…spun-sugar snow–everything about Christmas holds fond memories for Ellie Jo. She’s doing her best to make peace with an ornery wood-burning stove and make the old ranch house truly festive. All she wants is to believe in Reid…and the only-at-Christmas magic that makes hearts glow… Lots of mystery in this exciting romance centered on the holiday season. Excerpt Chapter One Maverick, Wyoming 1894 Blinding light rode into the room on an icy gust of wind and rudely reminded Reid Barclay that he couldn’t get rip-roaring drunk today. He shot a scowl at the newcomer who didn’t seem…

Fresh Pick | KISSING SANTA CLAUS by Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis, HelenKay Dimon
Fresh Pick / December 5, 2009

October 2009On Sale: October 1, 2009352 pages ISBN: 0758238843EAN: 9780758238849Trade Size$14.00 Romance Anthology, Romance Contemporary Buy at Amazon.com Kissing Santa Claus by Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis, HelenKay Dimon Naughty or nice… These “Kris Kringles” will make them tingle! Three hottie humbugs find holiday magic where they least expect it… Donna Kauffman Lock, Stock and Jingle Bells Holly hates the yuletide season more than ever since she inherited her mother’s Christmas novelty store, but her childhood pal Sean’s determined to warm her up—to Christmas and to him. When they uncover a diary concealing secrets involving both their families, this could be the Christmas that changes their lives forever… Jill Shalvis Bah Handsome! Behind on her bills, B&B owner Hope receives an unlikely guest—stranded solicitor Danny, who’s been threatening to put her out of business. Hope’s staff sees more fire than fight in the sparks that fly as they try and bring Hope and Danny together, but only a Christmas miracle can help these unlikely lovers see the light… Helenkay Dimon It’s Hotter at Christmas Hawaii’s no paradise for Marissa, who, thanks to a series of unfortunate events, can’t seem to get away from the sand to enjoy her Christmas East Coast…

Saturday Smackdown: Holiday Style
Daily Dose / December 5, 2009

The Daily DoseSmattering of Romance, Paranormal, and General Observations It’s Saturday Smackdown time again here at the Daily Dose and I wanted to take a moment and thank all the authors who have contributed so far to the Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway and to the wonderful mothers, sisters, brothers, friends, mothers-in-law, grandmothers-in-law and more who have nominated the people in their lives to receive these great gifts. I really wish I had something to give to each and everyone! Today, we take a short break from our giveaway to play Smackdown holiday style, but the giveaway will be back tomorrow with more gift certificates, more books, more movies and just more to share! Saturday Smackdown: Holiday Style Last month I posted my family’s Top Ten Holiday Flicks and Sara Reyes over at Fresh Fiction and I got into a debate on what I left off! It turns out, my Christmas list isn’t everyone’s. So we’re bringing the debate to you this week in an extra big, fun holiday smackdown. You pick the top movie, you let us know what you think and you will win a holiday movie of your choice (provided it is available on Amazon)! Home Alone…

Two Series to Check Out — Perfect Reading & Gifts

Fresh Takes from the Teen ShelvesAll the news, updates and gossip for the Young Adult — books, authors, movies and more! With the holidays come up, I have two cool recommendations for you. Both authors were good enough to tell me about the books and share some of the inspiration behind the books. They’re good reading, and not coincidentally, would make great gifts. They’re highly praised, with broad appeal for young readers. (In other words, there’s nothing in them that will make your sister hate you for giving it to your niece. In fact, she’d probably thank you.) First is (the awesomely titled) TIDINGS OF GREAT BOYS, by Shelley Adina. I asked Shelly to tell me what it was about. Shelly: Finals week is approaching, and Lady Lindsay (Mac) MacPhail is still undecided on where to spend the holidays. Normally she’d go home to Scotland, but spending two weeks alone in the castle with her dad isn’t as appealing as it used to be. So she invites her friends Carly, Lissa, Gillian, and Shani to join her for the holidays! Mac is determined to make this the best Christmas ever. She even decides to organize the traditional Hogmanay dance for…

Kathryne Kennedy | My Step By Step Guide To How I Get Inspired To Write
Uncategorized / December 4, 2009

Step 1:Get out of the house. People watch. When they speak, what mannerisms do they use? What features make them attractive? I often use the eyes, nose, and mouths of different people to create the image of my character. What color/style clothing are they wearing? How does it reflect their personality? I let my imagination run wild, guessing their background, what events in their life have shaped them, even what kind of day they are having based on their actions. All of this is great inspiration for developing my characters. Step 2:Write. My writing often inspires my next book. My upcoming release, My Unfair Lady, inspired my next few books. But what inspired My Unfair Lady? To read the rest of the STEPS OF HOW I GET INSPIRED TO WRITE and to comment for a chance to win please click here. Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway: A Strangely, Beautiful Gift
Holiday / December 4, 2009

Capping off this fabulous week of holiday blog giveaways is Leanna Renee Hieber. Leanna paid a visit to the Daily Dose for a fabulous conversation about her beautiful Victorian fantasy. Today, Hieber is offering a signed copy of both of her books and a $10 dollar Barnes and Noble gift certificate as an exquisite gift package for someone you nominate. Discover her beautiful books: Visit The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death…. Discover Dark Nest Winner of the 2009 Prism Award for excellence in published…

Fresh Pick | THE CHRISTMAS SECRET by Donna VanLiere
Fresh Pick / December 4, 2009

October 2009On Sale: October 13, 2009Featuring: Christine Eisley304 pages ISBN: 0312558368EAN: 9780312558369Hardcover$14.99 Women’s Fiction Contemporary Buy at Amazon.com The Christmas Secret by Donna VanLiere When a struggling young single mother saves the life of an elderly woman, she sets into motion a series of events that will test her strength, loyalty, and determination, all the while setting her on the path to finding true love. Christine Eisley is the mother of seven-year-old Zach and five-year-old Haley. Her ex-husband provides little, if any, child support and makes life difficult for Christine by using the children as pawns. She works long hours as a waitress to make ends meet, but her job is in jeopardy because she’s often late to work due to the unreliable teenaged sitters she’s forced to use. When Christine saves the life of a woman who works in Wilson’s department store, the owner of Wilson’s wants to find her, to thank her, but Christine has disappeared, losing another job once again. He sets his grandson, Jason, to the task of finding the mysterious “Christy.” Jason, an accountant by trade who has lost his job to downsizing, thinks he is “above” working at Wilson’s. Soon, he discovers that this…

Daily Dose Holiday Blog Giveaway: Let Freedom Ring
Daily Dose / December 3, 2009

Author Lisa Pietsch is a real peach and a personal friend. Her first novel The Path to Freedom follows the exploits of Sarah Stevens as she finds herself and a calling with a highly specialized task force. Lisa’s military background plays no small part in delivering a jam-packed action adventure that leaves you wanting more. Fortunately, books 2, 3 and 4 are on their way in 2010! How’s that for a holiday present! If you enjoy action-adventure, kickass heroines and sexy men with guns, this is the e-book for you. The Path to Freedom In the war on terror…sometimes the best weapon is a woman… Sarah Stevens is a washed-up military cop whose life is a shambles until she is offered a position as an agent with the CIA. The thirty-year-old, overweight, down-on-her-luck Stevens goes to a secret training camp where she is transformed into a sexy and deadly agent whose mission is to stop, by any means possible, the financiers of terrorism against the United States and its allies. Sarah soon discovers that this is an exciting new life loaded with adventure, danger and undeniable temptations. Read an excerpt. The Rules 1. You comment on the blog in order…

Fresh Pick | LAKESHORE CHRISTMAS by Susan Wiggs
Fresh Pick / December 3, 2009

Lakeshore Chronicles October 2009On Sale: September 29, 2009Featuring: Eddie Haven400 pages ISBN: 0778326896EAN: 9780778326892Hardcover$21.95 Romance Contemporary Buy at Amazon.com Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs Maureen Davenport lives for Christmas—and there’s nothing more magical than Christmas on Willow Lake. The prim librarian is finally getting her chance to direct Avalon’s annual holiday pageant, and she’s determined to make it truly spectacular. But it might just require one of those Christmas miracles she’s always read about. Because her codirector is recovering former child star Eddie Haven, a long-haired, tattooed lump of coal in Maureen’s pageant stocking. Eddie can’t stand Christmas, but a court order from a judge has landed him right in the middle of the merrymaking. Maureen and Eddie spar over every detail of the pageant, from casting troubled kids to Eddie’s original – and distinctly untraditional – music. Is he trying to sabotage the performance to spite her? Or is she trying too hard to fit the show into her storybook-perfect notion of Christmas? And how is it possible that they’re falling in love? #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs conjures the heartwarming holiday tale of two people looking beyond the disappointments of the past to the promise…

MARY LYDON SIMONSEN | How I Write Aka Talking To Myself
Uncategorized / December 3, 2009

Thank you for inviting me to write a guest blog on Fresh Fiction. I thought I would share with you today a little bit about my writing process, which actually involves a goodly amount of self-directed conversation, also known as talking to myself. Before I sit down in front of a computer to begin my novel, I have been walking around with a story in my head for weeks, months, and in the case of Searching for Pemberley, years. By the time I put my fingers on the keyboard, I have very definite ideas as to how the story will begin and end, but the mushy middle is subject to change. When I begin writing a story, I start with a “brain dump;” that is, I type out a very rough draft of a chapter. Once I have that down, I want my mind to be empty of all other thoughts, so I go for a long walk or I engage in some mindless task, such as sweeping the patio or pruning my shrubs. But when I really need to concentrate on a scene, my favorite thing to do is to get out my Shark steamer and clean my tile…