Here I am, on a cruise ship sailing across the Atlantic without a bit of land anywhere in sight. That pretty much describes exactly where I was when I started to plot THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS – adrift without anywhere to place my hero. Usually we think of a hero – or heroine – as being firmly planted in a single place. Where would Arthur be without Camelot? D’Arcy must have his Pemberly in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, right? How could Harry Dresden live anywhere but Chicago in Jim Butcher’s THE DRESDEN FILES? I, for one, refuse to imagine Sookie Stackhouse living anywhere but Louisiana. Now put yourself in my shoes. I knew THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS was going to be about Gareth Lowell. After all, he told me at the end of THE IRISH DEVIL that I had to write a book about him. I just nodded and said, yeah, right, mister, you’re maybe eighteen years old, you’ve got some growing up to do before you’ve got enough angst to be interesting… Boy, was I wrong! Gareth reminded me he was still waiting during three more books. He only kept his mouth shut during KISSES LIKE A DEVIL because that…

February 2009 On Sale: February 3, 2009 Featuring: Wendy Carnes 320 pages ISBN: 0451225902 EAN: 9780451225900 Trade Size $15.00 Add to Wish List Romance Erotica Sensual Buy at Amazon.com The Bikini Diaries by Lacey Alexander No strings attached… While on business at Florida’s gorgeous Emerald Coast, Wendy Carnes spots a woman who unknowingly changes her life. “White Bikini Babe” is the personification of sex, clearly ready for action—and watching her makes Wendy wonder: If she put on a sexy bikini and got a new attitude, could she get a hot beach guy of her own? Could she really indulge in casual sex for the mere sport of it? Armed with a daring new bikini and a new attitude—along with the journal in which she records her secret thoughts on the whole adventure—Wendy soon finds herself engaging in a wild and very naughty affair with her perfect fantasy man, who pushes her to new sexual extremes she’s never even imagined. But at what point does the game become reality? When does the person you pretend to be become the person you really are? And worse, what happens when your private diary falls into the wrong hands? “Lacey Alexander takes blissful hedonism…

I’m a big fan of the teacher Socrates–you know, the Ancient Greek philosopher who had to drink poison hemlock because he drove everyone crazy through his constant questioning. Socrates never wrote anything, but his student, Plato, attributes these words to Socrates: Writing shares a strange feature with painting. The offsprings of painting stand there as if they were alive, but if anyone asks them anything, they remain most solemnly silent. The same is true of written words. You’d think they were speaking as if they had some understanding, but if you question anything that has been said because you want to learn more, it continues to signify just that very same thing forever. Phaedrus 275 d-e The enduring value of a good book lies in the questions it raises rather than those it seeks to answer. Books contain ideas that act as seeds that can take root in a fertile mind. To Sell Without Selling Out On the road to publication, I’ve frequently asked myself if I should write what sells–give the people what they want–or should there be a higher purpose to my writing, a value that endures and engages the hearts and minds of my readers? Can I…

January 2010 On Sale: January 1, 2010 Featuring: Dannie Treat 464 pages ISBN: 0373230796 EAN: 9780373230792 Paperback $14.95 Add to Wish List Romance Buy at Amazon.com A Widow In Paradise by Donna Birdsell There are few problems that can’t be fixed by a golf bag full of money. At least, that’s what overwhelmed mom of four Dannie Treat thinks when she stumbles on the cash stashed in her garage. But she soon discovers that the bills are about as fake as her missing husband’s supposed death. The paper trail leads her to Guy Loughran, whose wife also disappeared recently…along with the mob money Guy borrowed to open his own saloon. Now, less than twenty-four hours after meeting Guy, they are headed to the Caribbean in search of the truth. Maybe it’s the umbrella drinks or the dirty dancing, but Dannie is about to become a widow in paradise. Good times… Free bonus book in this volume! Suburban Secrets by Donna Birdsell—Truth or Dare: it’s not just for slumber parties anymore. Excerpt Dannie Treat braced herself for the news. As she suspected, it wasn’t good. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but she’s dying. I did what I could,…

Of all the things authors get blamed (and sometimes praised) for in their books, the covers are where we have the least control. I’ve had people tell me what I should have the publisher put on my books instead (yeah, I’ll get right on that). I’ve even run into people who assume I draw the covers myself. If authors are lucky, we get asked what ideas we have for the book covers. If we’re really, really lucky, the publishers consider the input we give them. I recently caught up with young adult fantasy authors Holly Black and Sarah Rees Brennan during their book tour, and they shared some fun stories about book cover development. Even as a bestselling author, Holly Black doesn’t get to dictate what goes on her covers, but she did get to attend the photo shoot for her most recent release, White Cat. The cover has a picture of a dangerous-looking man in black leather holding a white cat. Holly said she was surprised to learn that the cat used for the photo shoot wasn’t a “professional” model cat who was accustomed to being in that environment. The cat was the pet of someone who worked at…

Modern medicine is fascinating. We all know that the medical breakthroughs that scientists discover today will significantly change the world in which we live. With the help of technology, the wealth of resources available gives us hope that cures for arthritis and cancer are on the way. It’s hard to imagine how disease affected our world, even just fifty or sixty years ago, before today’s common vaccinations were discovered. This month’s Jen’s Jewels Lauren Belfer tackles that very question in her latest release, A FIERCE RADIANCE. Author of The New York Times Best-selling novel CITY OF LIGHT, she takes the reader on a fictional journey into the discovery of penicillin in her spell- binding new novel. Incorporating true medical advances of the 1940’s within the framework of her romantic suspense tale, she creates the perfect novel to kick- off the long, summer months. As part of this interview, Harper Collins Publishers has generously donated five copies for you, my favorite readers, to try to win. So, don’t forget to look for the trivia question at the end. And, thanks for making Jen’s Jewels a part of your summer reading. Jen: The path to publication can sometimes be as interesting as…

I really wanted to write about my mom and the fact that she came to see me, and we were able to discuss books and our joint love of them in person, but it is Father’s Day, so I thought I should try to see what books I might have read that have the word Father or Daddy in the title. I did a search of the word Father here at Fresh Fiction, and found ninety one (91) books in the data base with the word father in them. Unfortunately I don’t appear to have read any of them, but there were several by authors I have read and loved! So while the search didn’t help me to recommend a great book about fathers to you it did add to my own backlist search! A search of the word Daddy yielded forty nine (49) titles to investigate, and one I’ve actually read. I have read SUGAR DADDY by Lisa Kleypas. While many of my friends rave about this book I didn’t enjoy it as much as they did. It does have a sequel called BLUE EYED DEVIL, which I have to admit I was hesitant to read, but I had…

Order of the Sicari #1 June 2010 On Sale: June 1, 2010 Featuring: Emma Zale; Ares DeLuca 352 pages ISBN: 0425234169 EAN: 9780425234167 Paperback $15.00 Add to Wish List Romance Paranormal Buy at Amazon.com Assassin’s Honor by Monica Burns Bound by honor. Redeemed by passion. A sexy new adventure-packed romance with a paranormal twist-from the award-winning author. Archeologist Emma Zale sees the past when she touches ancient relics. It’s how she uncovered evidence of an ancient order of assassins-the Sicari. When a sinfully dark stranger shows up on her Chicago doorstep demanding an ancient artifact she doesn’t have, he drags her into a world where telekinesis and empaths are the norm. Now someone wants her dead, and her only hope of survival is an assassin who’s every bit as dangerous to her body as he is to her heart. Ares DeLuca comes from an ancient Roman bloodline of telekinetic assassins. A Sicari, he’s honor bound to kill only in the name of justice. But when the woman he loved was murdered, Ares broke the Sicari code and used his sword for revenge. Love cost him dearly once before, and he’s not willing to pay the price again. At least not…

Last Saturday was our annual Boas and Tiaras Tea, and if you follow our musings you’ll know we posted a recap and link to Felicia’s blog about the event. I’ll wait if you need to go catch up. In the meantime, it was fun to reminisce about it. There are over 50 pictures you can check out on our Meetup.com page. We filled the room with readers, I got rid of a couple of boxes of books (ha!) and we meet old friends and new friends. But now, I’ve put away my tiara (gasp) until either next year or the next “big” event! We did miss several of our members and also has had people say, why didn’t you tell me about it? It’s hard to judge with the effectiveness of getting the word out, but we try really hard. SO I thought I’d tell YOU all now, next year’s big event, the Boas & Tiaras Tea will be held on Saturday, June 11th, 2011. It will be held somewhere with high tea, chocolate, scones and champagne! Promise! And no long walking in the heat (had to promise that after last year’s tea in the Arboretum, we’re precious flowers, ya…

June 2010 On Sale: June 1, 2010 Featuring: Stefan Korsak; Lukas 352 pages ISBN: 0451463420 EAN: 9780451463425 Paperback $7.99 Add to Wish List Thriller Paranormal – Supernatural, Science Fiction Buy at Amazon.com Chimera by Rob Thurman Ten years ago, Stefan Korsak’s younger brother was kidnapped. No one knew who took Lukas, or why. He was simply gone. But not a day has passed that Stefan hasn’t thought about him. As a rising figure in the Russian mafia, he has finally found him. But when he rescues Lukas, he must confront a terrible truth–his brother is no longer his brother. He is a killer. Trained, brainwashed, and genetically transformed into a flesh-and-blood machine with only one purpose–assassination. Now, those who created him…will do anything to reclaim him. And the closer Stefan grows to his brother, the more he realizes that saving Lukas may be easier than surviving him… Previous Picks