Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Fresh Pick | A DECADE OF HOPE by Dennis Smith
Fresh Pick / September 7, 2011

September 2011 On Sale: August 23, 2011 384 pages ISBN: 0670022934 EAN: 9780670022939 Hardcover $26.95  Add to Wish List Non-FictionBuy at Amazon.com Remembering 9|11…stories by firefighters A Decade Of Hope by Dennis Smith Stories of Grief and Endurance from 9/11 Families and Friends On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, a portrait of tragedy, survival, and healing from the author of The New York Times bestseller Report from Ground Zero. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, an occasion that is sure to be observed around the world. But among the memorials, political speeches, and news editorials, the most pressing consideration- and often the most overlooked-is the lives and well-being of the 9/11 first responders, their families, and the victims\’ families over the past decade. Dennis Smith, a former firefighter and the author of the bestselling Report from Ground Zero, addresses this important topic in a series of interviews with the heroes and families of those most affected by the tragedy either through feats of bravery in the rescue efforts or heroic bearing up in the face of unimaginable loss. Smith provides an intimate look at a terrible moment in history…

Dee Davis | Living in the Now
Author Guest / September 7, 2011

Been thinking about interesting people of late.   The things others do that make me wish I was doing that too.   I suspect that lives viewed from the outside always seem more exciting than they are.  I know when someone introduces me to speak and I hear all the stuff I’ve done, I always wonder who the speaker is –oh…me. It’s so easy it seems to let our lives get sidetracked into “what ifs” –instead of “I haves”.   Our pasts have a way of dictating our present.   And some (me included) can let that paralyze them into losing self-esteem.  Which is hard enough to come by in the first place. Conversely there are also people who are ruled by the future.  Must do this, must do that, and all of it before I reach a certain age or it just won’t count.   Again, I find that I am prone to this particular human weakness.  I often think why didn’t I start writing earlier in my life, then I’d be like so and so.  (Another trap we often set for ourselves — contrast and comparison). But you know the truth is the only moment that counts is the now.  It’s the only…

Leigh Michaels | For a Gem, Size Doesn’t Matter
Author Guest / September 6, 2011

Thank you for inviting me back to Fresh Fiction! I’m a sucker for houses – big houses, stately houses, old houses, and even miniature houses. When we decided to move, I looked at more than seventy old houses before settling (of course) on a new one. When I asked my husband if he’d build me a dollhouse, it turned out to be a miniature gem from the Georgian period – a one-inch-to-the-foot equivalent of a small gray stone manor house with hardwood floors and copper flashing in the roof gutters and brick fireplaces and hand-thrown chimney pots. (You can see pictures of it at my website) But mostly I’m a sucker for fictional houses. The house in my new book, THE WEDDING AFFAIR, is called Halstead, and it’s the country estate of the Duke of Somervale. Though I made up everything on the inside, I tacked up a photo of the exterior of a real house to inspire me as I wrote. Here’s what Olivia – one of the three heroines in this triple story – sees when she arrives at Halstead: The central block of the house was a full four stories tall, built of red brick trimmed in…

Kaylea Cross | Meet the Air Force Pararescue Jumpers
Author Guest / September 5, 2011

Ever heard of the Air Force’s Pararescue Jumpers? PJs for short. If the answer’s no, I’m not surprised, since they don’t get much recognition in the media for all the amazing things they do. But, I have it on good authority they prefer it that way. PJs are Special Ops trained medic commandos that go into harm’s way to perform risky search and rescue operations, like extracting a downed air crew behind enemy lines. They put their lives on the line every day to save others, whether during natural disasters here at home or in combat overseas, and will protect their charges at all costs. Their motto “That Others May Live” is the ironclad code they live and die by, and it gives me goosebumps when I think of it. DEADLY DESCENT features a PJ hero and a Medevac Black Hawk pilot heroine. Writing about a Spec Ops hero is nothing new for me, but I felt strongly about highlighting what some of the women in our armed forces are doing in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. DEADLY DESCENT is the first in my Bagram Special Ops trilogy, and I’m giving away a digital copy here at Fresh Fiction. Any…

Fresh Pick | BARBEQUE BIBLE: SAUCES, RUBS AND MARINADES, BASTES, BUTTERS, AND GLAZES by Steven Raichlen
Fresh Pick / September 4, 2011

Barbecue Bible May 2006 On Sale: September 3, 2011 320 pages ISBN: 0761119795 EAN: 9780761119791 Paperback $12.95  Add to Wish List CookbooksBuy at Amazon.com Best outdoor prep for a holiday weekend with a cookout! Barbeque Bible: Sauces, Rubs and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes by Steven Raichlen Best Compilation of Barbeque Techniques and Recipes The New Yorker said it best: \”For aspiring gourmets of the grill, there is only one book: The Barbecue! Bible.\” An IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award-winner with over 210,000 copies in print, The Barbecue! Bible is Steven Raichlen\’s highly successful, far-reaching version of Grilling 101. Well, now comes Grilling 201-the grilling guru’s seminar in the flavor boosters, dry and wet, that give grilled food its character, personality, and soul. Echoing the master book in its energetic design and in-depth perspective, Barbecue Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades presents over 200 recipes for global flavoring techniques. There are rubs and spice mixes: Memphis Rub, Chesapeake Fish Powder, Santa Fe Spice Mix, Bombay Blast, Powdered Hellfire. Marinades and spice pastes: Moroccan Charmoula, Gaucho Beef Marinade, Thai Lemon Chili Marinade, Yucatan Black Recado. Plus sauces and salsas, mops, bastes, and butters, ketchups, mustards, chutneys, and relishes. The author gives a quick overview…

Katherine Stone | Favorites and Giveaway
Author Guest / September 4, 2011

Whenever I’m asked what’s your favorite food, season, book, quote, whatever, I feel that pressure of “Oh, dear, I need to really think about this and get it right.” (Spoiler alert, or, actually, in the interest of full disclosure: I’m a firstborn child and a Virgo, which means I have double scoops of such unappealing—but ultimately very productive—traits like always feeling compelled to get things as right, as best, as I possibly can.) Then I remember, “Wait a minute, there’s no rule that you must have only one favorite. You can have lots! So just pick the first that comes to mind.” I hope you all, we all, have lots and lots of favorites of everything. Here’s what I love about taking a look at favorite things: the remembering, and celebrating, why they are such favorites…the emotions, memories, and happiness they evoke. For example, one of my (many!) favorite ice creams is peppermint candy topped with peanuts or cashews and smothered in chocolate sauce. There’s an obvious reason why I like this. It’s so good. For me, the combination of virtually any nut with any chocolate is a winner. But as I search for what this lovely indulgence evokes, it’s…

Fresh Takes From the Teen Shelves | Not To Miss in September

So many cool books to tell you about this month!  Some are departures–new things from established authors–and some are debuts, and some are just cool. PARANORMAL/SUPERNATURAL THE NAME OF THE STAR THE SHATTERING AFTER OBSESSION DRINK, SLAY, LOVE THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson (9/29/11 from Putnam) This one doesn’t come out until the end of the month, but I’m looking forward to it. Johnson’s voice is always engaging, but never fluffy.  The Name of the Star looks very genre friendly: Louisiana teen Rory starts boarding school in London the same day that brutal, Jack the Ripper copycat murders start, sending terror across the city. Rory is the only witness–literally, because only she can see the mysterious man the police consider the prime suspect. Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police (!!) and her own abilities… which make her the killer’s next target. Ghosts, mystery, murder, humor and romance, all in an Ripper-iffic thriller. Who can resist that?  It’s like she wrote this book with me in mind! THE SHATTERING by Karen Healey (9/5/11 from Little Brown). Keri is a planner, but she doesn’t know how to handle her older brother’s sudden suicide. When her…

Fresh Pick | SIMPLE CHOICES by Nancy Mehl
Fresh Pick / September 3, 2011

Harmony Series #3 June 2011 On Sale: June 2, 2011 Featuring: Gracie Temple 320 pages ISBN: 1602607826 EAN: 9781602607828 Trade Size $12.99  Add to Wish List Christian, Inspirational Fiction MysteryBuy at Amazon.com Settle in for a trip to the simpler life… Simple Choices by Nancy Mehl Will a Missing Mennonite Teen End Gracie’s Hopes for a Happy Future in Harmony? Can Love Overcome Evil in the Mennonite Town of Harmony, Kansas? Can graphic designer Gracie Temple have it all: the big city life and a job at a successful advertising firm? Just when she feels life coming together she receives an unknown uncle’s inheritance in a quiet Kansas Mennonite community. The house comes with a dark legacy and a cast of interesting neighbors, including farmer Sam Goodrich. Can Gracie shake off the dust of this town or will its secret charms pull her in to stay? A perfect blend of suspense, romance and faith-building inspiration Previous Picks

Christy Reece | A Worthy Villain
Author Guest / September 3, 2011

I love romantic suspense, reading and writing it. There’s just something about two people falling in love in the midst of danger and chaos that I find fascinating. Writing the story to make it both romantic and suspenseful can be a challenge. It can also be a struggle to make the reader believe that once the danger has passed, the hero and heroine will stay together forever and the HEA is authentic. Even if the story was a good or fun read, if I close the book not completely sure of that happy-ending, I’m not going to be fully satisfied. Something else that can be a challenge is creating a convincing, believable villain—one who is a worthy foe for the hero and heroine to pursue. In SWEET JUSTICE, my September 6 release, the villain was an interesting one to develop. The hero, Seth Cavanaugh and the heroine, Honor Stone, are both competent professionals. Seth is a former cop; Honor is a former FBI agent. These two are savvy and experienced—experts in pursuing and apprehending criminals. The villain needed to be a good match for them. With two such proficient people, I knew the villain would have to be someone truly…

September Happenings Around the Blogsphere
Blog-o-sphere / September 2, 2011

Happy September! I am having a hard time believing that we are already heading into a new school year! Of course being from Texas, I can only hope that we are heading into fall sometime soon. This time of the year the blogsphere starts gearing up for its busiest months: Oct to Dec. September doesn’t want to feel left out though so here are just a few things going on! Back to the Book Giveaway Hop Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Buried in Books September 1st to 7th What is a giveaway hop? Simple – Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another. For followers this means lots of chances to win free books. For blogs hosting a giveaway it means lots of new visitors. It’s a win-win! The Fight begins. Dark Faerie Tales and Parajunkee’s View present the biggest event of the year! Deep underground, in a super secret location…the fight begins. Your favorite characters are stepping from the pages to put their talents to the test in hopes of winning the WORLD CHAMPION SUPERNATURAL TITLE and all the…