Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Fresh Pick | WEREWOLF IN THE NORTH WOODS by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Fresh Pick / November 14, 2011

Wild About You # 2 October 2011 On Sale: October 4, 2011 Featuring: Roark Wallace; Abby Winchell 336 pages ISBN: 0451234987 EAN: 9780451234988 Paperback $7.99  Add to Wish List Romance Paranormal Buy at Amazon.com Howling good read! Werewolf In The North Woods by Vicki Lewis Thompson When she used to walk around her grandfather’s property out­side Portland, Abby Winchell loved the idea that Bigfoot was somewhere out there too. Now her grandfather swears he’s seen two creatures that fit the legendary description—and he has evidence. Sort of. Grandpa Earl may be a bit dotty, but when his neighbors invite a renowned anthropologist to disprove his theory, Abby decides to send the man packing…until she sees how hot he is. Anthropology professor Roark Wallace can’t risk news be­ing made of a Bigfoot sighting in the north woods—not with a local pack of werewolves to protect. Disproving the evidence should be easy, but ignoring Abby is not. Her fiery red hair makes him want to sit up and beg, and this obvious attraction is making the pack suspicious… Sizzling as well as howlingly funny! Previous Picks

Jessica Scott | Introducing A New Voice in Military Romance
Author Guest / November 14, 2011

“Jessica Scott writes with a soldier’s heart. Because Of You is touching, authentic and a fantastic read.”  New York Times Bestselling Author Cindy Gerard “Crackling with realism, sizzling with sexual tension, and pulsing with emotion, Jessica Scott has penned an unforgettable military romance that delivers heartache and hope on every page.” New York Times Bestselling Author Roxanne St. Claire Meet Jessica Scott, whose first book, BECAUSE OF YOU is out now from Loveswept. Jessica writes realistic but emotional military romance. But rather than rattling on about it, let’s hear what Jessica has to say. Can you give us a one sentence summary of BECAUSE OF YOU? The toughest battle Shane Garrison will ever face is loving Jen St James. Every author has a favorite or the toughest scene in a book, which one in BECAUSE OF YOU do you like the most? The scene where Jen finally trusts Shane enough to be comfortable with him unclothed.  Although BECAUSE OF YOU is very sexy, Jen resists total nudity during their intimacies. Tell us something unique about your hero? Shane is bald. What’s unique about your heroine? She is a breast cancer survivor. What is your heroine’s occupation? Jen is a nurse…

Ruth A Casie | On Writing
Author Guest / November 14, 2011

In Mesopotamia, somewhere in the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, dating back to 3700 B.C., someone put stone to tablet and hammered out a message and we’ve been hammering out messages ever since. What is this love affair with the written word? They have the power to move people and even nations. People steal them, go to war for them, suppress them, cry over them, and love them. I enjoy painting with them, finding just the right ones that transport me to another place and all in the comfort of my overstuffed chair. The dappled sunlight in the forest, the clashing sound of a sword striking steel, and the apprehensive touch of the first kiss. I love them all. I’ve had stories in my head since I was a little girl. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a damsel in distress and a knight in shining armor racing to save her. (I’ve always thought historical romance). There were times when I finished a book and I refused to let the characters go I loved them so much. I continued the story. It may have been Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER that started me thinking how the accomplishments…

Dana Marton | The Perfect Dessert
Author Guest / November 12, 2011

I’ve noticed that novellas have been making a comeback lately. Amazon.com has 8,224 novellas available at the moment. Once upon a time, novellas have been a well-respected literary form. Then, for some reason, they fell out of favor. I have to admit, it’s been a while since I’d read one, until Charlaine Harris started to put out Sookie Stackhouse novellas in between her full-size books. And then I fell in love with the format. So as of this year, 3 of those 8,224 novellas on Amazon are mine. Yay! Since I’ve started writing novellas, I’ve been reading more of them. They are the answer to my problem of not being able to put a book down once I started it. Sadly, I don’t get to read until it’s bed time. Then I’m up until 2 a.m. when the last word is read. Then I’m dragging the next day. Sounds familiar? But now I can read a novella, get the full experience, a rounded out story, and still get some sleep. They proved to be the perfect beach read as well. I’m not saying I’m leaving full-size novels behind, no way. But I found that novellas have their place in my…

Fresh Pick | THE BETRAYAL OF THE BLOOD LILY by Lauren Willig
Fresh Pick / November 12, 2011

Pink Carnation #6 January 2011 On Sale: January 4, 2011 Featuring: Penelope Deveraux; Alex Reid 500 pages ISBN: 0451232054 EAN: 9780451232052 Paperback $15.00  Add to Wish List Fiction, Historical Buy at Amazon.com A great read from Readers & ‘ritas The Betrayal Of The Blood Lily by Lauren Willig A New York Timesextended list bestseller in hardcover-the sensational sixth book in the national bestselling Pink Carnation series. Whisked away to nineteenth-century India, Penelope Deveraux plunges into the court intrigues of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where no one is quite what they seem. New to this strange and exotic country- where a dangerous spy called the Marigold leaves venomous cobras as his calling card-she can trust only one man: Captain Alex Reid. With danger looming from local warlords, treacherous court officials, and French spies, Alex and Penelope may be all that stand in the way of a plot designed to rock the very foundations of the British Empire… Previous Picks

Theresa Meyers | Getting Into Character
Author Guest / November 11, 2011

You know the funny thing about writing, is you get into your characters far more than you think. For a good story to grab you by the throat and hold on until you gasp, it’s critical that the characters aren’t just two-dimensional constructs. They need to have fears and weaknesses, strengths and motivations just as real as any living person. Now this is not to say that some of those fears, weaknesses, strengths and motivations aren’t just as weird as real life. Take this guy for instance. He’s passing by a funeral procession at age 12 and is forced by the people in the procession to kiss the face of the 11 year old dead girl. It changes his life. He becomes obsessed with death and becomes a leading expert in Russian on Moscow’s cemetaries. He also turns out to be the man who’s stealing young women’s corpses and has them dressed up around his home. Creepy, yes. But look at how that one singular moment changed the direction of his life. And this isn’t fiction, it’s a true story! The characters in our stories aren’t any different if they are well-developed. They have reasons for what they do, even…

Fresh Pick | THREADING THE NEEDLE by Marie Bostwick
Fresh Pick / November 10, 2011

Cobbled Court #4 June 2011 On Sale: May 31, 2011 Featuring: Madelyn Beecher; Tessa Woodruff 352 pages ISBN: 0758232179 EAN: 9780758232175 Trade Size $15.00  Add to Wish List Women’s Fiction Contemporary Buy at Amazon.com A touching contemporary from Readers & ‘ritas author Threading the Needle by Marie Bostwick From New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick comes a beautiful novel of sisterhood lost and found—and of the ways we create the rich tapestries that encompass the past and the future… The economic downturn has hit New Bern, Connecticut, and Tessa Woodruff’s herbal apothecary shop, For the Love of Lavender, is suffering. So is her once-happy thirty-four-year marriage to Lee. They’d given up everything to come back to New Bern from Boston and start their business, but now they’re wondering if they made the right decision. To relieve the strain, Tessa signs up for a quilting class at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop, and to her surprise, rediscovers the power of sisterhood—along with the childhood friend she thought she’d lost forever… Madelyn Beecher left New Bern twenty years ago and never looked back. But when her husband is convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and she’s left with nothing but her…

Fresh Pick | PRIMAL LAW by J.D. Tyler
Author Guest / November 9, 2011

Wolf Pack #1 August 2011 On Sale: August 2, 2011 Featuring: Jaxon Law; Kira 352 pages ISBN: 0451234340 EAN: 9780451234346 Paperback $7.99  Add to Wish List Romance Paranormal, Paranormal Thriller Buy at Amazon.com Another great Readers & ‘ritas author Primal Law by J.D. Tyler To claim his mate, he would break all the rules Meet the Alpha Pack, a top-secret military team of wolf-shifters fighting the most dangerous predators in the world, human and nonhuman. After a massacre leaves Jaxon Law crippled, he must relearn how to fight-and battle the anger and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. But when Jax rescues a beautiful woman who awakens his primal instincts, he is unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead. Soon he must decide if the deep connection he feels with Kira is worth defying the ultimate shifter law… Sizzling and interesting, PRIMAL LAW pays homage….while forging its own paths. Previous Picks

Rachel Firasek | A Warm Heart With Ice
Author Guest / November 9, 2011

Why is it that some of our fave heroines are just a tad bit chilly? They have an edge about them that can come off as cold-hearted or in some cases, just plain mean. I’m thinking Anita Blake, Cat Crawfield, Mercy Thompson, and my own personal heroine, Ice.  Oh yes, these women can be classified as strong minded (translation: hard-headed) or even hard, yet we love them. In some ways I think it’s because they are also witty, confident, and almost always fearless. Let’s face it, ladies, we enjoy playing in their shoes for the length of a novel. It’s a great way to relax and feel the empowerment that we may not get in our everyday lives. At least, that’s why I read and write about heroines like this. Here’s my list of things I look for in a good “cold” heroine: 1. Strength—not only to know her own mind and heart, but to be able to stand against everyone else for what she believes. 2. Compassion—even if she doesn’t show it, I want to know that she has a deep soul that cares for others. The most talented authors can take a heroine and make us believe that…

Fresh Pick | THE FIRST LOVE COOKIE CLUB by Lori Wilde
Fresh Pick / November 8, 2011

August 2011 On Sale: August 16, 2011 Featuring: Travis Walker; Sarah Collier 384 pages ISBN: 0062089218 EAN: 9780062089212 Trade Size $12.99  Add to Wish List Women’s Fiction, Romance Contemporary Buy at Amazon.com A great favorite from Readers & ‘ritas The First Love Cookie Club by Lori Wilde At the invitation of a local cookie club, a famous author returns to her hometown to discover that dreams can come true and love is a Christmas miracle “On Christmas Eve, if you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny.” The townsfolk of Twilight, Texas, believe the legend, but not Sarah Collier—not since she was a pudgy teenager, running down the church aisle on Christmas Day in a jingle bell sweater and reindeer antlers, trying to stop Travis Walker from marrying someone else. She may be grown up, slimmed down, bestselling children’s book author “Sadie Cool” now, but Sarah will never forget that day. And she’ll never fall foolishly in love again! But when a letter from a sick fan brings Sarah back to Twilight, she’s shocked to discover that Travis is the little girl’s father—unattached and hotter than ever. His…