Check out this video from Meghan Quinn, author of the Love and Sports series, for her list of Top 5 Football Hotties! About the upcoming release, THREE AND OUT Piper was dead to him. The minute she walked out the door on Mason, he was done. D.O.N.E. Now, three months later, he’s still trying to act like he doesn’t care. Like his heart hasn’t been torn into shreds and obliterated beyond recognition. But it’s not working. He’s broken and beyond repair. Then Piper goes missing. Mason tries to show the world he doesn’t care, but his world is flipped upside down. A vulnerable Mason finds help in an unexpected place and it’s an offer he can’t refuse. The knot that has been gripping Mason’s heart slowly starts to unravel and he’s starting to look into his future… Three and Out runs through the lives of Mason and his friends while they struggle to find love and keep it in their hectic, crazy, drama twisted lives. Not everyone is meant to be and not everyone who you think should be together, will end up together in the final installment of the Love and Sports series. About Meghan Quinn When I was…

“I think housework is far more tiring and frightening than hunting is, no comparison, and yet after hunting we had eggs for tea and were made to rest for hours, but after housework people expect one to go on just as if nothing special had happened.” ― Nancy Mitford Aristocratic life is an occasional theme in my writing. Like many, I have toured English stately homes and dreamed about their glamorous lifestyles, but I suspect that my interest has almost entirely been influenced by Nancy Mitford, eldest daughter of a baron, commentator on manners and one of the funniest writers of the 20th century. During the writing of my latest book, RED DIRT DUCHESS, there were more than a few moments when I sat back in my chair, closed my eyes and asked, ‘what would Nancy say?’ The five Mitford sisters were infamous. All beauties and almost all eccentric, two had dubious fascist connections (Hitler, Mosley), another was a communist, whilst the youngest, Deborah, became the Duchess of Devonshire. Was there ever a family more divided by ideology than the Mitfords? Amongst them, the eldest, Nancy, remained resolutely, delightfully madcap and had no truck with dictators or fascism. As one…

The title alone should tell you that Book #2 in the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, THE WEDDING SOUP MURDER, features a wedding. And that um, other thing that tends to be front and center in cozy mysteries. (Oh, but there’s also soup—did I mention the soup?) However, I did have the good taste to wait until after the reception to kill off my unfortunate victim, the snobby president of the Belmont Beach Country Club. Weddings are, of course, traditionally joyous occasions, but they are so often rife with drama that I found it—if you’ll pardon the expression—a delicious premise to use one as the inciting incident in the novel. Think about the possibilities: a spoiled bridezilla, a felonious father of the bride, two sparring chefs in a hot kitchen, and a micro-managing club president who gets under everyone’s skin. Throw in an Italian bride and a Scots-Irish groom, and you have a tasty recipe for cozy chaos. As my main character and sleuth, Victoria Rienzi, wryly observes during the reception: On my way to the kitchen I was arrested by a series of whining groans, a cacophony so loud and dissonant I wanted to clap my hands over my ears. As…

You’re sitting in a coffee shop, trying to write, when a man walks in alone. He orders a simple cup of Joe and takes a seat at a bistro table, his back to the wall, and pulls out an impossibly thin computer. He’s absorbed in his work, only occasionally taking his eyes off the screen long enough to sweep the coffee shop, looking for . . . what? So much for getting any work done, right? You’ve got yourself a mystery man, and you can’t help speculating about his back story. Is he a spy? A cop staking out the joint? A criminal staking out the joint? Is he married, or is he having a torrid affair with his married neighbor. What the heck is he typing? It’s natural to be intrigued in strangers. In fact, it’s probably a positive evolutionary trait, being aware of those around you and identifying any possible threats. Mostly, though, it’s just fun painting stories on a blank canvas. In real life, that random guy is probably a banker using his lunch hour to catch up on some e-mail. But in your head, he’s become an undercover government operative transmitting vital national security information—in code,…

1. It’s been more than a decade since you’ve published your last novel. What was it like to get back in the game with TREASURE COAST? I have to say it’s been exhilarating, maybe because it was so unexpected. A year ago at about this time I went to my mailbox and discovered a package containing an autographed copy of THE HEIST by Janet Evanovich and her co-author, Lee Goldberg. I’d never met Ms. Evanovich but Lee I remembered from a writers conference years ago when he was just getting his start in crime fiction. We’d not stayed in touch, so I was naturally rather puzzled by the gift. Tucked inside the book I found a letter from Lee reintroducing himself and explaining a new venture he and his partner were embarked upon. That venture was Brash Books, a publishing company specializing in the revival of out-of-print crime novels, and since I had six such books, long since out of print, he invited me to participate. With nothing to lose, I readily agreed. Once the project was underway I mentioned to Lee that I had a manuscript languishing in a drawer, and he invited me to send it along. Happily…

Frank Delaney, author of the faithful sequel, JIM HAWKINS & THE CURSE OF TREASURE ISLAND, outlines some do’s and don’ts for landlubbers 1. Get your Ship Together. Make sure that you know the difference between a barque, a barquentine and a brigantine; a sloop, a schooner and a ship of the line. The world has few areas where your lack of knowledge will be as ferociously challenged. Nautical experts, and they truly are experts, lurk by every wharf and canvas locker waiting to hoot derision – and perhaps even brandish a cutlass -­‐ at the uninformed, under-­‐researched pirate writer. 2. It’s Never Plain Sailing. Get to know the canvas -­‐ length, depth, breadth. What’s the difference between “square-­‐rigged” and “jerry-­‐rigged”? How do you distinguish between topsail and staysail? And then there’s square topsail. And foresail. And never, never, never describe how a pirate ship is rigged until you can name the type of vessel and draw a sketch of how she’s rigged. 3. Not Knotted? When your Standing Part has a Friction Hitch and you look to a Stopper or a Bend, a Double Overhand would complicate things too much, and a Butterfly may bring tears to your eyes. But…

“What was wrong with that man? Why didn’t he do something?” The women around the table raised their hands and slapped the table with disgust as they complained about the man named Vaughn Harlan. Who could blame them? He was, after all, an enabler of the behavior which resulted in the unexpected, violent start to my novel, HOW SWEET THE SOUND. I laughed as the members of the book club went on to talk about him and the other characters they found to be particularly infuriating as if they were holding a Monday morning gossip session at the local coffee shop. This is the part about writing a novel I hadn’t expected—when the fiction becomes reality. And it’s the reason why visiting with book clubs is my favorite part of the publishing journey. It’s one thing to have imaginary people carrying on in your own head. It’s a whole other thing when they begin carrying on in the heads and out of the mouths of others. “Tell me everything you liked—and especially what you didn’t like—about my book,” I tell the book club members when I introduce myself, because what riles them up is what makes the book real for…

In chatting with friends and beta readers about The Walsh Series, I hear one question with tremendous frequency: why architects? I’ll see that question, and raise it another: why not? We all know architects are smart—they’re the ones actually using all that algebra, geometry, and trigonometry the rest of us ignored in high school—and there’s nothing sexier than a big, ahem, brain. We also know they’re creative, and we need only glance around our cities and towns to see everyday art rising from the ground, or hear their roughly whispered fantasies. Now take that intellect and that inventiveness, and add to it a healthy dose of dedication to the craft. They let instinct guide their work, and they know when it feels just right. They also know something about expertly tailored suits, husky growls, and building desks that can stand up to the most intense meetings. The inner workings of the architect’s mind are complex, and lucky is the lover who gets to draw it all out. Here’s a sneak peek into the mind of Matthew Walsh, one of the most growly, bitey architects I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing. Architects are precise. I waited twenty-nine seconds. That seemed…

Ten authors, ten hot and sexy alpha bad boys—all in one deliciously yummy TALL, DARK & PARANORMAL box set—10 full length novels, 825,000 words of steamy paranormal pleasure, and all for just 99 cents! Fresh Fiction is pleased to welcome the authors of this blockbuster anthology to tell us a bit about each of their stories. FOREVER FREED by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Laura Kaye FOREVER FREED was my first novel, and I was inspired to write it in quite an unusual way. In 2008, I experienced a mild traumatic brain injury that, as I healed, left me with a strong creative urge. I started taking guitar lessons and writing my first novel–fortunately I was better at the writing than the guitar playing! Three months later, I finished my first book, FOREVER FREED. The fact that the first thing I wrote was a vampire romance wasn’t surprising since, as a reader, all things paranormal had always been my first love. Hero Lucien Demarco’s character was very lively in my head and totally drove my writing of the story. SPELLBOUND by New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Opal Carew I’ve always loved wizards and magic,…

Do you like road trips? This year, we drove 2,138 miles and passed through 11 states—all in one week! Not a relaxing vacation, but it was lots of fun. There were several stops to visit family and friends that we hadn’t seen in a long time, plus a chance to explore states we hadn’t visited before. The multiple driving breaks at Cracker Barrel were an unexpected bonus, and I never did manage to beat the addictive triangle peg game! Visiting so many places made me reflect on why I chose rural Connecticut as the setting for my latest release, SHARE THE MOON. I’m not a native of the third smallest state in the nation, although I moved here over thirty years ago and kind of feel like I’m one. In that time, I’ve lived along the scenic waters of Long Island Sound, sampled the city life in Stamford, and now spend a quieter existence in the folksy town of Bethel. Even in this small state, there’s a great deal to see. I especially adore the more rural towns in the upstate region, where I often go winetasting, kayaking or seeking out a new restaurant. What I’ve noticed is how each…