Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Fresh Pick | WICKED LUST by Sawyer Bennett
Fresh Pick / January 31, 2016

Fresh Pick for Sunday, January 31st, 2016 is WICKED LUST by Sawyer Bennett #SuperReadingSunday Reader be warned! About WICKED LUST Cain Bonham is as big and bad as they come. After serving in the Marines, he’s returned home to Wyoming and now works as head of security at the exclusive sex club, The Wicked Horse. His job is to protect not only the patrons, but to zealously guard the secret existence of the club itself. Sloane Preston is all about discovering secrets. As an undercover reporter, she’s determined to reveal the truth behind the facade of The Wicked Horse and expose it for all the world to see. She just didn’t count on her pathway into the club coming at the hands of one gorgeously scarred and bad ass bouncer who manages to easily possess her body and soul. While Cain’s not looking for anyone to catch his eye, Sloane did it all the same, and he’s not bemoaning the fact that she’s as wickedly kinky as he is. As both get caught up in the sinful fantasies that only The Wicked Horse can create, secrets and loyalties will be tested and hearts will risk being broken. **Warning: this book…

Fresh Pick | UNSAID by Avery Aster
Fresh Pick / January 30, 2016

Fresh Pick for Saturday, January 30th, 2016 is UNSAID by Avery Aster #SaturdayReads About UNSAID For fans who loved the snarky wit of Will & Grace and the epic love drama found in Brokeback Mountain comes Avery Aster’s new full-length, standalone contemporary M/M romance novel, Unsaid. Chelsea’s hottie Blake Morgan III has reemerged from a nasty breakup. His marriage was a frigid disaster beyond repair, and he vows to be single—forever. Bruised, but still hot in Prada, he creates his Seven Desires wish list, his sexiest imaginings. Blake soon realizes there’s only one man he may trust to make these uninhibited intentions come to fruition: his best friend Miguel Santana. Lower East Side multimedia artist extraordinaire Miguel Santana may be known as the cocky Latin stud in the city, but all he’s wanted since college was Blake’s hand in marriage. He was livid when Blake walked down the aisle with the wrong guy. Miguel has his own list titled the Seven Needs, which are quite contrary to Blake’s dirty-boy deeds. They involve serious commitments, which may leave his new-to-the-singles-scene buddy sprinting for the door, destroying any hopes Miguel has for happiness. Can these two hunks conquer their intimate fears and…

Erica Kudisch | Why I Chose THE BACCHAE as Inspiration
Author Guest / January 30, 2016

Hi all! Erica Kudisch here, promoting my debut novel THE BACKUP, queer urban fantasy with a side of myth and music. Thanks so much for keeping up with the blog tour! Be sure to swing by the other stops for awesome multimedia content and a $50 prize package giveaway! Why The Bacchae I have a copy of D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths in the underwear drawer of my childhood bedroom. It’s in pieces. It’s been in pieces since I was nine years old. Even back then I knew I wasn’t getting the whole story, so I got my hands on other versions as soon as I could. My grandmother and I read the Iliad together when I was twelve, and watched the entirety of the BBC’s I CLAVDIVS, and I probably experienced the demythifications of Mary Renault a little too early in my emotional development, but there you go. Around the same time, I was taking drama classes at school, and we learned about Greek theatre and the roots of Western drama. I loved the scope of the stories, loved seeing all those myths I’d read as a child brought to life and somehow humanized. We read through the Oedipus…

Pre-order THE SUTHERLANDS for only 99¢
Author Guest / January 30, 2016

Pre-Order THE SUTHERLANDS For Only 99¢ and Help The Reach Out and Read Charity Looking for a way to do good and read hot? Check out THE SUTHERLANDS, a sexy contemporary romance anthology that tells the story of one family with 11 brand-new, full-length novels and novellas for only 99¢. Twenty percent of the royalties earned from each sale will go to the Reach Out and Read charity, which incorporates early childhood reading into well child doctors’ visits. Inside The Sutherlands you’ll find: SHADOW RANCH by USA Today best selling author Robin Covington – Passion and secrets thrive in the dark… WRECKED by Wall Street Journal best selling author Terri Osburn – Revenge is always personal… BOUND TO DO DAMAGE by Avril Ashton – When protecting you heart is no longer an option…protect your neck. FOOLISH EXPECTATIONS by Alison Bliss – Forever is the last thing they expected… UNDER THE EVENING STAR by Shyla Colt – They must choose between the past that hunts and a love that can heal… BRAZEN by Avery Flynn – This bad boy boxer just met his match… SCREWED by Kelly Jamieson – The only time losing is more fun than winning is when you’re…

Fresh Pick | AMISH HOMECOMING by Jo Ann Brown
Fresh Pick / January 29, 2016

Fresh Pick for Friday, January 29th, 2016 is AMISH HOMECOMING by Jo Ann Brown #InspirationalFriday About AMISH HOMECOMING Ten years ago, Amish quiltmaker Leah Beiler and her twin brother left their community and family without a word. Now she’s finally come home—with her orphaned young niece. Leah has much to explain to so many, including Ezra Stoltzfus. Before she left, she dreamed of marrying the handsome dairy farmer. But now that she’s lived among the English and is raising a child who knows nothing of Amish ways, Ezra worries she’ll leave again. Leah will have to prove to Ezra that her future is in Paradise Springs—and with him—forever. Buy AMISH HOMECOMING: Amazon.com | Kindle| BN.com| iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR About Jo Ann Brown Jo Ann Brown has been creating characters and stories for as long as she can remember. Her first stories were populated with her friends and sisters. She wrote her first novel in high school, and it happily resides in the very back of her file cabinet. Fast forward through college, serving in the Army as a…

Jenn McKinlay | Are the Characters Me?
Author Guest / January 29, 2016

For Scarlett Parker, part of the fun of living in London is celebrating the British holidays, and she’s excited to share her first Bonfire Night with her cousin Vivian Tremont. Invited to a posh party by their friend Harrison Wentworth, Scarlett and Viv decide to promote their hat shop, Mim’s Whims, by donning a few of their more outrageous creations. The hats prove to be quite the conversation starters as the girls mix and mingle with the guests—never suspecting that one of them is a killer. It’s a cold, clear night, perfect for the British tradition of tossing a straw stuffed effigy of Guy Fawkes, traitor to the crown, onto the bonfire. But instead of a straw man, they realize in the heat of the moment that the would-be Guy Fawkes is actually Harrison’s office rival and he’s been murdered. Before the smoke has cleared, Harrison is the Metropolitan police’s prime suspect, and Scarlett and Vivian must find the real homicidal hothead before their dear friend’s life goes up in flames. Frequently, I am asked if my characters are me. Is Mel Cooper, who runs the bakery in the Cupcake Bakery series and has a severe sweet tooth, me? Is…

Laura Kennedy | Goggie And Me
Author Guest / January 29, 2016

Who was the greatest influence in my life? I can only answer my mother. For me, the stars were aligned perfectly when I was born to a successful writer. A preemie, I debuted six weeks early at four pounds two ounces, forcing me to spend time in an incubator at Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis. My mother, Marguerite McClain, a sophisticated Barbara Stanwych look-a-like, visited me every other day, calling the hospital alternate days to ask what I’d gained in fractions of an ounce. Once I’d reached a hefty five pounds, I was released to my glamorous mother and handsome dark-haired father who brought me home to my two-year-old brother Mickey who called me his little hitta. Soon after the toddler stage, I discovered that all mothers didn’t write stories. They didn’t sit in the attic two hours a day, sweltering in summer and freezing in winter, tapping on the keys of a black standard typewriter. “I’m going upstairs to write” my mother would announce to my brother and me, and off she’d go, armed with cigarettes, a Coke and a Hershey bar. Mickey and I never touched her stash of goodies, intuitively realizing it was what kept her going. At…

FLEDGING LOVE: a short story
News / January 29, 2016

Breathless, Emma dragged her disheveled self from the water’s edge. Her hair dripped sand into her eyes. She clawed herself away from the drag of the next wave that crashed on the rocks. It broke into softer splashes over her. She stared into the water’s foam and listened to the sounds of waves crashing and… Read more…. About Gail Ingis Gail Ingis writes historical romance, loves history and romance of course, has taught history, and her weekly blog frequently covers historical content. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Ingis’s early days began and ended with writing, drawing and music. Her inspiration to write came from books gifted to her by an aunt. But life had other ideas. After graduating from the New York School of Interior Design with a BFA in Interior Architecture and Design and masters’ studies in Architecture and Design Criticism at The New School (Parsons). Her career in interior design and architecture led her to the other arts. Ingis founded the Interior Design Institute, a school of interior design, that she eventually sold, but during her tenure, she was twice asked by publishers to write a textbook, her efforts were thwarted by a heavy schedule. Ingis resides…

Kerry Adrienne | What makes Mari a heroine worth reading about?
Author Guest / January 28, 2016

Mari is a mermaid who wants to have her independence. She runs a small touristy beach souvenir shop (located in the building the hero owns) and she plans to prove her mother and family wrong. She can make it on her own. She is betrothed to a merman from another tribe, but she has no intention of marrying him. She’s trying to figure out how to best break the news to everyone. She cares about her mom’s feelings, but there’s no way she’s marrying the guy someone else picked out for her. I’d hope that readers would be drawn to Mari’s independent spirit. She faces obstacles with a pretty good attitude, usually by whistling and taking a swim to think about things. Overall, she has a pretty balanced mood—maybe leaning more toward the glass half full personality. She also has saved her man from death. So, she’s strong! Not just physically, but emotionally. She’s had to live with the knowledge that she saved him without telling him—so it’s been difficult for her to love him from afar. But she keeps a good mindset and enjoys her fantasy life about him. She’s really good at pretending he’s a pirate. When he…

Reading Remedy: A Book to Fit Every Mood
ParaNormal Bites / January 28, 2016

It’s that time of the year when our moods drop. The holidays are over and for many, the cold, winter months make the everyday seem like an impossible task. It’s also a month for change. People are trying to reorganize their priorities, hoping to take better care of themselves or start new endeavors. It’s easy to get lost in the process and overstress yourself. Thankfully there’s something I can rely out to get me out of those foul moods. Books are my medicine. If I’ve had a particularly long and grueling day, there’s comfort in knowing that I can slide into bed, curl up under the covers with a cup of hot tea and escape to a new world just by opening a book. I know that just reading a few pages can make me forget the day’s events and I can simply let my mind drift. Whether it’s the relaxing routine of settling down or the type of book you are reading, stories are a welcome distraction and it’s not hard to find a book that will fit the current mood you are in. There are so many that it took me a while to narrow it down this…