Linny read the party invitation. Picturing running into old friends, she fell down a deep well of self-doubt. What if she ran into Sarah Baker – now a judge who’d married well, competed in marathons, and ran a summer camp for low income kids? Or what about Randolph Henson, a nerdy boy Linny had spurned in high school, who’d morphed into a Ryan Reynolds look-alike, become a thoracic surgeon, and married Linny’s high school pal, the then-buck-toothed Mitzi. I wrote about what was important to me – funny girlfriends, good men, work that makes us happy, women who have adventures, sweet dogs, and love at any age. LINNY’S SWEET DREAM LIST is a Southern story about love and family, small town life and bright characters you are going to want as friends. The book is a sunny, wholesome read. If you are ever overwhelmed by the bad news in the world, join me in Willow Hill, North Carolina where colorful characters are searching for – and finding – their happily ever afters. Fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Dorothea Benton Frank may well enjoy LINNY’S SWEET DREAM LIST. LINNY‘S SWEET DREAM LIST is the first of three Willow Hill novel….

Fresh Pick for Tuesday, January 19th, 2016 is ORPHAN X by Gregg Hurwitz #WhatsNew great start to a new series About ORPHAN X The Nowhere Man is a legendary figure spoken about only in whispers. It’s said that when he’s reached by the truly desperate and deserving, the Nowhere Man can and will do anything to protect and save them. But he’s no legend. Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He’s also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as part of the off-the-books black box Orphan program, designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence assets—i.e. assassins. He was Orphan X. Evan broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear. Now, however, someone is on his tail. Someone with similar skills and training. Someone who knows Orphan X. Someone who is getting closer and closer. And will exploit Evan’s weakness—his work as The Nowhere Man—to find him and eliminate him. Grabbing the reader from the very first page, Orphan X is a masterful thriller, the first in Gregg Hurwitz’s electrifying new series featuring Evan Smoak. Buy…

New Year is a time for new beginnings, a time to put the past behind you and move forward with renewed determination. A year ago, I began writing a new book and I wanted to use New Year’s Eve and the celebrations people enjoy as a setting for a romance. As Tilly and Xavier came to my mind, bringing with them all their problems and hurts from the past, I looked out of my writing room window to see big fat flakes of snow swirling to the ground and I had the perfect setting for their romance. Not only that, but they wouldn’t be able to get away from each other, they’d have to face the attraction they felt for each other and their problems head on. The story opens on New Year’s Eve and Tilly and Xavier find are forced to spend not only New Year’s Eve, snowbound and alone in an English country manor house, but several days. Xavier feels guilty celebrating Christmas after tragic events in his past, which ended his motorcycle racing career and Tilly is recovering from the shock and shame of being left standing at the altar last New Year’s Eve. Locked away from…

It’s that time of year! Well, technically it started eight months ago when all the politicians started clogging up the news channels, social media and late night talk shows. It seems they seek to entertain us on every outlet. **sigh** I don’t know about you, but I personally, prefer to let the pros entertain me with fictional political scheming—it’s far more interesting and direct. And the race for the White House kitchen is a much better recipe for intrigue! Like in Julie Hyzy’s FOREIGN ECLAIRS, A White House Chef Mystery. This is Ms. Hyzy’s ninth White House Chef Mystery, but don’t worry, if you haven’t read any of the previous novels, you can safely start with Foreign Eclairs—I did and thoroughly enjoyed it. What’s not to love about food, the Secret Service, and a special young visitor to the kitchen who just happens to be the leader of the free world’s young son? Ms. Hyzy has surrounded her White House Executive Chef, Ollie Paras, with an interesting cast of characters that will draw you into the day-to-day operation of the most influential kitchen of the world. Ms. Hyzy didn’t stop there. No, she added a level of credibility to her…

We’re visited by two very best friends today — Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde. They’ve been friends for as long as I’ve known them and it’s always a pleasure to be in their company. So I asked them for their secret. And today they’re sharing the things they do! Spa day! (Massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, etc.) Read the same book and discuss what you liked/disliked about it. Make cupcakes (or anything chocolate!) A day of shopping (clothes, make-up, purses, all girly stuff!) Go and see a chick flick together (the kind of movies your spouse will never go and see) Hang at Starbucks drinking your favorite latte and GOSSIP! Go to the beach, drink fruity drinks, lay out in the sun, and read. Go wine tasting together. A weekend getaway — to anywhere! Watch The Bachelor on TV together and laugh at the girls who cry and the ones that throw themselves at the guy! (This is a lot more fun when cocktails are involved, LOL!) About Carly Phillips Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have…

Why on earth do you do these things to your characters? That’s a question I’ve heard often from readers, and one I feel compelled to answer. I’ll probably get that question a lot more once people read A WEE DOSE OF DEATH, in which Peggy’s dear friend Karaline gets shot. So, why do I do it? Because there wouldn’t be much story without it. Because it works. Because the story line needs it. Because it seemed right at the time. Because I couldn’t think of any other way to handle it. All of the above. I do have to admit feeling really bad about shooting Karaline. Okay, okay. I know I didn’t shoot her. But I might as well have pulled the trigger myself. As I write, I feel what my characters are feeling, think what they’re thinking, and react/respond as they do. That’s meant some sleepless nights throughout the journey, agonizing over whether or not I really should push Biscuit off a dock, shoot Karaline, kill Melissa’s fiancé, or send Harper off on a wild-goose chase. It doesn’t matter which series I’m writing. The answer is the same: Yes. One of the questions I wrestled with as I wrote…

Thank you for inviting me to Fresh Fiction today it’s great to be here. I’ve brought with me my new novella HEAT OF THE DAY. It’s a ménage a trois story with M/F, M/M and M/F/M scenes in it and set in beautiful Southern Spain. I’ve been lucky enough to spend quite a lot of time on the Costa Del Sol in and out of the holiday season. It’s a beautiful place, there’s always something going on and the people watching—if that’s something you enjoy doing, which I certainly do—is incredible. You can sit in Peurto Banus and admire the super-cars crawl by as you sip on sangria and lust after the yachts in the marina. Wandering around the old town of Marbella is always a treat and I particularly love the quaint, cobbled squares which have orange trees providing shade for diners at the exquisite little restaurants – Ohh the tapas! And all the time the majestic Sierra Nevada mountain range towers in the distance. If you’re feeling flush and in the mood to party don’t miss Nikki Beach. It’s THE place to be seen for the young, hip and rich crowd and a day there consists of music,…