St. Augustine, the oldest continuous settlement in America, a location for your story? The Casa Monica Hotel, its history and culture flaunts the visitor to St. Augustine, Florida, where the city is celebrating the past 450 years. The Spanish founded it in 1513, but by 1564 the French took over, only to step back in 1565 when the Spanish arrived again. They conquered the French garrison on the St. Johns River and held the coast of Florida. The garrison remains, and you are welcome to walk on the grounds of those that came before. Read on . . .  Cheers, Gail 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historical romance, loves history and romance of course, has taught history, and her weekly blog frequently covers historical content.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…

The year has barely started, and I already can feel my wallet crying as I look at all the incredible books releasing this year. I read across most genres (fantasy, contemporary, horror, etc.), and it seems like this year will be stellar for all of them. I’m always on the fence about preordering and buying on or near release day. I know preorders can be wonderful for the author and for sales numbers, but I also love walking in to an independent bookstore and finding the new releases fresh on the shelf. After looking at the second part of my most anticipated reads of the year, I may find myself trying out a new-to-me compromise where I preorder from the bookstore to make sure I get them the day of release, but also pick them up at the store, so I get the satisfaction of another visit. Regardless, this is one incredible year for new books! About REBEL OF THE SANDS Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mythical beasts still roam the wild and remote areas, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinn still perform their magic. For humans, it’s an unforgiving place, especially if you’re poor, orphaned,…

Fresh Pick for Thursday, January 7th, 2016 is GRAVE ATTRACTION by Lori Sjoberg #SupernaturalThursday A Must HAVE Book for 2016 About GRAVE ATTRACTION He’s a reaper who works by the book. But a sexy shifter will have him changing the course of fate just to be with her—if a killer doesn’t get to her first… After four years as a reaper, helping souls cross into the afterlife is a job Adam Javorski has finally gotten used to. But when he arrives at the site of a serial killer’s latest victim, finding a living—not to mention gorgeous—hostage is the last thing he expects. The young woman captivates him in a way no one ever has—so much so, he breaks rule number one by helping her escape… Marlena Walther doesn’t remember the man who rescued her. But when she sees Adam again, she recognizes him instantly as her soul mate. While the two work together to track down a killer determined to finish what he started, their undeniable attraction draws them even closer. Now Adam is the only one who can protect Marlena from a vengeful murderer—if he’s willing to sacrifice everything for her. Buy GRAVE ATTRACTION: Kindle | BN.com | iTunes/iBooks…

Since I am not a vampire, I had to enlist the help of the hero and heroine from “The Good, the Bad, and the Vampire”. Trixie LaRoux is a punk rock badass who was turned in 1980 in NYC. Turned in the 1950’s, Dakota Shelton is a good old boy from Texas and he feels more than a little out of place with Trixie’s city slicker coven. So here’s the good, the bad, and the fabulous of being a vamp…as told from Trixie and Dakota’s perspective. Trixie LaRoux The Good— No wrinkles: I may not be a fashonista or anything but looking like I’m in my twenties—forever—doesn’t suck. A girl likes to look nice. The Bad—No suntans: In my human life, I wasn’t a big beach-goer or anything but it was nice to have the option. I mean, I can go to the beach but it, like, has to be a night. It’s cool but…I kinda miss the warmth of the sun on my face. The Fabulous—Resilience and Strength: My body and mind are tougher as a vamp than they ever were when I was human. Sometimes I wonder if it’s because I’m an immortal…or if it’s because of my…

About SEIZED Danger is all around her What should have been a routine investigation for FBI profiler Evelyn Baine turns ominous when she’s kidnapped by a dangerous cult of survivalists. As her worst nightmares become a reality, she begins to question what she’s seeing. Because the longer she’s inside their compound, the more she realizes this group is not what it seems to be. The next terrorist threat is right beside her As the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team closes in, Evelyn suspects she’s stumbled onto an emerging terrorist threat —and a cult leader who has a score to settle with the FBI. If Hostage Rescue breaches the compound, Evelyn’s dead for sure. If they don’t, the cult may unleash a surprise attack that could leave the whole country shattered. Buy SEIZED: 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 “Suspenseful from the start and intriguing throughout. Recommended!” – #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child on SEIZED “Elizabeth Heiter does her research, and it shows in this superb FBI thriller. With a ripped-from-the-headlines plot and excellent…

Meet Thomas Locke, author of MERCHANT OF ALYSS the second book in the Legends of the Realm series. Set in a world where magic has been outlawed for centuries, Hyam learns there is more than he knew or suspected. Q: How did you get interested in writing epic fantasy and techno-thrillers? Thomas Locke: My first passion as a childhood reader was science fiction and fantasy. So many of these stories imparted a sense of the heroic. The challenges were massive, the vistas beyond the scope of normal life. The characters rose up to become what was required in order to vanquish the threat. When I started writing at age twenty-eight, my first mentor was Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I want to take readers back to the type of story that meant so much to me as I was growing up. Q: Many fantasy and sci-fi stories are dark and hopeless. What do you hope readers glean from Merchant of Alyss that they won’t find in most mainstream fiction? Thomas Locke: I suspect there are a lot of readers out there like me, who buy and love mainstream fiction but are dismayed by how dark it…

Fresh Pick for Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 is HOW TO RESCUE A RAKE by Jayne Fresina #RomanceWednesday – book club choices About HOW TO RESCUE A RAKE Reject his marriage proposal Nathaniel Sherringham has returned to Hawcombe Prior a changed man. Gone is the reckless rake who went out on a limb to propose to Diana Makepiece three years ago. Now Nate’s mysterious new wealth has the town’s rumor mill spinning. To stir things up (and get Diana’s attention), Nate boldly announces his plans to marry “any suitable girl” under the age of 25. Run away Diana, now 27 and still single, is acutely aware of Nate’s return. When her mother suggests a trip to visit a cousin in Bath, Diana leaps at the chance to escape the heartbreak and regret she can’t help but feel in Nate’s presence…and avoid his irritating charade to find a bride. But for Nate, Diana has always been the one. He might just have to follow her to Bath and once again lay his heart on the line to win her attention-and her heart. Buy HOW TO RESCUE A RAKE: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com| iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books…

Ready for a sneak peek at the upcoming book from Rachel Blaufeld? Well, here’s a glimpse at the cover … …and the back cover as well! So be sure to add DOLCE to your GoodReads Shelf or just go ahead and pre-order today! Giveaway What do you think about the cover of DOLCE? FIVE lucky commenters will win their choice from Rachel’s current collection! About Rachel Blaufeld The Unofficial 411: First and foremost, I consider myself a reader. With my nose forever stuck in a book and most recently, my iPad, I always wanted to write! Now I do, and the best part is connecting with readers and chatting. I wish there were more hours in the day for this— Officially: Rachel Blaufeld is a bestselling Coming of Age, Romantic Suspense, and Sports Romance author. A recent poll of her readers described her as insightful, generous, articulate, and spunky. Originally a social worker, Rachel creates broken yet redeeming characters. She’s been known to turn up the angst like cranking up the heat in the dead of winter. Turning her focus on her sometimes wild-and-crazy creative side, it only took Rachel two decades to do exactly what she wanted to do—write…

Well, I hate to disappoint, but I can’t say my answer is very exciting. I’m not a big ‘celebration’ type person. I’m more than happy to spend birthdays and anniversaries at home (as long as there’s cake), and to treat most days like any other. Being the center of attention isn’t exactly the most comfortable place for me—that’s why I’m a writer and not, say, a singer. (Well, that and I can’t carry a tune to save my life). But, that doesn’t mean release days aren’t special! It’s always exciting when a book you’ve worked so hard on is finally available for people to buy and read. So usually at least part of the day is spent sharing some excerpts and talking about the book on social media, trying not to continuously inundate people with my excitement over the book FINALLY being here. Because, by the time a book is out on shelves, it does feel like finally. I probably first came up with the book idea over a year prior, wrote it and edited at least six months before it makes its way to shelves. So, it’s always kind of a miracle to get to that place where it’s…

I am sitting at my (brand new!) computer for the first time in a week. Everyone has left from the holiday and it took me an hour to re-assemble my writing space from where I’d thrown things to hide them from company. I still don’t know where the new book outline is, but that’s okay. I wasn’t using it anyway. My cat is in blissful, purring heaven as she reestablishes her dominion over our house. She spent the entire holiday hiding from the dogs. We think she was under my bed, but my husband also saw her wedged into a corner behind furniture and a curtain. Amazing how tiny a space my chunky kitty managed to wedge herself into. But all is done. Company (and all dogs!) are gone. Guess what I’m feeling. Exhausted. I will sleep for a week and then think about taking a shower. Confused. Who bought all this food that is now living in my refrigerator? And who is going to eat it? Blissful. The house is quiet again except for happy cat purrs. Why did I ever think I wanted 18 people here for Christmas? Terrified. I haven’t looked at my email in a week….