Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Fresh Pick | LIE IN WAIT by Eric Rickstad
Fresh Pick / February 8, 2016

Fresh Pick for Monday, February 8th, 2016 is LIE IN WAIT by Eric Rickstad #SuspenseMonday About LIE IN WAIT From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE SILENT GIRLS comes another unforgettable thriller set in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, featuring Detective Sonja Test Even in a quiet Vermont town, unspeakable acts of the past can destroy the peace of the present In the remote, pastoral hamlet of Canaan, Vermont, a high-profile legal case shatters the town’s sense of peace and community. Anger simmers. Fear and prejudice awaken. Old friends turn on each other. Violence threatens. So when a young teenage girl is savagely murdered while babysitting at the house of the lead attorney in the case, Detective Sonja Test believes the girl’s murder and the divisive case must be linked. However, as the young detective digs deeper into her first murder case, she discovers sordid acts hidden for decades, and learns that behind the town’s idyllic façade of pristine snow lurks a capacity in some for great darkness and the betrayal of innocents. And Sonja Test, a mother of two, will do anything to protect the innocent. Buy LIE IN WAIT: Amazon.com | Kindle| BN.com| iTunes/iBooks |…

J.L. Hammer | Up Close and Personal With a U.S. Marshal
Author Guest / February 8, 2016

In the next Vegas Vixens novel, TATTOOED AS TROUBLE, from Entangled Publishing, Raegan Storm enters the Witness Protection Program after witnessing a murder only to lose her heart to the U.S. Marshal sworn to protect her. This isn’t just any U.S. Marshal, but the ruggedly handsome Quinn Bronson. He takes his job as a marshal seriously and by the book, that is until he has to guard the lovely Rae Storm. And boy, does she turn his world upside down. Like the other vixens in the series, she is TROUBLE. But Bronson would rather face hit men than deal with his intense attraction for Rae, a woman that is strictly off limits. Now creating the character of Bronson took some research. As I uncovered what made the man tick, I discovered some interesting facts about the U.S. Marshals. The Witness Security Program has successfully protected an estimated 18,400 participants since the program began in 1971. The marshals arrest 400 fugitives every day on average. The U.S. Marshals operate the federal Witness Security Program, sometimes referred to as the “Witness Protection Program.” The marshals claim a perfect success rate, with no witnesses being harmed while under protection as long as all…

Christine Wenger | From The Desk Of Trixie Matkowski
Author Guest / February 8, 2016

For the Sandy Harbor Lure newspaper: HOLIDAY TRADITIONS By Trixie Matkowski In this busy world, there are some traditions during the holidays that comfort us and bring back lovely memories. For instance, on Christmas Eve, we kids would wait to hear Santa’s footsteps and the reindeer hooves on the roof. No matter how hard we tried to stay up, we’d never hear them. But, without fail, the next morning when we looked, there would be some packed snow on the roof. It was years before we figured out that my father was the one walking on the roof! Holiday baking is another tradition. Certain families have special fruitcake recipes (and you know who you are), or an ethnic specialty like babka or kugel or those Italian cookies made at Christmas (sure would love some of those hard chocolate ones!). Juanita Holgado, one of my cooks at the Silver Bullet Diner, makes a caramel flan which is to die for. Making these specialties once a year makes them….well, special. My long-time friend, Mary Ann, uses lovely dishes brought over from Poland by her great-grandmother. I can’t wait to set out my Lenox Holiday set. I have another set just for tea….

Mary Ellen Hughes | Does Romance Belong In Mysteries?
Author Guest / February 8, 2016

My answer is it depends. Why? Because readers look for different things in different kinds of mysteries. Thrillers, police procedurals, traditional mysteries and cozies all have their fans, who bring their own expectations to each sub-genre. Cozies mystery readers probably look for romance the most in their mysteries. Why? Because cozies focus on characters much more than other kinds of mysteries, which is just fine with their fans. They like getting to know the people in a series, watching their lives change, and enjoying the interactions. Some of those interactions are logically going to be romantic—especially if the main character is single (though there can certainly be romance between married couples) and also, but not necessarily, if they are young. In my Pickled and Preserved series, my main character, Piper Lamb, is single and young. At the beginning of the first book, THE PICKLED PIPER, Piper had broken off an engagement and moved to a small town to start a new life. The only problem was that her ex-fiancé, Scott, didn’t take the break-up seriously. During his travels around the world to “find himself” he sent Piper messages and gifts as though they were still a couple, much to her…

B.B. Haywood | For Better or For Worse
Author Guest / February 8, 2016

by Candy Holliday Blueberry Farmer and Amateur Detective as told to B.B. Haywood, author of TOWN IN A CINNAMON TOAST, available everywhere on Feb. 2, 2016 Candy Holliday, I tell myself, you should know better. But here I go again! I know I promised more than a few people (including our local police chief, Darryl Durr) that I would stay out of trouble and stop playing detective. It’s just that one of the most important events of the year is going to happen in three days, and there’s trouble in the air, thanks to a missing best man and a misguided bottle of champagne! You see, my best friend and sidekick, Maggie Tremont, and our local German baker, Georg Wolfsburger (commonly known as Herr Georg) are getting married—right here at Blueberry Acres, the blueberry farm I run with my dad, Henry “Doc” Holliday. Our farm is located on the outskirts of the seaside village of Cape Willington in Down East Maine, and we’re in the process of getting it ready for the wedding—tidying up, setting up a reception tent, that sort of thing. But we’ve run into a fatal snag. When Herr Georg’s best man, local historian Julius Seabury, fails…

Avery Aames | Escape to beautiful Holmes County + find a new Book Giveaway below!
Author Guest / February 8, 2016

Have you ever visited Ohio? Some people think the entire state is flat. It’s not. Holmes County, which is situated above Columbus, consists of beautiful rolling hills Have you ever stayed a bed-and-breakfast and awakened to the sound of chickens and cows? It’s serene, idyllic, and delicious. I stayed at an inn at the south portion of Holmes County years ago. The next day, I got lost while driving around. What a fabulous experience that was! Truly. I discovered all sorts of little towns and treasures. Right now, in my latest release FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, it’s time for the first-ever Cheese Festival in Providence, Ohio. Charlotte Bessette, the protagonist, is a cheese monger, and she and her new husband, Jordan, have been invited to stay at nearby Emerald Pastures Inn to participate in a brain trust. What’s a brain trust? It’s an event where marketers, cheese makers, cheese authors, and journalists will taste, make, and talk all things “cheese.” Charlotte and Jordan can’t wait. But there will be others at the brain trust plus one surprise guest from the past—Lara Berry, pretentious cheese whiz, pompous bestselling author, and pungent critic whose extra sharp tongue can crumble a reputation. Charlotte…