Thanks so much for having me back on Fresh Fiction to celebrate the release of HOW TO HANDLE A SCANDAL, the second book in my Scandalous Sisters series. It’s the story of Miss Elizabeth Tarryton, whom readers first met when she was a gorgeous, rebellious teenager in THE BEAUTIFUL ONE. Elizabeth is a little too beautiful for her own good, and she definitely likes to make a splash. When she goes to London for her first season, she’s in girls-just-want-to-have-fun mode and, well, she’s a bit of a scandal. So she’s the perfect person to offer some tips on How to Survive a London Season: Don’t go swimming in fountains in the presence of gentlemen and wearing an evening gown. Or at least, don’t get caught in the Regency version of a wet t-shirt. Eliza’s beloved guardian, Viscount Grandville, has warned her about the damage she might cause her reputation if she doesn’t tone down her behavior, but she’s having the time of her life, and she just can’t seem to resist fun, which in Eliza’s case is usually spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. Don’t kiss gentlemen in public, stand on the streets of London serenading a man through his window, or sneak…

When I think of an unproductive writer, I think of a bowl of cooked spaghetti—limp, colorless, tasteless, no energy. It’s been submerged into boiling water and didn’t survive. None of us want to fall into that category when we can take steps to stay strong and avoid the vat of despair. What happens when a writer realizes her career isn’t shaping up to what she dreamed? How can we ensure our manuscripts are fresh, filled with vitality, and eagerly read? Let’s take another look at the lifeless bowl of cooked spaghetti. Sometimes all a bowl of spaghetti needs is a little seasoning. It’s amazing what salt, pepper, and basil can add to the dish. When we sprinkle our manuscripts with a fresh edit, reach out to guest blog, or create an engaging Pinterest board, we add small but significant ways to add zest to our careers. When we have bad results, we take the time to evaluate the brand of spaghetti we’re using. Maybe a new brand or promoting the one we’re using will give us better results. Is a website redesign necessary? A smart writer evaluates what she is doing and how she is progressing. Does your spaghetti taste…

Hey there! I’m so happy to be on your fab blog again. I just adore everyone at Fresh Fiction! 🙂 This time, I’d like to do something special and share with you the playlist for WIFE FOR THE WEEKEND. For those of you who’ve been following me, you know that I’m notorious for making very extensive and detailed playlists for all of my books. Sometimes, I have songs saved before I start even writing the book. Music just sets the tone for me, and can even shake me out of a scene if I’m stuck. Songs have so much emotion! So, without further ado, I present the highlights of my WIFE FOR THE WEEKEND playlist. For the complete Spotify list, click here And now, happy listening! Waking Up in Vegas – Katy Perry Okay, if you’ve read the blurb, it’s not a surprise that Jules and Dexter get accidentally hitched in Vegas, so of course this song is first on my list. And it’s playfulness pretty much sets the tone for the whole book Troublemaker – Olly Murs So yeah, Jules might be kind of flighty and when she and Dex are trying to get their fake-relationship stories straight, she…

Since I’ve been writing about leprechauns, I especially look forward to St. Patty’s Day. But I keep running into those who think that leprechauns are little, green men. People just can’t seem to wrap their heads around the trick. So today, I’d like to introduce you to some leprechauns who have promised to set the record straight. Up first is Fergus, the clan leader of the leprechauns in Fayetteville. Fergus: I didn’t promise to set the record straight. I just heard there was beer. Me: Yes, there’s beer, but first, you promised to explain how leprechauns were not little, green men. Fergus: Promise? What promise? Are you sure that’s what we discussed? Because I distinctly remember someone mentioning beer. Me: We’ll get to the beer! First, let’s discuss leprechauns. Most people are surprised to learn they’re not wee fairies, but actually grown men. How do you explain that? Fergus: I don’t. Like I said, I’m just here for the beer. Murphy: Stop messing with the woman, Fergus. You started this whole thing by revealing our secrets originally, so now you need to answer the lady’s questions. Me: Murphy, ladies and gentlemen. Bar owner and president of the local International Boxing…

Fresh Pick for Monday, March 14th, 2016 is WHEN FALCONS FALL by C.S. Harris #SuspenseMonday About WHEN FALCONS FALL The much-anticipated new entrée in the Sebastian St. Cyr “simply elegant”* historical mystery series, from the national bestselling author of Who Buries the Dead and Why Kings Confess. Ayleswick-on-Teme, 1813. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has come to this seemingly peaceful Shropshire village to honor a slain friend and on a quest to learn more about his own ancestry. But when the body of a lovely widow is found on the banks of the River Teme, a bottle of laudanum at her side, the village’s inexperienced new magistrate turns to St. Cyr for help. Almost immediately, Sebastian realizes that Emma Chance did not, in truth, take her own life. Less easy to discern is exactly how she died, and why. For as Sebastian and Hero soon discover, Emma was hiding both her true identity and her real reasons for traveling to Ayleswick. Also troubling are the machinations of Lucien Bonaparte, the estranged brother of the megalomaniac French Emperor Napoleon. Held captive under the British government’s watchful eye, the younger Bonaparte is restless, ambitious, and treacherous. Sebastian’s investigation takes on new urgency…

Monthly teas are always a welcome event on Saturday to look forward to. Book chatter and meeting with friends can become the best day of the week. And enjoying a Chocolate Angel tea is the icing on the cake — no pun intended although the cake balls are delicious! In celebration of spring and Easter coming soon our dessert included a carrot cookie along with brownie and cake ball. Yummy! Our guests included C.A. Szarek who is in a new anthology out on March 7th – SHADES OF DESIRE 2, Sexier by the Dozen. Twelve titillating tales for naughtier nights and dreamier days. Chrissy writes romantic suspense, time travel and her favorite – fantasy. Author of two contemporary romances with a new one coming in July, Linda Bolton wowed us with behind the scenes scoop from a indie publisher. From covers to editing, Linda told us all. Unfortunately she didn’t get to scope out her male model for the cover in person but he’s different than any other guy in a suit and we all oohed over him! Linda’s current books available for purchase are INCANTATION and TAKE 2. From talk about favorite Easter candies‐Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and Cadbury…

In PLAYING DEFENSE, Chris Winslow believes in taking life as it comes, and then adding a little levity to it all. After an elaborate prank with dairy cows dyed to match team colours, he’s warned that his future on the Corrigan Falls Raiders (hockey team) is at risk if he doesn’t get a bit more serious at least about his grades at school. His tutor will be Claudia Waring. She’s not humourless, exactly, but she definitely feels that there’s an appropriate time and place for laughter. A very limited time and place. As she spends time with Chris, though, she begins to realize that life doesn’t always have to be quite as serious as she’s made it. She begins to realize there are some benefits to spending time with someone who has a lighter approach to the world… 5 Reasons to Fall for the Class Clown That sore stomach you get when you watch a really good comedy? It’s because laughing is good exercise for your abs. It’s good for his abs, too, especially if he’s already ripped from hockey-related workouts. Ahhh… abs. It takes courage and self-confidence to call attention to yourself and let people laugh at you. And…

When I was asked to blog about my favorite web series — web series-es? What’s the plural of series?—I jumped at the chance. After all, I love web series — okay, good. It’s series. I looked it up— What’s not to love? It’s entertainment in small nummy bites. Also, it ties into the Creative HeArts series I’m working on for Entangled Crush. Creative HeArts takes place as an arts-based high school in Austin, Texas. The characters are working together on their senior seminar project—you guessed it!—a web series. The characters decide to write and produce their own musical-comedy-horror satire about a modern day Lizzie Borden. The Lizzie Borden Diaries will be weaving in and out of all twelve of the Creative HeArts books. Here’s my list of favorite web series, some of which inspired The Lizzie Borden Diaries, others of which are just plain fun entertainment! Millennial Parents This series gives a straight up hysterical look at modern parenting. The two leads are engaging, I laugh out loud nearly every episode, and the episodes are short (under three minutes a piece). My only warning, you will want to watch them obsessively until you’ve seen them all! Long Story Short This…

Five years ago, I scribbled down a few pages about a teen witch who went up against Hecate. The story took root in my brain, and before I really knew what was happening, I’d drafted the book that would become DAUGHTER OF CHAOS, but I didn’t stop there. I fell immediately into the second book, and then the third, drafting the trilogy in under a year. Darlena and her world became almost tangible for me the longer I was immersed in the story, and these characters have been a constant part of my life for the last half a decade. I’ve connected with my different stories and characters in different ways, but whenever I came back to Darlena’s story to revise, both while I was still looking for a publisher and after I’d sold the trilogy and had begun the detailed editorial process, I was struck by the easy familiarity. It didn’t seem to matter how long it had been since I’d worked on a draft, and it didn’t seem to matter what other characters I’d inhabited in the intervening time; whenever I came back to the Red Magic series, I slipped effortlessly into Darlena’s head, her voice feeling almost…

This March get ready to be bombarded left and right with hot new releases that are sure to keep you spellbound for the rest of the month! All of the books I’ll be talking about today will probably be familiar to you as they are written some bestselling authors. Their series have been chart toppers numerous times and been loved by many readers. But instead of talking more about each series and its characters, which you’re already probably familiar with, I wanted to share why I think each author is worth checking out. The first author I want to talk about is Patricia Briggs. Briggs is releasing her ninth book in the Mercy Thompson series. The sheer number of books in this series displays just how good of a writer she is. To be able to continue with a series that is this long-lasting means that she is doing something right. But to be honest, I think Briggs’ greatest achievement was creating a heroine that is very relatable to readers. Mercy Thompson isn’t your typical Urban Fantasy heroine. Although she has special powers and connections, she doesn’t walk around toting a blade and intimidating others. She’s far more subtle in…