Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Mika Jolie | Nassau Hall, a centerpiece of Princeton University campus, a national landmark
Author Guest / September 21, 2016

When I started writing the Poison & Wine series, I thought about creating a fictional town around Princeton, New Jersey. I even considered choosing a neighborhood small town as the location for the series, but something was missing. Much like the Martha’s Way series in which the island Martha’s Vineyard became a character in itself, I wanted to capture that same indispensable quality in the Poison & Wine series. After a lot of back and forth with myself and my supporting group, I decided to go with my heart. The medium-size vibrant town is family friendly, centrally located between Philadelphia and New York. It holds the record for having the most ice cream parlors in Mercer County, which include The Bent Spoon, Halo Pub, Thomas Sweet and Ricky’s…needless to say we eat a lot of ice cream. Princeton is also home to Princeton University, Colbie Bennington’s alma mater. The University is mentioned several times in the novel as Colbie is one of the two protagonists in SOMEWHERE TO BEGIN. Excerpt from SOMEWHERE TO BEGIN It had been almost five years since she waved goodbye to her alma mater. Yet standing across the street, staring at the oldest construction at Princeton…

My Heroines: The Power of Intelligence and Wit in Historical Heroines
Author Guest / September 21, 2016

I’ve never been a reader who enjoys the helpless, spineless, petty wiles of a senseless heroine—so, it is only natural that when I started crafting my own books I knew only an intelligent and cunning heroine would do. A woman who loves adventure and can go toe to toe with any alpha hero brings a story to life. My A Lady Forsaken Series features women of varying intellect and education, but all possess the wit to thrive and secure themselves a promising future complete with love and laughter. Each has their own struggles to wade through and wounds to heal, but with their cunning nature—and strong men by their side—they overcome all odds to find happiness. SCORNED EVER MORE, A Lady Forsaken (Book Three), details the life of a French spy, Lady Lorelei de La Valette, pushed into a form of servitude by country and family. She’s sent to England to infiltrate society and gain the hand of Lord Chastain, a man deemed valuable to Napoleon—love was never meant to happen, especially a love for the Marquis of Drake, Chastain’s best friend. Lorelei is faced with two options, deny her heart and fulfill her mission or allow love to take…

Alice Gaines | What’s so wrong about a happy ending?
Author Guest / September 21, 2016

Romance gets put down for a lot of things. The supposedly purple prose, the heaving bosoms, the heroines who stamp their dainty feet and flounce from the room. I don’t think I’ve encountered any of those things recently in a romance novel, if ever. Frankly, I believe romance is most often rejected as “serious literature” because it’s largely written and read by women. Worse…there’s often detailed anatomically correct sex in the books. Women liking sex? Horrors. What will they want next…the vote? But what irks me the most is the assertion that any story with a happy ending is automatically disqualified from being good. Let me state for the record. I like happy endings. I can endure the worst trials and tribulations for the characters in a book if I know they’ll be headed toward a beautiful future by the end. In fact, the worse the torment they must endure to be together, the sweeter the reward at the finish. Honestly, if I want misery, all I have to do is turn on the news. It’s on 24/7 these days so your entire life can be filled with bleakness if you want. Natural disasters, murders, torture, and kidnapping of innocents….

MK Meredith | There’s Nothing Sexier than that First Kiss…Unless You’re Me
Author Guest / September 21, 2016

One of my very favorite parts of romances, whether from movies or a great book, is the build-up and realization of that first kiss. The one that gives you that sexy punch to the gut and makes your mouth water. Unfortunately for me, I learned I’m more of a just please punch me in the face and let the world swallow me whole to save me from myself kind of girl. You see, the story of the first kiss between my husband and me is not the breathless anticipation we crave from a great romance novel or the sweet, yearning build-up we can experience in a romantic comedy. Instead, it was a debacle of immense proportions. I was out of practice and nervous and playing way out of my league. He was so handsome and cool, and I was the world’s biggest cheeseball ever created. Something I never managed to outgrow. After an amazing sushi dinner and conversation that went well into the night, he dropped me off at the apartment I shared with a couple girlfriends. Like a gentleman, he opened the door for me of his red Camaro with the white fuzzy dice hanging from the review mirror—I…