Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Pintip Dunn | Are Kisses in YA Fiction Swoony?
Author Guest / September 30, 2017

Kisses. Hot, steamy, sweet, funny, chaste. They come in a hundred different varieties, and I love reading about them all. Who doesn’t? (Well, my husband, for one, but I’d guess he’s in the minority in this audience!) However, as much as I enjoy reading “the kissy bits,” as a good friend of mine labels these moments, I certainly don’t write them all. That’s because I write young adult fiction, and kissing serves a different purpose here than in adult romances. In particular, kisses are an opportunity for me to take my character on an emotional journey of “firsts,” and my goal is to pull the reader along for that ride. Does that mean that kisses in YA fiction are any less swoony or emotional? I hope not! Instead, I’d argue that although kisses in YA novels have a different feel, they can be just as enjoyable. Exhibit A. Callie and Logan’s first kiss in FORGET TOMORROW, where I focus on her feelings rather than the mechanics: His lips touch mine, as light as a moth dancing on a breeze. I’m lost. In school, we learned about the butterfly effect, that something as insignificant as the flapping of insect wings could…

Dani Pettrey | HOPE
Author Guest / September 29, 2017

Happy Friday, friends! Is there any word more beautiful than Hope? Dictionary.com describes hope as: the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best No offense to Dictionary.com, but I totally disagree. Hope is not a feeling. It’s a belief. Belief and trust in the One who is our hope. The One who is the anchor for our soul, firm and secure. (Hebrews 6:19) I love the reference to an anchor. While thinking on hope the following definition came to mind. Hope is your beacon in the dark shoals of life. Let it shine!  Again, I love the ocean imagery. If you don’t know, I’m a beach girl through and through. I married a Navy guy who loves to dive. My girls and grand babies are all swimmers. I have a shirt that says Part-time Mermaid (though my puppy ate a whole in the center of it–though I digress…). Needless to say if it involves water or the beach, I’m there. However, here’s the thing about the ocean, you can never turn your back on it. As beautiful and majestic as it is, it can also be deadly with rip currents, strong undertows,…

Meet Bethany Turner, author of THE SECRET LIFE OF SARAH HOLLENBECK
Interviews / September 29, 2017

About Bethany Turner Bethany Turner is the director of administration for Rock Springs Church in Southwest Colorado. A former VP/operations manager of a commercial bank and a three-time cancer survivor (all before she turned 35), Bethany knows that when God has plans for your life, it doesn’t matter what anyone else has to say. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Colorado. WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER Tell us a little about THE SECRET LIFE OF SARAH HOLLENBECK . Sarah is the author of some bestselling romance books that are so provocative and steamy her name becomes synonymous with the genre. But when Sarah becomes a Christ follower, she must try and maneuver away from her scandalous reputation—easier said than done since the books are still selling like wildfire, and she’s being hounded for the film rights. Sarah is determined to start a new life in which she can actually spread good and light to the world, but of course the darkness of the past isn’t going to go away easily. Things get even more complicated when she begins falling in love with Ben Delaney, who happens to be her new pastor. Why did you decide to…

Tamara Gill | Let’s Go Conquer A Scot
Author Guest / September 27, 2017

Sounds pretty fun, doesn’t it?? And as of September 25, my latest book TO CONQUER A SCOT is available to readers and lovers of time travel and historical romance! I’m very excited about this book, and while writing it I actually termed it my Hot Scot novel. Although having read some early reviews, I’m led to believe that it actually may have some funny bits in it. Now I can’t remember writing a comedy, but as long as readers are enjoying the book, I’ll take it. J I started writing TO CONQUER A SCOT during the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and managed to get almost half of the book done during that month of continuous writing. I knew that the Scottish highlander stories were pretty popular, and I too started to read more of that genre, but time travel is the genre of my heart, so I had to write a book that also included that element. And so, To Conquer a Scot was born. This book is going part of my new TIME TRAVELER’S HIGHLAND LOVE series with Entangled, and I’ve just finished TO SAVE A SAVAGE SCOT, which follows on from book one of Aedan and Abby’s…

A Cake to make an Amish Widower Fall in Love (or any other man!)
Author Guest / September 26, 2017

Today is release day for THE AMISH CHRISTMAS CANDLE, a collection of three stories from three of your favorite Amish authors, Jennifer Beckstrand, Kelly Long, and Lisa Jones Baker. Aunt Bitsy gets her own love story! Ever since the release of my Honeybee Sisters series in the summer of 2016, many readers have asked me if Aunt Bitsy is going to get her own romance. Yes! In “A Honeybee Christmas,” Bitsy Kiem, the Honeybee Sisters’ eccentric aunt, has met her match. With her trusty shotgun and her troublesome cats, Aunt Bitsy catches the eye of an Amish widower who is determined to turn her into a proper Amish frau. Aunt Bitsy is an excellent cook, and one of her specialties is Bienenstich Cake or Bee Sting Cake. This cake is guaranteed to make any Amish widower fall in love with you. It is made with yeast, so the cake has more of a bread consistency—moist and light. The recipe is quite involved, but the cake is absolutely delicious and worth every minute. Perfect for any Christmas celebration. Aendi Bitsy’s Bienenstich Cake Cake 1 1⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast 3⁄4 cup whole milk, warmed just over room temperature with 1 tablespoon…

Regina Kyle | You’ve Got To Have Friends
Author Guest / September 26, 2017

Admit it, you’re humming the old Bette Midler song. You’ve got to have friends, the feeling’s oh so strong. You’ve got to have friends, to make the day last long. Those lyrics were definitely running through my mind as I wrote BILLIONAIRE IN HER BED, my first book for Entangled’s Indulgence line. Writing can be a pretty solitary profession, and finding your tribe is essential to maintaining your sanity. I’m lucky to have found a great group of writer friends in the MTBs, my plot group. (No, I’m not telling what that stands for LOL.) They’re the ones who cheer my successes and buck me up when I’m struggling. Brooke Worthington, the heroine in BILLIONAIRE IN HER BED, is lucky, too. She’s found her tribe in the other residents of Candy Court, the chocolate-factory-turned-apartment-building where she lives. There’s the Feinbergs, the elderly couple who lives on the first floor; partners David and Chris, a concert pianist and a ballet dancer; and single mom Charise and her infant son. And when hero Eli Ward shows up, he’s warmly welcomed into the fold. But what they don’t know about Eli may come back to hurt them . . . Some of my…

Top 5 Dating Dealbreakers
Author Guest / September 26, 2017

RUNNING INTO LOVE is my newest romantic comedy which features an over the top alpha (Levi) and a sweet heroine (Fawn). Levi and Fawn literally run into each other in Central Park one day. Levi who is new to New York has no Idea that the woman who just drove him to madness in the park is actually his new next door neighbor. Even after getting to know each other Fawn doesn’t believe that Levi actually wants her he thinks that he wants to be her friend even when he goes out of his way to show her that he wants more. Eventually they get it together and from that comes a beautiful love story. But before she can get to her happy-ever-after with Levi, Fawn has had her share of bad dates (which is definitely part of dating in the Big Apple). Here is a list of her top 5 dating deal breakers: Your date asks to use your make up durning dinner because the lighting in the restaurant is making him look shiny. (No, Levi would never even think about wearing makeup.) Your date asks you to pay for the meal. (Thankfully Levi is the kind of guy…

Exclusive Excerpt: HER LAST GOODBYE by Melinda Leigh
Author Guest , Excerpt / September 25, 2017

HER LAST GOODBYE by Melinda Leigh Morgan Dane #2 Young mother Chelsea Clark leaves the house for a girls’ night out…and vanishes. Her family knows she would never voluntarily leave her two small children. Her desperate husband—also the prime suspect—hires Morgan to find his wife and prove his innocence. As a single mother, Morgan sympathizes with Chelsea’s family and is determined to find her. She teams up with private investigator Lance Kruger. But the deeper they dig, the deadlier their investigation gets. When Morgan is stalked by a violent predator, everything—and everyone—she holds dear is in grave danger. Now, Morgan must track down a deranged criminal to protect her own family…but she won’t need to leave home to find him. She’s his next target. Romance Suspense | Thriller [Montlake Romance, On Sale: September 26, 2017, Trade Size / e-Book Kindle, ISBN: 9781542047968 / ] Buy HER LAST GOODBYE: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Ripped Bodice | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR Lance skimmed through the remaining documents in Chelsea’s file. Nothing jumped out at him. He closed the file on the card table in his office…

Katee Robert | Finding story inspiration
Author Guest / September 23, 2017

Stories are funny things. Some start with a character. Some with a plot. In the case of ANIMAL ATTRACTION, one of my Hot in Hollywood novellas, the book was inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest. It depicted a Found flier with a picture of a cat and a guy wearing a ski mask. The caption read, “Have you seen your cat? He’s mine now. I love him.” It cracked me up so much, I got to thinking about what kind of man would not only steal a cat, but mock the original cat owner with a flier? And Levi was born. Every author has heroes who are close to their heart, and Levi Turnbull is one of those for me. He’s so unapologetic about what he likes and comfortable in his own skin. There’s no angst. No deep-seated issues. He’s a man who’s worked hard to get where he is, and he might be a little arrogant, but no one holds it against him too much since he’s so damn lovable. But every person has their hot button issues, and Levi’s love for animals means seeing one mistreated brings out the worst in him. So after his neighbor’s…

Mary Wine | My Favorite Scene from Highland Flame
Author Guest , Excerpt / September 22, 2017

My favorite scene…hummm….I think in HIGHLAND FLAME, I really enjoyed the moments right before Diocail and Jane get married. She tried to leave and was caught by the villagers and he’s brought her back, only the villagers are demanding to know why she tried to leave. In this era, a noble wife was selected largely for her education. Meaning, she knew how to run a large household. Think back to the first time you had to manage a holiday dinner by yourself…I know I was using a set of my mothers recipes and even though I’d made them countless times, being the one in charge had me flustered big time! In this scene, Diocail’s men see Jane as a solution to the disarray the kitchens are in and winter will be very long without someone there to straighten things out. They embark on attempting to soften Jane up with drinking, while some of them are working on Diocail because he isn’t too interested in having a wife who doesn’t want him. Jane and Diocail don’t bend easily, both trying to escape the men surrounding them, only to end up facing one another. I hope you enjoy it as much as…