Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Brooklyn Ann chats ‘Tempting Beat,’ sexy drummers, and her love of movies so bad they’re good
Author Guest , Interviews / June 29, 2018

I love a Brit hero and Rod in TEMPTING BEAT is especially charming. How does he rate compared to other heroes you’ve written? Which are your favorite heroes you’ve written & those written by other authors? Rod was a blast to write. He’s always been so laid back and sweet that I wanted him to find the perfect HEA. It was also interesting to find what demons were hidden behind his cheerful demeanor. Favorite heroes I’ve written: Vincent in ONE BITE PER NIGHT, Razvan in IRONIC SACRIFICE, Radu in UNLEASHNG DESIRE and Klement in WITH VENGEANCE. Favorites by other authors: Rhevenge in JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Zarek in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter novels, and Preacher in Beverly Jenkins’s NIGHT HAWK. What made you decide to write a story with an older heroine/younger hero? I did it by reader request. Since I’ve always dated older men, the idea never occurred to me and when some readers asked me to, I thought I DEFINITELY should give older heroines some representation. And when one suggested I should have a nurse heroine, I was all, “Hell yes! I know so many amazing nurses.” Also, writing this book gave me a chance to…

Laura Bradford | Digging Deeper
Author Guest / June 29, 2018

For years now, I’ve written mystery novels. In fact, twenty-six of the thirty books I’ve seen published have been mystery. I’ve written a series with a journalist as the protagonist, a librarian as the protagonist, a baker as the protagonist, an advertising executive as the protagonist, and a gift shop owner in the heart of Amish country as the protagonist. I’ve enjoyed writing all of my series for various reasons, but it’s been my Amish Mysteries—in particular the former Amish detective in that series—that has tugged at my heartstrings in a very different way. Watching Detective Jakob Fisher come back (as a police detective) to the very town in which he grew up (as a young Amish boy and then teenager) has been fascinating to me. You see, Jakob left after baptism, thereby having to sever all ties to his childhood family. While that background has given me great material to work with in my Amish Mysteries series, it’s also a part of Amish culture that’s really given me pause. Soon, I was itching to explore that pre/post baptism decision in a very different way than I could inside the confines of my work as a mystery writer. And that’s…

Jamie Beck | Writing A Believable “Opposites Attract” Love Story
Author Guest / June 26, 2018

I’ve been writing romantic women’s fiction for several years now. Of the eleven books I’ve published to date, seven of my fictional couples fall somewhere on the “opposites attract” spectrum. The couple in my new release, WHEN YOU KNEW, is probably the most extreme example I’ve created to date, which made them eminently fun, yet challenging, to write. Obviously, this is a trope I adore, but I am not alone. There are literally thousands of these stories out there. If you’re getting ready to write a new story of your own, here are some reasons you might want to consider basing it on one of these couples: This kind of relationship is relatable to readers because it’s one that’s played out in real life rather often. (In fact, my own relationship falls into this category!); Opposites create lots of friction. Friction drives tension, which is necessary to keep the reader interested in turning the page instead of putting the book down; The push-pull provides nice opportunities for witty banter, which is something romance readers typically enjoy; and The compromises and transformations that will be required of the characters if they want to stick together will help you set their character…

The Golden Years
Cozy Corner / June 26, 2018

Whoever said these were our golden years, was either living on martinis on the beach or hadn’t reached the gilded age when every bone and joint in their body screamed for attention. I’ve ignored the screaming for a few years, but the noise is now coming from a woman in a white lab coat with the initials DR imprinted in front of her name. The fun of my youth (and beyond) has a price to pay, and it’s time to pay. So I’ll be taking a few months sabbatical from blogging, podcasting and writing and working on physical fitness. Unfortunately, surfing is on doc’s ‘no-no’ list for the next year—grrr. The best part of that news, however, is that I have lined up some amazing guest bloggers from July to October! As soon as I put the news out, authors came through for me in overwhelming numbers. That’s how awesome the community is;) Here is your line-up for the Cozy Corner for the rest of the summer—until we meet again in October, get cozy and read on! Rebecca Adler Karen Rose Smith Rhys Bowen Krista Davis Olivia Matthews Tina Kashian Sofie Kelly Libby Klein Jenn McKinlay Winnie Archer Lena Gregory…

Shannon McKenna | Top Five Reasons … That a Bio-Engineered Boyfriend is Better!
Top 5 / June 25, 2018

I hate to limit myself to only five reasons. That constraint squeezes my brain like a pair of spike-heeled pumps three sizes too small. I struggle against my own limits! I want to be slim, fit, strong, smart—but I’m crazy about chocolate, and I’m afflicted with an overwhelming love of naps. And it’s so hard to figure out how to set the clock on my microwave. Fantasizing about people with fewer limitations gives me sweet relief from my own frustration with myself. Enter, the fabulous fugitive super-soldier characters from the Obsidian Files stories. My tailor-made compensation. Here are the five top good things that came out of their awful sojourn with the sadistic Midland researchers back in the day. All that torment had to be good for something. Super strength. The convenience of it. Need to move a refrigerator? No problem. A grand piano needs to be taken down five flights of stairs? He won’t even break a sweat. Need to push a van? Uphill? He’s your guy. And he’ll never, ever throw his back out. That’s pure gold. A couple years ago, I read an online article about gene-splicing in mice for muscle strength, and it blew my mind….

Introducing…Minerva Spencer
Author Spotlight / June 25, 2018

Who is Minerva Spencer? People are talking… “Minerva Spencer’s writing is sophisticated and wickedly witty. Dangerous is a delight from start to finish with swashbuckling action, scorching love scenes, and a coolly arrogant hero to die for. Spencer is my new auto-buy!” —New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt “Readers will love this lusty and unusual marriage of convenience story.” —New York Times bestselling author Madeline Hunter “Smart, witty, graceful, sensual, elegant and gritty all at once. It has all of the meticulous attention to detail I love in Georgette Heyer, BUT WITH SEX!” —RITA-award winning author Jeffe Kennedy Let’s get to know Author Minerva Spencer Where did you get the idea? My heroine, Mia, was a minor character in another book and pretty much demanded her own book. I really liked her playful, clever, and driven personality and knew she would need a strong hero; somebody who was able to deal with her scandalous past. Adam had been hanging out in the back of my mind for awhile and I decided he was the perfect hero for Mia: a man with a dangerous reputation and even more scandalous history! What’s the story behind the title? I’m terrible at two…

Elle Keating | Why I hate to LOVE a second chance romance…
Author Guest / June 21, 2018

Thank you for having me and helping me celebrate the release of my second chance romance, BACK TO THE START. Oddly enough, second chance romance is a trope that I simultaneously steer away from and run to. Which makes absolutely no sense, I realize that. Especially since I just released a second chance romance this week. So, first, why do I desperately try not to read books that fall in this category? Because I know my heart is most likely going to be ripped to shreds and I’m going to want to kill either the hero or heroine, maybe even both, at some point in the story. I know I’m going to get emotionally attached to the characters, be a weepy mess when they’re in pain, and scream when they make the worst decisions imaginable. I know I may lose hours of sleep binge reading, well into the night, just to shuffle out of bed the next morning, eyes swollen and feeling like death warmed over. I know all of this, yet I can’t help myself. As I scroll through the hundreds of books I have downloaded, I must accept the truth. As much as second chance romance guts me at…

Elizabeth Heiter | Don’t forget to chase your dreams!
Author Guest , Suspense / June 21, 2018

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a writer. As a child, before I could write words myself, I used to tell my mom stories and then ask her to do the same for me.  I liked everything about fiction, whether it came from books or off the cuff from someone’s imagination. As I got older, I loved how stories could transport me away from challenges, how they could inform and inspire.  By the time I finished high school, I’d co-written my first completed novel with a friend who’s my critique partner to this day. After college, the journey toward publication began.  And it was quite a journey. There was so much I didn’t know at the beginning about the business side.  Back then, my goal was simple: write a book I loved and then find a literary agent who could sell it to a publishing house. Of course, the goal was easier said than done.  I joined a writer’s organization, which helped me learn how to write stronger query letters – pitches to try and get someone interested in my book.  Eventually, I found an agent and we started shopping my novel. But by then,…

Delish Drummers and the Women Who Love Them!
Romance / June 20, 2018

I blame Fred Astaire. Years of listening to records entranced by the sublime staccato of his tap dancing made me naturally inclined toward a hero who can keep a good beat. There are a lot of romance novels featuring rock stars of every type. While reading Brooklyn Ann‘s recent book TEMPTING BEAT, I began thinking about just how many of my favorite books have diverting and delicious drummer heroes. “For life can be delish With a sunny disposish” Ira Gershwin “You know, you can be kind of intense sometimes, Malcolm Ericson. You come across as this happy-go-lucky-type dude most of the time, but you are in fact a man of many layers.” —PLAY by Kylie Scott I love a charming and witty hero. Mal Ericson, from Kylie Scott’s Stage Dive series, is the first drummer hero I read about. It’s easy to see immediately why Mal, a fan favorite, is still talked about years after his book PLAY came out. Mal’s manic energy, good humor, and highly amusing sexual confidence is vastly entertaining. Anne Rollins is fighting a losing battle trying to resist Mal’s charm once he picks her to be his fake girlfriend. Over the course of PLAY, Anne…

A.S. Green | My Road Trip Based On Favorite Cocktails
Author Guest / June 19, 2018

WILD CHILD is a second-chance romance (slash) mistaken-identity (slash) road-trip novel. In short, all of my favorite things. When I was choosing what cities Jax and Natalie should stop in, I made my decision based on some of my favorite cocktails (and the cities that made them famous). First stop: Chicago. Known mostly for beer, it’s also the home of the “Old Fashioned.” People can get very persnickety about their Old Fashioned recipes, but here’s mine: Ingredients: Cinnamon, ground Cinnamon stick (to garnish, optional) Sugar Lemon Ginger Ale Bitters Brandy Make a cinnamon/sugar mix that is 1 part cinnamon to 3 parts sugar. Using a 12-ounce glass, pour 1/2-inch of Ginger Ale into the bottom. Add 5-7 dashes bitters. Add 1/2-3/4 tsp of cinnamon-sugar mix. Stir until dissolved. Fill glass with ice. Add 1 jigger Brandy. Squeeze in the juice from one lemon wedge. Fill glass to top with Ginger Ale and stir. Garnish with cinnamon stick. Second stop: New Orleans, home of the “Hurricane.” Ingredients: Light Rum, 2 oz. Dark Rum, 2 oz. Passion Fruit Juice, 2 oz. Orange Juice or Pineapple Juice, 1 oz. Lime Simple Syrup, 1 T. Grenadine, 1 T. Squeeze 1/2 lime into a cocktail…