Hello Fresh Fiction fans! I’m thrilled to be here today celebrating the latest installment of the Tarnished Heroes series, a romantic suspense series with sexy spies and equally kick-butt chicks. Traitor Games is the third book in this series, and I probably shouldn’t say it, but this book might be my favorite of the series! It might have something to do with actually getting to travel to the UK while writing it. Since the internet and Google came along, research is so much easier. How many stops are on which line of the London Underground? Google it! What’s the speed limit inside the London city center? I bet it’s on the internet! The internet is fantastic for finding out details, facts and making sure you get things just right. But what if you never knew you needed to know something? That was what I ran into writing Traitor Games. I knew before our trip where I needed the characters to go and how the story went. It was my goal to visit some of these places on our journey, and boy am I glad I did! Case in point? When our hero and heroine first arrive in London they have…

By Debbie Wiley, Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer  I have been fascinated with crafts since my great aunt gave me a wooden knitting board and a macramé kit many years ago. Admittedly, I’ve never considered myself exceptionally talented, but the mere process of loom knitting can be very soothing, almost as soothing as reading a good book. There are a lot of great cozy mysteries out there about various crafts, anything from a custom teddy bear shop such as in BEAR WITNESS TO MURDER by Meg Macy, to glassmaking (including glass beads!) in Cheryl Holland’s DOWN IN FLAMES. There’s a little something for everyone when it comes to crafty cozy mysteries, but the ones featuring the fiber arts like knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and quilting appeal to me the most. Here are a couple great series to get you started! KNOT ON HER LIFE, the latest in Mary Marks’ Quilting Mystery series, makes me wish I had a quilting circle near me with people as patient with newcomers as the characters in the book. Martha Rose jumps in to help a neighbor with her foster child and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Mary Marks gives quilting tips in…

I have always been enamored of all things Scottish. I’m not sure what it is. The intriguing history and inherent romance of wild heather and windswept moors, perhaps? The castles and incredible scenery, certainly. And the Scottish men in kilts don’t hurt, either 😉 When I first started writing highlander novels, I did a great deal of research on kilts. I didn’t know much to begin with (except how good they looked on the handsome Hollywood hunks who wore them in films. This was before Sam Heughan kilted up to play Jaime Fraser or he’d be top of the list for sure!). But I did know that there were several times throughout history that kilts weren’t widely worn in Scotland, so I wanted to have all my historical facts straight. While researching, I came across several interesting tidbits, as one often does. Here are five of my favorite kilt facts. Kilts are fairly recent, having only been around since the 16th William Wallace, a la Braveheart, would not have worn one as he was both a lowlander and born about 300 years too early. The brightly colored modern clan tartan patterns usually associated with kilts didn’t start coming about until…

We all have a tendency to read books that are safe and similar to things we’ve enjoyed before. Going outside our comfort zone can be surprisingly exciting. And a good shake-up of our usual reading habits helps keep us from getting into a dreaded apathetic slump. A truly bonkers sci-fi romance is healthy for every insatiable reader. Extraterrestrials, spaceships, and alien planets here we come! Here are some of the signs that you’re ready for a total shake-up of your romance reading and are ripe for an out-of-this world sci-fi romance. The last ten books you’ve read have all been in the same subgenre. It’s amazing when we get on a roll of a whole bunch of books that are similar and we dependably know we’ll love. But watch out! If we read the same types of books all the time, sooner or later, we’re going to get burned out by our tried and true. So! Before that happens, a sci-fi romance can spice up your reading. After your wild ride is over, you can return to your regular reads refreshed and rejuvenated and still loving your fav authors and genre. You’re in a reading slump Oh no… if this…

Continuing with WWII fiction in honor of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, we’ll focus on stories that illumine some fascinating but lesser-known people and events in the war, most based in historical fact. We begin with THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM by Marie Benedict.  In pre-WWII Austria, beautiful—Jewish–actress Hedwig Keistler catches the eye of the wealthiest man in Austria, arms dealer Fritz Mandl.  Knowing that marriage to the powerful Mandl may keep her and her family safe from the rising tide of anti-Semitism, after a short courtship, Hedwig weds him.  Certain his glamorous wife doesn’t care about or understand the weapons he develops and sells, Mandl discusses them freely around her with his business partners.  But Hedwig is brilliant as well as beautiful, with a life-long interest in science nurtured by her father. When Mendl becomes ever more abusive and controlling, Hedwig flees from him, first to London and then to America—where she becomes film star Hedy Lamarr.  But she also carried with her the plans for the Nazi’s weapons systems—and an invention of her own that will pave the way for secure communications and cellphone technology. A look behind the glamorous façade, Benedict’s book reveals a woman as…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present JENNIFER KINCHELOE! About: Adventurous historical mystery author seeks readers for a humorous, romantic romp through 1900s Los Angeles. The series features a brilliant, naïve, disowned heiress who gets a job as a police matron with the LAPD, and the police chief’s blue-collar son, who traps criminals and plays a mean ragtime piano. Together they fight crime and each other in this I Love Lucy-meets-Agatha Christie adventure. I’m looking for in a Reader who: Is between the ages of 13 and 113 Likes their romance served up funny Wants to experience old Los Angeles Enjoys twists and turns and piecing together clues Is fascinated by opulent lifestyles Wants to learn about courtship around the turn of the 20th Likes learning about the challenges women faced in the 1900s Is interested in the beginnings of women in law enforcement Enjoys making fun of the patriarchy What to expect if we’re compatible: More books in the Anna Blanc Mystery series in paperback, ebook, and audiobook…

I’ve been published for fourteen years and put out a lot of books – over 70 at last count. Across those 70 books I’ve written the odd pet or two but it seems, in the last few years in particular, I’ve written a lot of pets that have tended to take over the story. In No More Mr. Nice Guy there’s a cockatoo called Shakespeare with a very loud mouth and very poor timing. In Playing With Forever, a tear away Great Dane called Tiny takes centre stage. My first Credence, Colorado book – Nothing But Trouble – showcases Wilburta, a cute little piglet and in the second book which is out in October – The Trouble With Christmas – a turtle called Zoom steals the show. I’ve also written several different pet dogs of varying ages and degrees of…shall we say, attractiveness? As well as fornicating goldfish and even an alpaca. Pets aren’t only cute and fun to write but they deliver the awww factor. They also give we, the readers, insights into the characters because how people treat animals is a true litmus test for the kind of person they are and this is as true in fiction…

We’re joined today by Fresh Fiction reviewer Helen Williams, with a wonderful author recommendation!  The first time I read a book by Susan Stoker was two years ago.  I have been hooked from that moment on. The thing that made me continue reading her novels is her style of writing for her female characters. I like the fact that they find themselves in hopeless circumstances but they continue to fight and not give up. These women go through horrendous situations but show tremendous character in spite of their circumstances.  I have read books before with strong female characters but Ms. Stoker’s novels drew me in like no other.  The storylines have a real-life feel to them. The different situations that her characters experience are sometimes painful to read about but Ms. Stoker’s writing style gives you hope when you see her heroines triumph over the different hardships they encounter. The novels portray some light humor between the characters but they also have some serious realities. Ms. Stoker’s books cover issues dealing with PTSD, rape, physical and emotional abuse, blindness, agoraphobia, homelessness, drug abuse, cancer, epilepsy, physical scars, and human trafficking.  Although these are heavy issues, Susan Stoker delivers them in…

While I was writing my first book, I started running around the lake five minutes away from my home to expel energy. The lake is my ‘happy place’—the place I go to unwind and relax, to rejuvenate and to generate ideas. Sometimes, when I wasn’t running, I would sit and watch the hub of activity occurring around me. Birds swept the sky and huddled together on the water. People drifted idly in canoes and kayaks, families picnicked on the lawn, kids played at the playground. It always stirred such intense emotion within me—I wanted to write about it. Before starting my second book, FLEETING MOMENTS, the only idea I had was to write about a woman whose boyfriend had left her, but that was it. While running around the lake one afternoon, the sun beating against my face, I saw a personal trainer taking a group class on the lawn not far from the water. Looking at him, an idea floated past me. What if my main character, Maya, met a personal trainer at the lake? As I continued to run, more ideas flashed through my mind. There were lovers seated on the bench seat by the pier, water birds…

Every reader has favorite authors, even writing teams. Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke are a personal favorite of mine because, with each new release, their writing style evolves. Case in point … their latest book, The Two Lila Bennetts. The storyline is told in alternating viewpoints. The protagonist, Lila Bennett, is a multilayered character with a complicated life. Everyone makes mistakes, right? Well, so does Lila and the choices she makes ultimately defines her future. Thanks to Liz and Lisa for giving us a sneak peek at their upcoming release in the interview below. The Two Lila Bennetts will be available on July 23rd. Preorder your copy today wherever books are sold. It’s one of this summer’s hottest reads! And, don’t forget to check back for my next Jen’s Jewels interview next month, here on FreshFiction.com. *** The Two Lila Bennetts is a tale of regret and retribution. How did you arrive at the premise? We knew we wanted to write a book with a “Sliding Doors” premise. When we began exploring our storyline, we decided to focus the story around a complicated female protagonist who had made a lot of mistakes in her life. In the dual storylines, we…