While HANDLE WITH CARE is a rom-com, Lincoln’s brother Armstrong’s crazy antics certainly make sure of that! – it also deals with some deeply rooted family issues for both Lincoln and Wren. How did you strike a balance between the serious storylines that bring our hero and heroine closer together with the laugh out loud funny situations?  Armstrong is quite literally my favorite villain to write! He’s so horrible and having him schooled by Wren, or his brother always makes me smile. I tend to insert humor to temper the more serious moments. I love the lightness of a rom-com, but I also want the story to have depth and the characters to grow throughout the story. Facing family challenges helps both Lincoln and Wren grow, on their own and together as a couple. Lincoln Moorehead has been off the grid for a while and isn’t exactly thrilled to be the new CEO of his family’s media business in New York City. This also means he has to actually interact with his family. What did this strained family dynamic add to the overall story and Lincoln’s story arc in particular?  Lincoln has done everything he can to separate himself from…

The sight that met Evan’s eyes had him staring, unsure of what to do. Though he owned part of his and his cousins’ local moving company, he’d only been doing the grunt work of actually moving people for the past two weeks. With one of his cousins temporarily out due to an injury, Evan had willingly stepped in to take up the slack. At first, being able to get out from behind a desk, away from a past life of accounting, had seemed a blessing. Sure, he was still sore, taxing his muscles on a daily basis doing manual labor, but he considered the physical exertion to be just the thing to kick-start his new life. No one had mentioned what to do when the client got into a free-for-all in the middle of the living room. The client, Rachel Kim, a petite Korean woman with a soft demeanor and a cute dimple, was wrapped around a tall, statuesque black woman. Rachel had her in a headlock, clinging to her like a koala on a tree. “I’m taking it!” she shrieked and refused to let go. “It’s a memory, and it’s mine!” “Idiot, it’s not yours,” the other woman managed,…

We are thrilled to welcome bestselling author Sylvia Day on the release for her brand new romance novella, BUTTERFLY IN FROST. We have an exclusive interview that you can watch below, and learn more about Sylvia, her brand new, super sexy novella, and much more: *** Also, be sure to enter Sylvia’s amazing giveaway. She’s being featured on other sites as well, so be sure to check her social media for more chances to enter: a Rafflecopter giveaway *** A HUGE thank you to Sylvia and Montlake Romance for this wonderful interview. Are you planning to read BUTTERFLY IN FROST? *** BUTTERFLY IN FROST by Sylvia Day From #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon Sylvia Day comes a hotly anticipated and passionate new love story. Once, I would never have imagined myself here. But I’m settled now. In a place I love, in a home I renovated, spending time with new friends I adore, and working a job that fulfills me. I am reconciling the past and laying the groundwork for the future. Then Garrett Frost moves in next door. He’s obstinate and too bold, a raging force of nature that disrupts the careful order of my life. I recognize the…

Ready for a confession? I have watched Grease 2 at least 300 times.* If you haven’t seen this particular gem of a film, shame on you. First, it starred Maxwell Caufield, basically the hottest guy on the planet in 1982 (the year the movie was released). Caufield plays the nerdy Australian cousin of Sandy from Grease 1. He’s visiting Sandy’s old high school, where the T-Birds and Pink Ladies still reign. He creates an elaborate disguise (LOL—actually just black skin-tight leathers and goggles) and learns to ride a motorcycle to sweep a certain Pink Lady who can’t see past his nerdy exterior off her feet. Which brings us to point two: this musical involves a young, unknown Michelle Pfeifer singing, dancing, and straddling a ladder in an entirely suggestive way as she describes her dream of finding a motorcycle-riding bad boy to sweep her off her feet. For those who know the film, you’re probably already humming Cool Rider. Yeah. I know. For those who missed it, go watch this awesome clip from the film: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RYB317pljts (You’re welcome.) Why, other than the fact that it’s fabulous, am I bringing up Grease 2? Well, here’s a secret–Temptation (Bad Angels #2), was…

I think every reader has run across a series or two (or three or four) they didn’t want to end, with heroines they wanted to go to battle with, and heroes they couldn’t help but love. That was the way I felt about the Lola Cruz Mysteries. Lola was feisty and fun, and the series gave readers one caper after another. But then it ended, and tears were shed. How could I say goodbye to these wonderful characters? The good news? Not all good things must come to an end! Books one through three were re-released earlier this year, and when that happened, I immediately pre-ordered book four–what a treat to finally get What Lola Wants in my library! And what better way to celebrate than to interview the creator, Melissa Bourbon;) Kym: Welcome back to the Cozy Corner! For fans of Lola Cruz and Camacho and Associates, thank you for bringing back this awesome Latina PI! Did you have the fourth book in the series plotted out in your mind during the last couple of years she’s been on hiatus? Melissa: I’m so excited Lola’s back, too! I actually had plotted part of What Lola Wants a few years ago,…

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hard at work, plugging away on my romantic thriller series, the Final Hour. It’s nice to take a break to share some of my current favorites. Time to write: 1 a.m., yes, I know it’s crazy early. My kids are out of school and at home all day for the summer. They wake up at six in the morning, so my most productive hours are before they open their precious, little eyes and start making demands. The funny thing is, I don’t even set an alarm. My brain just wakes me up. Morning beverage: Black coffee. Fun thing to do with the kids: Dance party. We dress up in crazy outfits, take turns picking songs, and dance around the entire house. It’s a blast, I get to burn a few calories, and it’s free. Date with hubby: In the summer, the kids take a three-hour art class on Saturdays. That’s our time to grab lunch together, watch a movie, or take a walk in the park. Simple, kid-free time to connect. Snack: Gala apple with a tablespoon of cashew butter. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s satisfying, the perfect mix of…

I reread my books. There I said it. Yes, I have a TBR pile a mile high, but sometimes, I don’t want a new book to read. I want a book that will give me the emotional journey I need today. Sometimes, when I’m having a bad day and I need a pick-me-up, I know exactly which book will give me that. Sometimes I’m just tired and I need a story that won’t break my brain. Sometimes I just want to hang out with a story that’s more of an old friend than fiction. Here, in no particular order, are my top 5 favorite comfort reads: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh – I love the internal struggles of the characters. They rise above expectation (especially their own expectations of themselves) and their love is so frickin pure. Makes me cry every time and I’ve probably read it 50+ times. Written in Red by Anne Bishop – This story, and the whole series, has amazing worldbuilding. The main characters start out wanting more out of life but don’t know how to go about getting it. They have to make leaps of faith and trust to move forward. Trust is at…

Good mornin’ to all y’all at Fresh Fiction. Thank you so much for inviting me and my characters from The Empty Nesters back for a visit. As military wives for the past twenty years, Carmen, Joanie, and Diana through wars, rumors of wars, death, divorce, fears, and joys, but nothing had prepared them for the day they walked away from the army recruiter’s office in downtown San Antonio. Each of them has a daughter, and each of those daughters had followed in their father’s footsteps and enlisted in the Army. They suddenly find themselves on an emotional roller coaster as they experience all the pain of the empty next. Then, Tootsie, their dear old next-door neighbor insists that they go on a crazy road trip with her on a road trip in her giant RV. Her nephew, Luke, has agreed to drive, so all they have to do is say yes, and pack their bags. Their destination is an old farmhouse in the ghost town of Scrap, Texas, right next to the Red River, but there’s lots to see and experience on the trip itself. Jefferson, Texas is just one of their stops along the way – or at least it…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and your book, MOON WATER?  Hi! Many thanks to Fresh Fiction for the warm welcome. Career-wise, I’m a family nurse practitioner and a long-time nursing educator. In 2015, I switched from writing nursing research articles and texts to writing novels. Creating meaningful historical fiction is the more difficult yet most rewarding writing I’ve ever done. It is an art form that requires a significant amount of time and skill to develop, especially if you want to write literary fiction. While completing my first novel, The Wiregrass, I knew I had a good story, but needed help with designing the infrastructure supporting the story. Consequently, I began taking creative writing classes with a New York Times bestselling author. The classes were difficult but incredibly valuable.  Hopefully, what I learned is evident in Moon Water, a stand-alone sequel to The Wiregrass. Interestingly, the classes also made me a more astute reader of fiction as well. In Moon Water, the protagonist, sixteen-year-old Nettie, comes home to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and gets hit with sucker punches coming from all directions. Her boyfriend since grade school wants to…

Thanks for stopping by Fresh Fiction! Can you tell us about your new series, Devil You Know, and the first book, How to Love a Duke in Ten Days? Thank you so much for having me! In the Devil You Know Series, I wanted to celebrate those fierce female friendships that so many of us rely on. Alexandra Lane, Cecelia Teague, and Francesca Cavendish meet at a boarding school and realize they’re girls who want to enjoy all of the pleasures that men are allowed and women are denied. They form the Red Rogues Society, a club where they sneak away and wear trousers, drink port, smoke cigars, and read newspapers. Their bond is secured by a secret, and they vow they’ll do anything for their life-long sisterhood, including never marry. In HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS, Lady Alexandra Lane has lived with a painful secret for a decade. She’s paid a villain to keep that secret safe, and now her money has run out. When she is offered salvation in the form of a marriage of convenience to a scarred, reclusive Duke, she realizes they’ll both have to learn how to trust before they can ever…