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 Ann Aguirre!  Writes: Science fiction, romance, and thrillers. My latest book is a thriller, entitled THE THIRD MRS. DURST, and it’s a standalone story, an edge-of-your-seat read, releasing on August 8, 2019. About: Forty-something multi-genre author seeks readers for a dark and twisty thriller with a cunning, ruthless heroine determined to get revenge on the monster she married, who gets away with everything. Even murder. If you like revenge stories, this one is a must-read. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: They devour books and they’re not afraid to take a walk on the wild side… Dark stories call to them, and they enjoy seeing bad people receive comeuppance Not too squeamish Prefers heroines who aren’t particularly “nice”, but who are smart as hell, loyal, cunning, and ruthless, committed to achieving their goals Enjoy varied settings, visiting locales like Frankfurt and Prague Is always trying to figure out that final twist (but I hope they can’t this time!) They…

What inspired you to write The Chelsea Girls? I met an actress in her nineties who started telling me what it was like in the New York City theater world during the McCarthy era, and I realized this was a story that very few knew. As I dug into the research of that period, I was struck by how many actors and directors had had their lives destroyed by a misguided witchhunt, many of them at the very cusp of their careers, which means we don’t know the plays or performances that were lost because of McCarthyism. I wanted to tell that story. The Chelsea Girls takes place during the 1940s to 1960s. What is the most fascinating thing you learned while researching this time period? The book takes place at the Chelsea Hotel, and I was surprised at how many famous people had stayed there over the years. The poet Dylan Thomas drank himself to death there, and artists like Jackson Pollock and John Sloan called it home. Then you have all the rockers: Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Sid Vicious. Playwright Arthur Miller sought refuge there after his divorce from Marilyn Monroe. The list goes on an on, and…

Lady Georgie has certainly come a long way since I met her in that first book called HER ROYAL SPYNESS, ten years ago. Then she was a naïve, unsophisticated person, unsure of herself and her future. She was brave enough to make the decision to flee from the family castle and come alone to London where she had to learn the most basic of skills: from making tea to lighting a fire. For the first few books, she tried various ways of earning money, from cleaning houses, to running an escort service, to modeling clothes–all disastrous. But the one good thing that happened to her was that she met Darcy. And in spite of the fact that she was not the sort of sophisticated girl-about-town he normally associated with, he fell for her.  She certainly played hard to get, didn’t she?  It took twelve books before he got her into bed and then it was after they married. Now we come to the thirteenth book in the series, called LOVE AND DEATH AMONG THE CHEETAHS. You’ll guess from the title that it might take place in Africa. The book starts exactly where the last one left off, with Georgie and…

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 T.C. LoTempio! Writes: Cozy mysteries that usually prominently feature cats.  My latest release, THE TIME FOR MURDER IS MEOW, hits shelves August 8, 2019. About: Sixty-something cozy mystery author seeks readers for suspenseful mystery novel featuring a feisty heroine who’s determined to reinvent herself, along with her two cats, a Siamese and a one-eyed Persian named Purrday. Crishell “Shell” McMillan is a former actress now turned pet shop owner who seems to gravitate toward mystery and dead bodies.  Of course we also have the requisite love interest included! What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Loves cats! Likes mysteries with a “twist” Enjoys a fast-paced, suspenseful plot Likes a dash of romance included with their mystery Is a devotee of the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel! Likes to pick up on clues and solve the mystery right along with the sleuth! What to expect if we’re compatible: As many books as my agent can sell! Frequent giveaways via my newsletter and…

by Fresh Fiction Reviewer Jessica Grogan Welcome to Fresh Fiction! Please tell us about your latest historical romance, THE ROGUE TO RUIN and a little bit about yourself. Thank you so much for having me here today! THE ROGUE TO RUIN is a story about Ainsley Bourne’s determination to keep her family’s matchmaking agency afloat, even if she has to start a war with the gaming hell owner, Reed Sterling, who stands in her way. What was it like writing about two people with such different backgrounds and world views coming together to fall in love? I love writing stories where the hero and heroine are worlds apart. They clash so well on the page. But my favorite part is uncovering all the things that can bring them together as the romance unfolds. Sometimes these little tidbits are as much of a surprise to me as it is to the characters. What has your journey to becoming an Avon author been like? Simply put, it’s been a dream come true. I wrote for years, struggling to get more than a form-letter rejection. I can count, on one hand, the number of personal rejection letters and requests I received in ten…

Those of you who’ve read my work know I frequently write about magic (the Maclean Curse and Talisman Ring Series), and now I’m beginning an entirely new, contemporary magic realism series. THE BOOK CHARMER is my newest book and it’s about a woman who is one of seven sisters, each with their own magical ability. Sarah Dove’s magic is that she can talk to books … and they can talk back, too, which is super helpful as she’s a librarian and so knows which book belongs with which reader. If I could have a magical power, I’d want Sarah’s because I can imagine of no power so wonderful as seeing a reader’s face light up as they read a book they love. Which is why I put it first in my list of FIVE TYPES OF MAGIC WE ALL NEED: 1. The magic of the right book at the right time. You know how it happens — there you are, dealing with something personal and heavy, when you find yourself lost in a book that gives you a deep sense of comfort. Sometimes the book dwells on the same issue you’re struggling with and gives you fresh ideas of how to handle…

Bookworms know that books make great gifts. Reaching out to someone with a story provides a way for them to enjoy the present long after the occasion on which it’s given. But where should you begin? If you’ve ever been tempted to give a book but have hesitated, here are some tips to help. 1)      Time to judge a book by its cover. Cover art is labeled “art” for a reason: it’s an artistic expression that gives a taste of what’s between the covers. The same is true of the book title. So let the cover art and title guide you into choosing a book that matches your recipient’s taste, mood, or the gift-giving occasion. 2)      Look for books with extra content. Whether it’s a novel with a bonus chapter, a special edition, or a book with recipes in the back, extra content gives the recipient one additional reason to love the gift. Read through the full book description online or explore books in a brick-and-mortar store to find the perfect one. 3)      Personalize. Write an inscription in the book, add a handwritten note on nice stationery with a celebratory message, or slip a pretty bookmark inside. It doesn’t take much time to…

by Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Miranda Owen  “I’ve never been the one. Not for anybody.” He closed the distance between them. “You’ll get used to it.” He tipped her face up to his, kissed her. “Why? Why am I the one?” “Because my life opened up, and it flooded with color when you walked back into it.” –Nora Roberts, VISION IN WHITE Weddings are a common occurrence in romance novels, whether they are contemporary, historical, or paranormal. More often than not, they happen near the end of a story as a happy conclusion. While I adore a happy ending just as much as any romance fan, I find stories more interesting when the wedding takes place near the opening of a story. I prefer to think of a wedding as a point in a discussion rather than the conclusion to an exercise. One of my favorite authors is Mary Balogh. In a Mary Balogh novel, there are joyous endings, but no “happily ever afters.” Happiness is something that is an ongoing process that evolves over time and is something that you must work at. In this article, I discuss weddings in some recent romance novels, along with some of my…

With a cozy mystery, the setting is important. And if a writer is really lucky, that backdrop becomes a character in its own right. With Coral Cay, I created my Florida dream town.  A comfortable village that’s big enough to support a downtown populated with shops, a local grocer and a bookstore. And small enough that the denizens know each other on sight. It also has a bit of a glamorous reputation. The resort area on the far side of the island is a playground for the rich and famous. The beautiful beaches and quaint village attract a flood of tourists every year. And, rumor has it, the island was originally discovered by pirates. In Coral Cay, I wanted a place that was all the best parts of the state – the things I love. Deserted beaches. Afternoon cloudbursts that last all of fifteen minutes. Warm sand. Sunshine all year round. Cooling sea breezes smelling of salt. And brightly colored flowers everywhere. And hopefully, some interesting people, too. A few readers have commented on the eccentric characters who inhabit Coral Cay. But really, they’re just like the people who live in your own neighborhood. In a book, though, you get…

1. Travel! I spent two years between high school and college seeing the world. I helped bathe orphans in Mexico, saw the wall come down in Germany, rode a bike in snowy Denmark, slept in too many airports to count, sang on a stage in Poland, and so much more. Since then I’ve sailed to the Bahamas, climbed a lighthouse in Bermuda, hiked the Na Pali coast in Hawaii, canoed in Venezuela, zip lined a forest, crawled through caves in Ireland, and the list goes on… Travel! It’ll open your mind and soul to this incredible earth we live on. 2. Be open to change. When your heart and gut tell you to take a less comforting choice, consider listening. 9 times out of 10 your heart and gut are right. 3. Learn a language. Be it Spanish, French, Farsi, or whatever, dig in and learn it. Be willing to travel to a country that speaks your chosen language and do total immersion. Be willing to take more classes than are required for a high school diploma. Knowing another language is an irreplaceable skill. 4. It’s okay to break up with someone you’re dating. What’s it’s not okay to do…