Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Debbie Wiley | Bookish Storylines
Author Guest / September 30, 2019

Fresh Fiction Senior Review Debbie Wiley Bookstores have always been a place of joy for me, even as a young child. Books open up doors to new worlds and new adventures. Some authors capture that essence in their books by including bookstores as part of their plots. A wealth of emotions can be conveyed as characters learn to cope and heal through books and bookstores. Here are a few recent books that include bookstores as part of the magical world the authors transport us into. Jenny Colgan’s Scottish Bookshop series includes two books, THE BOOKSHOP ON THE SHORE and THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER, centered around a mobile bookstore. Both stories focus on a female lead character who heads to Scotland seeking a new life where a mobile bookstore becomes part of both of their worlds. THE BOOKSHOP ON THE CORNER is the first book in the series and shows how Nina Redmond first creates the idea of a mobile bookstore, as she seeks to share her love of books with a population unaccustomed to reading for pleasure. The second book, THE BOOKSHOP ON THE SHORE, focuses on Zoe O’Connell’s move to Scotland and her struggles to fill Nina’s shoes…

James R. Hannibal | Double Feature Mashups
Author Guest / September 30, 2019

Ask any marriage counselor and they’ll tell you the top three reasons couples fight are money, mothers-in-law, and what to watch on movie night. Okay, I totally made that up, but those topics are up there, right? Let me spare you a few arguments with the infographic below. Even better, these are all double features. So, if you and your spouse are not into staying up super late, this list might be good for ten movie nights. Here’s a little context: I love spy movies, and I love heist movies. This came out in spades in my latest thriller, The Gryphon Heist. Review after review has called it a mashup of “Mission Impossible” and “Ocean’s Eleven,” and you don’t see me complaining. In fact, I decided to take the idea a step further. This infographic pairs ten of my personal favorites–five heist movies and five spy movies–into epic double features. As a bonus, each comes with a mashup–the movie we might have seen if the film canister contents got all jumbled up. Take a break from the movie argument, pop some corn, and enjoy. . . *** THE GRYPHON HEIST by James R. Hannibal Talia Inger is a rookie CIA…

Meg Tilly | Exclusive Excerpt: HIDDEN COVEN
Author Guest / September 30, 2019

HIDDEN COVE is the latest Solace Island novel by award-winning actress and novelist, Meg Tilly. Be sure to check out the Fresh Fiction Podcast for an exclusive interview with Meg, available TOMORROW! You can find the Fresh Fiction Podcast on Apple Podcasts or the podcatcher of your choice. Now, on with the excerpt!!  *** Gabe leaned against the boardwalk railing, tipped his head upward, and shut his eyes, enjoying the early-morning sunshine on his face. He could hear the seagulls behind him, wings flapping, and the occasional shrill caw. They were flying into the air with clams in their beaks, dropping them onto the rocks and then swooping down to eat the contents. Sometimes a wily seagull would lurk below and snatch the prize from the broken shell. Made him laugh. Reminded him of his dad. When they’d spoken this morning, his dad had sounded much improved, eager to pick Gabe’s brains about the place. “Take your time, boyo. No need to rush back. Enjoy all that the island has to offer. Beautiful women, hikes, biking, art galleries, artisan cheese makers, bakers, beautiful women . . .” His dad had repeated the last one with a laugh. “It’s all those damned yoga…

Lynn Winchester | Defeated by Imposter Syndrome?
Author Guest / September 27, 2019

Imposter Syndrome. Definition. “Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a ‘fraud’.” What does that mean? Well, it means that rather than feel like you’ve actually accomplished something great, you feel like your success is a product of luck and not actual skill. That any moment, you will be called out as a fraud, as someone who doesn’t deserve the praise or benefits of that success. Is that something you have? I know I do. And I struggle with it daily. Before I ever picked up a pen to write a book, I was a reader. I’ve read thousands of books over my 38 years, so you can imagine all the amazing authors I have to compare myself to. Kresley Cole, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Victoria Ashley, Tess Gerritsen, Sybil Bartel, Alison Aimes–the list goes on and on. I’ve read and enjoyed their work and because I am also a born writer, I internalize their artistic abilities, learning from them, get inspired by them and their talent. And when it comes time for me to sit down and actually write my own books. ….

Lucy Gilmore | Top 5 Must-Read Romance Novels
Author Guest / September 27, 2019

My reading habits don’t follow a very regular course. I’ll spend an entire year reading nothing but Traditional Regencies only to spend the next six months devouring the entire Betty Neels backlist (all 134 of them, for my fellow jersey dress lovers). Then I’ll skip to sexy thrillers for a few months before losing myself in a sea of Pride and Prejudice retellings. In other words, I tend to read the same way I watch Netflix: I binge. Since it can be difficult to pick my favorites out of the so many different and varied rabbit holes I’ve plunged myself into recently, here are five that stand out as worth a second read. Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin: This one came into my world during my Pride and Prejudice retellings binge, and it didn’t disappoint. I particularly adored the hero, Khalid, whose deep and quiet admiration of Ayesha perfectly captured the feelings Darcy has for Elizabeth. Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat: My love for the Captive Prince series is so strong that I re-read these books every year. They’re twisted and sexy and intricately plotted in ways my mind can’t even fathom. This time I opted for the audiobooks,…

Susan Stoker | Exclusive Interview: CLAIMING SARAH
Author Guest / September 27, 2019

with Fresh Fiction Reviewer, Helen Williams Helen: How do you go about developing your characters? SUSAN: I first think about how I want the H/h to meet. It might be a completely dramatic thing, or it might be they already know each other. Then I think about what the 85% drama will be. Once I have those two things, I’m good to start writing. Their personalities come out as I write (and since I write series, I usually already know a lot about the Hero because he’s been in the other books before).  How long does it take you to get a storyline together? I never REALLY know what the storyline is until I’m writing. I know what the drama will be, but the rest kind of just comes as I’m writing.  In reading your stories I see a lot of issues that are relevant today. Do you go to any particular resources for background information (i.e. epilepsy, PTSD)? I don’t have a go-to source, but there have been times I’ve asked my readers for their input. For the book Rescuing Macie, the heroine suffers from anxiety. I asked my readers who suffer from this to share their thoughts if…

Linda Charles | NO LOOKING BACK
Author Guest / September 26, 2019

Do you ever hear a tune or the words to a song and it stays with you for days? Weeks? Or, maybe months? What is it that gets you in? Is it the tune? Or the words? The tune makes me pause to sit and listen, but the words and sentiments linger longer. That happened to me a couple of months ago when I stumbled upon the song ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’ sung by Labrinth and Emeli Sande. I’d discovered them on YouTube, bought the CD and play it every day – that song speaks to me. The words are beautiful and I love the sentiments expressed. It started me thinking about relationships. We all have them and love to read about them. Whenever I pick up a book to read or start to plot a story, there is an element of excitement and curiosity. You begin to wonder how things will pan out for your hero and heroine. The same applies to every day relationships and particularly when you meet someone your gut tells you might be significant. When you’re a teenager romance can be so easy and carefree. You don’t have anything to hide. The trouble is, we all…

Terry Spear | Fans Make All the Writing Worthwhile!
Author Guest / September 26, 2019

I made a two-hour trip to Katy, Texas to meet with a fan from Minnesota, who is originally from Colombia, and we had lunch and enjoyed talking about her home of Colombia, and why she loves to live here. I signed books at the Books-A-Million in Katy and at West Oaks Village Barnes and Noble in Houston. We had a really good time, but one of the things we talked about was how my GPS was misdirecting me to one of the bookstores. “You know,” I said to Lola, “I wrote about this in SEAL Wolf Surrender where the heroine was lost–because her GPS was misdirecting her–and the SEAL wolf had to rescue her. Well, that is me. All the time.” Except for having a sexy wolf to rescue me! The same for her! You see, writing about what really happens in your life makes connections with my readers. How many times do they get lost because of following a GPS’s directions? I had a reader tell me she loved figuring out which parts of my stories had happened to me and which were purely fiction. That’s what makes it fun for me. I love it when my fans tell…

Lori Ann Bailey | Picking the Perfect Weapon
Author Guest / September 25, 2019

I recently had a discussion with friends about pepper spray. . . One friend keeps a canister with her and even sent me the link to the one she likes. I haven’t ordered it yet, but it’s in my cart, ready to purchase next time I place an order. Two of us have daughters who are college-aged and both have been in situations that make me cringe when I think about them. As moms of older children, we can no longer dictate their actions or what places they frequent, but at the same time, we can arm them with something that might help them in a difficult situation. In uncomfortable conditions like dark parking lots, I normally walk with my keys fisted in my hands, one pointing outward in preparation for some kind of attack I’m optimistic will never really happen. I’m even happy to see that as time passes more places are installing the police call boxes that are an easy jog from every position. Also, I’ve read an amazing book about trusting your instincts and being aware of the danger around you. I highly recommend The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. I believe everyone should read…

May McGoldrick | Let’s Interview Each Other!
Author Guest / September 25, 2019

We’re very, very happy that Fresh Fiction has invited us to interview each other. We’re Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick, and you might know us by our writing names, May McGoldrick and Jan Coffey. After forty years of marriage, twenty-five years of writing together, and fifty books, there have been plenty of times when we’ve answered interviewers’ questions–and we even wrote a how-to book on collaboration–but to get personal like this is something totally different. In this interview, we hope to take you behind the closed doors and give you a glimpse of our relationship. . . because that’s the magic that makes the journey possible. Nikoo: Let’s start easy. Coffee or tea? Jim: Too simple. . . and not too magical. Coffee and cappuccino in the morning, tea in the afternoon. And that’s the same with you, too. Nikoo: What movie or series have we watched more than ten times? Jim: Love, Actually. Casablanca. Pride and Prejudice (the BBC series). Persuasion. Jane Eyre (every version). Little Dorrit. The Guard. Waking Ned Devine. Notting Hill. Emma. It Happened One Night. Jim: What’s our go-to movie every Christmas? Nikoo: Love, Actually. Jim: Do you remember how we met? Nikoo: How can I…