Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Shannon Stacey | ONE CHRISTMAS EVE + a Delicious Recipe!
Author Guest / November 12, 2019

I love the holidays so much. Christmas romance movies. Christmas romance novels. And the food. So much food and, for my family, a lot of food that we only have during the holidays because most of the dishes we eat to celebrate would pack on the pounds if they were a part of our regular diet. The sausage balls and crack potatoes I make for Christmas breakfast every year, for example. In One Christmas Eve, Zoe (the bookstore owning heroine who’s got the hots for the slightly uptight business owner next door) shows up for Thanksgiving dinner with a dish of baked macaroni and cheese, which is one of those special occasion dishes the Stacey family only gets for the holidays. I took the original core recipe from Julie James (though I can’t find it on her site and I think it was a Facebook post several years ago), and she said it came from Walt Disney World’s Food & Wine Festival. (Wine being another great holiday tradition!) The second time I made it, I tried adding some dried mustard to give it a little zing. Then I tried adding buffalo chicken and now that’s the only way we eat…

Cynthia Breeding | Scandinavia
Author Guest / November 12, 2019

Scandinavia. . . Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. . . are beautiful countries.  Most of the time, travelers choose cruise ships for these destinations since all the major cities can be accessed by ship as well as the spectacular fjords, but I always like to learn more about the people and the land than what a short day excursion while in port can provide. Denmark is, as they say, “flat as a pancake” and everyone (everyone!) owns a bicycle.  Part of the reason is that there is a 150% surcharge on personal cars, although the Danes can get a “business” plate.  Cycling also keeps them incredibly fit and healthy in spite of a penchant for ice cream and waffles.  Historically, the Danes were powerful, having control of both Norway and Sweden for centuries.  (Remember Hamlet?)  Odense is the home of Hans Christian Anderson and a museum there has beautiful editions of The Little Mermaid. Sweden is very pastoral, with forests and a huge lake (Lake Vattern) that nearly bisects the country.  Stockholm is actually a city of many islands crisscrossed with numerous bridges. Old Town (Camia stan) was settled nearly a thousand years ago and contains Marten Trotzigs Grand, a street…

Ruby Lang | Exclusive Excerpt: OPEN HOUSE
Author Guest / November 12, 2019

In this excerpt, Ty runs into Magda when he’s out jogging, and she’s coming off a long evening of work. The woman stepped out into the light just as Ty was approaching the spot under the street lamps. He’d angled himself off the sidewalk and onto the street and put on a burst of speed to get past her–slowing down would scare her into thinking he was a creep, especially at this time of night. But he’d already sprinted past her when he registered who it was–and that she had already seen him. Magda Ferrer. What the hell was she doing out here in the middle of the night, half limping? Was she hurt? He turned quickly and almost ran smack into her as she came back toward him. “Are you okay? Are you safe? Talk to me.” His eyes scanned her as best they could under the street lamp. He was aware that he wanted to run his hands over her, to check for himself to see if she was whole and healthy. But he didn’t want to scare her more. She seemed unharmed. A little dazed. She was staring at his chest, which he realized belatedly was bare…