The traditional character associated with the month of January was Janus, the Roman god portrayed as two heads looking in opposite directions, one forward and one back.  Often the New Year is a time of appraisal of what has worked—or not worked—in the year gone by as we set new goals for the year ahead. The theme of past events reinterpreted in the light of the present is a trope popularized by novelist Kate Morton and other best-selling authors.  So for this month that traditionally draws upon the past to make reflections about present and future, we’ll look at several works of historical fiction that pinball back and forth between the current day and significant events in the past. Perhaps because the dangers and privations of war create drama and reorder all of life’s priorities, the “then” portion of all these stories takes place in either the World War I or II era. We begin with LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb.  The novel is written as a series of letters, beginning in October 1914 and continuing throughout the war, between Evie Elliott, her brother Will, and his best friend Thomas Harding, interspersed with chapters featuring…

We asked the authors of the 425 Madison Ave series about their favorite parts of the 425 Madison world. Join the group during each release about the best parts of the series! A special message from Allie York, author of Just A Little More. The first release of the second season of 425 Madison Ave series: I am so excited to be the first book in the second season of the 425 Madison Series! Season one was the most amazing project I have ever been part of. In Just A Little More you meet Pipper and Derek, characters introduced in my first book in the series, Just Swipe Right. Piper and Derek are in for a wild ride on their way to happily ever after. Now on to my favorites about the 425 Madison world. My favorite local hang nightspot in the 425 Madison world: Monterrey’s, the bar down the street from 425 Madison. They have live music, a bar, and food. It’s where all of 425 Madison goes to unwind after work! My favorite 425 Madison neighbor is: Crazy Sara Beaumont (I mean, who doesn’t love her?) She’s ballsy and sexy. Sara knows exactly what she wants, which is…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-ReaderMatch” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Susan May Warren! Writes: Susan loves to get people in trouble, and then rescue them! With sexy, strong and honorable heroes (and brave, smart and beautiful heroines!). She writes in a sub-genre of Romantic Suspense she titles Epic Romantic Adventure, and her gig is Search and Rescue teams. Because we all secretly want to be rescued…(or maybe do the rescuing, right?) In The Way of the Brave, three amazing women decide to climb Denali, in Alaska. But when a gale force wind causes an avalanche, they find themselves blown into trouble—the kind of trouble that needs, ahem, rescuers. Enter the Global Search and Rescue team of Jones, Inc, three former military heroes who will do anything to bring the lost home… Even when they find themselves in trouble, too. So, really, who is rescuing whom? About: Susan May Warren is the kind of person that says, yes, let’s go jump out of a plane—wanna join me? It’ll be fun! A skier, a…

Asher paced from one end of Heather’s living area to the other as he debated the events of this endless day. First Sharon’s death, then Mario Ricci had tried to kill him and Brooke. His friend from the hospital had called him ten minutes ago to let him know that Ricci’s prognosis had taken a nosedive. He was now in a medically induced coma, so getting answers wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Which meant he and Brooke needed to find someone who knew what he was up to and why he’d been searching Brooke’s home. They needed to link him to . . . something recent. Someone current. They needed to know where he was living and who he was living with and if he was working with anyone. His phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket. Newell was finally calling him back. “Captain, thanks for returning my call.” “James, it’s been a good while. How are you doing?” “I’m hanging in there.” “Tough to transition back, isn’t it?” “Yes, sir.” “You’re always welcome to come back. It’s not the same without you and Black.” Asher shut his eyes. “Thank you, sir, I’ll keep that in mind.” Talking to…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Rachel! Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest novel, TOUGH GUY. Thanks for having me! TOUGH GUY is the third book in my GAME CHANGERS m/m hockey romance series for Carina Press. It’s sort of a second-chance romance story, but the first-chance never really happened so I don’t know what exactly you would call it. Second chance at a chance? Ryan was billeted by the Salah family when Ryan was a 17-year-old hockey player in Halifax, and he developed a crush on their son, Fabian. They reunite many years later as adults in Toronto. Ryan Price is a professional hockey player and has worked hard for the success in his life, but he still feels like something is missing. You’ve even described him as a “giant sad teddy bear.” Tell us more about Ryan! Ryan is a reluctant enforcer in the NHL, which means his role on the team is mostly to be physical and to fight other players. He’s good at it, but he hates doing it. He has also been traded a lot, so he’s never really felt settled anywhere. Adding to that, he suffers from an anxiety condition that makes him…

Mindfulness and self-care are hot button topics right now in our fast-paced, technology-driven world. Whether it’s gratitude journals, vision boards, yoga, self-help books, etc, everyone nowadays is looking for ways to refresh and re-energize themselves, particularly with 2020 launching a whole new decade. Reading is also a way to rest and rejuvenate, particularly if it’s books that spark your imagination and creativity. What better place to look than cozy mysteries with a crafty theme? I’ve seen hygge yarn in the stores, but it’s Sally Goldenbaum’s A MURDEROUS TANGLE that sent me to google to learn more about the hygge lifestyle. The Seaside Knitting Studio is hosting its first holiday hygge and all the members are looking forward to a quiet gathering knitting or crocheting before a warm fire in their comfortable clothes with hot spiced cider and homemade cookies. Unfortunately, a murder disrupts the town of Sea Harbor and now the Seaside Knitters are tracking down a murderer in their midst. Sally Goldenbaum’s warm and inviting characters make me want to pull out my loom and knit with soft music and the scent of lavender in the air. If you’re looking for a cleverly crafted mystery that also inspires you…

Back in November, I explained the concept of NaNoWriMo to my five-year-old daughter, who stared blankly at me for a moment and then declared, “I can do that!” and started drawing pictures on paper, begging me to staple them together, and then dictating the words to me. Readers, she has written no less than 50 short books about two characters named Stick and Pinecone (TM to come) in a little over two months. The best part is, however, after all of her dictation, as well as her growing comfort with reading and writing sentences on her own, she now writes her own books start to finish, and we are both so proud. Now, while I barely wrote 20,000 words during the month of November – and not very much since then – I can’t help but be inspired by my daughter’s tenacity, drive, and creativity. But cut to the recent events surrounding RWA, it’s questionable current and former leadership, the unfair takedown of Courtney Milan, and the countless writers who have come forward with their own unjust and malicious treatment by the organization, it’s HARD out here for aspiring authors to find the motivation to continue. And for marginalized writers…

Jen: What inspired you to write Followers, a futuristic novel about an internet-obsessed world? Megan: The original kernel was me thinking about how my kids and grandkids won’t be able to read cursive, and wanting to explore a futuristic story that would be more about those human differences than straight up tech and sci-fi. But as I got further into the book, it became clear to me that social media was the thread that held everything together–I knew I had to push what we have today to its limits, imagine how that could blow up, and sort of clean up the mess that would follow. I wanted to show not just what could happen if social media really ruined us but also who we’d be, as a people, afterwards, and how we’d approach technology again once we’d been burned by it en masse. The story focuses on the friendship of three women. Let’s start by discussing Orla. What challenges does she encounter in the workplace? Orla wants to be this famous writer, and she’s frustrated by the fact that she’s stuck writing about celebrities, trying to gin up Internet content about them. She thinks her job is real bottom-feeder stuff….

Catalina was halfway back to the office, walking fast, when her phone vibrated. She yanked it out of the pocket of her coat and glanced at the screen. Daniel. “Please tell me you’ve got a lead on Olivia,” she said. “Nothing yet, but you need to get back here now.” “Almost there. Why? What happened?” “There’s someone here to see you. Says it’s urgent. Says it’s about Olivia.” “Put him on the phone,” Catalina said. “Hang on,” Daniel said. The voice that came on the line was masculine, eerily calm, cool and controlled. It was, she concluded, the kind of voice that could lead you out of a burning building. It was also a voice that, under the right circumstances, could scare the living daylights out of you. “My name is Slater Arganbright,” he said. “Oh, shit,” Catalina whispered. “I realize you’ve got some history with my uncle. We can talk about that later. Right now we’ve got other priorities. I understand your business partner, Olivia LeClair, is missing.” Okay, so she had been on the verge of calling Victor Arganbright. It was one thing to put in a call for help. It was something else entirely to discover that…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-ReaderMatch” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Pat Simmons!  Writes: Lean on Me is an inspirational romantic women’s fiction. A mouthful, but if you’re attracted to any or all of those genres, Lean on Me is a perfect match. A good story never ends. In this novel, I tackle the unpredictability in the life of a caregiver and despite all the obstacles in the path, love will always find shortcuts. About: I seldom get lonely because I know how to entertain myself with my one-woman comedy show. If we’re just meeting, a conversation starter would be about disclosing secrets uncovered in our family trees. You would have my undivided attention for hours that I might forget to eat, breathe and sleep. If you rather keep family secrets buried, a train, car or plane ride to a fabric store would win me over. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: · Hopeless romantic craving a steak dinner romance versus a picnic in the park love story · Someone who…