from Chapter 5 of Freaky in Fresno: I crank the gearshift into park as the dust settles, and Lana and I simultaneously turn in our seats to face each other. Our eyes lock and the two of us embark on the most intense stare down of our lives. “Terrific car,” Jake says, reminding me he’s here. I just nod slowly in response without breaking eye contact with Lana. We stay focused on our no-blinking stare for so long that I can feel the lipstick on my cheek begin to melt and run liquid down my face. Eventually Jake mumbles some excuse about checking on Gwen and Brad and says, “A dark screen tomorrow night will mean everything we’ve worked for has been in vain.” I nod again, feeling like I’m already throwing everything away. But my deep anger toward Lana keeps me glued in place. Locked into our stare. Once Jake’s gone, I swear I hear a low growl emitting from my cousin’s throat. But I’m still the one in the driver’s seat. Cherishing the control I wield, I narrow my eyes at Lana and dance my fingers mockingly across the top of the steering wheel. I’m surprised to find…

My name is Jayci Lee, and I’m so excited to chat about my debut novel, TEMPORARY WIFE TEMPTATION, on-sale this month. Here is a look at what the book is all about, including some sneak peeks into the plot. Garrett Song is this close to taking the reins of his family’s LA fashion empire. . . until the Song matriarch insists that he marry her handpicked bride first. To block her matchmaking, he recruits Natalie Sobol to pose as his wife. She needs a fake spouse as badly as he does. But when passion burns down their chaste agreement, the flames could destroy them all… T – T is for office Temptation; HR rules say no, but the heart wants what it wants. E – E is for Everything. Our leading man Garrett Song has everything except the woman of his dreams. M – M is for More. Even though they say this is only temporary, Garrett and Natalie can’t help themselves. They want more. P – P is for Passion. Unexpected, but very welcome, it’s passion that keep Garrett and Natalie together. O – O is for Office romance. This romance starts in the office…but leads to so much…

Jimmy led Prince back into his stall for supper and smiled when he saw Joey slip into the barn to follow along as he did the evening chores. It was becoming a habit, this shadowing by the boy, and Jimmy loved it. They had a little game they played together. Jimmy called it “Did you know?” Joey always started it off. “Did you know horse’s teeth never stop growing?” “Like a beaver?” “Yup. Did you know that horses have the biggest eyes of any animal?” “Hmm,” Jimmy said. “They do seem bigger than a whale’s eyes, I’ll grant you that.” When Joey had run out of the day’s newest horse facts, it was Jimmy’s turn. “Did you know that a horse’s whiskers are sensitive?” Joey peered at him. “Are yours?” Jimmy rubbed his chin, feeling the roughness of a five o’clock shadow. “Nope. But for a horse, those whiskers detect what eyes can’t see.” Joey rubbed his chin too. “Here’s another one for you. Did you know that a horse’s lips are loaded with nerve endings?” The boy wiggled his lips, pondering that fact. “Last one for the day. Did you know that a horse’s hooves are shock absorbers?” Joey…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? SELECTED 2–What is it about? A teen who comes from nothing and finds herself at an amazing school with a golden ticket for the future. She quickly learns that nothing at the school is what is seems and falls for a guy who she isn’t sure she can trust. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Gifted. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He’s superpopular but turns his back on his shallow friends to find something real in life, to find someone real. I love that quality in him. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? My main characters turn to their friends when they need help. They are also very self-reliant. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? I loved playing around in the near future, like, twenty years ahead. I loved playing around with what society would look like if an overarching government broke down. And I loved setting a story in a make-believe prep school. There’s so much pressure on teens today that I think is captures at Easton Prep. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the…

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 MILLA VANE! Writes: Epic fantasy romance, featuring surly barbarian heroes who don’t quite know what to do with the women who cross their path (or, in the case of A HEART OF BLOOD AND ASHES, what to do with a princess whom the hero intends to kill in revenge for the death of his parents, but who somehow persuades him to marry her, instead.) Includes sword fights, dinosaurs, chases and escapes, true love, miracles…! And yes, these are kissing books. (The hero kisses the heroine in a LOT of places. For a long time.) About: Dorky, shy author who spent her childhood immersed in fantasy movies, comic books, and fairy tales has channeled all of that into emotional, epic romances. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: I’m looking for readers who love to lose themselves in another world, and who are eager to take an epic and emotional journey with my characters. Must appreciate alpha warriors who sometimes make huge…

For those of you who know me as both Jade Lee and Kathy Lyons, the cover below may surprise you. First – I’m going back into HISTORICAL ROMANCE!  Woo hoo! Dragonsblade Publishing asked me to launch the most amazing shared world and I agreed. It’s a fun, fun, fun set up about a gaming hell that gambles on unusual things. My book is about a jewelry maker and the lord who needs her skills ASAP and is willing to pay handsomely for the privilege. (He needs her to make jewelry not…well, some of the other things that happen!). The book releases February 27 and is up for pre-order now. In case, you know, you wanted to check it out! Anyway, the world is the Lyon’s Den, not the Lyons’ Den. It’s not a typo, even though my alternate penname is Lyons. Confusing? Don’t worry about it. All you have to do is admire the cover. Tell me it looks fabulous. Read the back cover copy and tell me you like it. (I cannot tell you how hard we worked on that copy). Say something to me and one of you will win a signed print copy of the book! —…

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 Heidi Chiavaroli! Writes: Dual timeline women’s fiction. My latest release, The Tea Chest, hit stores yesterday, February 4! About: Thirty-something women’s fiction author seeks readers for entertaining and emotional novel with a brave but conflicted historical heroine who must choose between her Loyalist family’s wishes and her true love, a Patriot. After the Boston Tea Party, a mysterious chest becomes part of her legacy—a legacy that will change the future of a present-day woman who seeks to do what no woman has done before. What I’m Looking For In My Ideal Reader Match: Their idea of a perfect date is a trip to the local bookstore followed by dinner and a movie—maybe a compelling romantic drama. Loves history and loves imagining the people who actually lived in the past and formed our country. Likes reading both contemporary and historical stories and considers it a bonus when they are included in one novel with a satisfying connection. Loves heroes who are caring and passionate…

My mother, Vera Frankel, was born in April 1927 in Budapest, Hungary. Her mother, Alice was one of eight children and her father, Lawrence was an attorney with a practice in Budapest. Three of my grandmother’s siblings died in concentration camps; my grandfather Lawrence spent four years in a forced labor camp. Miraculously, my mother and her parents survived the Holocaust. Because of their experiences, I heard many stories about the war as I grew up. My mother told me that in Budapest in 1944, during the last year of the war, Jewish children wore the standard yellow star and weren’t allowed to attend school. Half a dozen families lived in one apartment and the most basic necessities like toilet paper were almost impossible to find. The brunt of the war came late to Hungary. In 1940, Germany pressured Hungary to join the Axis powers and for the next four years, Jews in Hungary led restricted lives. They lost their businesses and Jewish men were sent to labor camps, but they were not part of the final solution.  In late 1943 and dragging on into the early months of 1944, Hungarian Prime Minister, Miklos Kallay secretly engaged in negotiations with…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? The Land Beneath Us 2–What is it about? In 1943, Private Clay Paxton trains hard with the US Army Rangers at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, determined to do his best in the upcoming Allied invasion of France. With his future stolen by his brothers’ betrayal, Clay has little to live for. Leah Jones works as a librarian at Camp Forrest, longing to rise above her orphanage upbringing and to find the baby sisters she was separated from so long ago. A marriage of convenience binds Clay and Leah together, but will D-day—and a foreboding dream—tear them apart? 3–What word best describes your heroine? Poetic. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? Clay’s kindness and generosity and his sense of honor drew me to him. But what made me feel for him most was his sense of loss. His brothers betrayed him and stole his future, so he feels he has nothing to live for. Yet he’s determined to make the most of his life. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Leah is young and innocent, and she finds a mentor-friend in straight-talking Red Cross volunteer Rita Sue Bellamy. Clay’s…

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 Naima Simone! Writes: Sexy, contemporary romances with broken but honorable alpha heroes, perfectly imperfect heroines who take zero mess, family drama worthy of a reality TV show, and aaaall the swoony passion. And sex. Hot sex, too. 😀 In BLAME IT ON THE BILLIONAIRE, a city-wide blackout provides the perfect backdrop for a CEO and a beautiful stranger to indulge in naked shenanigans. But when daylight reveals she’s his employee, he’s determined to keep his distance. Until his matchmaking mother and a persistent vengeful ex pushes him to ask her to be his fake fiancée. What’s supposed to be pretense is suddenly feeling all too real. . . About: 18ish author. . . Okay, fine, I won’t start our relationship by catfishing you. 40ish author urgently seeking readers who acknowledge sarcasm as another language, don’t mind my hermit-like tendencies or potty mouth, agree that Jessica Fletcher is a certified, MENSA-level genius, will bring incense to burn at my alter devoted to Nalini…