Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Soraya Lane | MY ONE TRUE COWBOY
Author Guest / March 31, 2020

One of the hardest parts of creating a series is writing the last book. In My One True Cowboy, the fourth and final book in my River Ranch series, it was sad to say goodbye to the Ford family, but it was also incredibly satisfying writing Angelina Ford’s story! I certainly feel as if I left the best for last… Angelina is everything I love in a woman. She’s ambitious, she’s made it on her own, she doesn’t need a man and she’s strong. It made writing her so satisfying, because for her to fall for a man, he had to be someone very special. In writing her, I put her in the incredibly difficult position of facing a huge life change, which made her much more vulnerable than the strong, nothing-can-knock-me-down woman in the previous books. But it gave me a lot to work with, because I was able to show her grow and change, and also, fall in love. In the modern world we live in, I find it really inspiring reading about a woman who doesn’t need the money or love of a man to make her whole, because it makes the romance that much more satisfying….

Allison Ashley | 20 Questions: PERFECT DISTRACTION
Author Guest / March 31, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Perfect Distraction 2–What is it about?  Perfect Distraction is about an oncology pharmacist, Lauren Taylor, and Andrew Bishop, a young law student recently diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, and their failed attempts to NOT fall in love with one another. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Compassionate 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Andrew is confident and purposeful, but also selfless and kind. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Andrew has a twin sister he’s close to, who also happens to occasionally meddle in his love life. Lauren’s two colleagues – Emma and Kiara – are her lifeline when things get tough. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The setting of Perfect Distraction is near and dear to my heart. I’m an oncology pharmacist myself, and the cancer center where much of the book takes place is modeled after my workplace. The main thing I want people to take away from this setting is that love can bloom anywhere—even places you’d never expect. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? I’m definitely a panster….

Kim Redford | Exclusive Interview: COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT
Author Guest / March 31, 2020

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Kim! Please tell us about yourself and your new book, COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT. Thanks for inviting me back to Fresh Fiction! It’s always a pleasure to be here. COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT is a special book for me, so I’m delighted to talk about what motived me to write it. We all share a love of music, because it uplifts us, motivates us, inspires us, and simply pleasures us. I can’t imagine life without it. We owe a great deal to the many musicians who give their creativity through this medium. I particularly appreciate the musicians in my own family who generously share their talent at family reunions and other events. COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT is my tribute to them and musicians everywhere. Wildcat Bluff County, Texas, is as much a character in the novel as it is the setting. What do you love about setting your books there? Is it inspired by a real location?  I absolutely love setting my books in Wildcat Bluff, because I keep learning more about the landscape, community, towns, and fascinating folks with each novel I write in the series. I started with the town of Wildcat Bluff, but soon Sure-Shot,…

Sasha Summers | Author-Reader Match: JACE
Author Guest / March 31, 2020

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 Sasha Summers! Writes: Sasha Summers grew up surrounded by books. Her passions have always been storytelling, romance and travel–passions she uses when writing. Now a best-selling and award winning-author, Sasha continues to fall a little in love with each hero she writes. From easy-on-the-eyes cowboy (and JACE is super easy on the eyes!), sexy alpha-male werewolves, to heroes of truly mythic proportions, she believes that everyone should have their happy ending–in fiction and real life. About: Sasha loves reading—all kinds of books. When she’s not reading, she’s watching a movie on the couch with her cat, Gerard the Feline Overlord. Her hobbies include taking long evening walks in a library or bookstore, discussing fictional heroes, cooking (and eating) low-carb treats, and painting. Turn-Offs include: non-readers… Yea, that’s pretty much it… What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Fans of country music Lovers of hot singing cowboy heroes Strong female heroine—wounds and all Their love scenes on the page but not erotic Family Saga aficionados Prefers life with high…

Linda Howard and Linda Jones | 20 Questions: AFTER SUNDOWN
Author Guest / March 30, 2020

We thought it would be fun to give our 20 Questions interview to the incomparable writing team of LINDA HOWARD and LINDA JONES and see their separate responses. Enjoy! LINDA JONES: 1–What’s the name of your latest release?  After Sundown 2–What is it about?  When a natural disaster hits, taking down the grid and bringing the world to a standstill, the community of Wears Valley comes together to survive. Sela and Ben are reluctant leaders who do what they can to in order to make it through the aftermath of a catastrophic solar storm. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Introverted. Maybe cautious is a better word for her. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  The shallow woman in me says, “His arms.” My more introspective self admires the way he gives in to his instinct to protect, even if he does so reluctantly. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Ben turns to no one, at least in the beginning. Sela has friends and family to turn to, most specifically her Aunt Carol and her fifteen-year-old cousin, Olivia. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I’ve been in love with Wears…

Kat Martin | Giving a Tale New Life
Author Guest / March 30, 2020

My upcoming release, PIVOT, began with a novella I wrote sometime back, a Romantic Suspense titled Against the Heart.  Ian Brodie is the owner of the BOSS Inc. security firm, a tall, good-looking man, one of the Brodie cousins. In PIVOT, the adventure continues with novellas by bestselling Romantic Suspense authors, Alexandra Ivy and Rebecca Zanetti.  Alexandra and Rebecca tell the stories of teenage girls who became friends during their tough years in foster care. Now as women, they’re fighting for their lives again. When Meriwether Jones and her young daughter run from trouble, that trouble follows.  Her prayers are answered when ex-cop Ian Brodie hires her to help his aging father.  But Meri is keeping dangerous secrets–and Ian is in danger of losing his heart. Melanie Cassidy finds trouble when she tries to save a young boy from being kidnapped.  Working the case, former love-of-her-life, Detective Gray Hawkins, appears and rescues them both.  But her good-Samaritan efforts pull her and Gray into a world of drug dealers and dirty cops–and forces them to examine the relationship they’d abandoned. Michelle Peach is one of Meri’s closet friends.  Trouble arrives when two rough men in search of Meri break into her…

Natalie Walters | 20 Questions: SILENT SHADOWS
Author Guest / March 30, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Silent Shadows 2–What is it about?  Pecca Gallegos moved to the tiny town of Walton, Georgia, to protect her son and escape the dangerous lifestyle that once defined her. When a series of strange circumstances evolve into threats, Pecca finds herself confiding in an unlikely ally–her stubborn patient. Army veteran Colton Crawford is desperate to recover from the undiagnosed disorder that is ruining his life, and his instincts are on high alert when threats against his nurse and her son force him to take action. But Colton’s involvement only ramps up the danger when he uncovers a family secret revealing that whoever is after Pecca is closer–and more deadly–than they realized. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Feisty. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  His vulnerability. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Pecca turns to her friends in Walton, who have become like family: Lane, Sheriff Huggins, Ms. Byrdie. Colton turns to his Uncle Jack and friends, Kekoa Young and Vincent St. James. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Sometimes smalltown living can feel claustrophobic or like a fishbowl, everyone knowing your business…

Lisa Harris | Exclusive Excerpt: THE TRAITOR’S PAWN
Author Guest / March 30, 2020

Aubrey leaned back against the side of the boat, working to loosen her hands while her captor steered the boat through the narrow inlet. Her head pounded, and she’d sliced her leg on something, but at least she was still alive. She couldn’t say that about Papps. If his family hadn’t found him by now, she knew he would have already bled out. A sick feeling snaked through her as her mind continued to replay what had happened and what she could have done differently. But they’d been ambushed by a sniper. She’d done what she’d been trained to do—­try and neutralize the threat. Having failed that, the only thing she could do now was pray that Papps’s sons had heard her scream. But her captor had timed his dirty deed well. Duck hunting wasn’t like deer hunting, which was more of a solitary pursuit. And for the McKenna family, it had always been a social event. It had been the same every year for as long as she could remember. She knew exactly what had been going on at the blind. Until the birds landed, there would be no shortage of conversation. They’d watch the sunrise break through the…

Victoria Schade | Fostering Saves Two Lives
Author Guest / March 27, 2020

Our first foster dog came into our home at an embarrassingly late stage in my dog training career. I’d been talking and writing about fostering for years but hadn’t made the leap to actually doing it for reasons (excuses?) that might sound familiar to you; I was busy, my resident dogs might not enjoy it, and I’d have a hard time saying goodbye to my new best friend. But when the heartbreaking photos of dogs in need on my feed got to be too much for me, I finally decided it was time to stop talking and start doing. We welcomed an adorable pitbull named Freddy and that dude helped us kick off our fostering journey. Since then my husband and I have gone on to foster a bunch of other dogs with more on the horizon. My initial concerns about fostering didn’t really matter when I saw the happy endings that happened once our fosters found their forevers. There are so many compelling reasons why fostering is important, but the following are a few of my favorites. Fostering Saves Two Lives Any time you bring in a foster you’re saving an additional life along with the temporary one under…

A.M. Madden | Exclusive Excerpt: NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN
Author Guest / March 27, 2020

Since the  Lamaze class  I  scheduled was in  Jersey,  my sister insisted I stay the night at her place. My phone buzzed with an incoming text just as Sapphire pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Max: I’m in my apartment and ready to go! “Speak of the devil?” Sapphire asked as she parked the car “Yeah.”  I  got out of the car and could feel her eyes drilling into my back as I texted him. Me: Heading in now. Call you in a few minutes. Avoiding  Sapphire’s scrutiny,  I  walked purposefully toward the main entrance. Unsurprisingly,  my sister followed close behind me.  “Jade.” “What?” “You know how  I  feel about your work and having no life. I want you to be happy. You really can’t blame me for being your voice of reason.” “No,  I  can’t  blame  you  for  being  you.”  When she grinned,  I  leaned in and kissed her cheek. My sister had always been extremely protective of me and brutally honest with her opinions, and clearly she was #TeamMax. A  few minutes later,  Nurse  Gail addressed the class.  Introductions were made, and we were all given name tags to wear.  I  waited until our instructor said, …