Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Kym Roberts | Cozy Corner Interview: Callie Hutton
Author Guest / April 27, 2020

I’ve known bestselling author Callie Hutton for several years, but with the internet age, we actually just met face to face a few years back. She’s a wonderful writer, a fabulous person and an inspiration to anyone who’s wanting to mix things up a bit in their lives. She’s proof that you can take your career in a different direction and continue to produce a great product. Everyone could use a bit of inspiration from people like Callie right now! Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Callie! Callie: Thank you for having me, Kym. I’m excited to be here. You’re a bestselling historical romance writer, what made you decide to switch genres into historical cozy mysteries? Several of my historical romances had mysteries in them. I enjoy adding that to a romance. Then I wrote one that was true to the cozy mystery genre as well as romance that was part of one of my self published Victorian series. I sent it to my agent and she immediately asked me to give her a proposal for a cozy mystery series. I did that and Crooked Lane contracted the series.  What did you find to be the hardest part about switching to…

Sourcebooks Cozy Mystery Authors | Cozy up at Home with these Cozy Mystery Series and a Giveaway!
Author Guest / April 27, 2020

Staying home means more time to read. Right? To help pass the time between books, we asked six of our cozy mystery authors to share what they’re doing during their time at home! We hope you’ll cozy up at home with these first in the cozy mystery series: Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard, a Main Street Book Club Mystery Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker, a Seaside Cafe Mystery Death on Windmill Way by Carrie Doyle, a Hampton’s Murder Mystery Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns, an Italian Chef Mystery Dead in the Water by Denise Swanson, a Welcome Back to Scumble River mystery Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy, a Stationery Shop Mystery Keep reading to cozy up with our authors and check out the books over here! You’re trapped in a remote cabin with one character from your series for one week. Who would it be and why? Amy Lillard: Hands down-Fern. She might not have Helen’s cooking skills or Camille’s bottomless handbag or even Arlo’s practical side, but being stranded definitely wouldn’t be boring with Fern! Bree Baker: I would definitely spend the week with Everly Swan, the heroine of my Seaside Cafe Mysteries!…

Kat Martin | Exclusive Excerpt: THE DECEPTION
Author Guest / April 27, 2020

Kate could hardly believe it.  Jason Maddox, the last man in the world she wanted to see, was sitting right beside her.  Worse yet, he was the man she had just hired to help her find Chrissy’s killer.  What the unholy hell had just happened? “So…umm…where do we start?” she asked, accepting whatever circumstances fate seemed to have set in motion. “I need to take some notes,” Maddox said.  “I’ll be right back.”  He rose from the swivel chair next to hers and she tried not to think how good he looked in a yellow knit pullover and dark blue jeans. But the pullover stretched over his powerful chest and an amazing set of biceps, one with a tattoo of an eagle perched on a globe and the words Semper Fi inked beneath it.  She had noticed it that night in the parking lot. She blocked the thought as he walked away and tried not to notice his long legs, broad back, and round, muscular behind.  She felt like fanning herself.  Just looking at all that hard masculinity made her face feel warm. He disappeared out the door, returned a few minutes later with a lined yellow pad, and sat…

Meg Benjamin | 20 Questions: WILD LOVE
Author Guest / April 24, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Wild Love 2–What is it about?  My hero, Colin Brooks, has returned to Antero Brewing, but it’s not exactly the homecoming he was hoping for. His partners no longer trust him, and the building where he lives and brews his honey-sweetened beer is little more than a shack. The only one who gives him any affection is his hound-dog puppy, but he’d like to change that with the luscious cook at the corner deli. My heroine, Peaches Guidry, doesn’t trust good-looking charmers like Colin. Besides, she’s got enough on her plate managing the Salty Goat deli and dealing with her underhanded assistant. But Colin’s admiration for her cinnamon rolls expands to Peaches herself. And the soft-hearted baker finds herself falling for the last man she should be interested in. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Determined 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  He’s a reformed bad boy, trying to win back his place at the local brewery. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Well, Colin turns to Peaches, since she’s the only one who’ll talk to him at first. Peaches turns to her boss, Ruth Colbert, and…

Jennifer Vido | Jen’s Jewels: FEELS LIKE FALLING by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Author Guest / April 24, 2020

Jen: What was your inspiration for your latest release, Feels Like Falling? Kristy: It started as most good stories do… In the drugstore! (Just kidding.) It was two days before Christmas, our car was packed to the gills, and we were heading home for the holidays–right after we picked up the photo books I had had made for our families. The woman at the photo desk said she couldn’t give me the books without a signed photo release because some of them were from a professional photographer, but I begged and pleaded and she gave them to me, after getting permission for me to bring the form back later. A few days later, I took her the photo release and she put it on file, no harm, no foul. But then I thought, “What if something similar happened but the woman working had gotten fired because of it? What if there was some reason she had felt like she wanted to do a good deed and, because of that, she lost her job? And then what if these two women formed a bond because of it and it ended up changing both their lives?” Most of my stories start this…

Dani Collins | Why I Love a Billionaire with a Baby
Author Guest / April 24, 2020

Writing for Harlequin Presents, I always know my hero will be exceptionally wealthy. It’s part of the promise to our reader that she will be swept into a glamorous world of luxury, visit exotic locations, and have a passionate encounter with a hero who is lord of all he surveys. These powerful men believe they’re impervious to love, or at least that they can control whom they love the way they control everything else. That arrogance has been winning my heart since I found Harlequin Presents. (Which was in high school! I won’t tell you how long ago that was, but I married my high school sweetheart and our kids are now grown). I have always adored the ruthless, embittered heroes who take an entire book to let down their guard and admit they’re falling for their plucky heroine. It makes the way they turn to mush when a baby is in the picture all the more satisfying! (Think of the old cartoon with the bulldog and the wide-eyed kitten.) I swoon when they discover they are hopelessly ill-equipped to look after a baby, yet suffer a surge of protectiveness that forces them to rise to the challenge. When I…

Marissa Backlin | Bookstore Name Challenge: LOVE’S SWEET ARROW
Author Guest / April 23, 2020

This is our last post this month showcasing Love’s Sweet Arrow. We’ve enjoyed getting to know more about Marissa, the store, and her adorable dogs! We’ll continue to check in with LSA throughout the year. Many thanks to Love’s Sweet Arrow for hanging out with us all month long. In the meantime, remember to support your local independent bookstore!!  Hi everyone! I’m back to do a fun name challenge, acrostic poem style! I hope everyone has been doing well this past week! L—L is for the laughter we all share in the store (You thought I would say ‘love’ I bet!) O—O is for the open doors we hope to have again soon once it’s safe! V—V is for the volumes of love and kind messages we have been receiving since we had to switch to all online ordering, we love reading them! E—E is for everyone who continues to support us through this uncertain time, we truly appreciate every online order and pre-order! S—S is for the super bookstore dogs we have and I live with. Lady and Brando are truly my biggest comfort at this time. * S—S is for the surprise boxes, which are still available in our…

Abigail Owen | SHIFT OUT OF LUCK – Ten Things
Author Guest / April 23, 2020

Two wolf-shifter alphas–male and female–enter into a mating of convenience to try to end long-running a feud between their packs. If you started with The Demigod Complex, you will have already met Tala and Marrok. But what happens after their mating? Holding together two packs who’ve been at each others’ throats isn’t going to be easy. Especially when, as a female alpha, Tala’s leadership is already a tenuous thing. Shift Out of Luck starts off with a bang (literally, because, um…mating) and only gets hotter from there. But what else can you expect? Here’s ten things. . . 2 packs of wolf shifter—and neither wants to give an inch. A lie set to make the packs believe the mating is blessed by the gods. Those pesky sexy-time scents just won’t dissipate after the mating ceremony. A rogue mountain lion shifter in their territory. A secluded cabin. A full moon celebration. No help from her unpredictable sister. An alpha hero who has no idea what he keeps doing to piss off his new mate. A knife-throwing alpha heroine whose wolf keeps attacking the hero. One of their packs isn’t having it, but what can they do against two alphas? Jump into…

Barbara Barnett | My Five Favorite Locations in ALCHEMY OF GLASS
Author Guest / April 22, 2020

Hi everyone! Like the first book in the series, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated Apothecary’s Curse, Alchemy of Glass features some very cool settings. Especially since the novel weaves together several narrative threads into a provocative braid. The Ravines north of Chicago One of my favorite places since I was a kid, the Ravines are a twisty series of deep chasms and bluffs along the Lake Michigan shoreline about 20 miles north of downtown Chicago. Laced with beautiful vistas of the lake and graceful mansions, this area is especially compelling and mysterious when the wind blows off the lake, creating waves that seem more Santa Monica than Chicago. Simon Bell’s Victorian mansion, now occupied by molecular geneticist Dr. Anne Shawe, is along this stretch of shoreline is about 100 feet above a rocky beachhead. Gaelan Erceldoune’s Apothecary Shop In Alchemy of Glass, Gaelan has only just moved into the apothecary, as this part of the novel takes place eleven years before the events of The Apothecary’s Curse. Gaelan has moved from an affluent section of London into the squalor of Smithfield to tend to resident who have no other medical options as gentleman physicians would dare not dirty their hands in…

Jill Lynn | Title Challenge: HER HIDDEN HOPE
Author Guest / April 21, 2020

Hi all! I’m Jill Lynn. My latest book, Her Hidden Hope, is in stores now, and I’m excited to chat about it! It’s set in a small Colorado mountain town and includes a spunky two-year-old boy, a golden retriever with the sweetest temperament, and two jaded high school sweethearts who’ve experienced plenty of hardship in the decade they’ve been apart. Here’s a peek at what’s beneath that pretty cover… H – H is for Handsome. Handsome high school sweetheart Evan Hawke is back in Addie’s life; will they be able to make their relationship work this time? E – E is for Evan. Addie Ricci’s never forgotten the boy she once loved. R – R is for Return. There’s nothing like returning to your hometown to start fresh! H – H is for Hero. When Evan is roped into being a hometown hero, will it convince him to stay? I – I is for Inspirational. This is an uplifting, inspirational romance, something I think we can all use a little of right now! D – D is for Digging into the past. Will Addie and Evan’s budding relationship survive what they find? D – D is for Dog. Evan’s dog…