Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Yaffa and congrats on your debut novel hitting stores! Please tell us more about yourself and your book, A TASTE OF SAGE. Thank you! A TASTE OF SAGE came to be as I combined my interests in the romance genre and cooking. It was also important to me that there be some aspect that extends beyond the five senses. I started with Lumi, my main character, and an idea of the journey I wanted for her, but not as much of a clear idea of how she would get there. Little by little, I added the other characters and conflicts. That was the fun part. Will you talk a little bit about your journey into publishing? What has been the most surprising thing about becoming a published author so far? I queried for about two years on and off before I connected with my agent. What surprises me the most is how much there is to learn about how publishing works, though I’m making progress every day. In addition to being a contemporary romance, A TASTE OF SAGE is also a love letter to FOOD! I was obsessed with the descriptions of food throughout this novel…

Hi, there. . . Robin here. I’m getting so excited for the release of my thirty-fourth novel, DEAD SILENCE. I have to say, I love this book. The heroine is strong, yet flawed in how she perceives some of what is going on around her. She’s kicked into action when her son is threatened. Her love for her son–willing to do anything to protect him is a mother’s instinct I relate to so well, having three daughters and two grandsons. The love of a mother for her child is so ingrained in me that I forewent any romance in the story, allowing the love between mother and child to take the forefront emotion. I’ve been asked why I opted for a heroine who is an ASL translator and who has a deaf son. Many years ago, I became friends with someone who is deaf. She shared with me some of her frustrations, but also how her way of life is in comparison to mine. It got me to thinking that being deaf could be thought of as a disability, but could also be used as an advantage. . . it was all in how you looked at it. My friend…

In this time of #stayhome, even introverts like me are starting to go a little stir crazy. I love writing, of course, and reading, but I’ve needed something else to fill my days. So let’s talk hobbies! In my recent release, HONOR AVENGED, my hero Marcus loves to surf and watch movies. (He has an encyclopedic knowledge of movie quotes that he uses regularly throughout the series.) Now, I can barely walk across my house without tripping over my own feet, and I live in the cool and rainy Pacific Northwest, so surfing is no for me. And while I love movies, I don’t have Marcus’s memory for snappy quotes. So what’s a bored writer to do during quarantine? At first, I tried to keep busy with stuff that needed done around the house. I painted my bathroom. Power washed the front sidewalk. Ignored the pile of laundry sitting on my office chair. I filled my Amazon cart with all the stuff I want, then emptied it again when I saw the total. I tried working out, got through a full week of BeachBody On Demand, then got lazy for a week, then tried again. I walked the dogs. Cleaned…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  The Silence 2–What is it about?  Isla returns home to Sydney after 10 years living in London, to support her dad who is under suspicion in the case of a missing neighbor. Her home country, and her family, are more troubled than she expected. Her loyalty to her dad starts to waver when family secrets come to light. And it seems her community has been holding on to an older secret that goes to the heart of Australia’s colonial past. 3–What word best describes your main character? At the start of The Silence I would describe Isla as lost. She is hiding from life, at the beginning of a process of recovery but scared of the uncomfortable truths she really needs to face up to. I’d probably also say she’s tough, but she doesn’t know that about herself until later on. 4–What makes your story relatable?  The Silence is about people trying to figure out who they are, coming to terms with the things they regret and taking responsibility for those things. Some characters are doing better than others at the taking responsibility part, but they are all faced with that challenge and…

“I’M CURIOUS,” JINX SAID, her voice sounding strange even to her. “How did you get that scar?” She watched Angus swallow, then seem to relax, his blue eyes bright with humor. “Well, it’s kind of an amusing story.” He smiled. “I got pushed out of a barn loft when I was eleven.” “That’s awful.” He sat up straighter until they were eye to eye. “It was my fault. I asked for it.” “You asked to be pushed out of a barn loft?” “I was teasing her. She warned me that if I didn’t stop she would knock me into tomorrow.” “She?” Jinx felt goose bumps break out over her skin and for a moment she could smell the fresh hay in the barn, feel the breeze on her face, remember that cute cowboy who’d taunted her. Her heart began to pound. His smile broadened. “She was a spitfire, as fiery as her hair back then.” Jinx felt heat rush to her cheeks. “Tell me her name wasn’t JoRay McCallahan.” “Sorry, I’m afraid so,” he said and laughed. “I wondered if you would remember.” “When I saw you, I thought I’d met you before, but I couldn’t think of when that…

Picture a Reptile House. An enclosed space, just a guy and a girl. Low lights. Cool air. Soft music. Kind of romantic. If not for the snakes. If not for the fact that Mai is deathly afraid of snakes. And if not for the fact that Anthony and Mai are both intent on crushing their crushes on each other. 🙂 Here’s a scene from How to Quit Your Crush. Happy Reading! *** “I don’t like thinking about my future, but I like thinking about yours,” Anthony says. “Picturing you with Petri dishes and eyedroppers like in middle school.” “Can they be really good Petri dishes–not the plastic ones?” “They’re primo Petri. And you’re working late one night and all of a sudden, you stand up and cry, ‘Eureka.’” “I have never once in my life cried Eureka.” “Quiet. This is my vision.” “Fine.” I gesture for him to continue. “What have I done?” “You’ve cured cancer. All kinds of it.” “In one Petri dish?” “I said it was a really good one.” “That’s quite the vision.” But I’m smiling because it really is. “And where will you be?” “Like I said, I don’t like thinking about my future.” “Give it…

“Sisters, as you know, also have a unique relationship. This is the person who has known you your entire life, who should love you and stand by you no matter what, and yet it’s your sister who knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt you the most.” Lisa See, author When I was younger, I was all about trying to fix what was wrong in my life. Smoothing out the rough edges. If I couldn’t fix my flaws, I’d figure out a way to hide ’em. As I’ve aged, I’ve accepted the messiness of life. Sometimes we fall, Humpty-Dumpty-style, and break, and the pieces don’t fit back together again. As an author, I love to delve into complicated relationships. Family relationships. Friendships. Does he-doesn’t she romantic entanglements. You want to try to unravel some problematic relationships? Try to understand the bonds between sisters. Some sisters are each other’s designated best friends, with their phone numbers on speed dial so they chat with each other multiple times a day. Some sisters are so hostile toward one another that they haven’t seen or spoken to one another in years. And some sisters are an oil and water mix of the…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? The Sunday Girl 2–What’s it about? It’s an answer to the question: what would happen if a good girl snapped? 3–What word best describes your main character? Flawed. 4–What makes your story relatable? Most of us have had one really terrible breakup where, in our darker moments, we’ve toyed with the idea of revenge. Most of us, however, don’t actually go through with it. Not so for Taylor Bishop! And so, through her we get to live vicariously… 5–Who are the people your main character turns to when they need help? One of the key themes of The Sunday Girl is how abusive relationships isolate us and make it almost impossible to ask for help. But when Taylor does reach out, it’s to her best friend, her mother and, briefly, the police. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book. Well it’s set in London, and London is a second home for me. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? I’m a hybrid. I go in with an outline knowing how it begins, a couple of things that happen in the…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  ARCTIC BITE, book 2 of the Forgotten Brotherhood series. 2–What is it about?  The Forgotten Brotherhood are a group of paranormal assassins. They aren’t the monsters lurking under the bed. They’re the ones that kill them. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  The word that best describes Cassie Dobbs is strong. She’s seen and done more than most people can imagine. To walk away from it all, knowing it will mean her death takes strength, courage, and commitment. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Alexei is huge and quiet. Most people assume he’s all muscle and none too bright. That is a huge mistake. As he likes to say, he’s the total bear package—strength and determination mixed with a keen intellect and curiosity. He’s laidback and surprisingly loveable in spite of being one of the most dangerous assassins on the planet. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Cassie has cut all ties with her past in order to survive. Alexei is a loner with no family and only the Brotherhood to call on, and they’re not exactly a social group, but he knows they’ll have his back…

To DNF: in which you Do Not Finish a book. Once upon a time, I was a diligent reader who started a book and then finished it dutifully, whether I liked it or not. There were times when I was the one of only a few people in my book club who slogged through a long tome or truly dismal narrative because I felt some sort of duty to the author who took the time to write a book. Ah, to be young and not as cynical. Now, I have a job that entails reading every single day (what a bore, right? Kidding, it’s a dream!), I’m a mother to a very precocious daughter (she’s a clearly a genius), I like to binge-watch TV (I will neither confirm nor deny that I finished the latest season of Nailed It! in one sitting), and I’m also trying to write my own book (it’s still a work in progress). Not to mention, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and concentration has suddenly become a concept I can’t seem to grasp. But one thing has saved my sanity, one thing has brought me sweet relief. I’ve started to DNF books. Sometimes…