Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Rebekah L. Purdy! Writes: Rebekah writes Young Adult books—everything from contemporary to fantasy and everything in between. Where There Be Humans is about Ivy Archer, a half goblin, who more than anything wants to figure out who or what her mother is/was. She lives in a world where humans are fairytales and sometimes the real monsters aren’t what you’d expect. But she’ll soon realize some questions are best left unanswered, and not all adventures are like what she reads in her black-market books. About: Rebekah is a video game playing, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings memorabilia collecting, nerd, who writes Young Adult books. She is a mother, and also the proud owner of lots furbabies. She seeks readers who want to unite against the forces of evil and let goodness reign. You must bring your own swords and lightsabers to the battle (armor optional but strongly encouraged). What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Must love B.A. heroines who can wield swords Must love loyal…

With COVID-19, nowadays “quarantine”, “social distancing”, and “isolate” are common parts of our everyday vocabulary. While isolating is necessary right now, it can lead to varying levels of depression and other unexpected emotions – even for an introvert like me. As I was sitting in the quiet of my apartment, with my cat keeping vigil next to me, I was longing for any type of travel and human interaction. Travel and human interaction are not normally things that are normally high up on my “must haves.” While dystopian films and novels might seem like a natural for readers to gravitate right now, a lot of my friends have avoided those types of entertainment because it seemed off-putting. It’s as I was sitting at home in isolation that I thought of some of my favorite romances that take place in far off worlds and unique characters and bizarre situations that seem like just the thing to perk up a reader longing for travel, adventure, fun, and excitement. You might not be able to go far right now, but books provide an entertaining alternative. Although I don’t normally read sci-fi, something about the Cat Star Chronicles books by Cheryl Brooks intrigued me….

Inside the stately manor house on the TV series Downton Abbey, two different worlds exist. Life upstairs is elegant and refined. The gentry is considered superior to the working class and worthy of deference and respect because of the “blue blood” in their veins. They wear fabulous clothing that they can’t seem to put on by themselves, enjoy fine dining every evening, and have plenty of leisure time. Downstairs, servants wearing identical uniforms day after day bump elbows with each other as they work from dawn until long after dark to keep the household running in good order. The family upstairs enjoys the freedom to pursue new pastimes and careers while their downstairs servants seem destined to remain among the servant class. The divide between the classes is much wider than the door that separates them. That’s why, when the chauffeur and the upstairs daughter dare to fall in love, both servants and gentry at Downton Abbey are equally horrified. My latest novel, If I Were You, takes place in a similar setting—in a grand manor house called Wellingford Hall. Audrey Clarkson lives a life of wealth and privilege upstairs. Eve Dawson and her mother work downstairs as household servants….

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 Cindy K. Sproles! Writes: Cindy writes Appalachian Historical (1800s era). Her stories are gritty, emotional, and full of action. What Momma Left Behind, tackles the difficult life of the orphaned children in the deep Smoky Mountains when “the fever” seemed to be taking more adults and leaving orphaned children by the droves to forge the mountains to survive. About: Author is a mountain gal who seeks friends who appreciate the sweet smell of fresh mountain air after a spring rain, and the stamina to hike to the summit. Raised in the mountains of East Tennessee, Cindy loves her mountain heritage and her desire is to keep the stories of the Appalachians in the forefront so they are not forgotten.  She wants readers to relate to the hardships but see the determination and faithfulness to others found in people “back in the hollers.” What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: *Readers must like fast hitting action. *Must be willing to plow through the hardship to see the depth of those who…

Writing is a creative enterprise for sure, but there’s also an element of pragmatism involved. While considering the setting for a new book series three or four years ago, I wanted to find a place that had some familiarity for me (theoretically cutting down on research time), but at the same time might spark curiosity in my audience. What could be more fun than reading about the beginnings of a little Southern town that spawned one of the greatest rock ’n roll legends of all time? It just so happened that Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley, was incorporated in 1870—precisely in the middle of the Reconstruction Era, the tumultuous setting I’d chosen for the Daughtry House series. Giving myself leeway to create whatever I needed to for the story (for example, there were no real plantations left in the area by the end of the Civil War; Ithaca/Daughtry House is based on Waverley Plantation, which is actually in nearby West Point, Mississippi), I tried as much as possible to ground the little town of Tupelo in life as it would have been back then. Boarding houses, saloons, mercantiles, and other businesses set in a grid not too far…

Chapter Three With the sun casting a glittery effect on the sand and surf, the image gave off a perfect depiction of tranquility and whispered a message that all was right. It was the same picture Josie worked diligently to showcase as well over the years to help hide the debilitating fears that were constantly threatening to overtake her. Through carefully placed smiles and keeping to the edges of every situation, she did a good job most of the time, but the unexpected visit from August Bradford had rattled her. She worried it would expose the shadows that continuously lurked just underneath her surface, at the ready to swallow up the light. It wasn’t due to the man himself, but the aftermath he would leave in his wake once another wave of an opportunity picked him up and carried him far from the shore of Sunset Cove. Opal and Sophia prattled in their lounge chairs on either side of Josie. She’d mostly tuned them out as Opal recapped her disastrous encounter with August Bradford at the diner. “He left his number. How much more obvious could the man be about his interest?” Opal snickered, straightening the top of her crocheted…

Meet the Sisters in Jamie Beck’s If You Must Know Your newest series, Potomac Point, releases this week with If You Must Know. Please tell us about the sisters that are at the center of your novel.  Amanda is the middle child. She’s diligent, earnest, hard-working, and generous. She wants the people she loves to be happy and feel her love. Her weakness is a deep-seated insecurity—a sense that she is not interesting enough to be lovable. This leads her to overlook when she is being taken for granted because her need to be pleasing is omnipresent. Erin is the baby of the family and her late-father’s pet. She is outgoing, fun-loving, and views her average intelligence as a blessing (rather than lamenting that her siblings are smarter). She is willful and has her own way of moving through the world. The big weakness she has is her impulsiveness, whether with jobs or relationships. As she approaches her 30th birthday, she’s looking to mature and create a more stable life for herself. Arguably, Amanda has led a pretty charmed life – no real worries about money, no problems in her relationships, a big house, doting husband… Then her world comes crashing…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Conventionally Yours! 2–What is it about?  This is my gamer road trip rivals to lovers story about two tabletop gaming frenemies forced to take a cross-country road trip together to a huge convention. Along the way, they discover the true depth of their feelings for each other. Also, they confront everything from car trouble to hotel rooms with only one bed! 3–What word best describes Alden?  Perplexing.  He’s driven, determined, complicated, smart, stubborn, and also deeply loyal, moral, and good in a crisis. And he’s good at driving Conrad up a tree! 4–What makes Conrad irresistible?  He’s handsome in a boy-next-door way, but he’s also funny, helpful, kind, principled, spontaneous, and resourceful. And he’s everything Alden has never realized he needs. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  I love the secondary characters in this book. They have a pretty strong cast of characters, from friends like Jasper and Payton to the Professor whose car they are driving and who functions as sort of a surrogate grandpa for the group. Alden’s moms are also important to the story, as are people they meet along the journey. 6–What…

“Let’s try this,” she said. “Tell me what you know about The Dream, and I’ll be on my way.” “If I knew something, I’d tell you. Why is this Dream person dangerous? What did he do?” She leaned closer. “He murdered two men in cold blood.” “I never have gotten that saying. In cold blood. What does that even mean?” Agent Uribe gritted her teeth. “It means he showed no remorse. He feels no empathy.” The waitress walked back over. “Do you want to ordah somethin’ to eat?” “No, tha—” “Absolutely. I’m famished.” Samuel smiled and picked up the menu. “Hmm . . . are the jalapeño poppers good?” “If you like hot.” Samuel pursed his lips. “Maybe the burger, beer, and fries. What’s a Narragansett? Wait, isn’t that the name of a town?” Uribe was glaring at him. “They make lagahs,” the waitress said. “Eh, maybe I shouldn’t have a beer. What about . . . kabobs? You serve kabobs? That’s interesting.” “Is that what you’d like?” The waitress sounded slightly annoyed. “No, I don’t think so. Just give me a cheeseburger and fries.” He folded the menu. The waitress wrote down the order and went back into the…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Jill! Please tell us about yourself and your new book, IT STARTED WITH A SECRET. Hello, hello, I’m Jill Mansell, this is my 32nd novel and I’ve now sold over 13 million copies of my books worldwide. This one will hopefully make readers laugh and cry and is set in Cornwall in the UK, so it’s a nice sunny seasidey read full of fun characters you’ll enjoy spending time with. Oh, and they all have secrets! You’ve been writing romantic comedies for a long time – what has changed the most since you started writing? The internet! Smartphones! My older books tend to have plots that revolve around not being able to find out details about people or to be able to make contact with them. Nowadays these problems can be solved in a split second, and it’s a complete nightmare for all authors of contemporary fiction. Plotting is far more tricky than it used to be. There’s such a thing as having access to too much information! One of my favorite things about your books is the huge cast of characters, each one with a distinct personality. How do you manage all of them? I…