Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Elia Winters | Exclusive Interview: HAIRPIN CURVES
Author Guest / July 31, 2020

Hi, Elia! Welcome to Fresh Fiction! Please introduce yourself and tell us about your new book, HAIRPIN CURVES. Thanks for having me! HAIRPIN CURVES is a frenemies-to-lovers road trip romance. Megan and Scarlett used to be best friends, but a falling-out after high school has kept them apart for the last seven years, and now they’re headed to Quebec on a road trip for a mutual friend’s wedding. Along the way, they of course discover a lot about each other and themselves.  There’s something so fun about a road trip romance! Have you ever gone on an epic road trip like Megan and Scarlett? Definitely. I grew up doing road trips, because my family had moved to Florida and left most of our extended family in Massachusetts. My parents didn’t fly, so we drove. We did more than the FL-to-MA trip, too: Jonesborough, Tennessee for the National Storytelling Festival; Parris Island, South Carolina for my brother’s Marine Corps graduation; St. Louis, Missouri to visit my sister, etc. As an adult, I’ve continued the road trip tradition, although I don’t have any aversion to flying (when it’s not a pandemic). My husband and I have driven to Quebec a number of…

Erin Marsh | Author-Reader Match: WILD COWBOY COUNTRY
Author Guest / July 31, 2020

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 Erin Marsh! Writes: Cowboy romances with a supporting cast of cuddly, rascally animals.  In Wild Cowboy Country, passionate national park ranger, Lacey Montgomery, must partner with hard-working rancher, Clay Stevens, to help save two wolf pups injured in a cave-in accidently triggered by Clay’s troubled teenage nephew. Already members of feuding families, Lacey and Clay have clashed in the past over the reintroduction of a wolf-pack on the land bordering Clay’s ranch.  When they are thrust together, however, they discover that they might not be such opposites after all. About: Author seeking readers who enjoy heart-felt romances populated by supporting characters of the furry, four-legged type, including adorable wolf pups, a nursemaid capybara, and a heroic camel.  Must be willing to both laugh and to open up their hearts to a Romeo-and-Juliet-like couple who must confront their pasts as they fall in love against the chiding disapproval of an entire, gossipy town.  Author has placed own experience with head injury into heroine’s…

Maggie Robinson | Cover-up
Author Guest / July 29, 2020

Thanks so much for the opportunity to talk about my latest Lady Adelaide Mystery, Just Make Believe! This 1920s-set cozy-with-a-touch-of-paranormal features Addie, an aristocratic widow, the pesky ghost of her cheating husband Rupert, and Dev, a divine Scotland Yard detective. Not the usual love triangle for sure, LOL. Rupert is stuck in Limbo after a very rakish life, and unless he protects and assists Addie, he’ll never get to Heaven and redemption. The series has been the most fun for me in my over-twenty years’ book career, and I hope readers are equally amused! In Just make Believe, Addie’s been invited to a week-long house party, but how can she have fun when bodies are piling up everywhere? Rupert and Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter to the rescue! Here’s the blurb: A week-long house party in the country–why not? Lady Adelaide has nothing else to do, now that her year of mourning for her unfaithful husband is up and her plans to rekindle her romantic life have backfired. But when her hostess is found dead on the conservatory floor, Addie knows just who to call Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter of Scotland Yard. Dev may not want to kiss Addie again, but…

Danielle Dresser | In Which We Discuss the Bareknuckle Bastards
Author Guest / July 29, 2020

Would you love to chat with Sarah MacLean? Join us TOMORROW, Thursday, July 30, at 7pm CT for a Fresh Fiction Book Club chat. There’s an interview with Sarah first and then a chance to ask her questions directly, via a Zoom Chat. You can find out more details and register to attend here: Video Book Club with Sarah MacLean *** I was late to the Bareknuckle Bastards. Don’t ask me why–but it was always one of those sore spots in with my fellow citizens of Romancelandia… “You HAVEN’T?” and “Why NOT?” and “Oh, you MUST REMEDY THIS NOW OR WE WON’T BE FRIENDS.” That last one is slightly exaggerated, though not by much. I understood their astonishment that I, a Sarah MacLean fan, had not read each book as it came out over the last few years. I just didn’t. . . But then came the cover reveal for DARING AND THE DUKE, the final book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series and these books were back on my radar. I decided to read all three of them back-to-back-to-back, and readers, I’m so happy I did. The worldbuilding, the backstory, the characters. There’s so much to love in the part…

Megan McCafferty | Title Challenge: THE MALL
Author Guest / July 28, 2020

T is for Throwback. This retro romp is for 90s-obsessed teens and nostalgic Gen Xers alike. H is for Hair. It’s New Jersey in 1991. Go big or go home for another can of Aqua Net. E is for Everything. The mall wasn’t just about shopping. It was the center of the universe for bored teens with limited spending money and unlimited time to waste. * M is for Mixtapes. The perfect songs in the perfect order reveals Cassie Worthy’s deepest, unspoken feelings for her summer crush “Sam Goody.” A is for Adventure. Drea Bellarosa lures Cassie into a Cabbage Patch Doll scavenger hunt. Do these ex best friends find the legendary hidden treasure…or something even more valuable? L is for Lycra. And spandex, shoulder pads, sequins and all the glitzy, over-the-top early-90s fashion trends sold at Bellarosa Boutique. L is for Letting Go. Cassie ditches The Plan she’s worked toward her whole life–and her inhibitions–and discovers the Riot Grrrl within. THE MALL by Megan McCafferty New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty returns to her roots with this YA coming of age story set in a New Jersey mall. The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally…

Katie Golding | 20 Questions: FEARLESS
Author Guest / July 28, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Fearless 2–What is it about?  A soft-hearted cowboy returns home to Memphis to win back the heart of the fierce motorcycle racer he loves and lost. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Feisty 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He is super gentle, until it’s time to race or ride bulls. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Billy always turns to his younger brother, Mason, while Taryn relies on her parents’ support   6–What do you love about the setting of your book? As a small town Texan, writing a country setting felt like coming home. I also loved adding in the excitement of the moto racing world. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? Plotter, no question. My outlines are long, notoriously detailed, and all through drafting I had year calendar on my wall that I color-coded to track Billy and Taryn’s racing schedule. 8–What is an ideal writing day for you? Coffee. Quiet. Headphones. And about 8-14 hours uninterrupted while my husband sweetly brings me food and drinks. I am a hyperfocuser, and I can…

Jackie Ashenden | Author-Reader Match: COME HOME TO DEEP RIVER
Author Guest / July 28, 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 Jackie Ashenden! Writes: Sexy, emotional small town romance set in the wilds of Alaska! About: Jackie lives in Auckland, NZ, with her husband and two kids. Her hobbies include reading, looking for yarn on the internet, buying yarn on the internet, looking for patterns for said yarn on the internet, knitting said yarn, and talking about yarn to anyone who will listen. In between talking about yarn, looking for yarn, and knitting yarn, she also bakes a bit, spends time with her family, and writes the odd book. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: You will love deep emotion You will love quirky small-town detail You will love the wild outdoors You will love tension and chemistry between the hero and heroine You will love a brooding, white knight hero who wants what’s best for everyone, and a prickly, stubborn heroine who also wants what’s best for everyone. What to expect if we’re compatible: In The House of Ashenden, my FB group, there will be lots of…

Cathy Skendrovich | A Military Man + Giveaway!
Author Guest / July 27, 2020

Just like most women, I’ve always liked a man in uniform. They look crisp, clean, and very take-charge. They make a person feel safe. However, when I became an Army mom in 2017, I had a totally different opinion of soldiers. You see, my baby enlisted then. I didn’t know what was going to happen to him in the future. I wouldn’t be able to protect him. The military wasn’t so romantic anymore, although they can still put on one heck of a graduation ceremony. After my son graduated Basic Training, or BT as he called it, the worry over his safety backed off a little inside me, and the whole Army brotherhood angle began to interest me. I wanted to write a suspense novel involving soldiers. My plot was nebulous; I pitched it to my editor at Entangled. They came back with, “We want a terrorist thriller. If you do this right, it could be a series.” Whoa. I didn’t know anything about terrorists, except what you see on the news periodically. Could I write a book about them? I set out researching. I looked up Army Intelligence, counterterrorism, the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world, terrorist cells……

Kym Roberts | Cozy Corner: THE LAST MRS. SUMMERS BY RHYS BOWEN
Author Guest / July 27, 2020

Saying a novel is a du Maurier-like mystery, immediately catches a reader’s attention and sets a pretty high bar for an author to attain. Rhys Bowen, however, is one of the few writers who achieved that goal with flare. In her latest installment of the Royal Spyness Mystery series, The Last Mrs. Summers, Ms. Bowen was not only inspired by the Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, but she also matched the novel with her own creative genius. After all, within this one series, Ms. Bowen has tackled the love of the romance genre, the intrigue of a classic murder mystery, the suspense of a spy thriller, the angst of a historical drama, the friendship found in women’s fiction, (I’m sure I’m leaving something out) and now the foreboding of a gothic novel. How an author does that in one cozy mystery series is beyond brilliant. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier not only fascinated readers because of its gothic style but also for its narrative format from the viewpoint of the second Mrs. de Winter. I love that Ms. Bowen named her character Mrs. Summers—the seasons may be opposite, but her characters are equally captivating. On page one du Maurier began: “Last night I dreamt…

Annabeth Albert | Exclusive Excerpt: HIGH HEAT
Author Guest / July 27, 2020

Hi! I am so thrilled to be here on one of my favorite blogs with an exclusive excerpt of HIGH HEAT, my new release. This is book two in my Hotshots series about smoke jumper wildfire fighters in Central Oregon, but each book is designed to stand alone as well.  HIGH HEAT centers around an injured smoke jumper, Garrick, trying to recover from serious injuries and his sexy new neighbor, Rain who barrels his way into Garrick’s life, complete with a lost dog who needs them both.  In the exclusive scene that I’ve brought Fresh Fiction today, Garrick has agreed to help Rain get in shape to meet the wildfire fighter fitness standards. They’re out for exercise in the park and just starting to dance around a mutual attraction. . . Read on to see the sparks starting to fly! *** Needing to change the subject, Garrick pointed at the paved trail that wove through the park. “If we follow this, we’ll hit various obstacles, including pull-up bars. I plan to make you do most of them.” “At your command.” Rain’s dark eyes sparkled, almost like he knew precisely the effect his flirty tone would have on Garrick. “Sit-ups.” Stopping…