Hi, Elissa! Thank you for joining us today on Fresh Fiction. Please tell us about yourself and your debut novel, THE UNRAVELING OF CASSIDY HOLMES. Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I’m a Japanese-American Texan who has been writing short stories since I was in elementary school. THE UNRAVELING OF CASSIDY HOLMES is the story of a pop act that is seemingly on top of the world in 2002 — until one of their members inexplicably leaves at the height of their popularity, imploding the group. Fifteen years later, that same member, Cassidy, dies by suicide and the other estranged members come together before her funeral to figure out what went wrong all those years ago. It’s a novel about secrets, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, trust, and love.  This is your debut novel! Congratulations! Can you tell us about your journey into publishing? I started writing this book in 2014 after a long period of not writing creatively at all. I am a slow writer and it took three years to finish the first draft. I realized what was wrong with it, chopped off the second half, and began drafting again, then revised for another year. This entire time I didn’t…

If you could spend a week with one character from THE DEADLY HOURS, who would it be and why? Susanna Kearsley: I think I’d probably choose Captain del Rio from my own story, who first walked into an earlier novel—A Desperate Fortune–and unexpectedly became one of my favorite side characters, determined to outwit and upstage everyone else in his scenes. I think spending a week with him would be tremendous fun, if not always good for my health. CS Harris: I’d probably say Jude Lowe, the World War II RAF fighter pilot from Siren’s Call. When I was growing up, we had several good family friends who used to tell us their experiences as German generals in WWII, fighting in Europe and North Africa (my dad was in Air Force intelligence). So it would be fascinated to hear Jude talk about fighting those same battles but from the other side. Anna Lee Huber: Susanna knows I’ve had a soft spot for Edmund ever since I read The Firebird, so probably him. I mean, I am named Anna (the same as his wife), so maybe it’s a given. Christine Trent: Ever since reading Anna’s The Anatomist’s Wife, I’ve always had a crush…

I opened my eyes, and once more I was sitting on a bench between the sweet neighborhood to my right and the bustling downtown to my left. The thoughts I’d recovered earlier crashed into my brain, and their rumbling fears with them. My heart rate spiked. I could feel beads of sweat collecting at my hairline. I had to control this. Deep breaths. Internalize the fear. See it, switch it off, stomp it out. I’d been trained to do so. Wasn’t that what Dr. Loveless had said? “You came back,” the small voice beside me said. I turned and saw the high ponytail and unicorn shirt. “You lied to me.” The girl’s face went sour. “Did not.” “You said you would show me the game.” “I did. It’s not my fault you lost.” Lucy, remember, this is your mind. You are safe. Dr. Loveless’s voice echoed like a whisper in my ears. I had to keep my brain trained on the truth of her words. “Are there more games like that one?” I asked the child. “Oh yeah, lots,” she said, her eyes widening. “Can you show me?” “Not until you win the first one.” Fear beat against my heart….

I’m Gina LaManna, and I’m thrilled to introduce you to my new novel, THREE SINGLE WIVES, on-sale on September 1. Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect! When Eliza, Anne, and Penny arrive at book club bearing bottles of wine, none of them anticipate the night will end in murder. But when the subject of a philandering husband arises, revenge is in the air. By the end of the night, someone is dead. What actually happened that night? And is the truth stranger than fiction? T – T is for Three. Three women are featured at the heart of this story. Follow Penny, Eliza, and Anne through this winding tale to find out who is innocent. . .  and who is guilty. H – H is for Heart. Several of these women follow their hearts. Sometimes it gets them in trouble. R – R is for Revenge. Did one of these women go to great lengths for justice? E – E is for Entrepreneurial. When one of the women sets out to start her own business, the cost of it backfires in a way she didn’t see coming. E – E is for Everything. Will one woman give up everything…