Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Tara Pammi | 20 Questions: CLAIMING HIS BOLLYWOOD CINDERELLA
Author Guest / October 30, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  CLAIMING HIS BOLLYWOOD CINDERELLA 2–What is it about?  It’s about a jaded Bollywood Superstar who falls head over heels in love with Cinderella during one magical night, who turns out to be his new personal assistant.   3–What word best describes your heroine?  I don’t think Naina can be described in one word. She’s creative and generous and beautiful and sees the good in everything and everyone. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Vikram is a Bollywood Superstar. But what makes him truly irresistible is that even with all the success he’s tasted, he’s willing and ready to change for the woman he’s fallen for. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Vikram mostly keeps to himself. But it would be his best friend and co-star Zara Khan that he would open up to first. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  What’s not to love about Bollywood? It’s the glittering background where stars are made. But it also lends itself to breathtaking, down to earth love stories. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)?…

Tawna Fenske: | Exclusive Excerpt: JUST A LITTLE BET
Author Guest / October 30, 2020

She rested her hand on her chin, studying him a moment. “Why do you think you burn through girlfriends quicker than most guys change socks?” “Geez, are you my shrink?” It wasn’t a bad question, though. Kayla shrugged, seemingly unfazed. “No, but one of my sisters just did this communication workshop she was telling me about. It’s all about self-reflection and owning your mistakes and shortcomings in relationships. Not that she needs it, since she’s ridiculously happily married, but she loved it.” There was that flash in her eyes again—a sign there was more going on inside that beautiful brain of hers. “Anyway,” she said. “She just sent me this book she got at the workshop. All this talk about self-reflection and shortcomings made me wonder if you have a theory about why you’ve been through so many breakups.” Tony scratched his thumbnail over a mark in the bar and tried to come up with an answer. One that didn’t make him sound like a total asshole, which he probably was. “I don’t know. Lousy schedule, maybe? Smokejumpers are gone so much that it’s tough to have a relationship.” That was dumb. Grady made it work with Willa. Kayla knew…

Elysia Whisler | 20 Questions: RESCUE YOU
Author Guest / October 30, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? RESCUE YOU 2–What is it about? Two sisters who own a dog rescue, a war veteran who owns a gym, and a brood of loveable dogs–all broken and in need of saving—whose paths twine in their individual searches for growth, healing, and, ultimately, love. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Unbreakable. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? His vulnerability. He’s a tough guy, but ultimately Rhett realizes his greatest strength is in his vulnerability–he has to have the courage to let someone in, to surrender a little bit, in order to fully heal and grow. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Sisters Constance and Sunny have always relied on each other, and in this book their bond only grows. They also rely on long-time, childhood friend, Pete, who rehabilitates some of the rescue dogs into service dogs for veterans. Rhett, the hero, relies on his gym. Not necessarily the people, as he’s still learning to open himself up to others, but the gym itself, the outlet it provides him to channel his energy and passion into something that betters people’s lives. 6–What do you love about the…

James S. Murray | Q&A: DON’T MOVE
Author Guest / October 30, 2020

You’ve written a whole trilogy about underground monsters, and now DON’T MOVE is bringing us a terrifying giant arachnid–where do you think your passion for creepy creatures comes from? It’s definitely an interest that started at a young age. I grew up reading lots of horror novels. Particularly, I remember tearing through Time Life’s Mysteries of the Unknown book series and being obsessed with all things Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Jersey Devil. On top of that, add watching and re-watching classic creature movies like Alien and The Thing and you’ve got a lifelong monster lover. Even without the prehistoric arachnid, the experience of being lost in the woods is pretty scary! Have you ever had any unsettling camping experiences? Not necessarily a bad camping experience, but I once had to run through the woods of Staten Island dressed as a centaur while being pelted with paintballs. Certainly wasn’t a highlight of my life. Now that I think about it, that experience must’ve left some lasting impact considering DON’T MOVE and another project I’m working on–a new thriller that follows an uncle and his nephews on a camping trip at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Stay tuned for…

Michelle Diener | Working on Worldbuilding
Author Guest / October 29, 2020

The best feeling in the world for me is when I am reading a book and fall so completely into the story that I feel like I’m there. That feeling of being transported is why I wanted to be an author from a young age. I loved that sensation and want to create it for others. I work hard to suck my readers in, and some of the best compliments I receive about my books is readers telling me they didn’t want to leave the world I’ve created, or that the book can’t be long enough for their liking. Or that they read through the night and ended up going to work in zombie mode. Winning! 🙂 I started out writing historical fiction, and while the times and places I wrote about really existed, as we don’t (yet) have the ability to travel back in time, it is still a foreign landscape. The world-building was just as intricate and challenging for my historicals as the worlds I create for my fantasy and science fiction romance novels. I think that’s why I was able to move from historicals into fantasy and science fiction so easily. The world-building skill-set was the same….

Elizabeth Bear | Q&A: MACHINE
Author Guest / October 29, 2020

What are you currently reading, watching, listening to? Well, along with the rest of the world, I just rediscovered Fleetwood Mac and I’ve been listening to their live album rather a lot. On audiobook, I just finished Jeff Guinn’s THE LAST GUNFIGHT, which is a pretty clear-eyed look at The Matter of Tombstone, often referred to as “The gunfight at the OK Corral,” but really a two-year trainwreck of patronage, black market cattle operations, and opportunism. I’m reading C.L.Polk’s THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN, which is just as enjoyable as I expect, and Carlos Hernandez’s SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE, a very fun romp. (I totally read kid’s books and I think every writer should. Kids don’t have patience for a lot of nonsense.) My spouse and I have been watching LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, which just finished as I write this, and catching up on SCOOBY DOO: MYSTERY INCORPORATED. I am incredibly impressed by LOVECRAFT COUNTRY in general, though I did feel the ending was rushed and missed several opportunities for character development in preference for gotcha moments. They could have used a 90 minute finale. And of course we’re watching the current season of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF, because we live…

Abigail Owen | 20 Questions: TRY AS I SMITE
Author Guest / October 29, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Try As I Smite 2–What is it about?  In a paranormal retelling of A Christmas Carol, two people usually at odds with each other have to learn from the past, present, and future in order to stop a demon uprising. Sometimes it pays to have a little devil in you. . .  3–What word best describes your heroine?  In charge 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  He’s incredibly powerful, but hasn’t been corrupted by it. His intentions, even when he’s being an ass, are about using his power, both as a mage and as a leader, to help. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Each other, oddly, given how against each other they start out. Delilah turns to her mother (which may or may not be a mistake) but her relationship with both parents is a little…unusual. Alasdair’s only family is his sister. He calls on the Convens Syndicate of magical leaders, of whom she is a part. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The book is set primarily in the northern California mountains near Yosemite which is gorgeous and one of my…

Lenora Bell | 20 Questions: LOVE IS A ROGUE
Author Guest / October 28, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Love Is a Rogue is the first book in my new Wallflowers vs. Rogues series with Avon Books. 2–What is it about?  It’s a gender-flipped take on Beauty and the Beast with an HGTV twist. It’s the tale of a bookish highborn lady, a handsome rogue of a carpenter, a fixer-upper bookshop, and the chance to build a love to last forever. I have a soft spot for carpenters since my grandfather, father, brother, and husband are all builders. In fact, parts of the book are based on my real-life experience fixing up a Victorian farmhouse with my husband (that’s how I met him!) in Portland, Oregon. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Bookish. Lady Beatrice Bentley has retreated from society to her brother’s Gothic mansion in Cornwall to work on her etymological dictionary. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Ford Wright is a hot, rugged carpenter who builds bookshelves for Beatrice. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Beatrice turns to her best girlfriends, fellow members of the secretly subversive Mayfair Ladies Knitting League. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Beatrice and Ford…

Priscilla Oliveras | La Parranda & Other Holiday Traditions with Mi Familia
Author Guest / October 28, 2020

The Christmas holiday season has always been my favorite time of year. When my three girls were younger and still at home, we spent the month of December decorating outside and in, cutting out and frosting sugar cookies, designing and baking gingerbread houses-monuments-buildings from scratch, and sharing special Christmas Eve traditions together. One common thread throughout all those activities was the presence of music–carols playing in the background that enticed us to sing along as we enjoyed our activity. Even though my girls are adults now, I’m pleased to say that we still do the same. . . only, we try to cram it all into a few days or the week we have together when they visit. And yes, we definitely do our best to make the most of it. This year, with the pandemic, I’m not sure if we’ll all be together, but I can guarantee that our gingerbread building permits will meet the regulations and codes in our four different states, and come Christmas Eve, you’ll find us in a group Facetime or Zoom opening our pajamas and reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas aloud. Distance and differing time zones won’t stop us. In fact, one year,…

Victoria Ellis | Author-Reader Match: BLURRED LINES
Author Guest / October 27, 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 Victoria Ellis! ABOUT: Twenty-something author seeks readers who have a passion for second chance romance, strong family bonds, and have an intense love for music; especially played from record players! The ideal reader match would be one who would love to get lost in a novel with a strong female lead and a hunky, bearded, thoughtful guitarist named River Jacobs. What I’m Looking for in My Ideal Reader Match: -Their idea of a perfect date includes a Saturday night in with a glass of wine (whether it’s alcoholic or sparkling!) and a great, supportive best friend who will always make you feel like the strong, capable person you are! -Prefers a strong family bond, with a dynamic duo of father & daughter. -Deeply emotional music themes; 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s! -Enjoys a fast-paced and emotional storyline -Falls easily for the unbelievably attractive, old soul male lead -Wants to be swept away in the reminder that love can always come back around What…