Hi, S.W.! Welcome to Fresh Fiction. Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your new book, PATIENCE & ESTHER.  Hello! I’ve been making comics for ages and started writing/drawing erotica when Spike of Iron Circus hired me to create a story for the 2014 Smut Peddler anthology. Since then, I’ve been an ongoing contributor to Filthy Figments, plus my erotic work has appeared in other places like the French magazine L’Immanquable. I’ve been so freaking fortunate to find publishers who support me in making some of the most fun, indulgent stuff. Working in this genre is a really nice emotional break from the other more serious books I make for other audiences. Patience & Esther: An Edwardian Romance is Iron Circus Comics’ collected edition of my Sparks series that ran on Filthy Figments from 2015-2019. It’s about two women who fall in love while working in service on a country estate, and their subsequent journey toward independence as they make a life together. It’s a quiet story about the experience of being in love and growth, both as individuals and a couple. The Edwardian period was a very interesting time of transition in England’s history. What sort…

He was handsome. Lucia had noticed that from the outset. It was difficult to tell beneath all of that grime and hair, but once she got a good look at his face, she could see just how handsome he was. And young; he wasn’t old at all. Well, relatively old. At ten or more years than her twenty and one. He was a man in his prime. But he was also living on the streets, and in addition to the smell of piss from the pot she’d slung at him, she thought she could smell ale. After the chaos of the sausages had died down and she realized he was injured, she still couldn’t explain what made her go back to see how badly he was hurt. Perhaps it was the fact that something in his eyes conveyed utter defeat. He was a man who had given up. Perhaps that was why she’d insisted he come back with her to Meadowbank. All she knew was that something in his eyes had pulled at her, something that captured her curiosity and natural empathy. Certainly, she’d seen her share of the destitute in Edinburgh. But what made this man different, she didn’t…

As we turn the page from a miserable 2020 into what everyone hopes will be a much better 2021, we’ll look at fiction that involves people trying to rebuild their lives after the even-greater tragedy of World War I—which traumatized the world by adding the first global pandemic on top of an already-horrific war.  In settings varying from England to France to Italy, this month’s collection of stories demonstrates that nothing is stronger than the human spirit’s will to survive. We’ll begin in England with THE POPPY WIFE by Caroline Scott.  Three brothers, Harry, Will and Francis, head off to war, leaving behind family and Francis’s wife Edie.  Only Harry returns.  But while Will’s death is confirmed and Harry was present when Francis was wounded and was convinced the wound was mortal, Francis is only “presumed” to have been killed in action.  When Edie receives a photo of Francis that appears to have been recently taken, she’s convinced he must still be alive.  She enlists Harry, who is working in France for grieving families who hire him to photograph the gravestones of the men they’ve lost, to help her look for Francis. As the story moves back and forth between…

Chapter Two Excerpt: Rachel, Out of Office by Christina Hovland A romantic momedy! Single-mom Rachel needs a break from her family vacation. She struggles to keep up with work and balance the demands of family, all the while fending off pesky new feelings for her hunky former-brother-in-law. Which makes her wonder…is falling for him really that wrong? Or is anything possible when she’s out of office…? Rachel rummaged through her handbag to search for her sunglasses as they walked. Damn, she knew she’d dropped them in there before she left the house. “It’s not happening. If I need company, I’ll just adopt a puppy or something,” she continued. Coming up empty from the inside pocket, she turned her attention to the oversize beach bag, the one that had never seen a beach but was her own personal “bug out” bag where she kept all the things she might need for herself or her kids. “If you don’t want to be so obvious, just squeeze a couple of cantaloupes.” Her best friend Molly shrugged, clearly oblivious to Rachel’s search for eye protection and her extreme disinterest in the suggestion. “Are you equating cantaloupe to breasts, because men like breasts?” Rachel asked,…

High school sweethearts Mia and Luke get a second chance at love in this brand-new contemporary romance from award-winning author Garrett Leigh. Read on to discover more about Forgiven. F is for Forgiveness. Obviously. Mia carries a lot of anger towards Luke for leaving her when they were teenagers. And Luke hates himself for hurting her all those years ago. O is for Orgasm. And I’m not even sorry. Luke was Mia’s first, and no one she’s been with since has ever matched up. It’s the same for Luke. He’s dreamed of Mia the whole time they’ve been apart. R is for Redemption. Like I said, there’s a lot of hurt and guilt festering between these two, and as hot as the big O’s are, it’s not enough to heal old wounds. G is for GUS! Mia’s brother is the BOMB. Probably my favourite secondary character ever. He’s big, bearded, and beautiful. And he speaks French like a native. My editors loved him so much he got his own MM book…stay tuned. I is for Incensed. Mia has the most fiery temper ever, and Luke’s propensity to keep his mouth shut drives her wild. Which obviously gifts us appropriate make…

Hi, Ann Marie! Welcome to Fresh Fiction and congrats on the release of your new book, HAPPY SINGLES DAY. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.   Hi, and thanks for having me! As for a little bit about me, I live in Chicago, have four kids and a Morkie named Chewbacca. I love cocktails that, as my daughter said, taste like Sour Patch Kids and I would pretty much walk through fire for chocolate. Can you set up the Hashtag Holidays series for us? This is such a fun concept!  Basically, it’s a series of standalone novels that all center around those fun hashtag holidays we always see on social media. #SinglesDay, #LeapDay, and #BoyfriendDay are the ones I chose for the first three novels. I love that Paige and Lucas have such niche jobs—she’s a professional organizer and he owns a B&B. What inspired these occupation choices?   For Lucas, his occupation was dictated by the story. I needed a destination for Paige’s Singles Day vacation and what could be better than a beachfront B&B run by a Ryan Reynolds look-a-like? Except he’s become a bit of a slob since his wife passed away, which is how…

1–What is the title of your latest release? In the Garden of Spite 2–What is it about? It is a fictionalized account of the life and bloody deeds of Belle Gunness – one of America’s first and most prolific female serial killers. Belle was Norwegian (like me) but left for the US in her early twenties, a few decades before she became notorious. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love that the setting moves from Norway to the Midwest, so I could write about a place I knew very well, and one that was new to me. I also love the time period (1877 – 1908), and found it enormously interesting to explore the lives of Scandinavian immigrants at that time.  4–How did your main character(s) surprise you?  Belle was undoubtedly a sociopath, but she had a soft spot for children, and that was very surprising to me. She would arrange Christmas parties for the neighborhood kids and visit them with gifts when they were sick. She also spoiled her own quite a bit.  5–Why will readers relate to your characters?  Belle is one of those characters you don’t want to not be able to relate to, since she…

You’ve had it, just as I have–that delicious moment when you read something that shatters you.  “I didn’t know you could do that with words,” you think, your relationship with literature forever changed. There’s a great scene in The NeverEnding Story when the bookseller tells Bastian how certain stories aren’t safe, that they won’t simply release you on your own terms. Here are five pieces that still haven’t let me go, and that’ve shaped my life as a writer of crime fiction. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates I was in 9th grade when our English teacher assigned this out of our thumping short story anthology. Oates begins her tale in the most unassuming way: Connie–fifteen, and with all the drama that entails–decides to stay home while her parents and sister go to a most uncool family barbeque. Sometime into the afternoon, two men show up in a convertible and honk the horn. Connie goes out to see what they want, and the terror begins to unspool. This story was a revelation. The idea that the most hideous things could happen in the middle of a blue day, and right where you lived, cut…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  BJORN CURSED, book 4 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. Bjorn was cursed by a god and became the first Norse werewolf. Now his past is being used to jeopardize not only his own life but the lives of those he loves and the other members of the Brotherhood. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Anja Knutson is one tough lady. Through her courage and sacrifice, she gained a second chance at life for her children, even though it meant servitude to a goddess for eternity in the afterlife. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Bjorn was driven by anger and vengeance after the death of his family, which ended up with him being cursed and becoming the first Norse werewolf. He’s stubborn and dangerous, but utterly loyal to those he loves. There’s nothing he won’t do to protect them, even defy the gods themselves. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Anja has absolutely no one she can turn to when…

We have another Fresh Fiction Reviewer Spotlight to share with you today! Be sure to look for more posts introducing all of our reviewers to you this month.  Your Name Sandra Martin How long have you been a Fresh Fiction reviewer?  Less than a year What are your favorite genres to read and review? Mystery (Traditional and Cozies), Romantic Suspense, Thrillers What are your TOP 3-5 Books of 2020? Little Falls by Elizabeth Lewes The Vacation by T.M. Logan Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs Home Before Dark by Riley Sager Teen Killers Club by Lily Sparks What do you like to do outside of reading? Work at a University, Play Tennis, Travel, Write, and Take Classes. I always like to learn new things. What are some of your holiday traditions? Halloween – I am a big Stephen King fan. I love watching all the movies based on his books played during the month of October. I love decorating for Halloween and I enjoy the cooler season here in the South. What are your reading resolutions/intentions/goals for 2021? To keep reading engaging novels. To try new genres and discover authors that bring something special to their writing/storytelling. What do you…