Jen: What inspired you to write The Truth and Other Hidden Things? Lea: Often my writing process happens by a combination of two story ideas or characters – and in this case, I had envisioned a woman in her 40’s with an accidental pregnancy (which I will admit is something of a fever dream for me) and also the idea of someone who is desperate to be noticed but who writes under the cover of anonymity. Once I had established who Bells Walker was, the plot grew from there. As it turns out, in the past year so many people have been moving from New York City to the Hudson Valley, and it’s been great fun to read real-life accounts of some of the thing Bells noticed about her new home – the tattooed, kombucha drinking hipsters and their love for reclaimed wood and mason jars!   Bells’s life takes a sudden turn when her husband moves the family from Manhattan to the Hudson Valley. How does she handle the big change? Not well! Bells, already socially anxious, uses her move and her pregnancy as an excuse to hole up and stay home. She’s convinced that any person she meets…

A song by the Weeknd plays over the speakers, and it instantly makes me think of my ex-boyfriend, and what feels like another life ago for me. I wasn’t always the person I am now, and I think it’s important for me to acknowledge that. It’s taken a lot to get me here, to be so strong, and when I think of the old me and the decisions I have made, it makes me cringe. But I guess we all aren’t born strong–it’s something we are made into. “Orion Stenton called up wanting a few custom bikes,” Bronte says to me as she approaches. “He’s dropped over two hundred thousand dollars so far. He must be loaded.” We buy the motorcycles, cus­tom them and sell them as one package. It can end up being pretty pricey. “Name doesn’t sound familiar,” I mutter, turning to Chains. “Who is this guy?” “Orion Stenton owns half of the city,” Chains ex­plains, stretching his neck from side to side. “Old family money, not all of it clean. Orion is the oldest out of four, and from what I’ve heard handles most of the businesses they own.” “He’s friends with the club?” I ask. Chains…

What is the title of your latest release? WINGS OF FURY What is it about? It’s a new tale inspired by ancient Greek mythology. Fans of both CIRCE by Madeline Miller and WONDER WOMAN will make the acquaintance of Althea Lambros, a young woman who must fight both with—and against— the gods to save her family. Althea’s world is ruled by Cronus, the God of Gods, whose inheritance is the world and women, his playthings. He takes mortal women as prizes and discards them when he’s through. No woman dares to defy him. After her mother is taken from her and dies as a result of Cronus’s cruelty, Althea is determined not to suffer the same fate as so many women before her. To honor the dying wish of her mother, Althea promises to take care of her sisters no matter the cost. Following the vision that has been revealed to her by the Fates—that she will crush the Almighty and free the world from his terror—Althea travels to the southern isle of Crete, where women who seek refuge from Cronus live hidden among the exalted Boy God. The Boy God, Zeus, the only son of Cronus, is believed by…

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 Jess Anastasi! Writes: Sci-fi romance with lots of edge-of-your-seat action and strong-willed, butt-kicking characters. My latest book, THE FINAL DAWN, is the last book in my Atrophy series. Readers have been waiting a long time for this one. At last, Rian and Ella get all of the limelight! With shape-shifting aliens set the invade our universe, the crew of the Imojenna has their work cut out for them if they’re going to save humanity. About: I love nothing more than a nice hot cup of tea. Rainy days are my favorite kind of weather. When I’m not writing books or attempting to make a dent in my huge TBR pile, you can find me growing my own vegetables, chasing renegade chickens, or doing a bit of crochet/knitting while I watch TV. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Enjoys sci fi romance with lots of action. Can get on board with a slow burn romance and wait for the pay-off when the characters finally get their act…

MARTHE Chavaniac-Lafayette December 1940 “She was only fourteen when she married?” Anna asks, as she helps me cart a box of research books into the tower chamber with its crystal chandelier and abundant natural light. I’ve been telling her about what I’m learning for my new series of sketches, and she asks, “Can you imagine being ready for marriage at such a young age?” I don’t even know that I’m ready now, I almost say. I might not have accepted Henri’s proposal if not for the war. I certainly wouldn’t be taking on a project to make the preventorium over in Adrienne Lafayette’s image. And I wouldn’t have a fancy studio like this. I wouldn’t want to sculpt stone here—the dust would get into every crevice of the canopied bed and antique furniture—but it’s a perfect place to sketch. It looks like the preventorium’s president took most of her belongings with her when she returned to America in the summer of ’39—but she left behind some books on the shelf, old hatboxes under the bed, and framed photographs on the wall. The books are a mix of Shakespeare’s plays, Balzac’s novels, and Anatole France’s poetry. The hatboxes are filled with…

1–What is the title of your latest release?  THE VINES 2–What is it about? Across a century and against seemingly insurmountable odds, a woman with an astonishing immune system and an equally dramatic determination to survive is held against her will on an abandoned island near New York City. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Everything. The idea for this novel started with its setting—an abandoned quarantine facility on an isolated island in the middle of bustling New York City. Originally an isolation hospital for the city’s poor immigrants, Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island underwent several reincarnations before becoming an experimental treatment center for drug-addicted teens in the 1950s. In 1963, the facility was shuttered. Ever since, a forest has been hellbent on destroying the hospital remains. Now a federally protected heron reserve, North Brother Island cannot be accessed without a permit from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re not accepting applications. The island has a dark, little-known history, rife with tragedy and misery. In its present state, its crumbling buildings serve as an eerie foreshadowing of a post-apocalyptic world. Several photographers have been able to capture…

Hi all! My Name is Libby Hubscher and I’m excited to share a bit about my debut novel, MEET ME IN PARADISE, with you. The Cole sisters couldn’t be closer, or more different. After their mother died tragically when they were teenagers, they’ve only had each other. Sadie travels the world, while Marin waits at home, worrying and letting the world pass her by. Intent on showing Marin what she’s missing, Sadie tricks her into a solo vacation in paradise. What was supposed to be a sisters’ spa weekend turns into the trip of a lifetime when Marin is forced outside of her comfort zone, exploring the island of Saba with Lucas Tsai, a stranger who ended up in Sadie’s seat on the plane. Suddenly, Marin finds herself feeling more alive than ever, falling in love…and realizing that Sadie has been keeping a devastating secret from her—one that will change everything. M is for Meddling. It takes her zany, wonderful younger sister to hatch a scheme to get anxious homebody Marin Cole out of her comfort zone and onto an island in the middle of the Caribbean. E is for Enigmatic. Lucas Tsai isn’t who Marin expected to be sitting next to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? Knit, Purl, a Baby and a Girl 2–What is it about? Knit, Purl, a Baby and a Girl is all about a young woman, Poppy, who finds herself accidentally pregnant after a one night stand with her stoner ex. She’s not sure if she’s ready to be a mother and she doesn’t have a lot of support, so she joins a local Stitch n’ Bitch to make friends and boost her confidence by finally following through on learning how to knit. What she’s not expecting is to fall for Rhiannon, the hot butch clinic escort who’s been giving her lessons. At any other time in their respective lives, it’d be a perfect meet-cute, but can commitment-shy Rhiannon with her chronic second sock syndrome handle the pressure of knowing that being with Poppy means taking on her baby-to-be as well? 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Setting the book in Yonkers, New York was definitely a challenge. I’ve set past books in all sorts of locales, from Vancouver to Ireland to ancient Rome, some of which I haven’t even visited, but New York, even if it’s not NYC proper,…

The announcer started the final countdown, and a buzz went up among the hovering guests. Claire smiled at people as they stepped in front of her, but then looked around them to lay eyes on one of three extremely pricey items up for auction. Items that were small enough for someone to walk away with. A man stood in front of the pair of diamond earrings. The woman with him smiled as he wrote his name slowly. Next was a sapphire-and-diamond tennis bracelet where a lone woman was also writing her name. Then there was a Victorian brooch that was previously owned by some famous woman Claire didn’t know. The starting bid was twenty thousand dollars. But at last look, the bid was nearly double that. It, too, was where it needed to be. “Three, two, one. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to step away from the auction to enjoy the rest of the evening.” With the final direction from the announcer, she heard the first chords of a guitar strummed from the stage. The band hired for the evening welcomed everyone. The coordinators for the event started to push in as the guests dispersed. Her gaze ignored…

As I embark on this journey into becoming a published author, I had a stark realization – my former creative endeavor is about to become… a job. A job I am very grateful for and you better be sure I’m going to work super hard to make this job as an author a successful one. But what am I going to do now… for fun? Throughout the pandemic, people have suddenly found hobbies. Some people work out, others started making bread, and some people even learned new skills. Starting last fall, when my book was officially out on submission, I decided to find something new to occupy all the free time I had with a kid in virtual learning, working on what I hope will be book 2 in my series, figuring out how to safely celebrate the holidays in a meaningful way, and try to you know, breathe a bit. Clearly, I need MORE to do, right? CROSS-STITCHING/EMBROIDERY Look, there’s something very cathartic about stabbing something over and over and over again. The tips of my fingers aren’t all that happy, but I’m enjoying this! I’ve done some simple patterns, stitched pithy sayings on sweaters and fabric bookmarks, and…