Friends–I am busy. Do you ever go through a time where you feel like you’re moving in a million different directions and yet you still feel like you aren’t getting much done? I’m having that moment right now. But somehow, I still find time to do something fun. It’s a huge personal indulgence of mine, but now, because of my future book release (Summer 2022!!), I can say I’m ogling… I mean looking… at covers for research. Here are some of my favorite covers of 2021 so far. I’ve noted which of these books I’ve read, too! WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES by DENNY S. BRYCE (March 2021, Kensington) 1920s anything, I’m here for it. 1920s Chicago–my home city–take my money. I’ve read this book and it’s exceptional. This gorgeous cover is the perfect reflection of what’s inside. THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES by XIO AXELROD (April 2021, Sourcebooks Casablanca) A second chance, indie-rock romance? Yes, please! Reading this book such fun entertainment. And LOOK AT HER SUNGLASSES!! I love the little details on this cover. HANA KHAN CARRIES ON by UZMA JALALUDDIN (April 2021, Berkley) The movement on this cover is so intriguing, and the line drawing…

Hello everyone and thank you to Fresh Fiction for having me on their blog! I’m Ella Quinn and I write fun, smart, spicy Regencies. Normally, I’d talk about travel, but with the year we’ve had that would just be cruel. Here in Europe, even the vaccinated have to follow all the mask and social distancing mandates. So, let’s discuss research. As you can imagine, writing historical novels requires a great deal of research. Fortunately, I love it. Years and years ago, I’d get lost in the library stacks. I was majoring in Political Science, and I remember one time I found the letters of James Joyce to his wife just down the aisle from what I was researching at the time. My husband-to-be was in the Army and deployed, and for whatever reason Joyce influenced my letters (this was pre-email) to the man who has been my husband for thirty-seven years. But I digress, which in itself is part of doing research. For example, I write with the Oxford English Dictionary online open so that I can make sure that the words I use were used at that time and in the right context. Recently, I discovered that eyeglasses were…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Ruby! Congrats on your debut release, HOT COPY. What made you decided to tackle a workplace romance?  Ruby: Thank you! Very excited to be here! Well, mostly I wanted to write a desk sex scene… But more seriously, I wanted to take a swing at existing power dynamics and I also think that workplaces are a common setting for a lot of real-life romance. Combine all of that together and Hot Copy was the final product! Corrine has a reputation for being ruthless and “icy,” but she feels like she is doing what needs to get done to make it to the top. Of course, this all comes with its own consequences as a result. What do you think readers will relate to in Corrine? How does Corrine have to grapple with the decisions she’s made to further her career?  Corrine is an egg. She’s hard on the outside (she has to be) but soft on the inside (like a lot of us are) and I think that a lot of people are familiar with having to put forward a hard outer shell in order to protect our more vulnerable selves, whether that be in a…

For the release of my latest book, ALASKAN RESCUE, I decided to make a Baked Alaska in celebration. I’ve never made a Baked Alaska, so I went on a search for a recipe I suited to my inexperience. One of the many aspects of writing that I enjoy is research. Even researching how to make a dessert. I found many recipes and videos showing a variety of ways, shapes, and flavors to make Baked Alaska. And I found the history of Baked Alaska fascinating. The dessert is shrouded in mystery, which seems a fitting way to celebrate the release of the new romantic suspense series, Alaska K-9 Unit: A wedding party goes missing while on a hike and the tour guide is found murdered. Who is the killer? Where is the bride, the maid of honor, the groom, and his best man? It’s up to the elite Alaskan State Troopers and their canines to solve the crime. I read one account that says the name, Baked Alaska, was coined at Antoine’s, a restaurant in New Orleans by chef Antoine Alciatore in 1867 to honor the acquisition of Alaska. Yet, another chef is credited with inventing the dessert. In 1867 Charles…

Brianna Banks entered the attorney’s office the next morning. “Good morning, Lois.” The older woman glanced up at Brianna and smiled. “Good morning, Brianna. You’re early.” “Is Mr. Cavanaugh in?” “Yes, he’s here, and since you and Mr. Outlaw are the only two needed for the reading of the will, we can get started as soon as he arrives.” Lois Inglese then leaned over the desk and said in a low voice, “I didn’t know Ellen had a son. Did you?” Brianna drew in a deep breath. She liked Lois. Had known the fifty-something-year-old woman all her life. The one thing she also knew was that Lois had a pen­chant for gossip. More than once, Lois had gotten in hot water with Mr. Cavanaugh for discussing things that should be confidential. “I’d rather not say, Lois.” Brianna checked her watch. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take a seat over there and wait.” Lois’s smile faded when she realized Brianna would not divulge any information. Brianna crossed the room to take a chair by the win­dow that overlooked Eagle Bend River. Although she had known about Ellen’s son, Lois was the last person Brianna would admit anything to. She’d also known…

Now Hi, Mom! I delete the exclamation point. Hi, Mom. That doesn’t feel right, either. Hey, Mom. Did you cheat on Dad in college? Delete. Hey, Mom. So I just got an email from FamilyTree.com that says Dad isn’t my father. DID YOU CHEAT ON HIM??? Delete. I close my eyes and focus on breathing, trying to center myself, but there’s no use. I should feel validated for all the times I felt like an outsider in my family. My stomach churns at the thought of another family out there, another life where I might have grown up knowing how it feels to belong. My mother took that from me. One more deep breath, and then I crack my knuckles and start typing. Hi, Mom. I got an email from FamilyTree.com. They said a man named Andrew Abrams is my father. Paige. Not bad, I think, rereading the words. Direct, straightforward, and not accusatory. Before I lose my nerve, I hit send. It’s just after three, so she’s probably out having coffee with one of her girlfriends. I can picture her, glancing at her phone as the email comes in, her face growing pale, her jaw literally dropping. “Elizabeth, what’s…

1–What is the title of your latest release? Blackberry Beach 2–What is it about? Here’s the back cover blurb: Katherine Parker is on the cusp of having everything she ever wanted—fame, money, and acclaim. So why isn’t she happy? In search of answers, she comes incognito to Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast for some R&R. Maybe in her secluded rental house overlooking the serene Pacific she’ll be able to calm the storm inside. Coffee shop opener Zach Garrett has found his niche after a traumatic loss—and he has no plans to change the life he’s created. Nor does he want to get involved with his reticent new neighbor, whose past is shrouded in mystery. He’s had enough drama to last a lifetime. But when Katherine and Zach are recruited to help rehab a home for foster children, sparks fly. And as their lives begin to intersect, might they find a future together in this small town where hearts heal…and love blooms? 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Hope Harbor, my fictional small town, is located on the spectacular Oregon coast. It’s the kind of place all of us would love to call home, filled with…

His First Letter One day into the voyage, one day in Earth time  I said goodbye to the guys, as they won’t be seeing me until the wedding. In four years and four months, to be precise. They all said they’d come. We took photos and I gave each of them a small leather frame on a lanyard to hold the pictures. The wedding venue gave them to me for free when I paid the deposit on our booking. I told them to come to the ceremony wearing the photos around their necks. That way I won’t make a fool of myself asking each of them who they are. They made fun of me. “It must be great to be getting married. Leaving your pesky friends behind, huh?” “You interstellar marrying types are all traitors.” I told them it wouldn’t be an easy time for me either. I almost got punched when I added it was going to take me a whole eight weeks to get to our wedding day. A month to get up to the speed of light, and a month to slow down enough to make a safe landing. That’s how it works. And that’s even with…

Travel in person is slowly starting to come back now, but some of us have been traveling all along through the wonderful places our books take us. So far this year, I’ve traveled to places such as 1906 San Francisco in THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS, to Helsinki, Finland in THE WITCH HUNTER, to North Carolina in CLOSELY HARBORED SECRETS, and then off to France in THE LOST MANUSCRIPT. However, it always warms my heart to visit books set in Florida, both for the memories they may give me of places I’ve already been as well as learning new and interesting facts about the state I’ve called home for over 20 years. THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST by Chantel Cleeton is our first stop on the journey, where we meet three women whose lives intersect in Key West. It’s 1935 and a hurricane is approaching. I’ve visited several sites in Key West that talked about Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad but somehow the impact of the hurricane in 1935 was missed by me. Chantel Cleeton brings the tale to vivid life, offering us a glimpse of the hardships of Key West in its early days. I love books that delve…

Ok so we’ve all binged watched BRIDGERTON on Netflix, which was a wonderful adaption of Julia Quinn’s novel The Duke and I, and now everyone is clamouring for more duke yumminess in the form of other historical romance novels… so here is a list of my all-time top 5 ones!! Number 1: The Bride by Julie Garwood This one is seriously such a classic in historical romance and one of my absolute all-time favs! It is funny, choc full of romantic tension, a fabulous storyline and wonderful characters you’ll adore (heads up you will fall in love with the hero Alec – and though he’s not a duke, he is a Laird and super yummy)… Basically, the story starts with an edict from the king, that the mighty Scottish laird Alec Kincaid must take an English bride. Alec’s choice is the heroine Jamie, who is the youngest daughter of Baron Jamison… and she’s a feisty, violet-eyed beauty (the best sort of heroine), who vows never to surrender to the highland barbarian. With such strong willed characters comes a clash of wills, and a wonderful story mixed with romance and intrigue, that will stay with you long after you read the…