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 Paris Wynters! Writes: I write steamy and sweet East Coast romance stories that celebrate our diverse world. I write about characters who, like myself, are diverse whether they are multi-racial or have a disability. Love doesn’t come easy for my characters, but it’s well worth the journey because they not only find their partners, but also learn to love themselves in the process. CALLED INTO ACTION is a contemporary romance set in Vermont and centers around Penelope Ramos who is on a mission to earn her search and rescue handler certification. Only, thanks to her canine partner, things go awry and now she is stuck in a small town working with park ranger Jay Gosling. About: New York multi-racial search and rescue K-9 handler/author/teacher looking for readers who love stories about finding your strength and making your own way when you don’t fit in, dogs, slow burn romance, sex and foreplay, women who are not afraid of their sexuality, found family,…

Jen: What inspired you to write THE SEVEN DAY SWITCH? Kelly: My contemporaneous parenting friends and I all have different varieties of lifestyles, with some of us working full time out of the home, many working from home, and a few working as stay-at-home mothers. I noticed that though we all had a lot in common, the grass always seemed a bit greener in someone else’s backyard. I had to explore this and the body swap genre was the exact right way for me to find my way into the story. How does Celeste Mason view motherhood? Celeste takes it as something natural she was born to do, and as something no one else could possibly do as well as she does. So, she brings a lot of confidence to the party that I personally have never felt, but with her daughter poised on the brink of teendom, we can be sure some of that confidence is about to be challenged. What is Wendy Charles’ take on being a working mom? Wendy is that frantic side of us who is going to do it all and be the best no matter what, even if she never sleeps again. She’s been…

1–What is the title of your latest release? CRAZY ABOUT A COWBOY 2–What is it about? CRAZY ABOUT A COWBOY follows the story of Jasper Taylor, a Texas cowboy trying to save his family’s land in Ido, Texas, and secure the title of Most Romantic Small Town, and Delilah Stone, a beauty queen who’s judging the contest. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I’ve fallen in love with the little town of Ido, Texas. The whole town is like one big family who’s come together to try to revamp their struggling economy. They love harder, smile longer, and stick up for one another in Ido. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Delilah has spent her entire life trying to please her mother. I enjoyed her journey from people pleaser to standing up for herself and figuring out what she wants out of life. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  Jasper is the total package. He’s loyal to his family and friends, devoted to the woman he adores, and is willing to put everything on the line and do what it takes to take care of those he loves. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE PROMISED QUEEN 2–What is it about? This is book three in the Forgotten Empires trilogy, which is about the marriage of state between two enemies – a rebel, ex-slave prince, and a queen trapped in her own diplomatic web. They learn to work together to face their common enemy, a tyrannical emperor who has terrorized them, their families, and their people. This book is the culmination of their unlikely love affair and their attempt to triumph in an unwinnable war. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  My queen, Lia, rules over the last good place left. It’s a tropical island called Calanthe where all pleasures are indulged, sanctuary is given to all, and no one judges anyone. I’ve heard some readers call it “Versailles in Hawaii.” It’s a beautiful place, full of flowers, gentle seas, birds, bees, wildlife, and peace. I love everything about it. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Lia has a lot of secrets – about who she really is, her magical gifts, who her mother was, and how she came to be born. All of that surprised me! 5–Why will readers love your…

“Yeah, I noticed.” She sighed, wondering if she should have put the offer to join STAT out there anyway and feeling like an important opportunity had passed her by. “As long as you know that simply because other people see you as a monster, it doesn’t mean you are one. That’s Erin’s and Elliott’s baggage, not yours.” Sawyer gave her a warm smile. “Says the werewolf who hasn’t shifted since the day her family called her a monster and threw her out of the house.” Harley couldn’t argue with that. “Haven’t you ever heard the old adage, do as I say, not as I do?” she quipped. He laughed and so did she, right up until she realized it wasn’t funny at all. Sawyer was right. While they’d both been rejected by people they cared about, it seemed as if he was already dealing with it and moving on, whereas her entire life—­right down to her ability to control her inner werewolf and keep that part of her hidden away—­was still tied to that one painful moment eight years ago. It was more than sad. It was pathetic. Harley didn’t realize there were tears in her eyes until Sawyer took…

I’m a sucker for all romances—because who doesn’t think falling in love is fun? When we read romance we get to experience the act of falling in love over and over again. We get an intimate view of the hero and heroine’s struggle on that emotional road until they reach the ultimate destination: happily ever after. And there are many ways in which I love to watch it all unfold. My list is long… And I’ve used all of them in various ways *rubs hands together and laughs maniacally*. Since I could go on forever about tropes, I decided to pick my top five, which I used in my Prince Charlie’s Angels series. Rebel heroine: I love a heroine who is feisty, can hold her own, is extremely independent and knows exactly how to save the day. I love it even more when she finds a hero who cherishes these characteristics and values them as her strengths. Instead of saying “Step aside and let me handle this,” he tosses her a sword and says, “Let’s do this!” Relationships are a partnership after all, and we should value each other’s strengths and nurture them. Also, bad*ss heroines are just awesome! Each…

Favorite Western movies/TV shows (in no particular order) High Noon The Magnificent Seven Unforgiven Dances with Wolves Django Unchained No Country for Old Men Shane Godless Lonesome Dove News of the World Deadwood True Grit Longmire Gunsmoke Maverick Bat Masterson Bonanza The Last of the Mohicans Westworld *** Exclusive Excerpt: As Caleb started back along the trail, he stopped short. The braying of the mule and the shouting of Preacher were enough to wake the dead. Caleb ran hard toward the sound. He rounded a bend and saw them in the distance. It was just as he’d feared. The minister was shouting like a madman over the terrified sounds of the mule. His arms were up, and he was waving a branch of evergreen at something Caleb couldn’t see. That branch wouldn’t have done a lick of damage to a newborn lamb. He knew what Preacher was trying to do, though. Caleb was covering ground quickly, but he was still several hundred paces from them. He ran full speed, leaping to avoid protruding rocks and roots. The trail dipped into a wash, and he lost sight of them for a moment. The hoarse shouts of the minister and the continuous…

Alma Katsu is an award-winning novelist who happens to have spent 34 years in intelligence with CIA and NSA. Her first spy novel, Red Widow, the story of two women CIA officers pitted against one another in a race to find a deadly mole inside Langley, was named a NY Times Editors Choice and has been optioned for TV by FOX. In the world of espionage, it seems there’s finally a place for women—at least on television and, to a lesser extent, movies. Carrie Mathison (Homeland). Elizabeth Jennings (The Americans). Sydney Bristow (Alias). Maya (Zero Dark Thirty). If you look at lists of espionage novels, you’ll see that this is where things break down a little. Lists of the most popular spy novels tend to be dominated by male writers and male protagonists. If women write in the field, it tends to be historical fiction, standalone novels about women in the resistance during World War II or toiling away in the steno pool during the Cold War. And while these books are inspiring, as an intelligence professional it was a little disappointing to not see the work of my female peers being represented in literature. This was my main motivation…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Michelle! We are excited to chat with you today. Please tell us a bit about your new series, Carolina Girls.   Michelle: Thank you so much for having me visit today—I’m excited to be here! The Carolina Girls series is a fun spinoff from the original Magnolia Sisters series set in the fictional town of Magnolia, North Carolina. The series features an unlikely friendship between three women all working to start over and create a new life for themselves. The stories are romances at their heart but also explore the importance of friendship, community and finding the right place to call home.  We love a smalltown setting! What do you love most about Magnolia, North Carolina? If you were to spend a day there, where would you visit?       Well, since I currently live in Colorado, which is a beautiful—but very landlocked state—I’d definitely make a trip to the beach outside of Magnolia. The town is based on a few coastal towns we visited when I was a kid vacationing every year in the Outer Banks area of North Carolina and also further south to Hilton Head, South Carolina. I hope I’ve been able to infuse Magnolia with…

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 Kim Redford. Writes: Oh wow, I just write about life…fascinating, intriguing, exciting life with all the quirky characters, small town community and deep emotions that fuel my novels. Laughter. I’d rather laugh than cry, although those two frequently go together. Cowboy Fire took a funny turn at the end that surprised me, so I bet it’ll surprise readers too. Did I say I like surprises, particular funny ones? And heat. Those sexy cowboy firefighters know how to put out fires, but they definitely know how to start them too. About: Chocolate. Cats. Comedy. All those come together late nights at the keyboard. Days, I like a little adventure. I might ride horses with cousins or go to a rodeo or kickback at a pond and pretend I’m fishing when I’m really plotting the next scene in my novel. Of course, I like a good book…write, read, discuss, contemplate, you-name-it. I’m all about books. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader…