1–What is the title of your latest release? THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES 2–What is it about? It’s the story of a musician searching for her place in the world, the man who holds the key to her heart and her future, and the all-girl rock band that offers her the family she never had. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I grew up in and around the Philadelphia music scene, and in the music business in general. There are so many stories to tell. I love that I get to share both my passion and my city. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Toni is stronger than even I knew going into the manuscript. Despite her abandonment issues, and the cruel way life has tossed her about, she has a big heart, a level head, and a clear focus on what she wants for herself. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  Seb is flawed by fiercely loyal. When they were both young, he made a rash decision that hurt both him and Toni. He’s never forgiven himself because hurting her, or anyone, is the last thing he’d ever want to do. He’s the…

So here’s a truth for you . . . I absolutely love writing messy characters. You know, the ones who show up on the scene with so many flaws it seems right hopeless. With no happily-ever-after in sight, you just gotta dive in and see if the mess will sort itself out by the last chapter, often doubting the possibility along the way. As a writer, messy characters challenge me to push boundaries and that is just so dang appealing to me! There is always something new to learn, so only sharing five things I learned from writing messy characters was also a challenge for me, but let’s see where this goes . . . 1. Messy characters keep me guessing. There were days when I would step away from the computer while writing UNDER THE MAGNOLIAS and have absolutely no idea where the characters would lead me next. I couldn’t wait to get back to work to see what they would reveal. Trust me, this cast of folks from Magnolia never did what I predicted. They didn’t care to follow the typical plotlines. And. I. Loved. It! This book gave me a pass to challenge my writing craft, which…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Georgia, and congrats on the release of your new book, IT HAD TO BE YOU! What has it been like working on a book and releasing it during a pandemic?  Georgia: Thanks so much, happy to be here! Of course, the past year has been a sh*tshow and writing about fictional people’s love lives during a global pandemic feels a bit like playing music on the deck of Titanic as it plunges into the North Atlantic. I feel extremely lucky I was able to do what I love—write—during lockdown, and that my close friends and family made it through. It was a difficult but valuable perspective shift. IT HAD TO BE YOU begins with a bombshell—Liv’s husband unexpectedly passes away AND he had a secret girlfriend… on top of these revelations, the successful wedding planning business she had with her husband has been left to both her and Savannah, his younger mistress. Where did you get the idea for this hilarious setup?   To be honest, most set-ups emerge as hazy, dreamlike things—a combination of my life, what I’m paying attention to, what I’m reading/watching/daydreaming about—but okay here goes: I wanted a set-up that’d let…

My husband and I have this long-standing disagreement. He likes names like John and Jane—literally the more boring the better. I, however, like something with some interest. While I have to work with him on naming our baby, I don’t have to give a hoot what he thinks about my character names! I am a collector of names. I have files in my phone for girl names, boy names, and surnames. Whenever I come across something interesting, I add it to the list and then pull my character names from there. Side characters usually have something I like but not one of my top favorites, except when I have a theme going. In NEVER MISS, which is a Christian romantic suspense book releasing from Revell on May 4, 2021, my female main character’s family all has names related to combat and fortification, which is fitting for a family of snipers. Their last name is Tolle simply because I’ve always liked that name. Bastion – her father Redan – her uncle, Bastion’s brother Caponier – her cousin Ravelin – her cousin The male character’s parents’ names are more personal. Lee Vaile is his father. Lee is my father’s middle name, and…

LIKE CATS AND DOGS is the first book in the Whitman Street series, which is set at a cat café in Brooklyn. This first book is about the café’s manager, Lauren, and the new veterinarian next door, Caleb. Caleb is grumpy and a little jaded; he is kind to his canine and feline patients but has little patience for humas. Lauren loves her job and doesn’t care how silly Caleb thinks it is. They don’t get along and rub each other the wrong way. But for the pesky problem of them being intensely attracted to each other, they might be able to ignore each other. L is for Lauren and Lindsay. Lauren manages the Cat Café, and her friend Lindsay provides snarky commentary about everything going on there. Lauren and her two friends Paige and Lindsay form the core of the series. (Paige falls in love in the second book, and Lindsay tangles with an ex in the third.) I is for Independent. I wanted to shine a light on the independent businesses that make a neighborhood feel special. Brooklyn and New York City are obviously huge, densely populated places where it’s easy to get lost in a crowd. But…