Not many authors develop their stories like a patchwork quilt. Most of the time you hear the debate between plotters and pantsters, the art of outlining vs the skill of letting the story flow from a writer’s fingertips. Quilters, however, are a rare breed in the writing world. To interview a writer who utilizes this technique not just here and there, but throughout an entire book is like discovering another piece to the puzzle of what makes a classically great author. Ashley Weaver is one of those author’s you won’t soon forget in the literary world. Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Ashley! Ashley: Thank you for having me! I’m excited to be here!  First of all, congratulations on a fabulous new release with your Electra McDonnell novel, A Peculiar Combination, set in England during WWII. After covering the Golden Age with your Armory Ames Mysteries, what made you delve into such a dark period in history for this series? Thank you! Over the past few years, I’ve developed a fascination with World War II and have read a lot of nonfiction books on several different aspects of the topic. One of my favorite authors, Ben Macintyre, wrote a book called Agent Zigzag, which…

Even in Rem’s wildest dreams, he never would have thought a bomb would bring Bristol Bachmann back into his life. He had been pretty sure he’d never see her again, no matter how much he wished otherwise. He followed her fast descent down the stairs into the me­chanical room, her black Lab easily traversing the narrow, almost ladderlike stairs. How could she suddenly be here, at one of the dams in his charge? And did she have to be exactly the same as he remembered? She still told it like it was, no matter how much it hurt to hear. Her swinging ponytail revealed she still had the same long, wavy brown hair with hints of mahogany, though he couldn’t see the highlights of color in the murky belly of the dam. That adorable hint of a cleft still nestled in her chin, and her gray-blue eyes drew him in like a magnetic storm cloud. A cloud that had unloaded on him the last time he’d seen her. The memory of her fury rained on his mental walk down memory lane. He had deserved no less then, but right now he didn’t need her to remind him of his past…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Paul! We are thrilled to have you here. Can you tell us what inspired your new book, PLAYING THE PALACE?   Paul:  Two things inspired PLAYING THE PALACE: first, I wanted to explore a passionate and uproarious romance between two people of very different social backgrounds, namely Carter Ogden, a lonely New York City event planner, and Prince Edgar, the openly gay Crown Prince of England. Beyond that, I wanted to create an all-out romantic comedy, to combat despair and celebrate the glory of falling in love despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. How do you feel your background in playwrighting and screenwriting influenced writing this novel?   Writing for the theater, the screen and the page can be very different pursuits, but they do inform each other. I want PLAYING THE PALACE to have the pure fun of a great musical comedy, with the heart of a bigscreen romance. There’s a cast of delightful characters throughout PLAYING THE PALACE that add to the hijinks Carter and Prince Edgar find themselves involved in… do you have a favorite side character, who really stood out to you while you were writing this book?  I hate to play favorites, but…

1–What is the title of your latest release? It’s called the PINT OF NO RETURN. Cutest title ever, right? I take no credit. It was my editor’s idea. 2–What is it about? Here’s the blurb. Trinidad Jones is a woman trying to find her way again after a betrayal. The Shimmy and Shake Shop, home of the fantastic freakshake, is supposed to be her magnum opus in the idyllic town of Upper Sprocket…until the dead body turns up. It’s going to take a super-sized scoop of courage to flush out the killer! 3–What do you love about the setting of your book? I simply adore Upper Sprocket because it’s the kind of town I would like to visit. It’s set in Eastern Oregon, “the Swiss Alps of Oregon”, so the postcards say. It’s the kind of place where folks can stroll the main street, visit Three Egg Lake, and pick their own apples. It’s small-town America, where everyone knows everything about everyone, at least they think they do! 4–How did your main character(s) surprise you? Trinidad has way more courage than I first imagined. Not just the kind needed to be a sleuth, but the courage required to find your…

1–What is the title of your latest release? DEATH IN BLOOM (Book 1 in the Flower House Mystery series) 2–What is it about? It’s about flowers, dreams, mishaps, and mystery… Or, as the back cover says: Sierra Ravenswood is the new part-time employee of the Flower House, a flower shop in Aerieville, Tennessee. It’s true she didn’t expect to be back in her hometown at twenty-eight years old, but after her dream of making it as a singer in Nashville crashed and burned, she’s just grateful to have found a soft place to land. Because, after all, Sierra firmly believes in being optimistic and positive about life, so she’s sure she won’t have to work at the Flower House forever. But things take a decidedly negative turn when a customer drops dead in the middle of her new bouquet-arranging workshop at the store. When it’s discovered he was poisoned by a snack at the event, everyone at the workshop, including Sierra, is on the suspect list. To make matters worse, her boss has gone AWOL and left the store to her for the cost of one dollar, leaving Sierra in charge of both his store and his high-energy Corgi puppy,…

Hello! I’m so excited to be here at Fresh Fiction, sharing an exclusive excerpt from my upcoming release, ROYAL TROUBLE. The second book in the Royally Engaged series, ROYAL TROUBLE is a stand-alone romcom that asks the question, What happens when a member of the royal family unwittingly falls in love with a celebrity dirt reporter? If you like laugh-out-loud banter, sizzling chemistry, and swoon-worthy HEAs, keep reading for a sneak peek at Xander and Everly’s story and a wardrobe malfunction of royal proportions! … The bathroom door burst open with such force it smashed against the stopper before it was slammed shut again. Xander whirled to see Everly throw herself against the door and flip the deadbolt. When she turned to face him, chest heaving, she gave a startled squeal and clapped her hands over her mouth, covering the full lips he’d just been fantasizing about. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was more disheveled than when he’d left her, the chocolate and toffee strands brushing her collarbones in loose waves. Everly’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she dropped her hands to her sides. “That’s not the reaction I usually get from the ladies,” he said, lifting a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? The Wedding Dilemma 2–What is it about? An accident-prone artist is rescued from a failed body cast art project by a sexy firefighter, only to discover he’s going to be her new stepbrother! They have to help plan wedding parties together while fighting off the volcanic attraction they feel, but he’s keeping a secret that could ruin everyone’s happily ever after. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s set in the Mile High City, aka Denver, Colorado, the best place to live (I might be a little bias since I live here, lol). 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  She was much more afraid of love than I first thought. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  He’s a Cinnamon Roll firefighter, what’s not to love;) 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)?  Researching all the firefighting facts. I did interviews with firefighters and my own personal research, but as I’ve never been a firefighter, I’m sure I made a mistake somewhere (my apologies for any mistakes made). 7–Do you look forward to or do you dread the revision process?  I dread…

Thirteen years ago, decorated former Army Ranger Roman Sheppard rescued Mexican heiress Cenobia “Cen” Trujillo from a shocking kidnapping that riveted the world. Now, this reluctant warrior prince–head of an elite security firm and the lost prince of a small Spanish kingdom–has come to Mexico to once again protect the heiress-turned-CEO as growing threats work to derail her launch of a car that will change the Mexican industrial landscape for the better.  Cenobia hopes his close proximity will allow her to finally figure out if what she feels for him is a teenager’s daydream or a grown woman’s reality. Roman, however, is doing everything he can to resist thinking of her as his sweet Cen. *** He was the sensation she knew he would be in the vast room with its spectacularly decorated high ceiling of stained glass, its giant chandeliers gleaming off marble floors, and large, gold framed mirrors that made the room boundary-less. National and international representatives of the auto, oil, and gas industries, many who were wealthy enough to buy small nations, weren’t immune to the presence of royalty, no matter how reluctant the royalty was. Roman shook the hands and said the words, but quickly demurred…

ALL FIRED UP is the first book in my new Ashes & Dust series, which is a spin-off set in my Not Dead Yet universe. It follows Evan Fournier, a.k.a. Vamp Junior from Not Dead Yet, as he settles into his own as a private investigator and a vampire in paranormal Toronto. When his partner PIs, Wes and Hudson, are called away to handle a family emergency, Evan is left in charge of the agency with the firm instruction that he is not to take on any paranormal cases. But when a longtime friend comes to him for help, how can he say no? Suddenly he finds himself undercover at a spa retreat that looks like a perfect getaway for stressed-out paranormals—except people are returning home without their magic. Why? And what does the mysterious (and kind of sexy) Red have to do with it? Join Evan as he works to determine who’s behind the latest upheaval in Toronto’s paranormal community. The story continues in House on Fire (out November 2021) and Out of the Ashes (out 2022). *** A is for Anika, Evan’s doctor and friend, who comes to him for help. L is for London, where Wes and…

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 Laura Kennedy! Writes: Young Adult/New Adult and Chick Lit, my latest release from Melange Publishing being Suddenly Singapore, the third YA in my Coral Cove series. About:  Author reluctant to admit her age seeking adventurous teens and twenty-somethings who love adventure, romance and intrigue in faraway places.  Join irrepressible seventeen-year-old Floridian Brooke Bentley who is forced to navigate the beautiful but repressive city/state Singapore when her father is transferred to Malaysia for a year.  Enrolled in tony Marlborough Academy, Brooke is immediately forced to contend with the infamous Chameleons (aka Cammies), the snottiest, wealthiest girls in her Senior Class. Brooke finds friendship in Mu and Tai (Toy), which helps her survive.  Giving her additional will to live is her tentative romance with Raffie Desai, the hottest, yan dao guy at Marlborough. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: .  Readers who identify with someone like Brooke who tries to do the right thing but sometimes finds herself making less…