Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Katie Delahanty | Author-Reader Match: INCOGNITO
Author Guest / May 7, 2021

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 Katie Delahanty! Writes: I write both adult women’s romantic fiction and YA. My latest novel INCOGNTIO, is the second book in my dystopian YA “Keystone Series” about a teenage Influencer who fakes her death to join a secret society of thieves who are stealing analog history before dark forces can forever alter the past. INCOGNTIO reunites teens-with-a-crush Elisha and Garrett when they are both asked to steal the same object from Andy Warhol’s Time Capsules. Pitted against each other, they must figure out who they can trust—and if they can trust each other—as they unravel a conspiracy that has the power to re-set history. About: I’m a former fashion and lingerie designer who’s career almost came to a crashing halt when Google accused me of selling “Mail Order Brides” (long story, we can talk about it over dinner on our first date). Having been banned from AdWords for life, I started a fictional blog as an alternative way to drive traffic to my employer’s website. That blog…

Nancy Naigle | Exclusive Excerpt: THE SHELL COLLECTOR
Author Guest / May 7, 2021

Maybe it was the low cloud cover this morning, but the ocean sounded so much louder today. She had a feeling it would be a brief stay the way the wind was whipping. The kids ran in circles at the shoreline, letting Denali chase them until he needed a break and ran to lie by her feet. She got up and met them at the water with their pails. “Y’all ready to find some shells?” They began scouring the sand. She knelt down and picked up a handful of tiny vibrant-colored shells. Most of them were broken, but a purple one caught her eye. She tucked it inside her pocket while the children quickly filled their pails with shells at every step until their buckets got heavy. When she looked up, she noticed they’d walked farther down the beach than they’d ever gone before. “Let’s head back,” Amanda said. Denali lay down in the sand. “We can’t leave him,” Hailey whined. “He’ll catch up.” At least she hoped so. There was no way she’d be able to carry him. “Do you want to stop and go through your shells? Lighten the load by getting rid of a few?” Jesse lugged…

Suzanne Woods Fisher | Exclusive Interview: AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT
Author Guest / May 7, 2021

AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT is the third book in your Three Sisters Island series. What keeps you coming back to this setting and these characters? What do you do to keep it fresh and evolving for you as you write?  To be candid, this island never gets old! There’s the natural beauty, the quirky locals, the pull of a small town. And then there’s just something about an island slows people down and makes them rethink a few things. I had more trouble wrapping the series up to say goodbye. The island, the people, all seemed so real. Faith, Family, and Friendships are important themes in your work. How do you approach these aspects in AT LIGHTHOUSE POINT? What do you hope readers take away from these themes in your book?  I hope that readers never feel like I’m whacking them on the head with the Bible. My goal is simply to nudge them to invite God into the conversation of their life. Once that foundation finds its footing, then other important pieces of life, like family and friendships, fall into place with more purpose.    Blaine is a character who is returning to Three Sisters Island. She has some things to work through…

Molly E. Lee | Title Challenge: EMBER OF NIGHT
Author Guest / May 6, 2021

I’m so excited to be here to talk a little bit about EMBER OF NIGHT! Ember of Night is a young adult paranormal romance about a girl from a broken home that has one goal in life—get her little sister away from their abusive father. If that wasn’t a hard enough task, a hot stranger comes into her life and tells her she’s the key to saving the world from a war between heaven and hell. But the world has never been kind to her, so who says it’s worth saving? E – E is for Electric. The chemistry between Draven and Harley is electric—even when they’re arguing 🙂 M – M is for Magical. Harley’s world is suddenly entrenched in magic when Draven opens her eyes to supernatural elements she never knew existed.  B – B is for Blurry. The lines between good and evil are blurred the more Harley learns about her new world.  E – E is for Edgy. Harley’s journey is not an easy one. It’s filled with sharp edges, fast drop-offs, and quick turns, but she meets each new challenge head on. R – R is for Rage. Because of Harley’s home life, she has…

Exclusive Interview with the Authors of WALK AMONG US
Author Guest / May 6, 2021

Danielle J. Dresser: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Cassandra, Genevieve, and Caitlin! We are excited to chat with you about WALK AMONG US, set in the world of the RPG game, Vampires: The Masquerade. Were you all familiar with RPGs and this one in particular before you started the project?   Cassandra Khaw: Oh my god, yes. Genevieve Gornichec: I was not, but I always wanted to be! The world just always seemed so big that I didn’t know where to start. Caitlin Starling:  I was obsessed with the source books and clan novels back in the mid-2000s, though I never got a chance to play! I definitely screamed a little when I saw what project I’d been brought in on. * Vampires have always been popular—what do you think makes them so attractive to readers?   Cassandra: The prospect of immortality, of someone who is ancient and ageless and able to have anyone in the world but chooses you to satisfy their needs, I think people like that. I think people like the elegance and sophistication too, the gratuitous amount of black, the tragic nobility. Genevieve: I think there’s something about them that people are drawn to. It’s like, a lot of…

J.J.A. Harwood | 20 Questions: THE SHADOW IN THE GLASS
Author Guest / May 6, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? My latest release is called THE SHADOW IN THE GLASS. It’s my debut novel and I’m very excited! 2–What is it about? It’s a dark retelling of Cinderella which I’ve set in Victorian London. If you like your fairy tales dark and you’ve always been a bit suspicious of all those fairy godmothers who go around handing out magic for free, then this is the book for you! 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Victorian London is full of contrasts and contradictions all crammed into one city – you’d find fabulous wealth right next to abject poverty. And of course, it’s full of gothic potential. All those flickering lights and spooky old houses are such fun to write about! 4–How did your main character(s) surprise you?  Eleanor is one of those characters who’s very good at twisting things around so that it doesn’t seem like anything that happens is her fault. Even when I was writing her, I was surprised just how far she ended up going! 5–Why will readers relate to your characters?  One of Eleanor’s biggest goals in the novel is to make a better life…

Glynis Peters | Exclusive Interview: THE FORGOTTEN ORPHAN
Author Guest / May 5, 2021

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Glynis! We are excited to chat with you today. Please tell us a little about yourself and your new book, THE FORGOTTEN ORPHAN.  Hello, thanks for inviting me along! I’m 63 years old, married since I was 21 and am a mother of three adults. I am also a grandmother to four. Three granddaughters and one grandson. I’m a carer for my mother and am a retired nurse. I live by the sea in England. The town of Harwich was also the home of the captain of The Mayflower, Christopher Jones.  I enjoy fishing and when I get the opportunity, cross-stitch. What do you think appeals to readers about novels set during World War II? What do you love writing about this time period?  As a reader of the genre myself, I am drawn to the strength and resilience of the people who fought for our freedom. It is a story we cannot ignore and one which can be told in many different ways. Each country involved has a different part to play and it makes for interesting reading.   Your main character, Maisie Reynolds, was raised in an orphanage, was separated from her twin brother,…

Chanel Cleeton | 20 Questions: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN CUBA
Author Guest / May 5, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN CUBA 2–What is it about? It’s inspired by the true story of Evangelina Cisneros, a Cuban revolutionary who was wrongfully imprisoned by the Spanish in a notorious women’s jail in Havana, and who became an international celebrity when her plight came to the attention of William Randolph Hearst, the owner and publisher of the New York Journal. Hearst used her as a rallying cry to provoke U.S. intervention in the war for independence between Cuba and Spain. Her life intertwines with that of Grace Harrington, an American journalist, and Marina Perez, a Cuban revolutionary working as a courier in Havana. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I really loved learning more about this period in Cuban history. It’s one I was previously somewhat unfamiliar with, and my research made me wonder what my ancestors’ lives would have been like during the fight for Cuban independence. 4–How did your main character(s) surprise you?  My characters are constantly surprising me! When I originally started researching the book, I didn’t know that I was going to tell Marina’s story from her point of view, but once…

Xio Axelrod | 20 Questions: THE GIRL WITH STARS IN HER EYES
Author Guest / May 4, 2021

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…

T.I. Lowe | 5 Things I Learned from Writing Messy Characters
Author Guest / May 4, 2021

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…