When you read this blog post, I’ll probably be flying through the air on my way across the country to see family I haven’t seen in person in well over a year. I’m beyond excited to get on a plane and go somewhere I haven’t been for some time, see people I adore, and get out of my house! I’m also traveling with my mom and we’re having a tiny girls’ trip before we reach our final destination of Southern California. We are PUMPED. That being said, over the last year+, books have really been my salvation and a way for me to travel, so to speak. I love when a sense of setting is just as important to the story and I feel immersed in the place the characters are figuring out their lives. Here are a few recent reads where I felt like I was truly there, and felt a sense of escapism through reading: SCANDAL IN THE VIP SUITE by Nadine Gonzalez When two people accidentally get double-booked in the same luxurious suite at a gorgeous resort in Miami, instead of trying to find different rooms, they just decide to share. What could happen? A whole lot!…

When her life is in danger, Juliana Caldwell must trust Rory MacGregor—the one man who annoys her to no end—to save her. H is for “haggle”…      which Juliana and Rory do continuously I  is for “ignite”…        easy since both of them are like dry kindling G is for “gale”…          the force with which they clash H is for  “hachet”…     neither of them can bury it L is for “launch”…      the barbs they throw at each other A is for “adventure”…one they were not anticipating N is for “navigate”…   finding their way through more than stormy weather D is for “daunting”…  a task much bigger than a single rescue * H is for “hazard”…     of which there are many E  is for “eddy”….      the love/hate relationship flows R  is for  “Rory:….     Rascal, Rogue, Rebel, Rake O is for “odyssey”…  what a journey it has been * When Juliana Caldwell is abducted by Neal Cameron—who intends to make her his bride, willing or not–Rory MacGregor is summoned to find her and bring her back unharmed.  He is the best tracker Clan MacGregor has, but he is also Juliana’s nemesis.  If one of them declares the sky blue, the other will argue that…

Although marriages take place all during the year, June was traditionally the month of brides and weddings. For this June, as we emerge from isolation to actually be able to attend events like weddings again, we’ll look at novels that relate the stories of some famous romances and marriages based on real events. Starting with the royal, we have BEFORE THE CROWN by Flora Harding.  In the years before World War II, young Princess Elizabeth’s visit with her family to the Royal Naval College leads to her meeting the naval cadet detailed to escort and entertain them—Prince Phillip, son of the deposed Greek king and nephew of her uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, who becomes the major supporter of the romance.  Smitten with the handsome blond prince, Elizabeth’s attachment never waivers.  Nine years later, with the Prince a decorated combat veteran intent on a brilliant naval career, Elizabeth will fight tenaciously against her family’s reluctance and the court’s disapproval to insist on marrying none but this penniless foreign prince.  A tale of “royal secrets and forbidden love.” A commoner who became royal stars in our next selection, THE GIRL IN THE WHITE GLOVES by Kerri Maher.  Defying her proper family to…

I never used to listen to music while writing. But after the pandemic hit, and we went into lockdown, everything changed. It’s been a year unlike any other as I’ve adjusted to having my kids and husband home full-time. The vibration—along with the noise level—in my house shifted. The added energy seeped under my writing lair door, disrupting my muse (the little bugger likes the status quo), and with him in full-blown meltdown, my ability to get into the flow floundered. With deadlines on the horizon, I needed to keep writing, so… Enter the solution—Noise Cancelling Headphones. A gift from God. A happy accident. There’s something about being flexible—adaptive in the moment—that pays off. I resisted at first, trying to power through, but in the end, hopped on Amazon and ordered a pair of NC headphones. And surprise, surprise, it not only worked but also expanded my horizons. Since then, I’ve discovered that each book takes on a musical personality of its own. It happens organically over the course of writing a book. No plans in the beginning. No driving intention behind the process. But by the end, I’m listening to the same string of songs over and over, until…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MESSAGE IN THE SAND 2–What is it about? MESSAGE IN THE SAND is a love story: the love of small town life, teenage love, rekindled adult love, and what makes up the fabric of family. MITS is about a young war veteran suffering from PTSD, Wendell Combs, who returns to the sleepy small town of Saybrook, CT where he works on the lush and private estate, White Pines, for the Lancaster family. After a heartbreaking loss, all Wendell wants, and feels he deserves, is to be left alone. The Lancaster family, however, has different plans for him. Despite his best intentions, Wendell feels the pull of the family unit, especially fifteen-year-old Julia, their eldest and strong-willed teenage daughter. Julia has her sights set on a summer riding her horse, swimming in the lake of White Pines, and spending time with the boy next door, who she has never really noticed, but now fears she may be falling in love with. One perfect summer night, as Julia’s family hosts their glamorous annual gala, a tragic accident occurs that no one in the close-knit community could have imagined. The accident leaves Wendell and the…

My name is Sunshine Meadows, but everyone calls me Sunny. I’m the heroine of Kari Lee Townsend’s Sunny Meadows Mystery series. I used to live in the Big Apple with my well-meaning parents who just don’t get me. So, I moved to the small town of Divinity, NY to start over. Something about the town spoke to my soul. You see, I’m psychic. I have visions, but they’re not always clear, so I use fortune-telling tools to help me figure out what my visions mean. I bought an ancient Victorian house I call Vicky, and a large white cat appeared on day one. He came with the house and decided to let me live with him. I never see him eat or sleep, and he moves at lightning speed, appearing from out of nowhere in random places. I’m thinking he’s immortal, so I named him Morty. After I settled in, I opened my own business and started giving readings in a special room I call my sanctuary. When a person comes to me for help, I get a vibe on what fortune-telling tool to use for that particular person, and then everything becomes clear. In TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES,…

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 you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present J.L.Crosswhite! Writes: Christian romantic suspense with her latest release, OUT OF RANGE, book 2 of the In the Shadow series. Book 3, OVER HER HEAD, will hit the shelves on June 21. Because when you grow up in the shadow of a hero as a sibling, can you find your own adventures as well? About: California-native author who’s spent significant time in the Midwest seeks readers for a page-turning novel about clothing designer and sister of the groom Kim Taylor, who is planning the girls’ adventure and spa weekend before the wedding to prove to her brother she’s not the flighty flake he thinks she is. But when the bride’s sister has other ideas, a forest fire burns out their adventure, and a stalker sets his eye on Kim, can she find strength and comfort in fun guy Matthew Ellis? He blew his first chance with her but he’s desperately trying to make things right. When her life is on the line, can he…

Jen: What inspired you to write The Invisible Husband of Frick Island? Colleen: A few years ago I ran across a newspaper article about a woman in Australia whose husband had died, and she was in such denial about it, she left his body in their bed and continued to live her life as though everything were completely fine. It wasn’t until a neighbor noticed an… odor, that people found out. I know that’s so morbid, but as a novelist I found it fascinating—the idea that grief can make us do such strange things, and that no two people grieve the same way. And that woman’s story was the initial spark of the idea for The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, about a woman who is in such denial about her husband’s death, she wakes up every morning and lives her life as if he is right there beside her (fortunately, without the rotting corpse in the bed). Let’s talk about Piper and Tom Parrish. Who are they and what’s their connection to the island? Piper and Tom are high school sweethearts turned young newlyweds who live on Frick Island, a tiny strip of land smack in the middle of…

I don’t remember the first vampire book I ever read, but I do remember the first vampire movie I saw. I didn’t sleep soundly for days after watching Stephen King’s SALEM’S LOT movie. In fact, even thinking about it now, I can still envision those vampires at the window and hear them trying to come inside! The sound still gives me shivers! It didn’t help that I was still young (not even a teenager yet) and my best friend had giant bay windows in the living room where we watched the made for tv movie. As night fell, the windows behind us seemed more and more ominous as I was just certain a vampire or two would come calling for us! After watching the movie,  I of course had to read the book, ‘SALEM’S LOT, and Stephen King’s words were even scarier than that old movie. I devoured all of his books that I could get my hands on, looking for something to grab my attention like the vampires had. And oh, did I love Stephen King’s books… but the vampires came back to bite me again when I discovered Anne Rice and Lestat. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE took me…

“Thank you, Reverend.” Mary held back her emotions with an iron will, determined to behave with all the dignity she’d thus far lacked in this man’s presence. It was well and truly over, if indeed, it had ever even begun. Turning, she silently urged the horse to pick up the pace. The sooner they parted ways and she forgot him, the better. When he spoke, it was with an air of studied indifference. “Am I to assume this means you no longer wish to accompany me on my Sunday calls?” She couldn’t look at him. Not without bursting into tears. “I would not want to cause you further discomfort. You’ve made it perfectly clear you have neither need for my assistance nor desire for my company. Therefore, to continue in our present mode makes no sense.” “What of the people you’ve promised to visit?” Oh, really! Must he make this more difficult? “I shall arrange to call on them during the week with my mother.” She clenched her teeth for a moment before continuing, gathering her courage. “With the exception of church, however, our paths need never cross again. I’m afraid I cannot avoid attending services without rousing my parents’…