Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Julia Justiss | History ReFreshed: VIVE LA FRANCE
Author Guest / July 21, 2021

Bastille Day on July 14 commemorates of the birth of modern France—a process that was lengthy, violent, and controversial.  But who can resist reading stories about a country so synonymous with wine, culture, fashion, elegance, and savoir-faire, most of the tales featuring real historical figures? We begin chronologically with THE SHADOW QUEEN by Sandra Gulland.  Claude des Oeillets, a real young woman from the theatre and daughter of a famous actress, narrates a story that describes the controversy and strife during the “war of the theatres” between Corneille, Moliere, and Racine and the opposing church.  During those days, she meets the beautiful, arrogant aristocrat who later becomes Madame de Montespon, Louis XIV’s mistress and “shadow queen” of his court. Recruited years later to become Madame’s personal attendant, Claude is brought into the heart of life at Versailles—the politics, the intrigues, and Madame de Montespon’s increasingly desperate and dangerous efforts to hold on to her royal lover.  An intriguing look at the decadent court of Louis XIV from a new perspective. We move forward to the eve of the Revolution in FINDING EMILIE by Laurel Corona, that also fictionalizes the lives of real people.  Daughter of brilliant and unconventional mathematician Emilie…

Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup: IF IT RAINS by Jennifer L. Wright + Giveaway!
Author Guest / July 21, 2021

Another day, another awesome author to feature in the Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup! Today, historical fiction author Jennifer L. Wright is here with more info about her new book, a tasty and easy recipe to share, and a chance to win a copy of IF IT RAINS (details below)!  Have you checked out our recipes from Days 1 and 2? Please do! Day 1 with Minerva Spencer Day 2 with Sera Taíno *** In my novel IF IT RAINS, fourteen-year-old Kathryn is forced from her Oklahoma farm by the Dust Bowl. Her trip is interrupted, however, when she becomes separated from her father and is forced to continue the journey on her own. Crippled, frightened, and alone in a strange land, Kathryn longs for familiarity. She longs for comfort. She longs for home. As a military spouse, I am deeply familiar with this ache. In the past fourteen years, I’ve lived in three different countries and four different states. Just as soon as some place starts to feel like home, the Air Force sends my family and me packing again. It’s a hard life, but it’s also full of beauty. Because I don’t just have one home; I have several….

Mimi Matthews | 20 Questions: JOHN EYRE
Author Guest / July 21, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? JOHN EYRE: A TALE OF DARKNESS AND SHADOW 2–What is it about? JOHN EYRE is my dual timeline, partially epistolary, partially gender-reversed, supernatural Victorian gothic retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s JANE EYRE (and one other Victorian classic I can’t reveal without spoiling the story). It’s about strength, allyship, the struggle between light and darkness, and the battle with real-life monsters. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I loved being able to incorporate all of my favorite Victorian gothic trappings. There’s atmosphere and creepiness galore. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Bertha Mason Rochester may well be the strongest heroine I’ve ever written. Not because she started out strong, but because, in a deeply horrifying situation, she finds a level of strength she didn’t know herself capable of. By the end of the story, she’s become a formidable opponent. Truly a force to be reckoned with. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  He’s thoughtful and compassionate, and he knows how to listen. He doesn’t start out as an ally—a man willing to risk his reputation to help a woman—but by the end of the novel, he understands what it means…

Lisa Wells | Casting Call for My Book + Giveaway!
Author Guest / July 20, 2021

Aggie the Horrible versus Max the Pompous Ass is an across-the-tracks romance that will lead the readers laughing one moment and shaking their heads the next at the hot mess these two main characters make out of their work-life situation. In a perfect world, Aggie the Horrible versus Max the Pompous Ass would become a primetime movie, AND I would be asked to cast all of its main characters. Afterall, no one knows them as well as I do. And since I hate to not be prepared for all of the what-ifs in the world, I thought I’d go ahead and pick the actors/actresses who would be invited to try out for each part. Cast of Characters: 1-AGGIE is a free-spirited young lady with a bit of a chip on her shoulder. She doesn’t feel the need to play by society’s rules. If anything, she takes pleasure in not playing by them. And she’s certainly not afraid to speak her mind. For her, I’d choose Emma Stone, most recently seen in Disney’s Cruella De Vil. 2-MAX was born into a dysfunctional wealthy family and was raised to view the world through rose-colored, privileged glasses. He’s driven to succeed for many…

Kari Lee Harmon | Author-Reader Match: UNTIL TOMORROW + Giveaway!
Author Guest / July 20, 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 you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Kari Lee Harmon! Writes: About UNTIL TOMORROW: Emma Hendricks is a strong, independent journalist known for getting at the truth. She has everything she’s ever wanted until her fiancé leaves her alone and devastated a few days before the wedding. She’s the “go-to” girl for finding answers to unsolved mysteries, but even she can’t figure out what happened. Everything she believed in was a lie. Needing to get away, she heads to Beacon Bay–a small coastal town in Maine–for the summer. After finding an antique bottle wedged between two rocks in the ocean, she frees it only to discover there’s something inside. Breaking the bottle to retrieve her treasure, she cuts her hand. Kathleen Connor is the daughter of an artist mother and fisherman father, living in Beacon Bay during the 1940s in a time of war. She should be happy with her lot as a school teacher, but she’s always felt she was meant for something more. After pressure from her parents, she finally marries…

J.N. Welsh | 20 Questions: IN HARMONY
Author Guest / July 20, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? IN HARMONY 2–What is it about? It’s about musician, Nyah Monroe who is living a dual life as a classical double bassist and an underground dance music DJ. She’s trying to manage two careers on her own but needs help. Enter super-agent Tommy “Boombox” Mills who not only wants to help Nyah but secure the career legacy he’s envisioned for himself. He needs her and wants to make her famous. The problem is, she makes the rules and flying under the radar is her sweet spot. On a deeper level the book explores some intense themes like evaluating one’s legacy, inheritance, staying true to oneself, and loving someone through imperfection and challenges. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love that it takes place in some of the most simplistically enjoyable parts of New York; like Central Park on a summer day or even an apartment for one. Small underground clubs are the connective tissue of the city’s heartbeat and I wanted to highlight that scene because as the years pass, there are less of them around. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  I love how she pushes…

Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup: A DELICIOUS DILEMMA by Sera Taíno + Giveaway!
Author Guest / July 20, 2021

Welcome back to Day 2 of the Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup! We’re joined by Sera Sera Taíno, author of A DELICIOUS DILEMMA, with a truly delicious recipe! Read on for the details and for a chance to win a copy of her book. Don’t forget to check out Day 1 if you haven’t already–historical romance author Minvera Spencer gave us a sweet start to this year’s BBQ Roundup. And come back all week for more books, food, and fun! Day 1 with Minerva Spencer  *** In A DELICIOUS DILEMMA, the main character, Val Navarro owns Navarro’s Family Restaurant together with her father in the fictional New Jersey town of East Ward. When the city builds a light rail station, the tight-knit neighborhood comes to the attention of a large development corporation. As the co-founder of the fair housing coalition, Val finds herself fighting not only for her working-class community’s future but for her restaurant as well. When she meets Philip Wagner, a reserved, handsome stranger with whom she feels an instant connection, she doesn’t realize that he is the heir of Wagner Developments, the company gentrifying her neighborhood. Now the struggle is on, not only for the survival of her…

Meg Tilly | Exclusive Excerpt: THE RUNAWAY HEIRESS
Author Guest / July 19, 2021

The screen door swung open. Della came out into the alley. “Hey there,” Della said. She fished a half-smoked joint out of the pocket of her faded plaid shirt and lit up. “I thought you’d be long gone. You forget something?” Della was planning to work a double shift again. Brutal hours, but she didn’t have a choice. The bank was threatening foreclosure on her house. “No. I was just daydreaming.” Sarah pushed away from the building. Della nodded, took a long toke, then tipped the joint toward Sarah. “Want a hit?” Sarah shook her head. “Thanks for the offer though.” Even though she didn’t smoke, she was touched by the generosity of the gesture. “See you tomorrow,” Sarah called over her shoulder as she headed past the sour-smelling dumpster. “Yup.” Della leaned her bony hip against the building, took another long toke, shut her eyes, and tipped her face up to capture the late-afternoon sun. As Sarah turned left out of the back alley onto E. Knoxville street, she could see Della, eyes still shut, exhaling a long, slow stream of smoke into the air. Sarah walked on. A gray pickup truck rumbled by, but other than that, it…

Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup: OUTRAGEOUS by Minerva Spencer + Giveaway!
Author Guest / July 19, 2021

Welcome to the 2021 Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup! We have a fabulous lineup of authors with new books, delicious recipes perfect for summer parties, and BOOK GIVEAWAYS. Follow along all week to see who is joining us. You’ll learn about new books and find your next great recipes. Plus, there are chances to win books, too!  To kick things off, historical romance author Minvera Spencer shares a sweet treat, perfect to nibble on while chatting with friends on a deck or patio. Her new book, OUTRAGEOUS, the second in the Rebels of the Ton series, is a high stakes battle of wits that pits two people against each other initially… until pesky attraction starts to come into play! *** “TWO-FILLING” PECAN BRITTLE My mom calls this pecan brittle “Two-Filling Pecan Brittle” because she broke not one, but TWO dental fillings one Christmas. But that didn’t make her stop eating it…. (Image from Food Network) Ingredients 1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans (the toasting is up to you and you can substitute other nuts if you don’t have pecans) 1 heaping tablespoon salt 1 cup water 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup (you could use dark but you’d get a different…

Danielle Jackson Dresser | What I Love About Graphic Novels
Author Guest / July 16, 2021

Up until a few years ago, I had written off graphic novels as “just comic books” and nothing “too serious.” Said the woman who now writes contemporary romance novels (Summer 2022! GET READY). But I remember listening to a podcast or seeing a list on a book review site that said something along the lines of “Graphic Novel Recs for Any Type of Reader” and suddenly, my library hold list was full of requests for books with pictures. And now, if I’m not reading at least a graphic novel or two at a time—in addition to all of the other reading I do—then it’s because I just came off of a week-long bender devouring an entire graphic novel series and I need a breather before I start a new one. There’s something in the physiology of reading Graphic Novels that just works for me. I get to see the characters and all the plotlines come to life in front of me. I read dialogue and inner monologues with the added benefit of sometimes having reactions from other characters that would otherwise go unsaid or a glimpse of foreshadowing from a literal shadow in a scene. The attention to detail is…