Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Sarah, and congrats on your debut novel, THE OTHER ME! Can you tell us a little about your journey into publishing this book?   Sarah: Thanks for having me! The book that eventually became THE OTHER ME went through several rewrites on its way to publication. When I started writing, I had no idea that it would be a thriller—I was having more upmarket/literary thoughts, though still with the speculative element, and the original pacing and ending reflected that. I took a few years to get the book to where I thought it was ready to query, and then I entered the Pitch Wars mentoring program, which I’d read good things about online. I didn’t get in, but PW mentor Layne Fargo (who’s also an amazing author) loved my manuscript. She was kind enough to refer me to an agent she knew, who asked me to revise and resubmit. I signed with that agent, did one more revision, and settled in to wait for months while my agent shopped the book around to editors. My agent emailed the manuscript to one editor on a Friday to give her an advance look before we went on…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Lindsay Marcott! Writes:  Modern Gothic suspense books. My latest novel, Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost, has just hit the stands. About: My first success as a writer was my sixth grade Thanksgiving play about a plucky Pilgrim girl and her wise-cracking pet turkey. After graduating from Smith and stints as a cat sitter, rock star assistant, and waitress in a TriBeCa grunge club, I began writing for magazines, then took a detour to Hollywood to write a few screenplays. I finally found my passion in writing novels: with Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost, eleven so far, and a new one in the works. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: •  You love getting goosebumps when things get spooky. •  Your mouth waters at the promise of a juicy story with twists that leave you gasping. •  You can imagine having your head turned by a brilliant but mysterious man. •  You see beauty in a misted redwood forest and excitement in the crashing of surf….

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 Amber Mitchell! Writes: I write young adult fantasy with cinnamon roll boys and determined teen girls, who understand the power of good female friendships! ROOTS OF RUIN is the final novel in the Garden of Thorns series, featuring sixteen-year-old Rose’s struggle to escape a slave dance troupe, take revenge on those that enslaved her, accept her destiny and fight alongside the current emperor of a foreign land to free her people in a neighboring kingdom. About: An amateur cooking enthusiast, travel addict, and history junkie author with a passion for stories in all forms, whether that be books, t.v., online gaming, or tabletop gaming. I met my husband as a teen and begin taking writing seriously which led me to realize that teenagers can do anything. When I’m not gushing about my newest fandom or latest book crush, I’m looking up pictures of future destinations I plan to explore. Must love to hear about the “stories” behind each travel site and constantly be willing to answer if…

Hello, there! (Or maybe I should say “hey, y’all,” as we do here in the Deep South.) I’m Valerie Fraser Luesse, and my latest novel is called UNDER THE BAYOU MOON. It’s set in Southwest Louisiana, which captured my imagination when I explored it as a writer for Southern Living magazine. I’m as excited about sharing the mystery and beauty of this place as I am about introducing you to my main characters: Raphe Broussard, a lonely Cajun fisherman who has endured a family tragedy and is raising his young nephew, Remy, on his own; Ellie Fields, a young schoolteacher from Alabama, seeking her true purpose when she accepts a position in Raphe’s hometown of tiny Bernadette, Louisiana; Heywood Thornberry, their gregarious yet secretive friend who loves capturing the magic of the bayou with his camera; Doc and Florence, two stalwarts in the community who take Ellie underwing . . . and a legendary white alligator. This new story is part romance, part mystery, and part cautionary tale against selfish greed and a disregard for truth.  I drew from a deep well of travel writing experience and several unforgettable trips to Acadian Louisiana to bring the bayou to life. I…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BEYOND THE TIDES 2–What is it about? From the back cover: When Meg Whitaker’s father decides to sell the family’s lobster-fishing business to her high school nemesis, she sets out to prove she should inherit it instead. Though she’s never had any interest in running the small fleet—or even getting on a boat due to her persistent seasickness—she can’t stand to see Oliver Ross take over. Not when he ruined her dreams for a science scholarship and an Ivy League education ten years ago. Oliver isn’t proud of what he did back then. Angry and broken by his father walking out on his family, he lashed out at Meg—an innocent bystander. But owning a respected fishing fleet on Prince Edward Island is the opportunity of a lifetime, and he’s not about to walk away just because Meg wants him to. Meg’s father has the perfect solution: Oliver and Meg must work the business together, and at the end of the season, he’ll decide who gets it. Along the way, they may discover that their stories are more similar than they thought . . . and their dreams aren’t what they expected. 3–What…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Anita! We are so happy to have you here. Can you introduce yourself so our readers can get to know you a little bit?   Anita: I’m Anita. My mom call me Teets. I love to dance. I love people. I love storytelling. I love my kids. I could list all of my credentials, but that’s a bore. Let’s go deep or not go at all. I’m a mermaid. A Black mermaid. I wrote Shallow Waters to help me heal my ancestral wounds. As a descendant of people who experienced chattel slavery, I needed a spiritual hero to take me back and face those wounds. Yemaya was exactly that.  SHALLOW WATERS is your debut novel! Will you share your journey into publishing this book?   I’ve never been the type to do anything by the book. During the BLM movement in 2020, I knew it was time to put Shallow Waters out there. I didn’t really send it to many publishers, but I kept feeling like I needed to make a move immediately. I decided to self-publish, because I felt like the story was ripe. While I was in the process of self-publishing, my bestie, Yadi…

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 Charlotte Byrd! Writes: Suspenseful (sometimes dark) romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat with drama, angst and even some slow burning relationships that will eventually burst into passionate flames. About: West Coaster. Happily married and mom to an adorable little boy, as well as a crazy Australian Shepherd who hates water. Addicted to books and Netflix. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Must love dark and dangerous romance. Not afraid to get lost in a heart pounding series. What to expect: Slow burn. Angst. Drama. One heck of a HEA! DARK SINS by Charlotte Byrd Dark Intentions #3 When I saved her mother’s life, I didn’t do it with my own money. I took out a debt. Now I have to go back to my old life. I have certain skills that people are willing to pay a lot of money for. Everything has a price, and Jacqueline was worth it. But what happens when…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Kaia, and congrats on the release of SISTERS IN ARMS. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where the idea for this book began?   Kaia: I am a lifelong history geek who whose fascination with World War II began early. The aspects of that war that interest me most are the French Resistance and the U.S. Women’s Corps (WAC). Intellectually, I knew that Black women had served in the WAC. But I had never seen a picture of them until a picture of the 6888th marching in France floated down my Twitter timeline almost 10 years ago. I immediately googled “Black women WW2 France” and the rest is history. Personally, I have family who attended Bethune Cookman University (many years ago!), so I was familiar with Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune—an amazing educator who had a major part in developing the Six Triple Eight, the only all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps. What did your research reveal about this incredible woman?   Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was basically the godmother of the Black WAC soldiers. She positioned herself as advisor to WAAC/WAC leadership early on to ensure that Black women would…

Seconds pass like hours. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. I wait. I wait while emotion hurricanes through me in a mass of anger, sadness, and fear. I wait for Braden to continue. To say what he has to say. To end our relationship—a relationship that perhaps should never have begun. I could be content right now. Who needs Susanne Cosmetics? I could still be working for Addison Ames. She paid me pretty well, and yeah, she’s a narcissistic bitch, but I was making contacts. And Tessa. I’d still have Tessa. My best friend forever, except that forever apparently has an end after all. Maybe I’d be dating that Peter guy. He’s not a billionaire, but he’s an architect at a major firm. He does all right. Who needs a private jet anyway? Or a private driver? I’ll settle for a guy with a decent car. Who needs to be tied up? Spanked? Choked? I never did. I was content before. Except that I wasn’t. I was never challenged. And Braden? He challenges me. Not just in everyday, run-of-the-mill ways, either. He challenges my very way of thinking. He challenges my concept of myself. He dares me to try new things. Things…

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 Jennet Alexander! Writes: I write fluffy fade-to-black queer romances about early 20-somethings who are as messy as they are hopeful. My books explore that space between college and being grown-up, when it feels like everyone in the world but you has their act together. My heroines can be snarky, shy, awkward, or brash – but they’re always complex. I KISSED A GIRL is set in the chaotic world of movie-making, where Noa and Lilah are young Hollywood types trying to make their marks. Lilah’s a leading-lady-in-waiting with a long list of terrible b-movies on her IMDB; Noa’s a special-effects junkie still hoping for her big break. They’re shoved together in an industry where appearances are everything, and learning to open up to one another is a lot harder than it seems. About: Bisexual mom of two, a big-city girl rocking it out on the east coast. I split my time between backstage, teaching, and writing, and there’s nothing better than the…