Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Yes! Readers and Writers NEED to Connect
Author Guest / January 31, 2022

I went to Booklovers Con a few weeks ago. Yes, right before Christmas but not a moment too late. I had a great time.  It is true I pretty much have a great time everywhere I go, but this Con was valuable because it reminded me of how important readers are to my creativity. First, I don’t want to write in a vacuum.  When I’m in my office, struggling with all the crazy doubts writers have, I start to wonder what good all this plotting and thinking is. What does story matter when life seems upside down or sideways? Nor do I think writers are the only ones who question themselves when left alone too long. We all do. Daily routines keep me going but they can also be stagnating. What plugs me into life is when I take time out for a bit of adventure . . . which, when I think about it, is exactly what I ask the characters in my books to do.  After all, when did Belle become interesting enough to have her own story?  When she was going to the bookstore again? Or when she went to rescue her father?  The Beast reminds us…

New Thriller Romance from Kristen Ashley
Author Spotlight / January 31, 2022

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley comes an all new thrilling romantic suspense guaranteed to have pulses rise, and readers begging for more. Renowned author Delphine Larue needs a haven. A crazed fan has gone over the deep end, and she’s not safe. Her security team has suggested a house by a lake. Secluded. Private. Far away. In a beautiful area of the Northwest close to the sleepy town of Misted Pines. It’s perfect. So perfect, Delphine has just moved in, and she’s thinking she’ll stay there forever. Until she sees the girl in the mist. After that, everything changes. Delphine quickly learns that Misted Pines isn’t so sleepy. A little girl has gone missing, and the town is in the grips of terror and tragedy. The local sheriff isn’t up for the job. The citizens are up in arms. And as the case unfolds, the seedy underbelly of a quiet community is exposed, layer by layer. But most importantly, girls are dying. There seems to be only one man they trust to find out what’s happening. The mysterious Cade Bohannan. On Sale January 4th Amazon Amazon Worldwide AppleBooks Kobo Nook Amazon Print Barnes and Noble Print About…

Teri Anne Stanley | Author-Reader Match: CHARMING TEXAS COWBOY
Author Guest / January 28, 2022

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 Teri Anne Stanley! Writes: Sassy, sexy, fun romance where hot soldier cowboys can’t resist smart, gutsy women. There are dogs and horses. Maybe some goats and turtles, too. And chickens. About: Me: Crafty, sciencey, book nerd Loves watching other people take long walks on the beach, long weekends wrapped in a blanket watching Netflix, and pizza rolls. Has been known to spend hours at a time rewriting one paragraph. Rarely cooks or cleans. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: You: Prefer books to people (some people, anyway). Love military guys with wounded souls May have watched every season of Virgin River and/or Homestead Rescue Roll your eyes (but look anyway) whenever there’s a new internet scandal What to expect if we’re compatible: Instagram posts about yarn and dogs Intermittent newsletters (I’m going to be better about this. I really mean it). Stories with heart and a lot of laughs Relatable characters The occasional shot of suspense All the feels CHARMING TEXAS COWBOY by Teri Anne Stanley Big…

Jennifer Vido | Jen’s Jewels Interview: THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis
Author Guest / January 28, 2022

Jen Vido: What inspired your new book, THE MAGNOLIA PALACE? Fiona Davis: THE MAGNOLIA PALACE was inspired by the Frick Collection, a museum in New York City that was home to Henry Clay Frick (an industrialist and art collector), and his family. I loved that it was both a residence and a museum, which works well with a dual-timeline novel. Some of the characters are real people – Henry Clay Frick and Helen Frick, his adult daughter, in particular. And some are fictional, like Lillian, who’s inspired by a celebrated artists’ model from the 1910s named Audrey Munson. Audrey posed for the reclining nude figure that’s carved above the entrance to the Frick mansion. In 1919, what happens in Lillian Carter’s life that lands her in the Frick mansion? Lillian has been struggling in her career as an artists’ model since her mother died earlier that year, and then was accused by the police of being part of a sordid love triangle after her landlord killed his wife. (The scandal is drawn directly from Audrey Munson’s real life.) Early in the book, Lillian is staring up at the image of herself in the Frick’s doorway, wondering what’s going to become…

Terry Spear | Author-Reader Match: THE BEST OF BOTH WOLVES
Author Guest / January 27, 2022

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 Terry Spear! Writes: I write paranormal romance and medieval Highland romances because I love both. Because of that, I create a world of romance, intrigue, mystery, suspense, that makes you feel like you’re part of their world. You deserve a happy ending today. About: I love mystery and suspense, thrillers, romance, and the paranormal. My favorite heroines have spunk and can take care of the hero as he takes care of her with a guaranteed HEA and so that’s what I write. I’m a retired army reservist and have lived all over, though I come from California and now am living in Texas, spoiling my grandchildren and my two Havanese every chance I get. I also create teddy bears that have been featured in magazines and won awards and found homes all over the world. When I’m not writing or creating teddy bears, I garden and I photograph flora and fauna. And when I’m finished, I create photo art from my photos and from other sources. What I’m…

Karen Brooks | 20 Questions: THE GOOD WIFE OF BATH
Author Guest / January 26, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE GOOD WIFE OF BATH 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  Set in the Middle Ages, it’s the story of the most infamous of Geoffrey Chaucer’s characters from his Canterbury Tales – the bold, sensual, assertive, and much-married Wife of Bath – but told in her own voice. The reader meets her at 12 years of age and we’re taken through her five marriages and what becomes of her beyond the limits of Chaucer’s poem in every way. It’s funny, heart-wrenching, infuriating, and draws on history to tell a much-maligned woman’s (mostly) true story.  3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?   Ah, that was easy. I had great source material with the original poem, so placed my characters in all the places the poem mentions – Bath in England and its surrounds, but also medieval London, Cologne, Jerusalem, Rome, Canterbury, and other places too. I was able to travel vicariously when the world was shut down. A wonderful guilty pleasure, really.  4–What are three words that describe your main character?  Sassy, clever, and kind. 5–Which side character stole your attention the most from the main…

Nik James | Author-Reader Match: BULLETS AND SILVER
Author Guest / January 26, 2022

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 NIK JAMES …aka Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick… aka May McGoldrick… aka Jan Coffey Writes: Stories that will grab you and not let go. BULLETS AND SILVER will sweep you along on a Western adventure like few others. Caleb Marlowe is a hero to swoon over, and when villains from his past come hunting him in his new home in Elkhorn, Colorado, he’ll do anything it takes to protect what’s his, including the woman he’s come to care about more than he wants to admit. Sparks and bullets fly in this stand-alone second book of the Caleb Marlowe Westerns series. About: After too many years of New England weather, we’re living in Southern California, where the sun always shines and it never rains (except yesterday…and the day before that). We love living by the beach, and we walk the trails overlooking the canyons and the ocean every day, thinking up stories that you’ll love. When we’re not doing that, we curl up on the sofa to enjoy a good…

Lauren Accardo | Author-Reader Match: BOLD LOVE
Author Guest / January 25, 2022

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 Lauren Accardo! Writes: Steamy contemporary romance; small towns with cute bookstores, coffee shops, and the scent of pine wafting through every square inch. About: Oh hi! Nice to meet you! My name is Lauren Accardo, and I live for an unforgettable HEA. Love stories are my jam. If the book has a broody but smoking hot main character, a strong, take-no-bull second main character, and some type of across-the-room-eye-contact-that-leads-to-touching, I either read it or wrote it. Outside of swoony romance, my interests include baked goods of any variety, karaoke, vacations to Italy, dogs, the Adirondack mountains, and making my 5-month-old baby laugh. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Can inhale a book in just one sitting Roots for a snarky female lead Has a soft spot for adorable but occasionally clueless men Enjoys excessive descriptions of food and usually reads with a snack in hand Loves a good love story What to expect if we’re compatible: Chemistry on chemistry on chemistry Lots of characters…

Chencia C. Higgins | 20 Questions: D’VAUGHN AND KRIS PLAN A WEDDING
Author Guest / January 25, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? D’VAUGHN AND KRIS PLAN A WEDDING 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  It’s 90 Day Fiancé meets The Amazing Race when two women who’ve never met before have six weeks to convince their families that they’re marrying one another. Each week brings a list of tasks they must execute all while dragging their loved ones along for the ride, but on the way to the altar their pretend feelings turn real and when they reach the finish line they have to decide if it’s worth the risk to turn something fake into forever. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  The setting for just about all of my books is my hometown of Houston, TX, so that made this one a no-brainer. The city is so large and diverse that it makes it easy to drop a fictional cast of characters there. 4–Would you hang out with D’Vaughn in real life?  Absolutely. She’s funny, kind, and likes to eat; all qualities I hold dear. 5–What are three words that describe Kris? Sexy, smooth, strong. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?  I learned that…

A.M. Arthur | Author-Reader Match: HIS FRESH START COWBOY
Author Guest / January 25, 2022

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 A.M. Arthur! Writes: LGBTQ+ romance with heaping doses of angst, probably some tears, but always a Happily Ever After for my main characters. While I do dabble in paranormal, I mostly write contemporary, such as my brand new cowboy series, HIS FRESH START COWBOY, which launches the Woods Ranch series with Carina Press. There are plenty of sexy times and romance to be found on the ranch, especially in this best friend’s-brother story set in a north Texas cattle ranch. About: A small-town girl who loves writing about equally small towns and characters who find big love there, I am avid reader and cat lover. I also enjoy cooking at home and experimenting with new flavor profiles, so you will frequently find food references in my stories. My favorite thing to do in the evening is cuddle up on the couch with a fuzzy throw blanket, my two cats, and a good book. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match:…