Your novel, THE UNQUIET DEAD, is set during the Gilded Age. What is it about that time period that has inspired you? Will you write novels set in other time periods? When I first decided to write A DEADLY FORTUNE, the first book in the Amelia Matthew series (THE UNQUIET DEAD being the second), there was never any question but that I would set it in the Gilded Age. The Victorian/Gilded Age is far and away my favorite time period to read, so it made sense that I gravitated there for writing as well. I think there’s something so evocative about that time period. It’s far enough in the past to feel somewhat exotic, but it’s also comfortably modern in a lot of ways. The people and their motivations feel recognizable to readers. I have ideas for novels set in other time periods, so I’m sure I’ll get around to them eventually. I have part of a WWII book drafted, and a few notes for a book set in the Civil War-era western US.   I love stories with paranormal elements, or about different types of extrasensory perception. What made you decide to give your female protagonist the ability to…

I started reading your Happy Camper series with the second book. I loved the book and I like your amateur sleuth, Zo Jones. I think for a cozy mystery author, it must be difficult creating protagonists who finds themselves involved in murder investigations and inquisitive, without making them obnoxiously so. And I say that as somebody who adores cozy mysteries and the variety of amateur sleuths. Is it difficult to keep finding reasons for Zo to be involved in murder investigations? Thank you for reading! I’m so glad you enjoyed MIDNIGHT SPELLS MURDER. I, too, often read out of order, and honestly, I don’t mind because I think a series usually gets better with time. It is hard to find viable reasons for Zo to be involved in murder. It’s the burden of an amateur sleuth, I suppose. But Zo has many interests, including her Happy Camper shop, her stargazing club, and her newspaper column. Plus she’s incredibly curious. I don’t have to look too far to find a reason for her to get involved in a crime.   Another thing I like about this series are the friends and supporting characters. Do you have that support system for the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE CATCH   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? After a harrowing attempt on a judge’s life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge’s wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.   Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the people who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I typically chose the setting from a place I am familiar with. With this series, I decided to explore the state I grew up in through this series. Washington is an extremely diverse region, from forested mountains to rugged coast lines, to remote islands.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THREE SHOTS TO THE WIND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Chloe Jackson has a secret admirer. She’s pouring drinks at the Sea Glass Saloon when an airplane flies over the beach with a banner reading I LOVE YOU CHLOE JACKSON. Then a bouquet of lilacs – her favorite flower – is delivered to the bar, followed by an expensive bottle of her favorite sparkling wine. Chloe’s ex-fiancé from Chicago has flown down to Florida for an accountants’ convention. Unfortunately, he’s not in a hotel conference room, he’s floating in the lake next to Chloe’s house, clutching a photo of her. Who murders an accountant on a business trip? When her boyfriend becomes the prime suspect, Chloe is determined to find the murderer. But if she isn’t careful, it may be closing time and lights out for her . . .   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My editor originally suggested setting the series in Key West. I’d only been there once but used to live in the Florida panhandle which is called Lower Alabama, the Emerald Coast, and the Redneck Riviera –…

Is it soon apparent in TOUGH JUSTICE who the bad guys are, and the challenge is just finding out how to stop them? Or is part of the mystery uncovering who’s behind it all? Personally, I like a good mystery, and it seems like most readers feel the same. Makes for a good page-turner. Rather than give too much away up front, I’ve done my best to try and keep readers guessing. So, part of the mystery in this story is figuring out who the bad guys are. What do you like about writing romantic suspense? Writing RS allows me to combine elements of my work experience and the interesting (and often quirky!) people I’ve encountered throughout my career, with my love of romance. It seemed like a natural fit for me. Since you have your other Federal K-9 series, I’m wondering what inspires you to write about K-9 agents specifically? Honestly, writing K-9 books was not my brainchild. I have to give credit where it’s due. I owe it all to my very first editor, Karen Grove. I’d just finished the last of my NYPD Blue & Gold series, and we were brainstorming over what I should write next. Karen…

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 Melissa Foster! Writes: Passionate romance for fiercely loyal hearts. There are many things you can count on with my books, such as always getting an amazing  HEA (Happily Ever After), never having to worry about characters cheating, and plenty of heat, humor, and heart. My heroes range from billionaires to bikers, cowboys to ex-military, and my newest hero owns an animal rescue. My stories will also make you cry tears of joy and sometimes tears of heartache, because people, and relationships, aren’t perfect. About: I am a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 books. When I am not writing, you will find me taking my fur-baby for walks on the sandy shores of Cape Cod Bay, where we live, chatting with one of my four incredible sons, or binge watching something while noshing on something delicious–only to work it off at the gym the next morning. My ideal reader match will love each of the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WITH LOVE FROM ROSE BEND, Book 3 in the Rose Bend series 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The local innkeeper discovers her one-night stand and the newest recluse in town are one in the same person. She has no plans on a repeat and he has no intentions of staying, but a spring festival, a pageant and meddling parents are soon giving this retired quarterback every reason to take a chance on the riskiest game of all… 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since WITH LOVE FROM ROSE BEND is book 3 in the series, I already knew the setting of the story. But once I decided on the hero for the heroine, he helped shaped the additional places I incorporated into the small town of Rose Bend. Places such as his home, the high school football field and later the professional football stadium. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Oh most definitely! And I’d take her out for a girls’ night and get her tipsy. Because she has an amazing singing voice when she’s toasted. LOL! 5–What are…

“Did you say…Ben…Laderman?” It couldn’t be. The world wasn’t that small, or that cruel. There was no way. “Yes, Laderman.” Wendy’s tone made it clear I’d interrupted her and she wasn’t pleased about it. “Hometown Austin guy, actually, went to law school at UT.” Impossible. There was no way the Ben Laderman from my past, who’d kindly gotten the fuck out of Texas years ago, was not only back in Austin, but wedged between me and the thing I’d worked for my entire professional life. Wendy stopped talking, trying to interpret my silence. “What, you know him or something? And are those children I hear in the background? I thought you said you were watching a horror movie.” Sure enough, even through the white noise, I could hear high-pitched voices squealing about princesses and singing teapots. Mac had dropped my arm and was backing away slowly. “No, I don’t know him,” I lied, the words coming out before I had a chance to think them through. In fact, I couldn’t think straight at all, with the kids and the costume and the dizzying amount of champagne still in my system. And, worst of all, with the conjured spirit of Ben…

The hero in your book AN UNEXPECTED COWBOY is, no surprise, a cowboy. What do you enjoy about a cowboy hero? As a young reader, I transitioned from Louis L’Amour’s westerns to western romances, so I’ve always loved a cowboy hero. (The romanticized version, of course.) My husband and I enjoy western movies and shows (Yellowstone!), but most of my books are set in New England and cowboys are hard to come by here. There’s something about a man who works hard, plays hard, though, and the hats and boots don’t hurt. (And neither do the snug, faded jeans.) I think many of us have internalized cowboys as a blend of the wild west but with a strong sense of right and wrong, along with old-fashioned chivalry toward women. When I was making notes for the first book in the series and the hero went to the University of Montana, I realized I had the perfect opportunity to bring a cowboy to New England. The fish-out-of-water element was so much fun to play with.   Mallory, the heroine in your story, is a single mother. Can it be challenging writing child characters? It’s very challenging! Making them authentic characters (rather…

1–What is the title of your latest release? JACK OF ALL TRADES (March 29th 2022) https://books2read.com/JackofAllTrades   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When the railway arrives in Millcastle with its brash contractor and roving band of navvies many in the town are up in arms. Can Noah Hepworth convince the townspeople to invest in him and more importantly, can he persuade the very ladylike Miss Alice Collins to view his courtship with a favorable eye?   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It’s part of a series set in the cradle of the industrial revolution in a fictional town called Millcastle and follows the loves and lives of the townsfolk and the local gentry. It’s like Pride and Prejudice meets North and South.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Definitely. She’s very calm and restful.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Brash, loud, very good with his hands.   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How railway tunnels were constructed.   7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I go so, I’m…