Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Ellen Crosby | 20 Questions: BITTER ROOTS
Author Guest / May 16, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? BITTER ROOTS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The brutal murder of a beautiful vineyard expert and a devastating storm force Virginia winemaker Lucie Montgomery to confront painful changes on the eve of her wedding.  3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It’s the 12th book in my Virginia wine country mysteries, so I knew exactly where it would take place—at a family-owned vineyard in northern Virginia, a beautiful region of rolling hills and winding country lanes, that is also horse and hunt country. As for how I originally chose the setting, I was living in London in the 1990s and came back to the US with my husband and sons on a home leave trip. A friend decided we needed to see the Virginia vineyards since my husband is French and we had lived on the French-Swiss border for five years where we often explored the vineyards of those countries. When I got back to London my British literary agent learned of the trip and said, “That’s the setting for your next novel.” I agreed to write one book—as I said, BITTER ROOTS is…

Cynthia Kuhn | 20 Questions: HOW TO BOOK A MURDER
Author Guest / May 16, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? HOW TO BOOK A MURDER (Starlit Bookshop Mysteries #1) 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A recent Ph.D. becomes a literary event planner to save the family bookstore, but when a murder mystery party turns murderous, she takes on the role of amateur sleuth to protect her beloved aunt, a famous author accused of the crime. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I imagined my dream bookstore, which turned out to be in the middle of an artistic community on a riverwalk. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes, especially if she would give me a discount in the bookstore. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Bookish, curious, determined. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Although I worked for a short time in a bookstore, it was decades ago, so I was very lucky to have some booksellers who were willing to talk to me. All of them said that working with customers was their favorite part of the job. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? For the first…

Angela Marsons Interview – Suspense Series with a Strong Female Lead
Author Guest , Interviews / May 16, 2022

In your new thriller SIX GRAVES, things get very personal for your detective. Tell me about Detective Kim Stone. How is she as a person, and as a detective? Because of her traumatic childhood Kim is a loner and doesn’t let many people into her circle. She is quite rude and brusque and totally lacks social skills. She doesn’t show her feelings and although she cares deeply about her team, she rarely shows it. She offers all her affection to her rescue dog, barney. As a police officer she is passionate, driven and always fights for the underdog. She believes in justice and will go over and above to make sure the perpetrator is caught and punished. Has SIX GRAVES been any more difficult to write than any of the other books in the series because of the intensity and personal angle for your main character? In some ways six graves was very difficult to write because of the scenes I knew were coming at the end of the book. in other ways I absolutely love the challenge of putting her in new situations. I actually didn’t want to stop writing this book and feel as though I could have…

Mary Jane Maffini | 20 Questions: DEATH PLANS A PERFECT TRIP
Author Guest / May 16, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? DEATH PLANS A PERFECT TRIP, Charlotte Adams number 6, will be released on May 17th!   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When her mother, the famous thriller writer, Esme Adams, vanishes, Charlotte Adams, professional organizer and amateur sleuth, races across Europe to save her. As Charlotte keeps one step ahead of the nameless villains, she discovers her mother’s dark history and the source of her own on-going nightmares.  Reader warning: contains travel tips, food, dogs and a touch of romance.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place: I had always wanted to set a cozy mystery in Europe and over a couple of years returned to some of my favorite spots (Paris, Lisbon and northern Italy) with a mystery percolating in my busy brain. This book was so much fun to write!   4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Good question.  I would definitely like Charlotte to drop in and give me a hand organizing and to offer some wardrobe advice. She’d be welcome any time and I would make her favorite cookies.  But I do worry she might…