Music is a big part of my writing experience, along with dancing, whenever the mood strikes. My playlists are an eclectic mix of genres. Hip-hop, pop, rap, reggaeton, jazz, country, classical—they’re all part of my music selections. The perfect song can put me in the right headspace and drown out any competing thoughts that get in the way of my productivity. I become lost in the music as well as the story while I’m writing. From a practical standpoint, it also blocks out my upstairs neighbors when they get too loud. A killer playlist becomes the soundtrack for my story and often reflects the attitudes of my characters, along with the ups and downs they face. For instance, in THE FIRST RULE OF HOOK-UPS, as I thought about Alexa and her friends at the Breakup Bash—a party held at Club Escapade to help women get over one man and move onto a better one—a few of Beyoncé’s songs about women and empowerment came to mind. And in the book, when the DJ cues up a line dance song and Alexa joins in, the “Cupid Shuffle” was playing through my headphones. Music also helped in imagining Raphael, a retired male dancer…

Falling in love is not limited to twenty-somethings. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading about young love. I was there once. It can be passionate, heart-wrenching, and exhilarating. But emotions don’t dry up when a character reaches the age of thirty or thirty-five. People over that age are still vibrant and passionate—in real life, and on the page. Mature characters in romances might have lost a partner through death or divorce, or they may have never found the right person or the right time for a relationship. Usually, they are comfortable with themselves and the lives they’ve built so they may not be all that eager to throw another person into the mix, no matter how wildly attracted they are to them. I enjoy writing what some call seasoned romance, romances with characters no longer in their twenties. But traditionally, the romance industry has favored young romances, and the word going around was that readers didn’t want to read love stories with characters who weren’t in the bloom of youth. Things are changing slowly, but I’ve discovered that there is a growing readership who are looking for romances with older characters. Older characters have more life experiences to bring…

Welcome Fresh Fiction reviewer and Blog Coordinator, Danielle Dresser, sharing the books she’s thankful for… Stay tuned for more articles from our reviewers in the near future! I’ve always been a big reader. Anyone in my family will tell you that while I was growing up, we could be a block or two away from our house, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you how to get home because if I had a free moment – in the car after soccer practice, on the way to school, running errands with my parents – I was reading, and oblivious to everything around me if I was invested in a good book. So you can imagine, later this week when we’re sitting around Thanksgiving dinner and everyone is reflecting on the things we’re thankful for, I will definitely be saying books! Here are a few books I’m thankful for (from an ever-changing and ever-expanding list), and why they mean so much to me. Born in Fire by Nora Roberts This was one of the first romance novels my mom every recommended to me. My mom reads everything from medical journals to the latest bestsellers to the romance novels that line the…

As an author, there’s nothing more gratifying than meeting readers who take interest in and appreciate your writing. As a reader, there’s nothing more fascinating than meeting your favorite authors, then being introduced to more authors whose work is new to you. As an author who reads religiously, the combination of those two things is heaven…especially when the event is hosted by an indy mystery/thriller bookstore like the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, Arizona! That’s what last weekend was for me. Pure bliss. A meeting of mystery authors from my publishing house that had stars shining down on it. I got to sit behind the scenes and chat with fascinating individuals who bring the world of mystery to life with their intriguing experiences. And after that, we got to meet readers and chat about our writing and just life in general. You never know what stories will come forward. Like the author who went out target shooting in the desert with a bunch of men she barely knew…and then she stuck one of their guns in her rib cage because she wanted to be able to describe the feeling in her book! Now there’s a story that could quickly be turned…

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 Elle Keating!  Writes: I write contemporary romance that tends to be steamy, gritty and heavy on the angst. I love torturing my readers, making them believe that all hope is lost, that my couple in no way shape or form can recover from whatever split them apart and then…bam! My hero and heroine find the happy ending they deserve. My most recent endeavor is Feels Like Falling (November 13th), a romance about a winery owner who has a past that keep him from really living, and an international fashion model who has secrets of her own. About: Romance writer seeks readers of stories packed with raw emotion, fierce heroines, and heroes who are willing to wear their hearts on their sleeves and fight for the women they love. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Enjoys heroines who are not sickeningly sweet, refuse to be a doormat (especially to the hero) and give as good as they get.   Has…

I have to admit, I am always alternately excited and confused when my publisher decides one of my books falls under the romantic comedy heading. Excited because rom-coms are my favorite type of romance. Confused because I don’t really set out to write comedy. Why? Because comedy is hard. It’s not that I don’t think I’m funny. I mean, if I can still make my teenagers laugh, but not laugh at me, I must be doing something right in the live comedy department. But in my experience, written comedy is a whole other ball game. And kind of like a five-year-old who is trying to learn to tell jokes, when I try to write comedy, it comes off stilted and…not funny. So rather than try to write comedy, I aim to write people the way people around me actually talk. Yet, I tend to fall back on two of my comedic influences when writing anyway. The first (love him, hate him, or try to ignore the bad stuff about him) is Joss Whedon. I’m going to take a stab in the dark that, like me, he doesn’t really consider himself a comedy writer. However, most of his work has strong…

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 Colleen S. Myers Writes: Romance (Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal and Contemporary Military Romance) Her most recent release is Distant Memory out 11/13/2018! About: Forty-something romance author seeks readers for thoughtful, sexy and fun Sci Fi Romance, with an outspoken heroine and the alien with whom she falls in love. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Their idea of the perfect date includes a Saturday night watching Firefly Dreams about suns, stars and hot aliens Falls easily in love with sexy leader types Likes Roswell meets Lost in Space Thinks dry sarcastic humor is an artform. Want to see a Kraken. Just kidding, there are no krakens, or are there… What to expect if we’re compatible: Frequent books and novellas Frequent giveaways via my newsletter and Facebook GIVEAWAY! Tell us if you think she’s a match for you or not (sad face) but either way you’ll be entered to win a hard back copy of all THREE books in the…

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 Kerry Fisher!  Writes: Contemporary women’s fiction for women who’ve lived long enough not to expect the fairytale. The paperback of the ebook bestseller, THE SILENT WIFE hits the shelves on 13 November 2018. About: British author, mother of teens and owner of an unruly Labrador/Schnauzer cross, seeks American readers for a gripping novel about two very different women united by the struggle of being second wives in a family dominated by an Italian matriarch. One woman hides a secret, the other discovers one – but will either of them find the courage to reveal the truth in a family held together by lies?     What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Likes gritty stories about family relationships. Loves irreverent, outspoken characters who say it as they see it. Enjoys reading about moral dilemmas and wondering, ‘What would I do?’ Loves being transported to a medieval castle in Italy for an authentic family holiday (that is, plenty of arguments and an…

A special treat: we have another lovely article from fresh fiction reviewer Miranda Owen, all about historical mysteries. Enjoy, and be sure to check back soon for more from Miranda and other reviewers soon! Nowadays I generally read contemporary cozy mysteries, but I have a fondness for Golden Age mysteries. Some of the first mysteries I ever read were set in England during the 1920s and 30s written by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Although it may not be what I usually read, I’ve recently enjoyed a crop of fascinating and incredibly varied collection of historical mysteries. THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL by Stephanie Laurens, AN ACT OF VILLAINY by Ashley Weaver, BRIGHT YOUNG DEAD by Jessica Fellowes, BLOOD IS BLOOD by Will Thomas, and NAUGHTY ON ICE by Maia Chance are all entertaining stories but with sleuths, settings, and tone that differ wildly from each other. I love a hint of romance in a mystery, so I adore Stephanie Laurens’ mysteries and the Amory Ames mystery series by Ashley Weaver featuring Amory and Milo Ames. These authors’ books are totally different but each does an exquisite job balancing mystery with a hint of romance. THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL…

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 Denise Swanson! Writes: I write contemporary romance. I would say they are sexy, but sweet. I like to include lots of feels, but not too much angst. I want to warm your heart more than rip it to pieces. My most recent book is Dangerously Delicious a Delicious Love romance about a nightclub owner who has recently decided he wants to find his forever woman, and a wildlife veterinarian who loves her furbabies more than most people. About: Country girl seeks fans of sweet sexy romances who appreciate strong heroines, and the alpha heroes who are smart enough to love them. Author writes such stories because she has been fortunate to live her own happily ever after with her hero husband who she met in high school. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Knows that strong women aren’t weakened by loving (and learning to lean on) the right man. Has a weakness for hero and heroine who…