1–What is the title of your latest release? BUILT TO LAST 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s an enemies-to-lovers set in an HGTV-style setting. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This is the third book in the series, and they’ve all been set in NYC. I decided on the Manhattan setting first because I just love the city, but also because this is about three women dealing with careers and change and finding love, and I think it’s a great setting for those challenges. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. Harper is a lot of fun to be around. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Loyal, loving, stubborn 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a lot about renovation. Specifically, about what goes into renovating a Gilded Age mansion and how those homes were built and run at the time. And I learned what shiplap is. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? When I’m writing and I finish a chapter, I usually go back and reread and do a very basic edit before moving…

From ALONG CAME AMOR by Alexis Daria. Copyright © 2025 by Alexis Daria. Reprinted by permission of Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Chapter 2 It was early evening and the restaurant in the Dulce Playa Hotel’s lobby wasn’t full. Only a few people sat in booths scattered around the open space. The dim lighting emphasized the taste- ful deep blue and gold color scheme, and a classic rock song played low in the background. Ava perched her butt on one of the high chairs stationed at the bar. With her long legs, she was practically the same height as when she’d been standing. Old Ava would’ve been mortified to drink at a bar by herself, but New Ava had a book in her purse and she would survive this. Turning over the menu, a lovely piece of textured navy blue cardstock with gold foil lettering, she immediately spotted the rosé option. She was tempted to order it anyway, regardless of Damaris’s decree, but one glass cost more than an entire bottle did at Ava’s local liquor store. Besides, she was starting a new chapter, right? Might as well let the Universe decide for her. Closing her eyes, Ava…

Each Monday the Smashwords store lists the top ten most highly anticipated indie fiction ebooks based on the previous week’s preorder accumulations. Each title on the list is scheduled to release within the next week. To help the talented authors on this list accumulate even more preorders, click the title of the book. The hyperlink will bring you to a Books2Read page where you can order from your preferred ebook retailer. If the preorder is part of a series, click the hyperlinked series title to learn about the other books in the series. Be sure to check back Friday for a list of the Top 25 Bestselling Indie Ebooks.

Yes, I love Sherlock Holmes…and dogs! A large percentage of my day, every single day, has gone to the dogs—for most of my life. And now, my upcoming book, DOGGONE BONES, is about a topic close to my heart. Animal rescue. In Sarah Booth’s latest adventure, she and her partner, Tinkie, decide to help a woman in a nearby town whose dog has been stolen. The case should be a simple one. But of course, it isn’t, and before you know it Sarah Booth and Tinkie are involved with wrestlers, potential dog fighters, and corrupt officials. As most readers will remember, both Sarah Booth and Tinkie are huge animal lovers. Sarah Booth has taken on dogs, a cat, horses, and a raven. While I am not Sarah Booth (but would like to be!) I am also an animal rescuer. I founded Good Fortune Farm Refuge, a 501c3 charity that is housed on my small Alabama farm, some 30 ears ago. To date I have 7 dogs, 12, cats and 2 horses living with me. I do all the animal care myself, but I do have friends and board members of the rescue who help me with so much more: fund…

From Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney. Copyright © 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Chapter 2 Moving fast, I ushered Father Patrick into the castle, tempted to bar the door behind us against Hilda and her friend. The Great Hall was empty, but I could hear Dad’s voice booming in the drawing room, which overlooked the knot garden, one of the castle’s best features. “Want a glass of mead?” I asked Father Patrick. “And we’ve got nibbles.” “I won’t say no,” he said, looking pleased at the prospect. We were halfway across the hall when the front door opened and my sister, Tamsyn, slipped inside. “Hold up,” she cried, running to join us, long legs flashing. I braced myself, since she did not approve of me renting “her” castle. “I thought you were on location.” Tamsyn had a lead role in Highland Lass, a period costume drama filmed in Edinburgh. “We were,” she said, bestowing her famous smile on Father Patrick. We both had our late mother’s strawberry blonde waves, green eyes, and pale skin that freckled. But my sister was incredibly photogenic and I was not. “But we’re on break, so…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BUSYBODY BOOK CLUB 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A dysfunctional book club must become amateur detectives when one of their members goes missing and a dead body turns up at his house. But when they can’t even agree on what to read, how are they going to solve the crime? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve always wanted to write a book set in Cornwall, a gorgeous coastal county in the South-West of England. The village I set the story in, St. Tredock, is fictional, but it’s based on Port Isaac, a picturesque fishing village built isnto the rugged Cornish coastline. Think pretty whitewashed stone cottages, crashing waves and excellent ice cream! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d love to hang out with the members of the St Tredock community book club. They’d initially drive me mad with their bickering, but there are some really fun, eccentric characters with kind hearts, so life would never be boring. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Nova is quirky, generous and insecure. 6–What’s something you learned while…

In this week’s Jen’s Jewels, I share a beautiful conversation with Anna Mitchael, a superbly talented writer whose new book is one we all need right now. Are you at a crossroads in life? Struggling to get things right in a world that often feels upside down? Take a break from your busy day and meet the Anna I know—someone who shares deeply personal and inspiring vignettes that uncover the quiet beauty woven into our everyday lives. And don’t forget to visit her Substack, where your journey toward meaning continues. Jen: Your book beautifully explores the search for fulfillment in a world full of mixed messages. What was the initial spark or moment that led you to begin writing this collection? Anna: Thank you for those kind words. I love how you phrased that—this is a world full of mixed messages. I started the book because I was at a point where I was exhausted from weeding through those messages and trying to “get things right.” From a young age I’d been taught to be my own person. But then out of the other side of the mouth was a push to learn how to excel within the systems of…

Each of the fifty-two chapters in my latest novel, SONGS OF SUMMER, begins with a song title, so curating a companion playlist for the book felt like an organic extension of the story. Early readers are loving the immersive experience of listening along—which is exactly what I had hoped for. I chose each track for a variety of reasons, ranging from the obvious to the nuanced. Here are six examples: “The House That Built Me” by Miranda LambertOne of the more lost characters in Songs of Summer returns to her childhood home in search of strength and comfort. With lines like, “I thought if I could touch this place or feel it, this brokenness inside of me might start healing” Lambert’s lyrics align perfectly with the chapter they introduce. “Up on the Roof” by Carole KingAn early scene in the novel features a blowout between estranged sisters—one of whom has taken to the roof. This song, an old favorite of mine, was an obvious choice and one of the first I selected. “Float On” by Modest MouseModest Mouse is an artist my oldest daughter introduced me to, and this song felt like the perfect fit for a wedding celebration that takes place on a ferry…

We (Tracie and Kimberley) can’t wait for you to read book three in the Jewels of Kalispell series. It’s our hope that Parker and Johanna’s story of second-chance love warms your heart. We also pray it encourages your faith and introduces you to a part of our beautiful country you might not have known about. If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit Kalispell or Glacier National Park, we heartily encourage you to do so. You will not be sorry you made the trip. For now, enjoy Johanna, Parker, Marvella, and others as they band together to see love long buried come to life again. (Be forewarned: it takes a hearty dose of meddling, intrigue and God’s amazing grace!) A is for All sorts of intrigue. N is for naughty… as in an adorably naughty 3-year-old! U is for Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This play, based on the book by Harriet Beecher Stowe grew in popularity in the late 1800s into the early 1900s. A fun fact about Uncle Tom’s Cabin: when it premiered at the McIntosh Opera House, more than 1,100 people were in attendance. In fact it was reported that people were standing in the windowsills to be able…

As May arrives with early summer sun to gild the emerging roses, we’ll look this month at novels highlighting the Gilded Age, where fabulous, as-yet-uncontrolled wealth coexists with the dire poverty of immigrants, subsistence farmers and factory workers. We begin with a duo of linked novels by Donna Russo Morin.  The first, GILDED SUMMERS: A NOVEL (NEWPORT’S GILDED AGE BOOK 1) focuses on the friendship between two girls, Pearl, daughter of wealth, and Ginevra, an immigrant from Italy who becomes a maid and seamstress in Pearl’s luxurious Newport, R.I. mansion. Though the two quickly bond over their dreams—Pearl, to be an artist, Ginevra, to become a clothing designer–they must keep their friendship hidden from Pearl’s autocratic mother, whose goal is for her daughter to make a suitable marriage to a rich man of their class.  As they grow older, they continue to support each other, even as their friendship is tested by their attraction to the same young men.  Filled with gossipy details of life among the upper classes, the fictional character’s lives enriched by the inclusion of actual Newport residents like Tessie Oehlrich, Mamie Fish, and Alva and Consuelo Vanderbilt as well as highlighting historical events of the time,…