Excerpt from THE EVER KING by LJ Andrews 1 The Songbird Blood was in the air. Pale sunlight had barely clawed through ashy sea mists around the shore, but the hot tang of blood filled my lungs with each breath. I pulled back the thick woven shades to see if some gory death had taken place at the base of my family’s tower. The dirt roads carving through the wood-and-stone fortress we called home for two weeks every summer were filled with loud merchants and courtiers preparing for the festival. No bones. No flesh. No blood. I let the shade fall back into place, my thumb tracing the roses and ravens embroidered in the threads-symbols for our Night Folk clans in the kingdom of the North. The kingdoms of the East, South, and West had their own unique markings. I was losing my damn mind. Brutal nightmares of snakes devouring little birds took up my sleep. Now I was bringing the blood and death from dreams into reality. Maybe it was because the Crimson Festival marked the end of the war. Or maybe it was because this festival was the tenth since our enemies, the sea fae, were locked beneath…

“Your Love” – The Outfield It would be impossible to create a playlist for IF ALL ELSE SAILS without including a song that starts like this: “Josie’s on a vacation far away.” It’s too perfect, considering the book’s opening, wherein Josie, an elementary school nurse on summer vacation, meets up with her brother for their Super Summer Sibling Extravaganza. Only … her brother isn’t waiting for her and there is no extravaganza.Instead of a vacation far away, Josie gets tricked into helping her brother’s best friend, a grumpy hockey player whom she’s never gotten along with, recover from an injury. Which does lead to a sailing trip, and I think that technically counts as a vacation far away. While the upbeat vibe and first line of this song is perfect for IF ALL ELSE SAILS, please disregard the rest of the lyrics and meaning behind the song. There are no one-night stands, no cheating, and definitely no questionable age gaps in my book. “Poison and Wine” – The Civil Wars This has to be the anthem for the enemies to lovers trope. Though Josie and Wyatt don’t quite rise to the soul-crushing angst in “Poison and Wine,” they have years…

What is the title of your latest release?SPLENDOR OF THE LAND – Book Three of the King’s Men Series What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A haunted soldier. A hidden goldsmith. Together they must face their fears, outwit their enemies, and surrender to the One True King—or lose each other forever. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Once I discovered that the Kenites historically were known as metalsmiths, choosing Punon, where ancient copper mines were active for thousands of years, was an easy decision for the setting. The rest of it I discovered along the way as I wrote Gavi and Zahava’s journey. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely. However, I’d avoid taking Gavi out for anything stronger than a nice black coffee. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Gavriel is reckless and wounded but fiercely loyal. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned so much about ancient metallurgy and jewelry making techniques, which provided lots of rabbit trails I truly enjoyed exploring. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I handwrite most scenes and then edit as I input them. Then…

What is the title of your latest release?GONE TO GROUND What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Two brothers from the streets of LA wind up in the crosshairs of a hedge-fund fixer. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The novel is set in a typical LA working class, immigrant neighborhood which is where I have been a teacher for the past thirty years. Some streets are teeming with life and around the corner its four blocks of defeat. Like a bomb went off and it’s been years since anyone thought to go back outside. You have fishbowl living in high-density housing right across from the landed barrio gentry with their wrought iron fencing meant to keep the bangers out but only serve to give the homes the appearance of bird cages. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Hang out, no. But in four weeks I will be taking a busload of kids – academic grinders like the protagonist – on an overnight trip to visit UC Santa Barbara and Stanford. Eleven hours on a bus will be the closest I get to hang out. They’re middle school kids, most have not…

There’s nothing I enjoy more than a good playlist. It’s part of every book I write, building songs for inspiration, or thematic links, or simply something I hear while I’m writing that reminds me of the process. Music always plays a crucial role in my story and character development. In recent years, I’ve been able to share them easily with readers using Spotify links. It’s the ultimate mix tape! In a first, LAST SEEN has two soundtracks. One is mine, and one belongs to my main character, Halley James. She and her husband met and dated among the DC music scene—something close to my heart, and my husband and I did the same. From the dark and sticky corners of the 9:30 Club to Meriwether Post Pavilion, we saw tons of absolutely epic shows. Halley’s soundtrack is full of ultra-cool 90s classics: Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, The Veils, R.E.M. The Replacements, David Bowie, and more, which she plays on her road trip home to Marchburg, VA, and then on to Brockville, TN. Here’s a link to her list. It’s a great blast from my own road trip past, driving the same route from my home in DC to my college,…

Welcome to the Palouse region of Idaho, and specifically, my hometown of New Oslo. My name is Tessa Treslow. I was born and raised here but left New Oslo, Idaho, over twenty years ago to join the US Army to serve my country and travel the world. I had no intentions of coming back to my tiny hometown after retiring, but here I am – and I’m happy as a pig in… well, happy as a pig can be. I live outside of town in a farmhouse with my aunt, Edna Harridan. She and I run a business, BOSS (Band of Sisters Services – Call the Shecanics!) fixing and restoring car engines out of our custom pole barn-slash-garage. Our farmhouse has been in our family for over one hundred years and has a few secrets of its own. Our little (and I mean little) town of New Oslo is about twenty minutes east of our farmhouse, nestled down in a wooded valley. It was established as a train stop and lumber town ages ago and it has grown and ebbed over the years. Nowadays, the town itself is about three blocks long. We’ve got a couple little businesses, and what…

Book Title: THE ART OF A LIECharacter Name: Hannah Cole How would you describe your family or your childhood?My father was my world. My mother died before I was born. The scents of stewing blackcurrants and pounded almonds bring back memories of how happy I was back then. Father would tell me stories. I still think of him when I read, or when I’m at work in the shop. Sometimes I imagine that I hear his tread on the stair. What was your greatest talent?Making a study of my customers in my confectionery shop. Nine times out of ten, I can predict what will tempt them. It is the confectioner’s principle art, anticipating wants and needs. People betray their desires in countless small ways. Significant other?My husband, Jonas, was murdered three months ago. He was set upon by robbers as he was leaving a Mayfair tavern. The constables have been unable to find his killer, but now Henry Fielding, the Chief Magistrate of Westminster, has taken personal charge of the case. I very much want to see justice for Jonas. Biggest challenge in relationships?I loved my husband dearly, but Jonas was a striver, a rising man. As well as the…

Book Title: FINAL APPROACHCharacter Name: Kristine Duncan – Air Marshal How would you describe your family or your childhood?“Family? It was complicated after Mom died. Before that… we had moments, I guess. Dad was always hard on me and my siblings, but Mom buffered it. After the hijacking, it was just me, my twin brother and sister, and him with his unpredictable rage—or gaslighting. You never knew which one you were going to get. He blamed the world for taking her. I became a shield between him and the twins. I learned to redirect his anger toward me, to make sure Ethan and Emily could still have some kind of childhood. I grew up fast, making their lunches, helping with homework, bandaging scraped knees. They became my responsibility, my purpose. We formed our own little unit within that broken home.” What is your greatest talent?“Reading people. I can walk into a room and know who’s a threat within seconds. It started as survival with my father – knowing when to speak, when to disappear. Now it’s my job. I notice patterns in behavior others miss. That hypervigilance… it’s a curse and a gift, I suppose.” Significant other?“There’s Andrew Ross, an…

What is the title of your latest release?IF NOT FOR MY BABY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?IF NOT FOR MY BABY is a contemporary rockstar romance that follows a small-town waitress named Clementine who gets the opportunity to be a backing vocalist for Halloran, an Irish rockstar on his eight-week US tour. It’s basically if The Idea of You had a baby with Almost Famous. Halloran is a hopeless romantic (so male yearning is off the charts) and Clementine doesn’t believe in love. But of course, opposites attract! How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I had always wanted to write a road trip book, and the tour aspect of this story allowed me to visit all my favorite cities! Austin, Memphis, New York, LA. Also places I’ve always wanted to go like Maine. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Oh, absolutely! I love Clementine. She’s funny, she loves music and musicals as much as I do. We’d go see concerts together! What are three words that describe your protagonist?Selfless, witty, talented. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned how hard it is in contemporary romance to find…

Sometimes life happens too fast and we need to just stop and breathe—enjoy the beauty around us. Even the subway is beautiful if you take a second look. It’s full of innovation and history, unique people with completely different backgrounds blending together in a sea of sounds and color. Every voice a different tone, every expression an exclusive look into an individual. In publishing, the books we used to hold and cherish are now on our phones and e-readers. They allow us to carry our entire library everywhere we go. Yet for some readers, the loss of a library in their home, hits deep in the heart. They want the hardback books with those glorious covers. They also want the return of the art between the pages, when chapter headings didn’t just read CHAPTER ONE, but rather gave us a piece of the author’s dream in the form of art within each chapter heading. Authors share both cravings with readers, and fantasy authors have been on the front lines of addressing both desires. That’s why I wanted to interview A.N. Sage specifically about her special edition of her young adult fantasy mystery, THE DEAD WE KEEP. Kym: Welcome back to…