Fashion, makeup, Hollywood, a famous dance troupe and the suspense of a killer on the loose?  As April wakes us up from the dreariness of winter, these stories provide a touch of glamor to light up our reading life like the first tulip of spring brightens the garden! We begin with FIFTH AVENUE GLAMOUR GIRL by Renee Rosen, in which she illumines the life of one household name by pairing her with a fictional friend.  After her father’s fraudulent financial dealings shatter Gloria’s wealthy, privileged life, she flees to New York, changes her last name to Downing, and for the first time in her life, has to find a job and survive on her own.  Starting as the clean-up girl at a hair salon, she meets ambitious, enterprising Estee Lauder, who creates beauty products in her home, then demonstrates and sells them at beauty salons.  The two become friends, Estee advising Gloria that she can become whatever she wants if she envisions herself as a success.  Gloria begins to realize the truth of this when she lands a job at Saks Fifth Avenue—re-entering the world of glamour and luxury she knows so well, albeit as a saleswoman rather than a…

Guess who my guest is for this column? Me! My new novel, THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN, has just been released and I am over-the-moon excited about it!  I’m so excited that I decided to interview myself this month. So, let’s get to it… Thanks for making the time to talk with us today, Marie. Please share a quick synopsis of your new novel, THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN. I’d love to! THE BOOK CLUB FOR TROUBLESOME WOMEN is set in a suburb of Northern Virginia, not far from Washington, DC, in 1963. It tells the story of four quietly unhappy housewives who can’t understand why “having it all” somehow doesn’t seem like enough. When Charlotte, an artsy, eccentric woman moves to the neighborhood, Margaret Ryan impulsively decides to form a book club in hopes of getting to know the intriguing newcomer. At Charlotte’s insistence, the first of the many popular books they will read in Betty Friedan’s blockbuster, The Feminine Mystique. The four women have no idea that books they read and the friendship they develop as a result of their impromptu book club will become the glue that will help them hold fast during what will…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MURDER LEADS TO MARRIAGE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? 4 Sisters, strong family, an unknown stalker, and friendly dogs. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since I live in Texas, I thought this would be a great location. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Resourceful, loving, and intelligent. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Writing a book is REALLY HARD. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Wait until done. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Spaghetti and meatballs. 9–Describe your writing space/office! In my recliner, in my bedroom, and in front of the fire. 10–Who is an author you admire? Stephen King 11–Is there a book that changed your life? The Stand by Stephen King 12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish. Decided to self-publish.  St. Patrick’s Day 2024 13–What’s your favorite genre to read?  Suspense and Romance 14–What’s your favorite movie?…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ANOTHER FINE MESS (Bless Your Heart #2) 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? From the publisher: “Another Fine Mess brings the Evans women back around in this unputdownable, crackling, rollicking mystery of humor, heart, and horror.” 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This sequel picks up exactly four weeks after the events of Bless Your Heart, as the remaining Evans women prepare to welcome their first full moon (dun dun dun). 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? The Evans women are modeled after my mother and grandmothers, most of which are now gone. I’d give anything for one more moment with my Ducey and Nana, so absolutely yes! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Each of the Evans women shares the spotlight in this series, but I think they could be described in sum as bold, brave, and determined. They are women who suffer no fools, who take charge of their own fates, and who love each other fiercely, no matter the cost or the consequences. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? One of my favorite discoveries while…

Book Title:  DEADLY GHOST – Angus Brodie and Mikaela Forsythe Murder Mystery Book 12 Character Name:  Lady Antonia Montgomery, Mikaela Forsythe’s great aunt How would you describe your family or your childhood? I do suppose there are some who would consider my childhood most unusual.  I was raised by my father who was directly descended from King William I, William the Conqueror that is.  That was over eight hundred years ago.  Of course it was through his, shall we call it ‘relationship’ with a Saxon woman.  To say the start of our family was somewhat chaotic is an understatement—there was a war going, invasion, pillaging and all that sort of thing.  As for my family, I have never wed… well there was that one brief situation.  The man was quite a bounder, and I persuaded my father to get rid of him.  Not murder, but merely a very long sea voyage.  At my age, anyone who might recall that, is long dead.  Since, I have chosen to ‘enjoy’ my status as a single lady. What was your greatest talent? Oh, my.  I am told there are many.  However, I am most proud of my nieces, such remarkable young women.  And…

For Stella Costa, the war in Tuscany begins over a featherbed. “That’s mine.” Stella’s cousin Livia pushes her aside and hops onto the flowered coverlet, sending dust motes sparkling in the glow of a sunbeam. Livia is sixteen and has burst from her dusty pubescent cocoon into a colorful creature, old and beautiful enough to secure the mayor’s son as a fiancé. But in this moment, Stella watches her nearly grown cousin pout like any five-year-old. “I got here first!” Stella’s younger cousin, Mariasole, scrambles up onto the high bed next to Livia. “Peccato. I’m the oldest.” Livia shoves her little sister sideways until her head flops on the bed and her giggles go muffled in the messy quilt. Stella doesn’t know her two cousins well enough to predict what will happen next. But caution isn’t Stella’s strong suit. Without thinking, she vaults on top of both girls. “I’ll fight you both for it!” she cries, pummeling her fists into the soft bedding. More muffled giggling. Down feathers join the dust, rising and spinning in the light, then landing on the terracotta tiles. Beyond the open shutters, a flock of swifts wheels against the sky’s blue canvas, the silhouette of…

Book title:  MOTHERS OF FATE Character: Deana Wilkes How would you describe your family or your childhood? First, thank you so much for wanting to interview me! It’s an honor to be in such an important publication. And…this first question isn’t easy. In a way, I was lucky. I had a two-parent home with a stay-at-home mother and a banker-father, both of them high-school graduates. My mother was obsessed with keeping our house spotless—but then she literally loved to clean. Although I was an only child, I don’t recall many family activities. I do remember that my mother and her friends were covertly competitive about their children and anything I did, I knew, was supposed to add to her reflected glory with them. My dad just sort of hung out in the background and didn’t say much of anything. They were willing to send me to community college as long as it was to gain a practical skill, in case I didn’t find a husband quickly. You know—that was the seventies, and it’s 2013 now. Even though many  women were talking about their  liberation back then, a lot of us were stuck with our families’ old views and  values and…

1–What is the title of your latest release? LOVE TO HATE YOU 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? An independent bookstore owner looking for true love and a cynical big-chain CEO launch a bookstore-war that may challenge everything they believe about love.  3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I wanted to juxtapose a city with a beach town, so the first part of Love to Hate You takes place in the historic section in a town in Connecticut where the brick-front shops are adorned with striped awnings and overflowing flowerpots. I wanted the neighborhood to feel like a small town in a big city to mirror my heroine (Summer), who owns a small romance and beach reads independent bookstore, compared to the big-box bookstore going in next door that my hero (Wes) owns. She is a warm and open person who believes in true love, and he is a grumpy, boardroom tycoon who believes love is a weakness.  4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. I love how quirky and loyal Summer is. She’s a hopeless romantic who is obsessed with baked goods–kind of like me. 5–What are…

1–What is the title of your latest release? PREYING GAME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A distress call on the radio of an old car Decorah agent Johah Raider if fixing sends him off on a frantic search for a woman being held captive. With his telepathic abilities, he locates her prison and even “visits” her there, but can he figure out where she is in time to save her life? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I had attended a destination wedding at an old estate on Maryland’s Eastern shore and decided it was the perfect location for my bad guy to be holding my heroine captive. He’s making her do rigorous physical training, so she’ll be ready for him to hunt her when he releases her on the estate’s grounds. He’s sure he’s going to kill her. Jonah has other plans for the hunt. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I wish.  I only write about heroes and heroines I want to know better. That’s why I’m telling their stories. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Jonah is tough, effective, and telepathic. 6–What’s…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ANYWHERE YOU GO 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A small-town waitress and a Broadway press agent swap homes to escape their personal problems, each finding love in the process. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? As this was loosely inspired by the movie The Holiday, I wanted to have two distinct settings for the house swap, but also choose locations that differed from the movie. I decided to use my two main characters’ jobs as the jumping off point. Since one of my best friends in real life is a Broadway press agent, I gave that career to Eleanor, which automatically meant she’d be living in New York City. Then I wanted something that contrasted that, so Tatum became a small-town waitress, pulling on = the three years of my own life that I spent working at a diner. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would definitely hang out with both Eleanor and Tatum. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? For Tatum it’s creative, sensitive, and giving, and for Eleanor it’s driven, protective, and loyal 6–What’s…