This week, I’m tickled pink to welcome back New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey. The undisputed queen of the beach read is kicking off the month with her new release, SUMMER STATE OF MIND. If you’re looking for a blend of heartfelt emotion and coastal charm, this one is for you. LIGHTNING ROUND What’s your favorite writing season: hopeful spring, beachy summer, reflective fall, or cozy winter, and why?Beachy summer! I’ve usually just finished with launching a new book and going on tour, and the stories are bursting out of me! What’s one snack or treat that always appears when you’re deep in writing mode?I love coffee with coconut milk a big scoop of chocolate protein powder blended in the blender. I drink way too much of it when I’m writing! What’s one small thing that instantly puts you in a creative mood?Going for a walk with no music, no headphones, just to clear my mind. THE SPRING SPARK May often signifies the start of something new. In what ways did this story represent a new chapter for you as a writer?This was an interesting book for me to write because, instead of opening when my protagonist’s life…

What is the title of your latest release?REALITY BITES What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A no-nonsense scientist is forced to go through her living hell – be a contestant on a trashy reality dating show – to save an endangered species. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I lived in Los Angeles for 15 years where I worked as a TV writer, so I wanted to write a love/hate letter to the City of Angels. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yes, because I also love animals and like to geek out on science, but Grace would probably only want to hang out with me after her character arc. I’d probably be too “extra” for her at the start of the book. What are three words that describe your hero?Selfless, Underdog, Sardonic What’s something you learned while writing this book?I interviewed a biologist and toured a nature center as research and learned a lot about the world of animal conservation. It was fascinating and made me want to support it even more. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?Because I’m often working on several…

What is the title of your latest release?THE UNRAVELING OF MICHAEL GALLER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?After observing multiple harmful effects of varying illnesses of those close to him that he perceives as different forms of cancer, Michael Galler gains a heightened cognizance of the physical threats that can grow unknowingly inside a person. As a result, he dedicates himself to healthily fortifying his body against any comparable assault. While growing up with his loving, widowed father and a younger brother he feels compelled to protect, Michael balances the pressures of his young life – academic achievement, high school athletic competition, and even training for the Boston Marathon. But as he moves toward college life, he develops a promising relationship with a girl who too easily fills the gaps of his motherless upbringing – and his long-held fear of what he now thinks of as capital-C Cancer begins to take over. Everything he experiences, he experiences through the filter of trying to outrun a disease he thinks is pursuing him. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The story is set between the contrasts of Boston’s unflinching city streets and the safety of…

Hi! I’m Melinda Leigh, author of YOU CAN TELL ME. I’m excited to be here today to tell you all about the story. YOU CAN TELL ME is the first book in my new Olivia Cruz Series. I’ve wanted to explore true crime writer Olivia Cruz’s character since I first created her in 2018 in WHAT I’VE DONE. She played a larger role in the final book of the Morgan Dane Series, SAVE YOUR BREATH, but I felt she had too much potential to let her go. She’d bold, resourceful, and wicked smart. I decided to give her some books of her own. I hope you all love her as much as I do! Y is for yoga, Olivia’s favorite exerciseO is for Olivia, the heroine of the storyU is for under. Olivia takes her niece, Nicki, under her wing when she shows interest—and promise—in investigating. C is for case. Which of podcaster Zoe March’s true crime cases is involved with her disappearance?A is for assault, which happens to NickiN is for niece. Olivia’s niece, Nicki, is her sassy sidekick for this adventure T is for true crime, the genre of book Olivia writes, also the subject of her missing…

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.

Excerpted from A FOUNDING MOTHER: A NOVEL OF ABIGAIL ADAMS, by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. William Morrow Paperbacks, 2026. Reprinted with permission. BRAINTREE Massachusetts Bay Colony April 1765 When I was first with child, revolution was not yet even a fever dream glistening on the perspiration of my brow. As the world came into bloom that spring—­my belly as swollen with possibility as the buds on the trees—­my worries were decidedly smaller: my mother was being overbearing. “Lord have mercy,” said my sister Elizabeth as she watched me waddle down the road. “Mother will give me an earful when she learns I permitted you out and about in your condition, Abigail.” “Permitted me?” I asked with exasperation. My wedding was six months past—­surely enough time to be treated as a grown woman of twenty who might come and go as she pleased. “I couldn’t bear to miss another market day,” I said, huffing and puffing past farmers as they bundled asparagus and radishes in their carts. “I could’ve done the shopping for you,” Elizabeth chirped, her lively eyes on the Middle Parish Meeting House, with its plain white walls and steeple—­more modest than the one our father, Parson Smith,…

What is the title of your latest release?MERCY HILL What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A debut family novel about four sisters growing up on the campus of the underfunded state mental hospital where their strong-willed mother serves as head of psychiatry. A richly moving story of sisterhood, loyalty, and mental health in America. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The inspiration for MERCY HILL came from lived experience: I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, just about a mile away from Dorthea Dix, North Carolina’s last remaining state psychiatric institution. Like many state-run mental hospitals, it had a long history, vast grounds, and by the time I was a teenager in the early 2000’s, was often in the news as it was in the process of being shut down. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Denise is smart and compassionate – but she’s also a loner. I’d like to hang out with her but I don’t know if she’d deign to hang out with me. What are three words that describe your hero?Observant, conflicted, changing. What’s something you learned while writing this book?Over many rounds of revision, I learned the…

Hi, Fresh Fiction friends! It isn’t quite summer yet, but we can still be in a SUMMER STATE OF MIND with my new novel, releasing May 5! This one is about a NICU nurse named Daisy who flees the big city after a very bad day and heads to Cape Carolina, a tiny coastal town, and its sleepy nursery. But, on her first day at her new “simple” job, an abandoned baby is brought into the hospital that sends shockwaves through the little town and thrusts Daisy into the paths of Mason, an injured former baseball star, and Tilley, the entire town’s eccentric aunt. They all learn that with a lot of love, a little understanding–and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly–sometimes life conspires to bring us exactly where we belong! I hope you’ll read it and that it will fill you with joy this summer. While you’re reading… Check out this playlist. I hope it gives you all the feels of my favorite season and a little more insight into this book and its characters! Thank God for the Summertime by Ben Rector: This book has a lot of ups and downs and emotional scenes, but there are…

Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

The Busty Bodice Club series features sisters who are proud of their curves. My female character, Lady Penelope Harrington, is the youngest sister and considers herself a bastion of fashion and hats. Why hats? Because they made her look taller. Let’s talk about the concept of beauty. All of us are familiar with historical-romance female characters who look luminous, like a faintly tragic marble statue. How did women incorporate fashion accessories to highlight their beauty and social prominence? Let’s begin at the very top—literally—with hats. No Regency ensemble was complete without a bonnet, and not just any bonnet. These were architectural marvels of fabric and ribbon, designed to frame the face like a flattering portrait. The poke bonnet, one of the most iconic styles, extended forward to shade the face (protecting that precious complexion from the elements) while also creating an air of mystery. You could flirt, observe, and quietly judge your neighbors—all while partially concealed behind a strategically placed brim. Introverts everywhere should be taking notes. A French satire print on the poke bonnet in the 1810’s; “Les Invisibles en Tete-a-Tete”. The bonnets were called “invisibles” in France because the face of the wearer was virtually concealed except from…