Ten miles outside of Baltimore, Maryland, the Marley Station Mall has been turned into the Marley Station Experience Center. It’s still a mall, sort of, except you can’t physically buy anything. You can only experience the products. Purchasing happens later, online. In the basement of the mall (which was originally a nuclear bomb shelter!) there is one rebel store where you can buy physical things: Mirona’s Miracles. Here’s a copy of their most recent paper flyer: THIS MOTH SAW BRIGHTNESS by A.A. Vacharat A weird and revelatory debut that vividly captures the dislocation of growing up BIPOC and neurodivergent in a country awash in both conspiracy theories and genuine conspiracies. “The invisible D in my name is my mother’s second most lasting contribution to my life.” ‘Wayne Le—known as “Invisible-D ‘Wayne” at school—has been invited to participate in a seemingly ordinary, innocuous adolescent health study by a prestigious university. The study has a few nice perks, but most important to ‘Wayne, is the opportunity to give his immigrant father an accomplishment to be proud of—something that’s been in short supply since ‘Wayne’s mother left. But the study quickly proves to be anything but ordinary and innocuous, and ‘Wayne, his best friend Kermit,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ALL THAT REMAINS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Anna and Richard, a long-married Manhattan couple, lost their adult son and only child to a violent mugging a year ago. Time heals nothing. As they struggle to navigate the very different ways in which they grieve their loss, they meet two young people who are fighting their own demons. Over the course of a shattering weekend, Anna and Richard face devastating secrets that have simmered beneath the surface of their marriage and threaten to tear their lives apart. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The two main settings in the book are New York City and rural upstate New York near the Catskills. I’m familiar with both areas, which helped to ground me in the story. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would. Anna is intelligent and has a wry sense of humor, which I appreciate. She’s also going through tremendous changes in response to the loss of her son. As she tries to find her footing, she finds herself submitting to impulses that surprise her. If I were…

Book: DUCHESSES DON’T CRY – Victorian Outcasts,  Book 8 Character Name: Her Grace Eve, the Dowager Duchess of Gloucester, and please spell my name correctly. It’s not Eva. I’m an Englishwoman, not an ancient Roman, for goodness’s sake. I’m Anthony Beaufort’s grandmother and a proud member of the ancient Beaufort family. My ancestors fought alongside King Harold II against William the Conqueror. Yes, well, we lost that battle, but that was our first and last failure. My dear grandson is in need of a wife, and I will find the perfect bride for him. I won’t let an unprepared, undeserving girl become the 18th Duchess of Gloucester. I found the perfect lady, Helen, the daughter of the Earl of Montrose. She speaks multiple languages, plays the piano, and, most importantly, always agrees with me. But to my surprise, Anthony doesn’t find her fascinating in the least. He says Helen is too submissive. I don’t understand what could be wrong with that. To my horror, he’s completely smitten with Isabella, Helen’s young sister. Heavens, where do I even begin? Isabella is a gardener. A gardener! She likes pink gowns and is a suffragette. Do I need to say more? Can you…

1–What is the title of your latest release? LETTERS FROM STRANGERS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Jane’s memories of her father are shattered when she finds letters from a mistress who may have had his child. But her father was not the only one hiding something, and her search for the truth forces her to confront deeply held secrets from her own past. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The book is based on true events from my childhood, so I set it in the places where (and the time periods when) those events took place. I grew up in Massachusetts in the 80’s then moved to California, so the story goes from one to the other and back again! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Well, I kind of am my protagonist, since the book is based not only the events of my life, but some of the personal struggles I’ve worked through, so … um … I guess so? Because who wouldn’t want to hang out with their younger self! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? wounded, determined, brave 6–What’s something you learned…

Book: THE QUEEN’S MUSICIAN Character Name: Madge Shelton We’d like to learn about you and your family, but let’s start with your most famous relative. Tell us about your cousin? Well, yes. My cousin is Anne Boleyn, and nearly everyone in England is talking about her. His Majesty plans to marry her once he’s freed himself from Queen Katherine. He’s asked the pope to annul his marriage and sent the queen away. He waits, frustrated, while his counselors argue for the annulment. Cardinal Wolsey, for one, has already spent several years trying to persuade the pope. Meanwhile, my cousin sits at the king’s side, swathed in jewels and furs. She dines with him and hunts with him. Anyone who saw her would assume she’s already queen. I am one of her ladies-in-waiting. And what about you? How old are you? What does a lady-in-waiting do? I’m eighteen now, and I joined my mother as one of my cousin’s ladies about two years ago. Anne Boleyn’s father is my mother’s brother, although I didn’t know her when I was growing up—she was in France when I was a child. But serving her is an honor. I live in the king’s palaces…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Two sisters get through WWII on Martha’s Vineyard by starting a book club. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I was inspired by my mother’s family, the Smiths, who settled on Martha’s Vineyard in 1891. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? For sure! One of the sisters, Cadence, is inspired by my book loving mother, so I’d love to hang out with her! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Cadence is willful, bookish and beautiful.  Briar is obsessive, brilliant and loyal. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? The waters surrounding Cape Cod and the Islands were loaded with Nazi submarines. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Both! 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Fritos 9–Describe your writing space/office! It overlooks the hayfields on our property. 10–Who is an author you admire? Margaret Atwood 11–Is there a book that changed your life? Cider House Rules made me want to write a novel. 12–Tell us about when you got…

Excerpt from A SECOND CHANCE FOR CARYS by Virginie Marconato “There it is, between the trees.” Carys frowned and peered into the distance. “Are you certain this is it?” “I am.” James laughed at her obvious discomfiture. “Let me guess. You expected something more spectacular.” There was no denying it. All she could see was a gray band floating ahead of them, barely distinguishable from the horizon, framed by slightly disheveled trees. This first glimpse was underwhelming to say the least. This was the sea? She had spent so long dreaming about this moment that she could not help feeling somewhat deflated. Perhaps she could have spared herself the trouble of coming all this way. “Wait,” James said, sensing her disappointment. “Give it a second chance. Sometimes first impressions are misleading. We are still some distance away but you might think differently once you get nearer and see it for what it really is.” “Are you still talking about the sea?” she muttered. He cocked his head and gave her a blinding smile, the likes of which she had never thought to see on his face. It transformed him. She didn’t have time to bask in it, however, because then…

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…

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