1–What is the title of your latest release? DEEP TIME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A life-changing raft trip through the Grand Canyon inspires Lauren to become a geologist. She thrives on the adventures which geology affords her: studying undersea volcanoes; shepherding clueless undergraduates in a remote national park; and climbing canyons in Oregon to collect rock samples. When Mount St. Helens awakens, Lauren scouts a perfect site for observing the volcano. On a Saturday in mid-May 1980, Lauren, her husband, and her best friend wait for the mountain to erupt, but Mount St. Helens remains annoyingly quiet. On Sunday the volcano erupts with epic power, and Lauren’s life is upended irreversibly. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The life of a graduate geology student is adventurous, as is that of a working geologist. The settings for Deep Time are the Grand Canyon; East Texas; Atlantic Ocean; Caribbean Sea; Guadalupe Mountains National Park; Oregon; Washington; Mount St. Helens; Colorado. Geologists are outdoor people!      4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Sure, if I could keep up with her! She would also be fun to interview, since she’s…

For two couples, my aunt and uncle and my brother and sister-in-law, this is a milestone year. Both will be celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversaries. Truly a lifetime together, their names are one word. The ups, downs, and all arounds have filtered through their relationships. Loss of parents, friends, and siblings. The arrival of children, grandchildren, moving away and back, job fluctuations, illness, and retirement, their wedding vows have been tested. Both are having celebrations. The invitations listed that no gifts are necessary, just share a memory or two. Where to start, they’re everywhere. My aunt made my wedding veil, her children are my second set of siblings, and she took me to Ireland. My brother was my trick-or-treating buddy, taught me how to drive, and laughed at my jokes. Their significant others keep our family as sane as possible, which is a major task. Most romance books start with the first encounter. Hate to love, rekindled interest, a bright spark lit between them. In real life, it’s the lasting looks, smiles, even blushes that morph into a true partnership. No map, just a road with many forks, knives, and other utensils that the couple must navigate together. All contributing…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Melissa Poett! Writes: I’m a connoisseur of all things YA and have written everything from fantasy to contemporary. My debut novel, THE ENEMY’S DAUGHTER, is a YA reimagining of Tristan and Isolde set in a dystopian world woven with magic. It’s about an elite soldier and a young healer on opposite sides of a decades-long war who end up magically connected and must choose whether to give into their growing attraction to each other . . . or betray the other to save their own people. About: My single goal as an author is to make my readers feel something. You may not remember the names of my characters or titles of my books, but hopefully you’ll remember how I made you swoon over a fictional man or gasp at a plot twist. Occasionally, I may make you want to throw something in rage at the injustices I write about. My hobbies include reading books that destroy me (in both good and sad ways)…

Most Likely to…. Surprise everyone: Pamela Colman Smith, the central character in the Arcana Oracle Series, (MAGICIAN AND FOOL, HIGH PRIESTESS AND EMPRESS, EMPEROR AND HIEROPHANT) is a wild card, commissioned to create an occult tarot deck, while learning the extent of her magical powers. Expect the unexpected! Deviate from the plan: One of Pamela’s familiars is inconsistent in appearance and ability to follow instructions. Found in all three books in the series.  Sympathize with someone when nobody else will: Dame Ellen Terry, the muse in HIGH PRIESTESS AND EMPRESS, is a surrogate mother to Pamela, and a beacon of empathy. Keep their true intentions hidden: Sir Henry Irving, as magician in MAGICIAN AND FOOL and actor-manager of the Lyceum Theatre, strategizes is to keep Pamela, her fellow Lyceum Theatre company members, and the Syndicate guessing.  Coming up with the best strategy: Bram Stoker, muse in EMPEROR AND HIEROPHANT, author of DRACULA and company manager of the Lyceum Theatre, outwits the magicians of the Golden Dawn pursuing Pamela for her magical abilities and tarot deck. Be a protector when it counts most: Ahmed Pascal Kamal, this Egyptologist and muse in EMPEROR AND HIEROPHANT values keeping precious artifacts and people safe…

Book Title: THE LOST QUEEN Character Name: Jolie How would you describe your family or your childhood? I live with my Ong Noi (Grandpa) and Ba Noi (Grandma.) My mother died right after I was born, and my dad took off when I was little, so it’s always just been me and my grandparents. They’re really great. My Ba Noi is the best listener. Ong Noi is a fortuneteller, he comes from a long line of psychics from Vietnam, which used to be really cool to tell people, but not recently, because his readings have been getting a little out there, so people think he’s crazy now… What was your greatest talent? I am a really fast swimmer! I used to be on the swim team. Other than that….when I was little, I used to do these things…I had amazing balance and could walk along brick walls, or even rooftops. I’d never fall. Flowers would grow when I asked them to…the rain would stop if I told it to…..but that hasn’t happened for years. And now I wonder if I just imagined it! Biggest challenge in relationships? It’s hard for me to trust people. I used to have two best…

Fantasy and paranormal romance have always been escapist genres, taking readers to worlds of magic, danger, and epic stakes. But in recent years, these genres have also become powerful vehicles for exploring mental health. By weaving themes of trauma, anxiety, depression, and self-discovery into fantastical narratives, authors are helping to destigmatize mental health struggles while showing how characters can grow through adversity. These stories blend the extraordinary with the deeply human, reminding readers that even in worlds filled with monsters and magic, mental health matters. In these books, mental health is not just a subplot; it’s central to the characters’ journeys. Through the lens of fantasy, authors create spaces where challenges like PTSD or anxiety are tackled with nuance and empathy. These stories can be cathartic, validating, and even healing, offering readers both representation and hope. Below are five books that exemplify the thoughtful integration of mental health into fantastical narratives, each offering a unique perspective on resilience, strength, and healing. HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD Bryce Quinlan’s story is a raw and unflinching look at grief and trauma within an urban fantasy setting. The loss of her closest friends in a sudden and devastating attack leaves her grappling with…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE SHOP DOWN THE LANE, which is the first book in my Letters from Lancaster County series. It’s also my 50th novel to be published! 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? They despise each other in real life, only to fall in love—anonymously—through an Amish circle letter. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The location for this story had Paradise Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania written all over it from the start. First of all, it had to be in Lancaster County to work for the series. Second of all, the book has a birding theme in it—what setting could be more perfect for an Amish romance with a birding theme than Paradise? 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely! She’s one of my favorite characters ever. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Spunky, vulnerable, and determined. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned so much about birds, specifically in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and on the Delaware shore! The story includes a Mennonite/Amish circle letter with a birding theme, which I already mentioned, which was super…

Book Title: THE PURSUIT OF ELENA BRADFORD Character Name: Elena Bradford Welcome, Elena. My name is Rebecca. Thank you for talking with me about your stay here at the Grahams Springs Hotel. If you agree, I want to take some notes of our conversation to share with Dr. Graham. He likes getting to know his guests here at Graham Springs and how we might make your stay even more enjoyable. Elena: That would be fine. It’s a pleasure to talk to you about this beautiful resort. Rebecca: Oh, thank you, dear. Dr. Graham does want everything to be perfect for those who come to take the waters here. Let’s see. It appears that you arrived on June 7 this year. Let me make a note of today’s date, June 12, 1844. That means you have been here five days. How long do you expect to stay? Elena: We hope to stay throughout the summer season. Rebecca: Yes, of course. We are always pleased when our guests can enjoy all summer with us. Tell me a little about your family. Elena: I’m here with my mother, Juanita, and my younger sister, Ivy. Ivy is having such a wonderful time, especially at…

Book Title: LITTLE GREAT ISLAND Character Name: Mari McGavin How would you describe your family or your childhood? When you are young and live on an island, you think your whole world is thewhole world. You think everyone waves to everyone else (and if someone doesn’t, either you’ve pissed them off in a big way or they’re having a really bad day); that weather and tide rule and not politicians; and that the “natural world” isn’t something other than you. It is you. I really didn’t get why anyone would live with school shootings and seventy-car pileups or even traffic lights and driving around hoping for a place to park. I mean: why?  Then you get to be a teenager, and an island this small and this remote starts to feel constrained. You wish you could put a streak of color in your hair without it being a major conversation topic…never mind kissing someone or…whatever…without everyone knowing and commenting. What was your greatest talent? “My mother would say that my greatest talent has always been pissing her off. She’d tell you I worked hard to perfect that skill, but I always saw it as just me trying to be me….

For the better part of two centuries people from all over the world have been drawn to the American dream. In the late 1860’s, arguably the most transformational decade in American history, Europeans flooded into New York Harbor with the hope of finding freedom, opportunity, and land – all forbidden the common man enslaved by European aristocrats rushing reckless and unrepentant into the industrial revolution. To escape this debased human bondage, desperate men, women, and children from all over Europe came to America. In the late 19th and early 20th century, they came in greater numbers than at any other time before, leaving behind starvation and industrial slavery. And though they brought with them differing cultures and prejudices, they came with a common belief that anything was possible in America. These poor, wretched, huddled masses hungering to breathe free passed through that golden door in quest of a common goal – to be stakeholders in the promised land founded on the principal, “. . .that all people were created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, religious freedom, and the pursuit of individual happiness.” They came with the hope of equality for all, for land…