When I was eleven years old and first falling in love with historical romance, I wanted to read about the Good Girls. Heroines who were gorgeous, charming, and well-mannered, who earned their happily-ever-afters, one charity basket delivered to the foundling hospital at a time. It felt like oddly reassuring math: X Brave Smiles +  X instance of Turning the Other Cheek = A Hot, Besotted Man with a Big House. But as I grew up, I drifted toward the Elizabeth Bennetts of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, or Jessica Trents of THE LORD OF SCOUNDRELS. With quips alone, they reduced men to puddles on the floor. And while my heart will always beat faster for kindness, sharpness began to catch my attention. When the itch wouldn’t be denied, and I found myself writing a historical romance, I wasn’t surprised at what kind of character erupted onto the page. My Anna is awkward, flinty-mouthed, and as “difficult” as a mule. And I was the devil on her shoulder, urging her on. It’s important to know that I wrote most of my book the pandemic, in Brooklyn, with a husband and two little boys in an apartment that’s big for Brooklyn but mouse-sized outside the city. My husband was working,…

I love the Academy Awards. The glamour, the excitement, the stars all there to dazzle. I’m not a fashion fan, but a major movie buff. I grew up watching old black and white films on television. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are my all-time favorites. I highly recommend Charade, it stars both. I never wanted to be an actress, too much pressure to always be on. Dressing up to me is wearing shoes without laces. Never a singer or dancer either, maybe a director. Setting the scene, queueing the music, saying Quiet Please and Action would be fun. But my imagination drew me to writing. To see and hear someone perform something I made up appeals to me too. As I write, I visualize the places and the people. I create a movie in my mind. That’s where it stays even long after I type The End. It all goes back to storytelling. The awards handed out for the screenplays are the most important. Without the writers, creators of the motion pictures, there’s an empty screen. Luckily, people see it as a blank canvas to be filled with wonder. A challenge to be met and conquered. Fun fact, Rod Serling…

I’m frequently asked if a particular book includes any autobiographical material. My response is usually a casual yes, even if I can’t always explain how or where. To be perfectly candid there are snippets of me (as well as a few unwitting friends and family) sprinkled throughout most of my novels. Sometimes it’s intentional, sometimes it happens unconsciously, but it’s always organic. And in my opinion reality simply makes fiction a richer experience. WELCOME TO THE HONEY B & B is no exception. In fact, it might contain more true-to-life story and characters than anything I’ve created in the past decade. A sweet secondary character named CT has early onset dementia—in the form of FTD. And no he doesn’t deliver flowers. FTD is frontal temporal dementia, a condition we didn’t hear much about until Bruce Willis brought it into the limelight with his diagnosis. My husband of 46 years was also diagnosed with this complicated condition. To say it’s turned our lives upside down is an understatement. Just when we thought we’d be trekking around in our motorhome, enjoying some new freedoms, living our ‘happy golden’ years… we were smacked down with this relentless ailment. It’s so aggressive and progressive…

Creating playlists for stories is one of my favorite parts of the writing process. Certain songs help me craft particular scenes, while other songs are great for setting the general mood. Here are five songs that perfectly set the stage for The Love Simulation. Helpless by Ashanti and Ja Rule I heard this version of the song before I actually saw the play Hamilton and immediately imagined someone vulnerable, wore her heart on her sleeve, and ready for love. I played the song often when thinking of Brianna. She really wants to succeed in her career and doesn’t let others bulldoze over her, but she isn’t afraid to show her soft side. She’s also led by her heart so while she knows Roman should be off limits, she is helplessly attracted to him. Crush On You by Lil Kim ft Lil Cease This song is about having a crush on someone while knowing your bad reputation might turn them away. Unfortunately for our love interest, Roman, being the (unliked) principal’s son plays a role in how his fellow teachers treat him. He knows he’s not trusted or well-liked by the faculty, and while he does a good job of not…

I was a theatre major and still a big theater nerd which means I included a ton of musical Easter eggs in Something Cheeky. The novel’s backdrop is a feminist retelling of Vietnamese Cinderella—but as a rock musical. It’s too hard to pick specific songs so I’m sharing five musicals that inspired the novel. Into the Woods music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine: Best friends-to-lovers Zoe and Derek reconnect after years apart. They reminisce about their college production of this fractured fairy tale musical. Specifically she designed its Southern-and-vampire inspired costumes, including Derek’s, who played the Wolf. The image of him in a spandex suit with a big fluffy tail and a codpiece makes Zoe a bit flustered. SIX the Musical by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss: This heart pounding musical is basically a ninety-minute rock concert about Henry VIII’s six wives. I walked out of the performance completely inspired by how they modernized the story. I originally conceived my fictional musical with rock music, but seeing this show live showed me how exhilarating it could be. Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda: I couldn’t discuss modern musicals without mentioning this cultural zeitgeist. While I love Miranda’s…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE VANISHING KIND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Intrepid wildlife biologist Alex Carter encounters anti-immigrant vigilantes, rugged terrain, and threatening intruders in search of a sleek, powerful, and furtive animal—the jaguar. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I wanted to address jaguar conservation in this novel. Because jaguars once roamed throughout New Mexico, I chose that setting, as I’ve done species presence studies there, putting up remote cameras and bioacoustic recorders in the hopes of detecting them. Having spent time there, I wanted to use that experience to really bring the setting to life – the scents, the feel of the air, the sound of bird song. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. Like me, Alex Carter is dedicated to preserving endangered species and loves to spend time outdoors in the wild. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Determined, resourceful, dedicated. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I knew that jaguars were endangered here in the U.S., but in writing this novel, I learned about the myriad causes of their decline and what we…

Book Title: DEAD MAN’S LIST Character Name: Detective Kit McKittrick How would you describe your family or your childhood?  Not great, to be honest.  I grew up in foster care and I was in a lot of homes.  I wasn’t the easiest kid to manage, usually mouthy, and I never liked rules that didn’t make sense.  I had a few close calls with predatory foster parents and, when I was twelve years old, I ran away with Wren, the girl who was my sister in all but blood.  We ended up hiding in a barn to get out of the cold—and it changed my life.  The barn belonged to Harlan and Betsy McKittrick and, over time and with a lot of patience on their part, I became their daughter. What was your greatest talent?  I’m logical and I can tell when people are lying. Lie detection was a useful skill when growing up in foster care.  It’s also useful now that I’m a cop. Significant other?  No one at the moment, but there’s this guy named Sam who … likes me.  I have no idea why.  He’s wonderful, really. He could have anyone—which is what everyone tells me.  “Snap him…

            Wouldn’t it be wonderful if two different schools of thought could marry into one perfect union? To compromise and meld together to create the perfect blend of thoughts. Romance authors love to push the most unlikely characters together who must overcome fates determined to keep them apart. Mystery authors, however, like to create mayhem and consequences to everyday actions and heroes and heroines who must step up to solve the crime and calm the chaos. Fuse those two talents together and you have the perfect partnership—two entities that compliments the other—and a splendid new series guaranteed to captivate and intrigue readers.             Bestselling author Darcy Burke has conquered the challenge of marrying two genres and created a magical, sexy new duo of Victorian crime fighters and she graciously accepted my invitation to sit down in my very own cozy corner to discuss her new Raven and Wren series. Kym: Welcome to The Cozy Corner on Fresh Fiction! Darcy: Thank you so much for having me, Kym! Kym: In July 2024 you released your first historical mystery, A WHISPER OF DEATH. As a prolific historical romance writer, why did you want to delve into a new realm? Darcy: I’ve written…

Buried Dreams dream series by Natasha Madison Switching for Her Blasphemy by Laura Kaye Rage Book 3 Grim Sinners MC (Second Generation) by LeAnn Ashers Season of Gifts Book 8 Neighborly Affection by M.Q. Barber Duke of Dalliance by Shannon Gilmore Cody: Billionaire Contemporary Western Romance Book 13 The Burnett Brides by Sylvia McDaniel Vampire Legion Book 4 The Shadow Order: Vampire by Kristin Kova The Villain’s Vixen Book 5 Wanton Wastrels by Tabetha Waite His Unforgettable Bride Book 4 Bride Ships: New Voyages by Jody Hedlund and Patti Stockdale The First Play 0.5 Nolan U Football by Katy Archer 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…

What is THE QUASI-CRYSTAL about? The book is about relationships, but not just interpersonal ones, it’s about the big issues we face in society. How we interact with each other. More specifically, the book is about two lands, Bracat and Ognita. Bracat has changed since the Moment—the collective joining of minds—opened up new possibilities of peace for its people. Even the rogue wizard Malzus is seeking forgiveness for his past sins. But this new feeling of unity is tentative, and the future is never certain . . . In the midst of this change, gem cutter Theb discovers something curious: it looks like an ordinary stone, but he knows it is something extraordinary. A crystal that exists in two realms at once, but only Theb can see how unique it is. Then Theb begins to have dreams of a woman, calling for help from a deserted island far away from Bracat. An impenetrable fog is threatening the island, and the strange crystal seems to be the only answer. There are others who hear the woman’s call. To find the source, Theb joins with a reformed wizard, a former thief, and an old enemy. Together, they vow to find the voice,…