Book Title: I DIED FOR BEAUTY Character Name: Willa Noble How would you describe your family or your childhood? I grew up with just my mother and younger brother. My father left us when my brother was an infant. Our mother was sick most of our childhood and passed away when I was twelve. I went to work and cared for my brother Henry and me. Life was hard, but we did our best. What was your greatest talent? I’m a good listener and pay attention. I’m able to pick up on things others might miss. Significant other? There is a police officer, Matthew, who cares for me. I hold him at an arm’s length. My life is too challenging and I’ve worked to hard to let a man get in the way. Biggest challenge in relationships? I am second maid for the Dickinson family. I have had that position for a few years and in that time, I have become close friends to the eldest daughter Emily. Emily doesn’t recognize the class distinctions between us. She believes that we are equals. I am well aware that we are not. It can make my life difficult with the other servants…

The Pale Flesh of Wood By Elizabeth A. Tucker Excerpt from Chapter Nine: Sunday Night Movies—1957-1962 One Sunday night, Lyla and her mother start a new tradition. They stay home and watch old home movies projected on the living room wall—reels of silent 8mm footage that didn’t seem to add up to much of anything when Lyla’s parents filmed them. But now, these movies seem to be all they have left. Watching their former selves in black and white will be a ritual that will last for many years— until one day they stop. Side by side, Lyla and her mother sit on the carpet with their backs against the couch. They hold hands underneath the woolen blanket draped over their legs. Lyla’s mother reminds her of how her father accidentally brought the blanket home after an anniversary trip to Big Sur, the very trip that brought them Baby Daniel. Over the next few years, they all learned to love this blanket as though it were part of the family, like a pet. Because it still smells of her father’s Old Spice aftershave, Lyla forbids her mother to put it in the laundry machine for fear her father’s scent will…

1–What is the title of your latest release? We’re very excited to share our latest release, BOOK BOYFRIEND, with Fresh Fiction readers! 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? In BOOK BOYFRIEND, Jennifer Worth, romantic idealist and huge romantasy fan, goes to a weeklong immersive fan experience centered on her favorite series…where the last person she expects to encounter is her prickly rival coworker Scott, who judges Jennifer’s fandoms—yet seems to be working to remake himself into the ultimate “book boyfriend,” using Jennifer’s favorite reads for inspiration. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The “Elytheum Experience,” as Jennifer attends, was a major inspiration and component of the story that helped Book Boyfriend come together. Following a couple of versions where Jennifer would be transported by magic into the literal land of her favorite stories, we noticed the proliferation of Bridgerton, Game of Thrones and other fan experiences in the real world, where fans could partake in richly detailed recreations of places and activities from their favorite reads and hang out with other fans. Intrigued, we developed the Elytheum Experience for Jennifer’s perfect fandom event. One of our favorite parts of writing Book Boyfriend…

Book Title: RECLUSIVE Character Name: Morticia Smith How would you describe your family or your childhood? I grew up as an only child with my father raising me since my mother died giving birth to me. I knew I was loved, but my father was never the affectionate sort. I did, however, have the very best friends. What was your greatest talent? I’m an introvert and not really the girly type, but I’m very artistic and can make a person’s face look flawless with makeup. Significant other? I’m not in a relationship, but I do have a crush on a travel writer I met online. His name is Collin Quinn. Biggest challenge in relationships? I relate better to the dearly departed than the living. That’s why I prefer online dating. Where do you live? I live in a small New England town called Liberty, Massachusetts. It’s very old-fashioned, and everyone knows each other. Nothing is ever kept secret for long. Do you have any enemies? A girl I went to high school with named Lolita was jealous when I made the cheer squad over her and made me pay for it ever since. But now that it’s been over twenty…

1–What is the title of your latest release? PROTECTING THE PACK 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Book #4 in my Protectors at K-9 Ranch series, featuring dogs that have been rescued by and/or trained at K-9 Ranch. In this one, my heroine has a black Newfoundland named Jasper, who is trained in water rescue (she lives on a lake) and is a gentle guardian for her and her foster children. PROTECTING THE PACK – A plus-size woman with foster kids and a dog is set up on a blind date with a silver fox cop. But they’re interrupted by an urgent request to foster two boys. Stella and Joe’s connection is real. Their found family is everything they wanted—but someone doesn’t want the kids, or lovers, to have a happily-ever-after. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve set many of my books in and around Kansas City, Missouri, including this one. While I don’t live in K.C. anymore, I still have family in the area and visit often. I love checking out new places in the area or revisiting old favorites—and I have a lot of fun including them in my…

Most likely to… Stumble into trouble—Steph. She’s an artist at heart who disappears inside herself and into her music while she’s designing intricate buttercream flowers and stacking tiered cakes. Steph walks to the beat of her own drummer and tends to get lost in her own baking world. She’s rarely seen without her Airpods and is often seen sketching elaborate new cake designs in a cozy corner of the park. With her head in the clouds, she might inadvertently stumble into trouble. Help out a stranger—Helen Capshaw is the matriarch at Torte. She’s part baker, part therapist, and a mom to all. Helen welcomes everyone into the artisan bakeshop with open arms, a hot cup of coffee, and a fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll oozing with her signature buttercream and finished off with a dollop of her raspberry preserves. She’s never met a stranger and would give you the shirt off her back and loaves and loaves of honey walnut bread to go along with it. Be skeptical—The Professor. Ashland’s resident detective and Shakespeare aficionado is equally kind and cunning. You’ll find him wearing tweed jackets and quoting sonnets and soliloquies, but don’t let his literary façade fool you. His deduction skills…

by Jamie L. Adams Hi, I’m Jamie Adams, and if you’ve been following along, you know I love a good mystery. There’s something irresistible about an intricate puzzle, a trail of clues, and that heart-pounding moment when everything falls into place. One of my favorite mystery elements is the idea of small towns with big secrets. On the surface, these places seem like picture-perfect—charming main streets, friendly neighbors, and a sense of community where everyone knows everyone. But beneath that idyllic facade, secrets lurk. And when those secrets start to unravel, the results can be explosive. Why Small-Town Mysteries Work So Well The setting of a small town adds a unique layer of tension to a mystery. Unlike big cities, where anonymity is the norm, small towns thrive on familiarity. When something sinister happens—a murder, a disappearance, an unsolved crime—it shakes the entire community. Suddenly, lifelong friends start looking at each other with suspicion. That kindly shopkeeper might be hiding a scandal. The reclusive widow may know more than she lets on. In a small town, there’s nowhere to hide. Yet, somehow, the biggest secrets are buried right under everyone’s noses. Classic Small Town Mystery Themes Many of my favorite…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE YOUNGER WOMAN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Gabby’s just starting to adapt to life as an empty nester, when she makes a stunning realization: she can’t stand her husband! One night, after too many cocktails, she meets an enigmatic younger woman called Ellis and blurts out that she wishes her husband were dead. Obviously, she didn’t mean it and the next day, she wants to take it back, but when she tries to contact Ellis, she can’t find her. Gabby begins to get the nasty feeling that she wasn’t who she said she was… 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The setting was an important part of the story so it sort of decided for me! It was inspired by Sandbanks, on the south-west coast of England, one of the most exclusive places to live in the world. If you read the book, you’ll see why it had to be there! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes. Because despite what people may think, I like her and I think she would have my back and vice versa….

Book Title: ONE MINUTE MORE Character Name: Detective Ari Greene How would you describe your family or your childhood? I’m the only Jewish detective on the Homicide Squad of the Toronto police force and the only child of parents are holocaust “survivors.” I put survivors in quotes, because my dad, Yitzhak, the toughest and wisest person I know, hates the term. His first wife and daughter were killed in the camps. My mother died a few years ago from Alzheimer’s – thinking near the end of her life that her nurses were Nazi guards. But you don’t dare feel sorry for my father. Now he’s full of joy, especially now because a few years ago I discovered that I have a twenty-year old daughter, Alison, I never knew about. She grew up in England and now lives with us. Not your typical family, but family we are.  What was your greatest talent? Listening. Thinking. Caring. Significant other? In the new book, ONE MINUTE MORE, a prequel set in 1988, the readers learn that back then I had a girlfriend named Meredith. And in the more recent books I was, well, having an affair with a married woman. A prosecutor. It…

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.