Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Meredith Lanzen | F1 in outer space – and also they fall in love!
Author Guest / July 9, 2026

What is the title of your latest release?FORMULA ZERO What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?F1 in outer space (and also they fall in love!) How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I knew I wanted to write about F1-style racing, and I knew I wanted my FMC to be a racer/competitor in her own right. To do that, I either had to write about the first woman in F1 (which just wasn’t the story I wanted to tell), or skip far enough into the future that women in F1 were commonplace. Once skipping into the future was on the table, my innate love of sci-fi took the wheel. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Oh, absolutely. Clarke and I would be great friends, and we’d also make a very efficient partnership at plotting the downfall of sleazebag men. What are three words that describe your hero?Driven, stubborn, impulsive What’s something you learned while writing this book?My new party trick is being able to list geographical features on Mars and the moon. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?Edit as I draft, absolutely. It usually means…

Natalie Messier | A woman gets a second chance at life and love
Author Guest / July 9, 2026

What is the title of your latest release?EVERY VERSION OF YOU What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A woman gets a second chance at life and love when she dies at 32 and is given the opportunity to relive a formative time in her life. She goes back intending to win back the “one who got away” only to find herself strangely drawn to the man she always hated. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I’ve lived in LA for the last decade and have come to really love this city, so setting my book here felt natural. I had so much fun exploring the city through my character’s eyes. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yeah, I could definitely see me and Joey being friends. I’m not sure I could write a heroine I wouldn’t be friends with – you have to spend so much time with them during the editing process! But maybe, that’s a challenge for future me. What are three words that describe your hero?Steadfast, driven, and persistent. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned how to edit! I love writing first drafts, I have…

Debra Parmley | Tales From the Trailer: Exploring the Snake River
Author Guest / July 8, 2026

During our 109-day “Go West” adventure in the summer of 2021, I attended Wild Deadwood Reads in South Dakota, where I met a fellow author and her husband from Washington State. When they heard we would be traveling through their area, they suggested we visit—and recommended a scenic trip on the Snake River with Snakedancer Excursions. It sounded like the perfect adventure, so we added it to our itinerary. Snakedancer Excursions operates out of Clarkston, Washington, at the gateway to Hells Canyon. We chose the half-day excursion that included lunch, and on July 21, 2021, climbed aboard our covered jet boat and headed upriver. Many people don’t realize that Hells Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon. Carved by the Snake River, Hells Canyon plunges nearly 8,000 feet from the peaks of the surrounding mountains to the river below, making it the deepest river gorge in North America. Experiencing it from the water gives you a unique perspective you simply can’t get from the road. As we traveled deeper into Hells Canyon, our captain pointed out the evidence of recent wildfires. The brown areas were exposed earth, the red patches were coated with flame retardant used to slow the spread…

Chanel Cleeton | Title Challenge: AN INFINITE LOVE STORY
Author Guest / July 8, 2026

AN INFINITE LOVE STORY is set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race. Told from the perspective of Vivian Mitchell – whose husband Joe goes missing on a mission to the Moon – AN INFINITE LOVE STORY follows both the early years of their relationship as they fall in love interspersed with the aftermath of Joe’s disappearance. When Vivian begins receiving messages she believes only Joe could send, she starts to wonder if their love is stronger than space and time. I had such an adventure writing this novel and I’m so excited to share Joe and Vivian’s story with you! A– Astronaut’s wifeN– Notes in unexpected places I– InvestigationN– Nation watches and waitsF– FateI– Intertwined timelinesN– Nostalgic memoriesI– InfiniteT– Television reporterE– Explore the Moon L– Lost in spaceO– Opposites attractV– “Viv”E– Epic love S– Space travelT– TimeO– Operator error?R– RomanticY– Yearning AN INFINITE LOVE STORY by Chanel Cleeton When an astronaut is lost in space, his wife relives their epic love as she attempts to unravel what truly happened to him, in this sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes.When Joe Mitchell launches into…

Tracie Peterson | Conversations in Character with Evelyn “Evie” Turner
Author Guest / July 8, 2026

Book Title: A LIFE SO TRUECharacter Name: Evelyn “Evie” Turner How would you describe your family or your childhood?It was one of privilege and love. My parents are two of the most amazing people I’ve ever known. They were strict in many ways, but fair and always they taught me about God’s love and generosity, as well as the need to see even the poorest person as important as the wealthiest. What was your greatest talent?Like my mother, I’m really quite good at convincing people to part with their money for the cause of helping the poor. I’m also quite intelligent even though that isn’t a quality most look for in a woman in 1893. Significant other?For so many years I’ve put off falling in love because I was focused on becoming a nurse who could work at my father’s side. Now, however, there’s a handsome young man named Maxwell Garrison, and I’ve pretty much fallen for him at first sight. Biggest challenge in relationships?I’m confident and capable of forming relationships and building on them, however, my desire to be a nurse has caused me to hold people, particularly suitors, at arm’s length. Then there’s also the secret I’m carrying….

Masha Zur-Glozman | Songs that inspired LOVE AND OTHER ENCHANTMENTS
Author Guest / July 8, 2026

LOVE AND OTHER ENCHANTMENTS is a time-crossed love story that bridges two worlds: the present day and the 13th-century Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, where a hidden spring becomes a passage between centuries. While writing it, I spent years immersed in medieval chronicles, illuminated manuscripts, historical research, and music both ancient and modern. The songs below shaped the novel in different ways – some appear in its pages, while others helped create its emotional landscape or inspired the journey that eventually led me to write it. The Outlander Theme – The Skye Boat Song About fifteen years ago, I wrote the opening paragraph of a novel for a special newspaper project. I already knew it would involve time travel, echoes between worlds, and the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Then life happened. I was raising two children, working as a cultural journalist, book critic, translator, and editor. The novel drifted to the back of a drawer. Then, during a rare quiet week in the winter of 2016, I decided to try a television series I’d been hearing about: Outlander. I was instantly hooked. I devoured the first season and became mildly insufferable about it. I listened to the theme song several times…

Georgia Stone | Traveling leads to an unexpected romance
Author Guest / July 7, 2026

What is the title of your latest release?THE ROOMMATE RULE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A travel influencer’s plus-one drops out of a six-week trip to Wales at the last minute, so a friend of his sister’s takes their place. They set some ground rules and find that some they’re much better at following than others. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I knew I wanted to keep it in the UK, but somewhere completely different from London, which was where my first book was set. I toyed with a few ideas but in the end, I settled on the coast of Wales. I’ve been to Pembrokeshire before and it’s so beautiful, and Wales as a whole deserves more love in my opinion, so Pembrokeshire it was! Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yes, and she’d probably enjoy some peace and quiet (much like I do!). What are three words that describe your hero?Reckless, flirtatious, self-assured. What’s something you learned while writing this book?That I can write heroines who are the complete opposite to me. It was something I was nervous about, and it took me a few drafts to…

Devon Daniels | Inspiration, Playlist, and Excerpt STAR-CROSSED SUMMER
Author Guest / July 7, 2026

STAR-CROSSED SUMMER is a second-chance romance set in a fictional coastal Carolina town, where two costars fall in love, break up, and are reunited ten years later, forced to confront old wounds and lingering secrets. Writing this book gave me the perfect excuse to dive into one of my pop culture obsessions: the real-life enemies-to-lovers romance of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Back in 2004, they didn’t get along during the filming of The Notebook, then somehow started dating once filming wrapped. Those unanswered questions – What changed? How did they go from enemies to lovers? – have fascinated me for two decades. Neither Rachel nor Ryan has ever filled in those blanks, so my imagination did what writers’ imaginations do: it began to build a story of its own…and STAR-CROSSED SUMMER was born. STAR-CROSSED SUMMER was my opportunity to explore two genres I’ve been dying to tackle: second-chance romance and the classic beach read. It’s ridiculous how much fun I had – the angst! The pining! Turns out there’s nothing more delicious to write than two people who never quite got over each other. STAR-CROSSED SUMMER is set in the fictional town of Seafolly, which is inspired by the South Carolina Lowcountry,…

Angela Bell | Author-Reader Match: A LADY’S HANDBOOK TO GADGETS AND GUILE
Author Guest / July 7, 2026

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 Angela Bell! Writes:One might categorize my books as historical romance, but I like to describe them as A Cuppa Victorian Whimsy because, as Anne Shirley would say, that sounds so much more poetical! Inspired by LITTLE WOMEN and Inspector Gadget, my latest bookish cuppa A LADY’S HANDBOOK TO GADGETS AND GUILE revolves around a found sisterhood known as the Daughters of Genius Society – an elite team of lady inspectors disguised as a club for bluestocking spinsters. Recruited for their astute intelligence and aristocratic lineage, the D.O.G.S. covertly investigate crimes committed by members of London’s high society in the late Victorian Era. About:Hello, dear reader! My name is Angela. I’m a twenty-first-century lady with nineteenth-century sensibilities, and I reside with my Lhasa Apso rescue pup, Mr. Bingley Crosby. (If you get both references in his name, we’re most assuredly kindred spirits!) My favorite pastimes include reading voraciously, drinking copious amounts of tea, thrifting for old-fashioned treasures, and penning letters on beautiful stationery. What I’m…

Bailey Hannah | A man returns to his family’s ranch after losing his memory
Author Guest / July 7, 2026

What is the title of your latest release?LOVE WELLS KEPT What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?After an accident erases years of his memory, a man returns to his family’s ranch in hopes of piecing back together the life and love he thought he had lost forever. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Growing up as a reader in small-town British Columbia, I rarely picked up a book that took place in Canada. When I started dreaming about the Wells Ranch series, a Canadian setting was a no-brainer, so I created a fictional place that features some of my favorite parts of rural BC. In a way, it feels like a love letter to the places that raised me. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Oh, absolutely! If only you knew the amount of hours spent daydreaming about spending a summer afternoon having drinks on her front porch. What are three words that describe your hero?Gentle, resilient, yearning What’s something you learned while writing this book?This one had me elbowing my husband in bed in the middle of the night to ask him whether he’d fall in love with me again…