Book Title: THE BANE WITCH Character Name: Piers Corbin How would you describe your family or your childhood? I grew up without a family really, just the disjointed relationship I had with my mother and eventually her husband, Gerald. I’d call him my stepfather, but he wasn’t a parent or a role model. He was just there, soaking up my mother’s attention along with his beer. He did move us to the forest house though, where I found my way back to the deadly pokeweed berries, I would come to love so much. I never knew grandparents or siblings or cousins. Just an aunt who came calling one time and one time only. My mother didn’t appreciate the visit or what she had to say, but her towering height and intense gaze haunted me for years. Finding Myrtle again saved my life. She was more family to me than anyone else I know. What was your greatest talent? My clients would say it’s my eye for design, but they’d be wrong. Those who aren’t of my magical line might say it’s my ability to ingest poison without consequence. That’s closer to the truth, but still not it. My greatest talent…

Excerpt from SHOOTING STARS ABOVE by Patricia Leavy (She Writes Press, 2025) Tess and Jack meet at a bar “So, what do you do?” she asked. “I’m a federal agent with the Bureau—counterterrorism. I joined the military right out of high school, Special Forces. I was in the field, often deep undercover, until about a year ago, when I took a desk job as the head of my division.” “Wow, you’re like the real-life Jack Bauer. You even look a little like him, with that whole rugged, handsome hero thing you have going on,” she said. He blushed and ran his hand through his light brown hair. “I promise you I’m no Jack Bauer, even on my best day. People thought that character was so tragic, but the real tragedy is that Jack Bauer doesn’t exist, and you’re stuck with guys like me.” She smiled. “What made you choose that line of work?” “My parents raised me and my siblings to value community, to be patriotic. My father was in the military and then became a firefighter. The idea of service always seemed important. I wanted to serve my country, to protect people. It’s hard to explain, but when I…

Hello all! I’m Cheryl Terra and I write happy endings for hot messes – aka, spicy love stories and romcoms told by quirky and flawed characters who make you feel like you’re talking to your new best friend. I’m here to give you a little look into what you can find in my gamer girl + hockey boy romance, HEARTS AT PLAY! The special edition of this book features eight pieces of original character art and a steamy new clinch-style cover, so it’ll look just as good displayed in your ebook library as it will on your shelf. I can’t wait for you to meet these characters and find out how two childhood friends from a small Canadian town reconnect during one steamy summer! H – is for hot hockey players who can only be described with a desperately needy “unghhh” sound E – is for eyebrow piercings (which are totally allowed because your mom only said no NOSE piercings) A – is for Ashton Halliday (see also: H, above) R – is for rule followers with a repressed rebellious streak, aka Ramona Roth T – is for Toyota Corolla, which has a surprisingly roomy back seat S – is…

Our selections this month are all stories set in the aftermath of World War II, two dealing with women who retrace ground from the war to solve mysteries left after its ending, two that deal with exceptional women whose groundbreaking work was so overlooked few would recognize their names—something that the authors of their stories want to make impossible in future! We begin with LAST TWILIGHT IN PARIS by Pam Jenoff.  During the war, Louise served as a Red Cross volunteer delivering packages to prisoners.  Now back in England, a housewife and mother of two, she is catapulted into memories of the past when in a second-hand store, she discovers a necklace she remembers from her war work.  Still haunted by the death of her friend Fanny, a death she suspects was not the accident it was reported to be, she returns to Paris to try to find the owner of the necklace—and is flung into the mystery of a famous department store, the Lévitan.  Helaine holds another key to the story; exiled from her husband when the Nazis invaded France, along with other Jewish women, she was imprisoned in the store, which the Nazi turned into a storehouse and…

Winter is fading to memory for those of us in the northern hemisphere, and I for one am ecstatic. Why then, did I find myself immersed in a frigid, frightening, story that “with it” readers discovered years ago? I’ve no idea, but I can most heartily recommend ICE by beloved romance author Linda Howard. ICE had me glued to both the page and my phone (I alternated reading and listening) while Lolly, in Maine to close up her parent’s old home, was beset by drug-addled home invaders intent on wreaking destruction in the midst of an historic ice storm. Luckily for her, a boy she sparred with as a child is now all grown up, in town with his motherless son, and sent by his father, the sheriff, to make sure Lolly’s okay. Granted, we all know how this will turn out, but getting there is a breathtaking and freezing cold wild ride. I was literally surprised when I looked up and saw the sun shining outside, as I was convinced a storm was raging! And I’m so happy there are still more Linda Howard titles for me to discover. Jumping ahead to books written more recently, I was enchanted…

1–What is the title of your latest release? FLORA FLOWERDEW AN THE SECRET OF THE SARCOPHAGUS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? 1889. With the winter season, Flora’s séance society is quiet and life looking dull. A late-night visit from the too-handsome Benedict, Duke of Everton, and his aunt Lady Imogen changes all that. Imogen’s long-ago lover, the renowned archaeologist Lord Crosbie, is missing, and she fears the worst. Flora agrees to accompany them to a mummy unwrapping at the British Museum to see if anyone knows about the disappearance. It’s the shock of the town when Crosbie himself is found in the ancient sarcophagus—murdered! Adventure awaits when Flora, Benedict, Imogen, the faithful Pomeranian Chou-Chou, and Mary the Cockney maidservant, set off for Egypt—and find a large cast of suspects who all had good reason to send the archaeologist off to his own underworld. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve always loved archaeology and stories of ancient Egypt, as well as Victorian lady explorers!  It all seemed to come together perfectly for Flora’s new story.  I enjoyed the research on Egyptian river voyages and ancient temples so much 4–Would you hang…

Beach Vibes – Exclusive Excerpt for Fresh Fiction Aunt Agatha drew in a breath. “How are you feeling?” “Lost,” she said without thinking. “Confused. It’s been a year since the divorce, and I haven’t done anything to have a personal life..” Agatha touched her hand. “You’re lonely. I’m here for you always, but you need more than that. Friends your own age, a man or two.” Despite the emotions swirling inside of her, Beth smiled. “Definitely not two men. Unlike you, I’m not interested in playing the field.” Her aunt raised her eyebrows. “So you’d like to be in a relationship. Intriguing. Last time we talked about your love life, you weren’t interested.” “Last time I hadn’t scrolled through my ex’s Instagram account and been slapped by the realization that I’m drifting through my days rather than being proactive. I want to do things and travel. I didn’t just lose Ian in the divorce. I lost myself. I don’t regret the end of our marriage, but what about me? Why have I let it be okay to not take care of myself emotionally?” “When you knew better, you did better,” Agatha told her. “One of my favorite quotes.” “I know….

1–What is the title of your latest release? CODE WORD ROMANCE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When Max is hired by the CIA to impersonate Europe’s youngest female prime minister on an Italian vacation, it sounds like a dream—until assassins and her ridiculously hot handler, Flynn, complicate things. If you loved The Lizzie McGuire movie (ah, nostalgia!), this one’s for you! 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I knew I wanted this book to feel summery and cinematic. Italy perfectly fit the bill! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Oh, absolutely. She’s a chef, so I think we could have some great conversations over dinner—maybe about the time she impersonated a prime minister. Or, I don’t know, the best places to find potato donuts in Maine. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Relatable, daring, foodie 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I did a lot of research into luxury hotels on the Amalfi Coast, so I learned a lot about the types of rooms those hotels offer. Oh! And I had a great time learning about all the different flavors of gelato Max…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE SUMMER GUESTS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? “The Martini club,” a group of retired spies in Maine, teams up with the local police chief to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. When the pond is dragged, looking for the girl’s body, they instead drag up the decades-old remains of a young woman. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The town of Purity, Maine, is a fictionalized version of my own hometown, where we have quite a few retirees who once worked for the CIA. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Oh, yes. I love my Martini Club characters and wish I could hang out with them and hear gossip about their spying days! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Maggie Bird: Smart. Resourceful. Loyal. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned about MKULTRA, the CIA’s research program during the 1950s-70s, which tested various psychoactive drugs on human guinea pigs – some of whom were unaware they were being drugged.  7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I wait…

1–What is the title of your latest release?  SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A young mother, lawyer, and musician freshly divorced from an abusive husband remarries and builds a new life with her second husband. Marriage, home, family, career–all is well. When life suddenly and unexpectedly falls apart again, our heroine, Kim, is forced to re-confront that painful question “What do you do when things that only happen to other people happen to you?” for a second time around, after the passage of years, and with so much more at stake. In her struggle to find healing for herself and her large family, she comes to see that her greatest strength lies in her growing and deepening relationships with her mother, her sister and her own teenage daughter.  3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Geography is a character in this book. I needed John and Kim to begin their married life on their own and far from family, and then move closer as their priorities shifted. Kim has a strong sense of place and we watch her grappling with it. Where is home, where do I belong,…