Book title: LORD RAVENSCROFT IS NOT A GENTLEMAN – Victorian Outcasts 5 Character name: Mrs. Winkworth (the mother of the female protagonist, Edith) Interviewer: Mrs. Winkworth, what— Mrs. Winkworth, fanning herself: Oh, dear. Where do I start. May I have a nice cup of tea, please? My poor nerves! So my daughter Edith, she’s the youngest…she wants to be a surgeon like her father. I’m not opposed to that. Society has changes, and it’s 1878, after all, and we have a queen. But goodness, she does nothing but study! A young lady needs to make friends and attend balls and tea parties. Yes, she met Lord Peregrine, the brother of the Earl of Ravenscroft, but heavens, that young man is wild. Interviewer: Yes, But— Mrs. Winkworth: And then there was that dreadful accident. We were on Princess Alice, sailing along the Thames, when another ship hit us. And poor Perry—we call Lord Peregrine Perry—was hit in the head, and when he woke up in the hospital, he couldn’t talk or walk. Interviewer: Do you— Mrs. Winkworth: Perry had to leave for Switzerland to go to a specialised clinic, the poor thing. Is my tea ready? No milk, only lemon and…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE QUEEN’S SPADE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Queen Charlotte from the Bridgerton series goes on a murderous rampage 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? History decided for me. Sarah Forbes Bonetta is a 19th century African princess given to Queen Victoria of England as a gift in the 1850s. Once I learned about her story, I just had to write her. I mean, why don’t we know about her? The world needs to know about her. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? LMAO I’d be too scared to say the wrong thing. She’s so Machiavellian and I’m a bit timid. I’d be terrified to piss her off. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Machiavellian, determined, ruthless 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I actually learned a lot about what life was like in 19th century Britain for BIPOC people and people of the working class. Even little things like how people groomed themselves. I also learned a bit too much about Queen Victoria’s complicated and very large royal family. 7–Do you edit as you…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ACCIDENTALLY AMY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Woman tells little white lie while meeting a handsome stranger, but everything blows up in her face when he ends up being her new boss. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Whenever setting isn’t integral to a book’s plot, I set it in Omaha because it’s my city and I love it. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely I would. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Funny, well-intentioned 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? It’s possible (but dangerous) to crabwalk backward downstairs. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? both 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? McChicken sandwiches (I’m very lowbrow) 9–Describe your writing space/office! New! We just moved, so my current office is barely unpacked 10–Who is an author you admire? Ali Hazelwood (I love love love her so much) 11–Is there a book that changed your life? Forever by Judy Blume 12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MURDER IN THE DRESSING ROOM 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Misty Divine, an upcoming London drag queen finds her drag mother poisoned in her backstage dressing room. Can she catch the killer before they strike again? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I set it in Soho in London because that’s where I work for the majority of my performing. I love the drag and cabaret scene so that was my inspiration. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, definitely! Fiery while in drag and kind and caring out of drag… they’re a great personality. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Determined. Loyal. Strong. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a lot about the editing and publishing processes that I didn’t know before, and that there are so many people involved in getting to the final product! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? A bit of both – I like being able to write without too much editing on the way, but sometimes it’s necessary to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? DIAGNOSIS ATTRACTION, the fourth book in my Soulmated series 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? As a doctor tries to help a woman with amnesia, unexpected sexual attraction flares between them. But his medical ethics get in the way of his desires. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’m familiar with the city of Baltimore, and it seemed like a good place for this gritty story. Also, the port of Baltimore is an important element in the story. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yeah, since I always like my protagonists. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Dr. Matthew Delano is honorable, life-hardened, and competent. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned once again that while amnesia is a tempting trope, it’s always hard to write about a person who doesn’t remember her past. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I go along, then edit a lot more when I have it all in black and white. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? I would kill…

I hadn’t really known that the great city of Edinburgh was broken up into so many gorgeous little neighborhoods, each one with its one culture and its own place of being. After all our ladies had left, and I’d cried all my tears, Robbie and I had one day left to spend together. One full day to pretend that I wasn’t leaving. One more day to say all the things that we needed to say. One more day to wander the cobbled streets, hand in hand with our fingers intertwined. So here’s our itinerary, in a list form:  Wake up in Old Town Edinburgh and eventually get out of bed We slept in late at my hotel room in the grass market, threw on some clothes, took those clothes back off, and then put them back on again at a somewhat later time and emerged from the hotel ready to embrace what was left of the day. We climbed the elegant curve of the West Bow with its two-story stonework and fancifully colored shop fronts. Unable to take another step without sustenance, we grabbed some very fancy avo toast at Hula, then crossed the Royal Mile, down the mound, and…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE ENDS OF THINGS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When a solo female traveler disappears from a lux beach resort in the Bahamas, fellow vacationer Laura Phillips becomes obsessed with the missing woman and embroiled in the police investigation that unfolds. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? A few years ago, I vacationed with my boyfriend at a couples beach resort on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, where I observed a woman vacationing alone. Like the heroine of my novel, I was intrigued by this solo traveler—why had she come to a romantic resort by herself? This question sparked the idea (and setting) for my novel. 4—Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would. I find Laura, with her many flaws, insecurities, and penchant for self-doubt, very relatable, so I think we’d have a lot to talk about. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? A nostalgic, introspective, catastrophizer. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I discovered that I, like my heroine, tend to catastrophize. I don’t think I was aware of this before…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ACE, MARVEL, SPY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? ACE, MARVEL, SPY about a real-life woman named Alice Marble, who was a tennis champion, editor for Wonder Woman, and an American spy during WWII. Billie Jean King calls the novel “a smashing success” and who am I to argue with a sports icon. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? With ACE, MARVEL, SPY being inspired by real life, I’ve put Alice in various places she’s been—Wimbledon, Zurich, New York, San Francisco, military bases, Hearst Castle, and many, many tennis courts. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. Alice seems like one of those people who could get along with just about anybody. I may not join her on the courts, though. She’d whoop me. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Determined, Driven, Dominant 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I’ve learned about Alice Marble, in general. I was surprised to find that even some tennis enthusiasts have never heard of Alice and that she’s been largely lost to history. It’s been incredible to bring her story…

by Misty Simon Happy New Year! First month of the year calls for First book in a series! Who doesn’t love finding a brand-new series that they want to dive headlong into? Just for you, I have put together a list of some things you might want to spend all those gift cards on. First, we have A NEW LEASE ON DEATH: A Mystery (The Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries Book 1) by Olivia Blacke. Can I just tell you that I desperately hope there are a ton more books in this series and I would like them now. How about now? Now? This darkly funny supernatural mystery introduces the unlikely crime-solving duo of Ruby Young and Cordelia Graves. I laughed, I cried, I shuddered in support when Cordelia has to deal with the eternally perky (and living) girl who just moved into her place after Cordelia died and is still hanging around. It tickled my fancy and made me fiend for more. Next up, I absolutely loved INSTAGONER: A Bark and Blog Mystery by Sydney Leigh. This twisty, fast-paced murder mystery had me hooked from the very first page. Emily Dalle is a lifestyle blogger all afire about the latest trends….

1–What is the title of your latest release? CLEVER LITTLE THING 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s about a mother who must confront a sudden and terrifying change in her young daughter after the abrupt death of their babysitter. Think Ashley Audrain’s The Push meets Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My book is partly about the anxiety of privilege, so I needed a wealthy suburb as the setting. I picked Muswell Hill, the north London suburb where I grew up, which has exponentially gentrified since my childhood. It feels like a new patisserie has appeared every time I go back. I could have set my book in an American suburb, but my ghost story needed the perpetual rain and winter darkness of the UK. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, because Charlotte is great at observing people and analyzing social situations, and I love discussing what makes people tick. But since her anxiety is off the charts, she’d need a couple of margaritas in order to let loose. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Stressed, devoted, determined. 6–What’s something…