Get ready to fall in love with a heartwarming romance set against the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans! This week on Jen’s Jewels, I’m chatting with Rebekah Millet about her latest novel, KATE LANDRY HAS A PLAN. From a fiercely independent café owner juggling life’s unexpected twists to a charming “hunky librarian” who just might rewrite her plans, Rebekah’s story is packed with humor, heart, and the magic of second chances. Join us as we dive into the inspiration behind Kate and Micah’s romance, the rich culture of the Big Easy, and what’s next for this rising star in Christian fiction! Jennifer Vido: What was your inspiration for Kate and Micah’s story? Did you start with the setting, a character, or a specific scene that sparked the idea? Rebekah Millet: After finishing my first book, JULIA MONROE BEGINS AGAIN, I knew right away I wanted to write two more books based off of secondary characters from it. Kate (the best friend of the heroine in that first book), was who I felt the most led to write first. I also wanted her love interest to be a new character to readers, and to be the total opposite of Kate’s Type…

An excerpt from THE BOOK OF DAYS: Ren headed for the tent door. The stench of death and decay stopped him in his tracks. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as the canvas flaps parted, revealing a towering, wraithlike creature wrapped in a tattered black cloak. The monster ducked under the doorway and floated inside. All that was visible under the dark cowl was a jutting jaw of bleached bone and a hideous perma-grin. His presence seemed to fill the room and made Ren’s stomach roil. The Grimm Jester’s black hood brushed the tent ceiling. Ren backed away as the monster approached. Claymore stood his ground, unintimidated by the sudden appearance of the physical embodiment of Death. The hooded wraith glanced down at Ruddy’s corpse, then over to the dead Wolf. Ren had dealt with the monster before. They had met, days earlier, in a hidden alleyway behind a teahouse in Rogue Destiny. The Grimm Jester had saved Ren’s life from a night of torture and death, and now considered the trickster in its debt. “The aroma of death is in the air,” he hissed. The barely audible words escaped through yellowed teeth, like dust blowing through…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE MARTIAN CONTINGENCY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, is on Mars preparing for the first wave of permanent inhabitants. She is tasked with building an infrastructure and thriving community on alien soil—before time on Earth runs out due to an extinction-level warming event. Elma encounters disturbing signs of a hidden disaster kept out of the official transcript of the First Mars Expedition, and she must bring the truth to light, before the ripple effects leave humanity stranded on a dying Earth. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I was excited to return to the story of Dr. Elma York, the Lady Astronaut. When we last saw her in The Fated Sky, her crew was touching down on Mars—the first humans on the Red Planet. THE MARTIAN CONTINGENCY picks up just minutes later. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Oh, absolutely. Elma is based on real astronauts mixed with friends and family members. She’s flawed, but she’s witty and dedicated—two qualities I adore in friends. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Determined, brilliant,…

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….