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,…

She’s determined to make an impact in her community. He’s determined to make sure she lives long enough to do it. Dr. Meredith Quinn always planned to return to Gossamer Falls to practice dentistry. Now that she’s back home, she’s made it a point to offer clinics to children and adults in nearby underserved areas. Unfortunately, those same areas are known to harbor drug traffickers, and Police Chief Grayson Ward suspects that local law enforcement is looking the other way. After too many losses, Grayson has closed off his heart. But with Meredith in his life, he feels his walls crumbling, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. To keep her alive, he must keep her close, but that makes it impossible for him to retreat and rebuild. Will she be the one who finally helps him emerge from isolation? Or will this force of nature leave him shattered? B is for Brutal and Bloodthirsty criminals. R is for Racing down the mountain. E is for Epic apologies. And Explosions. Several explosions. A is for Arranging flowers made from wood. It’s a thing. A gorgeous thing. K is for Kissing. Lots of kissing. M is for Mountains. The Western North Carolina mountains. …

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! And what better way to celebrate than with an Irish mystery series (and a bottle of Bailey’s/Jameson/Guiness – your choice)? I’ll be curled up in my reading chair, avoiding my mother’s corned beef and cabbage, and tippling with a little Baileys as I’m working my way through the latest Carlene O’Connor book! MURDER IN AN IRISH VILLAGE is the first book in a series by Carlene O’Connor, and it’s one of my favorites. I was lucky enough to participate in a signing with Carlene in Chicago and she’s a lot of fun to hang with. Her books are charming, unputdownable, and my mother’s favorites! There are eleven books in the series, which makes it totally bingeable: In the small village of Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, Naomi’s Bistro has always been a warm and welcoming spot to visit with neighbors and share a cup o’ tea. But murder has a way of killing business . . .   Nowadays Siobhán O’Sullivan, along with her five siblings, runs the family bistro named for their mother. It’s been a rough year for the O’Sullivans, but it’s about to get rougher. One morning, as they’re opening the bistro, they discover a man…

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.

Book Title: GLITCH GIRL! Character Name: J— How would you describe your family or your childhood? Hi! I’m J— and I just turned 12 on December 9, 2005! My name is crossed out like that because it doesn’t feel like me anymore, but I haven’t thought of a better one yet! Last night I had a dream that I wrote down after! Here’s what I wrote: A dark ocean, like a sphere, that’s just hanging in the air, the air is neon colored, the colors are slowly changing, and there’s these WORLD-sized clear glass cups, one above the ocean (just poured out) and one below it (empty for now). It was the only time I think I ever had a dream with no people in it, at all. Well, sort of. Birds were coming out from the ocean’s water sometimes. They lived in there. The birds were blue and had my face mostly. My face but with long long long long hair and pretty makeup! I don’t know if birds with faces count as people. Sometimes the birds had Junie’s face. Garrison’s even. And Mama’s and Papa’s faces too. But I’m getting off track. I’m sorry! So, about my family!…

I, famously in my friend group, do not process lyrics when listening to music. It’s a bit of a running joke. I’m just not good at auditory processing, for whatever reason. So when I’m putting together playlists, it tends to be very vibes-based and then I have to go back after the fact, and read the lyrics online to make sure that I’m not selecting songs that are totally mismatched with my intention for the characters before sharing them publicly. That said, I do like to have a playlist for each of my POV characters because I write dual POV romances and I need to be able to switch between those character voices’ pretty quickly when I’m drafting. I find that listening to their playlist can help with that. I’m gonna share with you a couple of songs from each of the characters’ playlists for FAN SERVICE and you can see how they melt together and also how they deviate. First up for Alex, I have The Grudge by Olivia Rodrigo. This song is in perfect alignment with the prologue which takes place seventeen years before the main events of the story when the characters meet for the first time….

Step into the captivating world of storytelling with Jen’s Jewels, your go-to destination for intimate author interviews and behind-the-scenes insights into the latest must-read books. This week, bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry takes us on a mesmerizing journey through THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND, a novel woven with mystery, love, and the power of words. Inspired by the real-life disappearance of literary prodigy Barbara Newhall Follett, Patti masterfully crafts a tale of a daughter’s search for truth hidden within an invented language and the remnants of a mother’s past. Don’t miss this exclusive conversation where we uncover the magic behind her storytelling, the historical threads that shape her characters, and the surprises that emerged along the way! Jennifer Vido: What inspired you to weave a story around a legendary book and a mother’s disappearance? Was there a particular moment or idea that sparked your creativity? Patti Callahan Henry: For me, stories begin with a curiosity, a question that won’t let me go. For THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND, that question was: What happened to Barbara Newhall Follett and her language?  I was captivated by the real-life mystery of this child prodigy who published a fantasy novel at twelve years old,…

Book Title: ENCHANTINGLY YOURS Character Name: Gemma Solace How would you describe your family or your childhood? My childhood was very happy. I had two parents who loved me. My mother would read me stories before bed which started my love of books from a young age, and my father was a talented musician. He would play me his latest song on his magical lute. That is, until my mother was corrupted by an evil Senator who wants to bring magic to Earth to rule over it. To escape prosecution, she fled to the surface, and I haven’t seen her since. I wish I could change her mind and bring her back. What was your greatest talent? If reading books is a talent, then I’d win a gold medal! There’s nothing I love more than getting lost in a good story. Bonus points if it’s a fantasy romance, my favorite genre! Significant other? Oh, I wish! I’m so jealous of Princess Esme who just found her soulmate and got married. Maybe, with a little bit of luck and magic, I’ll find my dream guy one day too. For now, though, falling in love with fictional characters is good for me!…