Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

1–What is the title of your latest release? A ROGUE’S CHRISTMAS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? From the moment she saw him, Flora Conway knew that Jack Balfour was the Scotsman for her. Tall and dark, witty and charming, he’s a rogue who sets her senses aflame like no other man. A ROGUE’S CHRSTMAS is the last installment of the Highland Brides, where the women are daring, resourceful, and extraordinary, and their handsome, roguish grooms are irresistible. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This story is the final book in my Highland Brides series, so the series was already entrenched in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. But I also added a little time in the port of Portsmouth, England, to add a little naval flair to our Royal Navy hero’s story. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! Miss Flora Conway—and indeed all my heroines—are friends I have invented specifically so I could spend all my time with them. Flora is loyal and resourceful and loves to flirt, so she says all sorts of wonderfully witty, fun things. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Witty,…

Music plays a huge role in THEN, AGAIN, both setting the scene and serving as commentary to various goings-on in the life of Asha, THEN, AGAIN’s protagonist. Here are five important songs to the story: “SexyBack,” by Justin Timberlake. Asha and Charlie dance to this at their wedding, and it becomes the defacto song of their relationship. This is especially important during the Autumn chapters in the novel, those set in the present day, because they provide a peek into what Asha’s and Charlie’s marriage is like: playful, passionate, a little silly. The song’s meaning is something for Asha to cling to while she’s managing life with a comatose husband. “Nobody Knows,” by Tony Rich Project. Asha’s song with Jason is a huge contrast to “SexyBack.” Its themes of breaking up, missing an old love, and sadness at a dissolved relationship are underlined throughout Asha’s and Jason’s on-again-off-again situation. When the two are off-again, the lyrics make sense. When they’re on-again, “Nobody Knows” serves as a nod to youthful love that doesn’t have a clue what a healthy relationship actually looks like. “2 Become 1,” by the Spice Girls. Two of the Summer scenes—those set in Asha’s childhood—take place at…

What happens when you wake up to a life you don’t recognize—or like? Bestselling author Emma Grey explores this haunting question in her powerful new novel PICTURES OF YOU, a story that will stay with readers long after the final page. Fresh off the remarkable success of THE LAST LOVE NOTE, Emma sits down with me to share the deeply personal inspirations behind her latest work, including the real-life conversations and relationships that shaped this unforgettable tale of loss, hope, and second chances. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join us for this week’s heartfelt Jen’s Jewels author interview. Jennifer Vido: PICTURES OF YOU has such an emotional depth. What inspired you to write about a character dealing with memory loss and second chances? Emma Grey: Evie has woken up in a life she doesn’t recognize — or like — after the car accident that killed her husband. Amnesia heightens her sense of confusion and loss and, as the writer, it kept me guessing as I explored the story, desperate to discover what went so wrong in her marriage. I think many of us hold a “what if?” question from our past, whether it’s about a relationship, a career…

by CJ Holmes Where to start with fantasy and paranormal romance… I thought I’d start by delving into the difference between fantasy romance and paranormal romance. There’s a fine line between fantasy and paranormal romance, and fantasy romance books often have paranormal elements and characters in them. As a reader, I love both genres, but I want to know what I’m getting into before I sit down with a book, so my expectations are set and the book stands the best chance of doing what it’s supposed to do – captivating me, thrilling me, taking me into a world I don’t want to leave and introducing me to characters I’m sad to leave. On a technical (and dare I say it boring) level, fantasy romance arose from the fantasy genre, whereas paranormal romance was born from romance. I expect fantasy romance to have a lot more epic or high fantasy in it, so when I read a book that’s marketed as fantasy romance I’m prepared for complex world-building, intricate rules about magic, and hierarchy systems for any creatures or characters in them. The romance is important, but I’m expecting pages of detail that plunge me into this world and make me…

Book Title: TOTO Character Name: Toto How would you describe your family or your childhood? Listen, I came from humble beginnings. Eight brothers and sisters all whelped in the same potato crate gets crowded, I tell you! We were a surprise, too. Well, I mean, not to Ma–she knew we were coming, but I guess her human was pretty clueless. I can’t be too mad at him though, because if he hadn’t put a ‘free puppies’ sign on the highway, then I wouldn’t have found my Dorothy. I would have probably ended up with some goofy farm dog name like…Hank or Blue or Strawberry or something. I don’t like to brag, but life got pretty good after that. Dorothy also lives on a farm, but it’s the best one, obviously. There’s hogs and farmhands to bother, which counts as high entertainment in a place as boring as Kansas, let me tell you. But my favorite time had to be bedtime, when Dorothy and I would indulge in some good cuddles and watch the people on her little pocket glass. The little glass-people are great, and I’ve learned most of what I know about humans from them. Things like how important…

Book Title: HER KNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM Character Name: Sir Griffin de Beauford Interviewer: Griffin, I understand that you’re a knight who was born in England in 1428. Is that correct? Griffin: Aye, my lady. Interviewer: But you were turned into a stone statue…and you were stuck that way for centuries. How long has it been since the curse was broken and you came back to life? Griffin: It has been three days since I breathed the free air again, here in the vast city of Chicago. Interviewer: Amazing. Well, let’s learn a little bit more about you. How would you describe your childhood? Griffin: As the son of an earl, I trained from boyhood to be a warrior. My father could be a hard man, and he expected me to prevail over all challengers… But it was a good life, too. I rambled in the forest, fished, trapped eels, hunted…and got into every manner of mischief. (laughs) With my parents and my younger sister, I celebrated dozens of feast days every year, and went to fairs. Interviewer: Do you know how to read and write? Griffin: Aye, from my tutors, I learned to speak, read, and write in French…

What is the title of your latest release? ROLAND ROGERS ISN’T DEAD YET What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A ghostwriter ghostwrites for a ghost. How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Stay with me here: The ghost in question is a recently deceased movie star named Roland Rogers, but no one knows he’s dead yet. Roland is trapped in some sort of purgatory, only capable of communicating through electronic appliances. Before his body can be found, he wants to reveal a closely held lifelong secret, so he reaches out to a struggling memoirist named Adam Gallagher for help. All of which is to say this book had to take place where you’d expect an A-lister to live, which is why it’s set in a cliffside Malibu mansion with obscene square footage. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Adam is a lot like me, so no. What are three words that describe your protagonist? Smart, sad, and stubborn. What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned how much Calacatta marble countertops cost. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I used…

1–What is the title of your latest release? NAPOLEON’S MIRAGE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Epic and rich with well-researched detail, NAPOLEON’S MIRAGE is a novel of misguided ambition leading to brutal warfare, failures of cultural appropriation, and a military defeat that just may have changed the course of history. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Because I write historical fiction, my locations are largely determined by actual events and settings. As this is a sequel to BEYOND THE GHETTO GATES, part of the novel takes place in Ancona, Italy, so that the reader learns just how much Mirelle is in trouble with her Jewish community because of actions taken in the previous book. But most of it follows Napoleon’s military expedition, starting from Toulon where his massive fleet embarks, to Malta, Egypt, and then to Isarel. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? While I have four main characters, the bulk of the narrative is given over to Daniel, a young officer in Napoleon’s artillery. He is undergoing significant changes in his attitude toward war and to Napoleon in particular, moving from hero-worshipping the young general to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BRIDE OF THE SHADOW KING is a re-release of an independent 2022 publication. Two years later, and it’s getting a whole new life as an Ace Books publication, complete with a gorgeous new cover. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A princess suffering from chronic illness is forced to disguise herself as her beautiful younger sister and take her place in a political marriage with a dangerous troll king. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Ever since reading The Princess and the Goblin as a child, I’ve wanted to explore a magical, subterranean realm. So I made my hero a troll king (but a hot one, don’t worry!) and indulged in all things caves and magical crystals, bringing the Under Realm to life. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? For sure! Princess Faraine is modeled after two of my best friends (both of whom deal with similar forms of chronic illness). She is definitely someone I would be friends with in real life! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Courageous, kind, compassionate 6–What’s something you learned while writing…