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.

In this week’s Jen’s Jewels, we turn up the heat with bestselling author Jane Costello, whose latest rom-com IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE blends the chaos of perimenopause with the challenges of motherhood in a hilariously heartfelt tale. Join us as Jane shares the inspiration behind her witty and poignant story, the creation of her dynamic characters, and how she masterfully balances comedy with life’s more serious moments. Whether you’re navigating midlife or simply love a good laugh, you won’t want to miss this engaging conversation about finding joy, love, and self-discovery amidst the beautiful mess of life. Jennifer Vido: It’s IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE tackles midlife with humor and heart. What inspired you to write a rom-com that blends the chaos of perimenopause with the relatable challenges of being a mother? Jane Costello:  More than anything, this was the book I wanted to read. I’d written bestselling romantic comedy for years in the UK but moved away from the genre to write emotional love stories under the pseudonym Catherine Isaac. But when I hit my late-forties I found myself looking for a smart, funny, uplifting romantic comedy that touched on all the things I was going through myself:…

Hi! I am Lisa F. Rosenberg, author of FINE, I’M A TERRIBLE PERSON. I’m thrilled to be here to tell you about my debut novel! 73-year-old, worn out, former beauty, Aurora Feldenburg, a hapless, broke, divorcee living in the wealthy enclave of Marin County, learns that her father’s widow has died. She decides to drive to Los Angeles to see if there is any money in it for her. Aurora is always ready for the next get rich scheme Aurora’s high-strung daughter, 43-year-old Leyla, is a hypersensitive, insecure, perfectionist, insomniac, damaged from her father’s lifelong abuse and rejection. She is married to a wealthy prince charming, investment banker who specializes in the legal Cannabis industry. Leyla spends her days keeping up with the other Marin uber mom’s, manically pursuing perfection in herself, her home, and her children. When she overhears a conversation at parent’s night at her children’s elite private school, and suspects her husband is embarking on an affair, she decides to sneak into a Cannabis business conference he is attending, also in LA, to spy on him. While at the conference she accidentally ingests 40 mg of THC packed granola bite samples.  Aurora and Leyla’s separate quests intersect…

Book Title: NATURE OF FROST Character Name: Valen How would you describe your family or your childhood? A big fat lie. What was your greatest talent? That really depends on who you ask. Significant other? Officially? No. But there’s really only one person for me. And she knows it. Biggest challenge in relationships? Trust is an issue for me these days. Where do you live? In Derriga. The Winter Lands to be specific. Do you have any enemies? Are you kidding? Everyone loves me! Well, I mean mostly… I suppose there’s one or two out there who aren’t fans. How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place? I’ve been forced to take a job I want no part of. It comes with a shitload of responsibility that I don’t want. So, how do I feel? Not particularly thrilled. Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?   Gods forbid. I can barely keep myself alive much less a child or pet. Don’t get me started on vegetation. What do you do for a living? Apparently, I’m a ruler now. So, I, um…rule?…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE WIND ON HER TONGUE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? I’m famously horrendous at elevator pitches, but here we go: THE WIND ON HER TONGUE is the second book in the Daughter of Three Waters Trilogy. It follows the adventures of Oya, the Yoruba Orisha of the storm, in early America. Both “The Wind on Her Tongue” and my first novel, “Shallow Waters” are works of historical fiction that include many characters who made significant contributions to society. I’m also going to add my publisher’s elevator pitch: In this lyrical and stirring companion to the “spellbinding” (Harper’s Bazaar) “Shallow Waters”, Oya-the Yoruba deity of the weather-is brought to life during 1870s America. “The Wind on Her Tongue” is perfect for fans of “Children of Blood and Bone” and “Black Sun”. Which one do you like better? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Answer: I started off writing THE WIND ON HER TONGUE by researching famous historical figures during the 1870s. Mary Ellen Pleasant jumped off the page for me and I instantly knew that she would have a significant role in my book….

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE INDIGO HEIRESS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A colonial American indigo heiress meets her nemesis in a Scots merchant who saves her from scandal only to have her save his very life in turn. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since my ancestry is rooted in Britian and colonial Virginia I find that setting fascinating. It was also where many of the movers & shakers of the 18th-century lived. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would love to get to know them as real people though my characters sure seem real enough to me on the page. I’m especially fascinated with my villains! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Smart, cautious, industrious. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a great deal about how Loyalists to the British Crown viewed our War of Independence. Quite a messy business! I found the wealthy Glasgow merchants based in Scotland fascinating, too. Their ties to Virginia in that era were rich, complex, and deep—and even controversial today. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait…

“My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing.”                                                             —Nicholas Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr’s 2008 Atlantic article about the Internet’s effects on cognition, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” might by now seem quaint; written prior to the era when infinite-scroll apps became a norm of daily existence, it covers how attention spans were affected by suddenly having all the world’s information at our fingertips via “the crazy quilt of Internet media” and the ability to jump between sites on “the Net” — blogs, news, information. Google. And yet, while the article pre-dates the heyday of social media, it was certainly prescient. “As we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world,” Carr writes, “it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence.” Seventeen years later, with chatbots, deepfakes, and AI scams and scandals, it arguably has. Among the most nod-inducing of what Carr writes about is his own and others’ experiences of being voracious readers who could no longer pay attention to anything longer than a several-paragraph blog post. I couldn’t help but notice that while re-reading “Is Google Making Us Stupid” for the writing of this short…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE QUEEN OF FIVES 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The Queen of Fives, a Victorian con, tells the story of Quinn Le Blanc, London’s most talented conwoman, on an audacious mission to lift the fortune of a wealthy nobleman – until she realizes she may not be the only person playing a game of grand deception… 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? There are two key settings in this book. The first is a crumbling old silk-weaver’s house in Spitalfields, East London – the headquarters for the Queen of Fives. The second is a sumptuous mansion in the heart of Mayfair – home of her unsuspecting mark, the Duke of Kendal and his wealthy, tricky family… 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, but if Quinn had adopted a particularly ingenious disguise, I really might not know it was her! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Loyal, honorable conwoman! 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I’d absorbed so many historical details about London in the Victorian period, but researching this book took me deeper into…

Hi there! I’m Jennifer Deibel—though most people call me Jen. I write clean, sweet historical romance set in Ireland. My latest release, HEART OF THE GLEN, is the heart-wrenching story of love, hope, and healing found in the midst of unthinkable tragedy. Hidden in the shadows, sorrow divides,Echoes of a past she cannot escape,Alluring threads of fate entwine their lives,Resilience blooms where hope begins to wake.The glen whispers secrets, a promise unspoken. Owen, heart weary, discovers strange comfort in her presenceFinding solace in patterns, growing closer with each knot fastened Together they weave a tapestry of trust,Hands reaching out, bridging the divide.Every challenge faced, a bond formed anew Glimmers of healing in the warmth of their fight,Love unanticipated, stitched in the night.Each moment they share, a spark ignites,Nurtured by hope, will they embrace the light? HEART OF THE GLEN by Jennifer Deibel Can the lonely thread of her life be woven into a new and finer pattern? When Saoirse Fagan arrives at Drumboe Castle to start her new job as housemaid, she is dismayed to learn that the lord of the house passed away a week prior. Already running from the tragedy that claimed the lives of her family members, Saoirse wanders…

1–What is the title of your latest release? RUNNING OUT OF AIR 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Two estranged sisters, Evelyn and Sophie, attempt to summit one of the world’s tallest mountains and are forced to trust each other in order to survive. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? When thinking about the world’s tallest mountains, Nepal comes to mind immediately (although, of course, China, Pakistan, and India also have 8000-meter peaks within their borders). Based on my research, Nepal seemed like the best setting for Yama Parvat. And Colorado was an obvious choice as a home for two mountaineering-obsessed sisters. The book has two other prominent settings, New York City and Geneva, Switzerland. Evelyn set her sights on Columbia Law School, but slowly discovers that her ambition outweighs her actual passion for practicing law. And Sophie goes to Switzerland to visit an old friend but finds more than she was looking for when she meets Levi, her future partner. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d probably hang out with Sophie, since we’re a similar age and we both like the outdoors (I couldn’t keep up…