1–What is the title of your latest release? FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? For One Night Only is a second-chance romance about Valerie Quinn, a bisexual actress with a bad reputation, who reunites the pop punk band that made her famous as a teen to generate some positive press. But getting the Glitter Bats back together for one last show doesn’t just mean facing the found family she walked away from, but navigating lingering feelings for her co-founder and first love Caleb Sloane, the anxious sweetheart whose heart she broke when she drove him from the industry. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I live in the Pacific Northwest, so for a while I considered having the entire novel take place in Seattle. (After all, it’s the birthplace of grunge, and seemed like a natural backdrop for a story about a rock band!) But as I got to know the characters, it made sense for most of them to live in Los Angeles, especially with long careers in the industry. With its music scene and massive venues, LA also seemed a fabulous place for a one-night-only reunion…

1–What is the title of your latest release? TEMPLE OF SWOON 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A rookie archaeologist leads her first expedition to search for a lost city in the Amazon rainforest alongside a handsome journalist who is documenting the excursion for a magazine, only his true mission is to sabotage the team. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The archaeological team is searching for a lost city, so I chose the Amazon rainforest as the setting since so much of it is still uncharted and could possibly contain an ancient city that’s been lost for hundreds of years. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. She’s hilarious, quirky, and she always brings snacks. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Compassionate, loyal, mysterious 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Cannonball trees in the Amazon have 8-10” fruit containing hundreds of seeds that can fall from the tree and injure or kill people below. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Edit as I draft 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? I love chips of all kinds, especially…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE DROWNING GAME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Nadia and her sister build yachts for the ultra-wealthy. While Nadia works in the U.S., Cass is overseeing a build for a Chinese billionaire in Singapore. When Cass is found dead after a fall from a hotel balcony, Nadia learns that her sister was involved in dangerous, globe-spanning work to save a family. Solving her sister’s death will drag Nadia into the same terrifying web of espionage, dark family histories, and cutting-edge AI. Will she survive? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Once I hit on using the superyacht industry as the milieu my sisters live in, I was limited to locales where yachts are built. I also needed to focus on the ultra-high-net-worth individuals who buy these floating palaces. Russian oligarchs have gotten plenty of attention—I wanted something different. When I read that Chinese billionaires sometimes hide their wealth in Singapore, I had my setting. Then I started playing “what if?” What if someone needed to flee China? What if people were willing to kill to stop them? What if a woman was asked…

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.

1–What is the title of your latest release? The fourth book in the Modern Midwife Mysteries series is MURDER AT FIRST LIGHT. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s autumn in the New England seaside town of Langford, and Maeve O’Reilly Kensington, a modern nurse midwife, is starting a dual appointment between Creighton Memorial and Rosemont College. One morning, during an early row on the bay, she sees a jogger stagger from the town’s iconic lighthouse and collapse. He dies despite all attempts to rescue him, and questions surface. At first, it looked like natural causes, but was it foul play? Maeve and her sister Meg wade into the land of the “Yummy Mummies” to look for clues. Will they solve the case? And more importantly, can they escape the killer? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Maeve lives in the quintessential seaside village of Langford, in New England, where the mystery occurs. By coincidence, Langford shares some features with the charming coastal town in New England where I live. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would love to hang out with Maeve, her sister Meg, and…

It’s the most, murdery time of the year! Okay, so maybe it’s not. But there are a lot of cozy Christmas capers that come out every year, and I love reading them. There’s just something about a snowstorm, a cozy fire, and murder that makes me want to curl up with a good book at this time of year. Since there are so many out there, here are a few I’d like to recommend: The book I’m going to read – THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR by Ally Carter Ally Carter is one of my favorite authors. She’s also a lot of fun to crawl through the ducts of the International Spy Museum with, but that was a long time ago and my knees wouldn’t allow me to do that again. I’m really excited to start her latest tonight: Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt: She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery. He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy. But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of…

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? AN ENCHANTED KNIGHT: Book One of The Cursed Kingdom series 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A woman with the power to guide spirits. A cursed knight trapped in time. Can Gwen break the enchantment that binds Tristan—or will love trap them both forever? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This was an easy choice. My favorite country is Scotland and most of my historical romances take place there, so choosing the country was easy. The second thing was picking a castle that would work for the story. One that is away from the city in a small town, so it wouldn’t be affected by the changes of time. I chose a real place, Dunimarle Castle in Culross, Scotland. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes! I would love to talk to someone who lived in 1600s Scotland. It would be amazing to hear how life was back then and then use it for my writing. And well, he’s also a hunk… there’s that. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Strong, Leader, Handsome 6–What’s something you learned while…

Book Title:  THE SECRET DAUGHTER Character Name: Zoë Benoit How would you describe your family or your childhood? There was only me and my mother, and we were very poor. We lived in London, in the slums.  Maman escaped from Revolutionary France when she was 11 — her parents and older brother went to the guillotine. She did whatever she could to survive — drawing chalk pictures on the footpath. She wanted to be an artist but instead became an artist’s model, where my father, a so-called gentleman found and seduced her. When she fell pregnant with me, he abandoned her. What a swine, eh? So I grew up in the backstreets of London, speaking English outside, and French with my mother. She died young, and I ended up in an orphan asylum, where they changed my name because they said it was too foreign. I hated it there. But that was where my half-sister, Clarissa found me — she came looking for an orphan to train up as a maid — and she found me instead. What was your greatest talent? I can draw and paint, like my mother, and because I grew up in the streets, I can…

Most Likely to… Show up at a critical moment. Cal Newfellow (THE PERFECT WITNESS). As the owner of Secure One, Cal is ex-army and a former mercenary who knows when his team needs him. Just ask Mina, Roman, and Marlise. Help a stranger. Marlise Newfellow (GOING ROGUE IN RED RYE COUNTY & THE PERFECT WITNESS). As a former victim of sex trafficking, she was helped by a stranger (Mina Jacobs) and now returns that favor whenever she can. That’s what Cal loves about her the most. Think outside the box to solve a problem. Delilah Hartman (HOLIDAY UNDER WRAPS). Delilah spent six years on the run from her former employer, so she’s the very definition of thinking outside the box to solve a problem. In fact, she ended up putting herself into a box and mailing it to her former lover to get the help she needed to finally be free. Motivate people Selina Colvert (THE MASQUERADING TWIN) Selina is Secure One’s resident medical professional and a willing ear for her teammates. Whether they need patching up or propping up, Selina is the person they turn to for both. She’s professional, concise, clear-headed, and always willing to put the team’s…