1–What is the title of your latest release? DEADLY REVENGE, Book 3 in the Pearl River Series 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Deputy Jenna Hart has vowed to never date a cop again…a fireman maybe, but not a cop. All bets are off when she’s thrown together with TBI, Agent Maxwell Anderson, her old flame from Chattanooga, to stop a madman from destroying her town. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’d wanted to set a book around Chattanooga for a while since I loved the area. It’s a fascinating and beautiful Tennessee setting. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely! I’ve loved horses since I was a kid and when Jenna isn’t working, she loves to ride her horse, Ace, a Dutch Warmblood. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Gutsy, fearless, and smart 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned how to blow up a dam. Fascinating subject…I called a friend who blows up beaver dams (same principle) and he explained what I needed to do and where to put the charge. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE IMPROVISERS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A barnstorming pilot turned magical investigator crisscrosses the country to puzzle out a mystery in a magical version of the 1930s. Featuring peril, deadly enchantments, murder, and the company of the most annoying reporter around. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The Improvisers is partially a travel story at\s the main character, Velma Frye, flies her plane across the country. The locations that mark her travels were inspired by historical facts I wanted to highlight. Outside of her travels, the key settings in the book are “homebase” for her, which is Chicago, Philadelphia, and the fictional Bramble Crescent that’s loosely based on Oak Bluffs. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Sure. Velma may get in trouble at times, but she’s take you on amazing journey! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Adventurous. Impulsive. Caring. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? In my final passes with this book, I listen to it using the speech-to-text feature. I’ve done this before but done chores while listening and it wasn’t always…

I’m one of those people who listen to music to get in the right headspace for writing a book. MR. NICE SPY was no exception. I had a whole playlist of songs that reminded me of characters and situations to evoke the right feeling, and here are just a few from that list. I Am by CRMNL I don’t think CRMNL is an especially well-known group, but if you ever need an anthem for doing what it takes to get the job done, this song is for you. MR. NICE SPY starts off with Andee and Chan being kidnapped by an international weapons dealer (who just so happens to be Andee’s father), and she learns throughout the book that she has what it takes to take him down. Till the Sun Burns Out by (SEBELL) This song is all about loving someone until the sun burns out, and if you were to approach this book from Chan’s perspective, you can see how he always puts Andee first and helps her overcome her worries whenever things get too dark in the catacombs where they’re imprisoned. He comes back for Andee even when things look grim and puts her life above his…

Hi! I’m Aleeza Kassam! First a bit about me— I’m a first-year student at Toronto City University studying journalism because I want to be an investigative journalist one day. I love octopuses, old-school mystery novels, movies, and salad bowls (and curry bowls, grain bowls, and really any food all mixed together in a big bowl). Today I’m going to tell you a bit about the amazing city I live in, Toronto! I didn’t grow up here— I grew up in a small town— Alderville, Ontario, which is on the Bay of Quinte. My mom is a librarian there, and I spent a lot of time reading everything the library while she worked. Isn’t it the cutest library you’ve ever seen? Alderville is quiet and gorgeous, and I miss it, but I never really fit in there. Probably because we were one of the only Indian families in town, and it’s hard being one of the only person of color when you’re also kind of an awkward nerd. But I live in Toronto now. My university campus is downtown, right in the busiest part of the city. It’s just a block from Yonge and Dundas, which is the busiest intersection in…

1–What is the title of your latest release? PONY CONFIDENTIAL 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? In this one-of-a-kind mystery with heart and humor, a hilariously grumpy pony must save the only human he’s ever loved after discovering she stands accused of a murder, he knows she didn’t commit. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It’s inspired by The Odyssey, so I knew Ithaca should be the ending point, though it’s Ithaca, New York, not the one in Greece. The pony travels back and forth across America, tossed on the sea of human whims, so I set it in all the places a pony might end up, from a highway rest stop in the Great Plains to an island off the Atlantic seaboard to a skyscraper in Chicago, and many more. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? LOL –  I do! After I wrote the book, I adopted an elderly retired small pony who now lives thirty feet from my back door. He has turned out to be EXACTLY like the pony in my book, right down to his grumpy obsession with carrots and a highly manipulative personality….

1–What is the title of your latest release? A VERY BAD THING 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Who Killed Columbia Jones? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This one’s set in Colorado, New York, Nashville, and a very cool island off the coast of Maine—each chosen for the specific scenarios it provides. New York, especially—sometimes, a character just needs to get lost in the crowds! And of course, I have to have a Nashville connection. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. Killing her was unbelievably hard. Columbia was a challenge to write because she’s gone. She couldn’t speak to me in the way the other characters do. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Elegant. Driven. Duplicitous. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Oddly enough, that Mark Rothko committed suicide. I love his work, and every time we go to New York, I make it a practice to go to MoMA and look at his paintings in person. But I had no idea how he suffered for his art. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Both….

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 CRACK IN THE CRYSTAL 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? At the heart of the volcanic city of Kyber lies a secret that has been hidden for centuries. The clues surrounding this mystery begin to unfold when five strangers are recruited by a shadowy organization. As covert missions lead to more questions than answers, the increasingly desperate heroes seek help from unexpected sources. The key to Kyber’s secret and the truth behind each of their pasts can only be found by facing fierce stone storms, unlocking dormant fantastical abilities, and confronting past mistakes. Caught up in intrigues beyond their understanding, the ragtag band of adventurers must learn to trust themselves and each other as they reach for the stunning conclusion. This adventure fantasy — inspired by a D&D campaign—is filled with magic, missing identities, and daring escapes. Be ready for surprises at every turn with a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? In the months after our campaign was concluded, I found myself constantly thinking about everything that transpired. It was a very…

1 What is the title of your latest release? THE TWINS ON THE TRAIN 2 What’s the elevator pitch for your new book? My agent pitched this as a hot tip for the Frankfurt Book Fair, saying: “Rosa pushes her way through the crowds and thrusts the basket containing her newborn twins at the woman closing the door to a train carriage, and prays they will reach England safely.” 3 How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The subject matter of the book determined the locations before I even started. I knew that the headquarters of the Quakers who lobbied the British government to allow the Kindertransports to happen, was in London. Although the early trains departed from Vienna, the later ones left from Berlin, so I knew that was where the Jewish family experiencing terrifying restrictions had to live and work. 4 Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I have a lot of friends who are strong independent women, so I think I would definitely form a friendship with Dora and Rosa. I think I would find Dora’s cousin Verity annoying as she is so shallow and flippant early on,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE USUAL SILENCE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A psychologist encounters a young patient who holds the secret to her past. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My first five novels all take place in the fictional Adirondack town of Wedeskyull, and when I launched a new series, I knew Wedeskyull would be the setting for it too. It has a remoteness, a majesty and a drama embedded in the wilderness, that accentuates suspense. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Although Arles Shepherd has some traits that make her…difficult, as Meg Ryan called herself in “When Harry Met Sally”—for instance, Arles will tell it like it is even when others might tend toward politeness—she comes by these traits honestly. She has suffered trauma, and doesn’t feel like pulling any more punches, especially with men. But she inspires a wry laugh in me when she goes off, and I would totally hang out with her and cheer her on.   5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Bold. Brave. Bruised. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That there’s…