1–What is the title of your latest release? COME OUT, COME OUT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s the story of three young queer kids who find solace in each other when they’re young, but when they encounter something terrifying and sinister in the woods, only two of them make it out alive… alive, but not entirely themselves. Five years later, Fern and Jaq are unknowingly trapped in straight lives with only the most distant sense of the things they’ve lost. Until they end up inside the woods once more and everything changes. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I have always loved the Pacific Northwest and lived on the Olympic Peninsula for a time when I was in high school. I’m not sure I’ve ever loved the woods the way I did when I lived there—they are wild and beautiful and terrifying all at once. They reached up to the edge of my backyard, lined the narrow mountain roads I took to school, and spilled away in the foothills at the edge of town. They were promise and possibility, haunting and lovely, and the very natural setting for a story…

Book Title: DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL Character Name: GC, BWR, NW Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk Top Contestant on this season of Dungeon Crawler World Race: Tortoiseshell, prize-winning Persian Cat   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Oh, Darling. My childhood was absolutely fabulous. Did you know I won my first CFA ribbon when I was only seven months old? Miss Beatrice, my owner, knew then she had a champion on her hands.   What was your greatest talent? Are we talking before or after we entered the dungeon? Before, my talent was being beautiful and winning cat shows. After I entered the dungeon and was given the ability to speak, hmmm… Probably killing danger dingoes with a single shot of Magic Missile. That and winning over audiences when I go on talk shows. Oh, and still being beautiful.   Significant other? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have never heard the name Ferdinand before, and I have not partaken in a forbidden relationship. I simply will not discuss the details of any alleged affair to the media. No more questions on this subject, please. Next! Biggest challenge in relationships? I said no more questions…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE HONEYMOON AFFAIR 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s a novel about facing up to your life as it currently is and not how you thought it would be. Izzy is vacationing with her cousin in the Caribbean location where she was supposed to be spending her honeymoon. Charles, a Booker prizewinner, is hoping that tropical skies will unlock his crippling writer’s block. Meantime, back in Ireland, Charles’s agent, Ariel, worries about losing him as a client as well as a husband. A short time earlier each of them thought they’d achieved their goals, but as their lives collide, nothing is what they expected. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The Caribbean is one of my favourite places in the world with its beautiful tropical vibes and scenery and would have been the ideal honeymoon spot for Izzy. I’m Irish, so I always set a large portion of my books in Ireland, which doesn’t have the blue skies but does have some stunning countryside. I like the locations to act as an extra character in the book and to provide the perfect backdrop…

1–What is the title of your latest release? COUNTESS OF STARS, Book 2 in my Struck By Lightning series. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Desperate to stay near her motherless little brothers, Lady Grace Elliot weds Lucien Harcourt, a ruthless Viscount with a heart encased in ice. She opens his eyes to a world he’s never seen and challenges everything he believes about himself. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Victorian London was the perfect setting.  So much was going on in 1848. It was the year of revolution across all Europe and there were riots in England. People were afraid the rebellions would spread. (And there were plenty of reasons the lower classes were angry). I wanted to show the contrast between the Seven Dials and Mayfair, and that once Lucien actual sees and comes to know a little flower seller and her family, his perspective changed. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d love to hang out with my heroine, Lady Grace Elliot. She shares my love of family, my longing to fight to make the world a better place for children, and my passion…

I almost never listen to music while I’m actually drafting, but creating a playlist and listening to it on repeat is a critical part of my brainstorming process. I want to feel what the characters are going through and to me, music is the best way that this can happen. Here are five songs that you can find on the Marriage & Masti playlist.   You’re On Your Own, Kid by Taylor Swift. The Midnights album came out the year that Dating Dr. Dil was published. I already knew that Veera and Deepak were going to be friends to lovers, but I didn’t know which direction I wanted to take their story until I heard this song. There is a lyric that says, ‘I waited patiently, he’s going to notice me, it’s okay, we’re the best of friends, anyway.’  That was the lyric that inspired Veera’s painful feelings that she harbors through the first two books.   I Will Possess Your Heart by Death Cab for Cutie. There is an eight-minute version of this song and I’ve been obsessed with the music video for it since it came out in 2008. The video is available online and I urge everyone…

1–What is the title of your latest release? TALKING TO STRANGERS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Journalist Kiki Nunn is determined to turn the discovery of a woman’s body in a local wood into her biggest scoop. She sets out to write the definitive piece on one woman’s fatal online search for love, going up against the detectives investigating the murder – and the killer, himself. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My last two books have been set in a small seaside town called Ebbing, on the south coast of England. No prizes for guessing where I live… When my husband and I moved back to the UK from France a few years ago, we found ourselves living by the sea for the first time. Coastal towns and villages can look so idyllic – the sea sparkling, the beach busy with surfers and swimmers, ice creams and little cafes with queues of holidaymakers outside. But look at the online neighborhood forums for the reality. Small towns are often a masterclass in barely contained fury. In amongst the ads for pre-loved sofas and window replacement are people festering about the things…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MARRYING THE ENEMY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Romeo and Juliet without all the death 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I wanted to strand them on an island and had recently visited my sister in Australia, so I chose an unnamed island in the Whitsundays. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? She’s smart and funny and has great taste in clothes. My hero is rich, sexy, alpha and mad. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? This happened in a different part of Australia from my book, but I ran across a fascinating article where orcas had once helped hunters by herding larger whales into shallow waters. I’ll spare you the details, but everyone ate well. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Edit as I go. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Old Dutch dill pickle potato chips 9–Describe your writing space/office! For years I wrote in our finished attic, but in 2022, I converted our son’s bedroom into my office. It’s…

Torte: Better Together by Jack Johnson The team at Ashland’s beloved artisan bakeshop, is always better together. Torte is so much more than a bakery. It’s a gathering space for the entire community and a place to linger in one of the cozy booths by the front windows, watching the activity in Ashland’s bustling plaza with a steaming hot latte and a fresh-from-the-oven banana nut muffin. Jack Johnson’s laidback soundtrack is on rotation in the bakeshop, especially on a lazy Sunday morning when sunlight floods into the dining room while the team pulls strong shots of espressos and makes sure the pastry case is stocked with mouth-watering savory breakfast bites.   Juliet Capshaw: Love Story, Taylor Swift Our pastry chef, turned amateur sleuth, comes by her romantic tendencies naturally. Who can blame her with a name like Juliet Montague Capshaw? When named after one of Shakespeare’s most romantic heroines and living in the sweet hamlet of Ashland, Oregon, Juliet (but please call her Jules), it only makes sense that her theme song and the theme song for the entire Bakeshop Mysteries is Taylor’s ultimate love anthem. Does she secretly—or not so secretly—play it at full volume while she’s baking orange…

Rufus, Book 1, Wynter Hearts Series by Carole Mortimer Buried on a Sundae, Book 4, Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries by Lena Gregory Escort Ship (A World War 2 Naval Adventure), Book 26, E. Macdonnell’s Royal Australian Navy World War II Fiction by J.E. Macdonnell Alpha’s Rejected Mate, Book 22, The Alpha Shifter Collection by Sam Crescent Sara’s Dom, Book 5m, The Doms of Madison County Series by Lila Fox Darkest Desire by Evangeline Anderson Secrets of the Lost Ledgers, Book 5, The Glass Library Series by C.J. Archer Their Beloved Princess by Calista Jayne Come Fly with Me by Claire Raye A Grave Affair by Emma Hart     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…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE FOUR 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The fatal price of loyalty and love at an exclusive English boarding school. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I amalgamated several places I’ve spent time in to create the idyllic Devon valley that’s home to a fictional boarding school, High Realms. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Rose is intelligent, empathetic, and naive. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Things can always get better. They can also get worse. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Both, but it’s good to see the whole as soon as reasonably possible. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Camembert. 9–Describe your writing space/office! It’s flat and features things like pillows and a duvet. 10–Who is an author you admire? Ooh, there are so many that choosing just one is very difficult. I very much admire Maggie O’Farrell. 11–Is there a book that changed your life? Many books have had a profound effect on me, from The Golden Notebook…