All You Had to do Was Stay – Taylor Swift Our heroine Maddie is used to getting abandoned by people in her life. She’s built walls around her heart, protecting herself with sarcasm and snark. Our hero Dom struggles to find a way to be what she needs, and the task is even harder because she loved him once. But he left her, and that’s where this T Swift song meshes so perfectly with the story. All Dom had to do was stay, and Maddie would have given him every piece of her. So now the question is, can she ever trust him again? Still Into You – Paramore This song is mentioned in the book! One of my favorite scenes has our stoic hero Dom coming out of his shell to sing some songs in memory of his best friend. And for a guy who spent his teen years crushing on Hayley Williams, what better to sing than some Paramore? This song in particular hits hard with this being a second chance romance. After all this time, Maddie and Dom are still into each other. Long Haul – Ian Munsick I love Ian Munsick’s western music so much, and…

1–What is the title of your latest release? STREETLIGHT PEOPLE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? STREETLIGHT PEOPLE is the story of an eerie little town named Streetlight that has a firm socioeconomic divide. But when Kady—part of Streetlight’s working class—attends the annual Halloween carnival and walks away with a prize that enables her to change time, she’s convinced she can finally make things look the way she’s always wanted them to—starting with convincing her wealthy boyfriend Nik to finally take her to the coveted and highly secretive ball that’s hosted every year by his exclusive social club, The IV Boys. The only problem is that the more Kady changes the clock, the more dizzying reality becomes, until the moment that she discovers that Streetlight is filled with monsters, and maybe she’s always been one, too. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I love settings that act as characters, so I knew I wanted to create a town for this story that felt like it had a personality all its own. I always intended for this book to feel a little bit magical and a little bit eerie, so I set out…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE JEWEL OF THE ISLE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I knew I wanted the story to take place somewhere incredibly remote. I also thought it would be fun to write a book that takes place in a national park. So I researched all the U.S. national parks, and Isle Royale was the perfect fit. It’s so remote that you can only get there by ferry or seaplane, and its home to wolves and moose and everything that would make an indoorsy person feel totally out of their element. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d love to hang out with Emily because she knows her way around HomeGoods like nobody’s business, and we could bond over our love of off-price furnishings and romance books. Plus, she’s an ER physician, so she’d be great to have around in the event of an emergency. And I’d love to hang out with Ryder…

My mom was a big mystery fan. Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark were her go to authors. To my junior high self, it was uncool to read my mom’s books. To outwit or intrigue me, she suggested MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS was too complicated for her to understand. A dead body on a snow stranded train with most of the suspects women. She didn’t get it. As a service to her, I read the book. No spoilers, simply a mystery writing master class. Since then, I’ve been hooked on whodunits. Not only for the stories, but life lessons. First impressions are usually right, trust those Spidey senses. Be quiet and listen to what is said and unsaid. Observing adornments and body language add to the full picture of each person. So much free information is offered up. Everything is small stuff, details matter. Beauty and pain can hide in the shadows. Everyone has secrets, for good and for bad. All add to their story and its up to you to accept or reject them where they stand. Most importantly, life is full of problems and challenges. Be able to step back, push aside the emotions of the moment,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BODY BROKERS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Attorney Jason Feldman’s world is shattered when his girlfriend dies of a fentanyl overdose. His journey to the truth will take him into the belly of the beast, where life is cheap and the reality, catastrophic. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I grew up in Pittsburgh, and being intimately familiar with its beauty, quirks, and nuance, the primary setting was never in doubt. I chose Kensington (Philadelphia) because I am very familiar with the community struggles around fentanyl. With its proximity to Pittsburgh, it was the perfect choice. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes. As a lawyer in addiction recovery like Jason, I understand the chaos and uncertainty that can accompany it. That creates shared experiences. He is also a Pittsburgh guy to the core, so we’d have lots to talk about and similar local interests like Pittsburgh Pirates games and great local food. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Defiant, methodical, pragmatic 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? The most interesting/compelling characters can be…

From Madrigals and Mayhem by Elizabeth Penney. Copyright © 2024 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Chapter 2 Daisy and I crowded through the doorway to see a young man wearing jeans and a sweater sprawled on an orange vinyl sofa, his eyes at half-mast. Empty plastic drink bottles lay scattered on the floor and a bakery box sat on the coffee table. Party for one? The young man groaned, clutching his stomach, and a whiff of vomit drifted to my nose. Ugh. I bumped into Daisy, who was also backing away. “Who is he?” I asked. “Is he drunk?” I couldn’t think why else he would be so sick. “Maybe.” Watching where she stepped, Charlotte made her way to the sofa. “Barnaby.” She pushed at his shoulder. “Barnaby. You need to leave.” “Is he your boyfriend?” Daisy asked. “No. My grandfather’s step-grandson.” Charlotte peered closely at Barnaby’s face. “He doesn’t look right. His face is green.” With a sigh, Daisy edged past me and went over to the sofa. “It could be alcohol poisoning. We’d better call an ambulance.” “If so, where is the alcohol?” Charlotte pointed out. “I only see energy drinks.”…

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.

THE CLOSE UP is about Zoe Ann Weiss, a novelist down on her luck in LA – once the hottest new thing, now she’s desperate to get back on top. When she runs into an old flame, who’s now a famous actor, it feels like the stars have realigned in her favor, but Zoe’s about to find out that when it comes to fame, it’s more a case of being careful of what you wish for. There’s a dark side to everyone knowing your name – including the stalker who’s now tracking Zoe’s every step. T – TWISTY H – HEART PUMPING E – ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY C – CLUES L – LOVE/LUST O – OBSESSION S – SELF-DESTRUCTION E – EERIE U – UNEXPECTED P – PRESS  THE CLOSE-UP by Pip Drysdale A struggling author discovers the dark side of fame when a stalker begins reenacting violent events from her thriller in this electrifying and twisty new novel. When Zoe Ann Weiss moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, her whole future is wide open. But then Zach, the bartender and aspiring actor she’s falling for, ghosts her. Her debut novel, a thriller, fails. And she has writer’s block…

As twenty-first century Western women, we enjoy a freedom to choose the direction of our lives which our predecessors in ages past would truly envy.  But even during the years when the paths open to women were restricted and their options dictated by family and social norms, there were iconoclasts who refused to settle for the conventional.  Women whose successes in the face of societal opposition paved the way for the freedoms we now enjoy. We begin chronologically with THE DIAMOND OF LONDON by Andrea Penrose, which explores in depth the early life that made Lady Hester Stanhope into the explorer and adventurer for which she is famed. Though born to a life of privilege, like every woman of her time, Hetty was expected to find a husband, manage a household and raise children.  But fiercely intelligent, determined and adventurous, Hetty knew from an early age that she wanted more.  On the advice of social arbitrar Beau Brummel, she conquers Society by accentuating her differences, breaking norms by smoking in public, drinking brandy—and contesting the opinions of men.  She’s protected by her uncle, renowned statesman William Pitt the Younger, for whom, when he becomes Prime Minister, she acts as private…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MARRY ME, MARQUESS,book 5 in the Ladies Least Likely series 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? To protect himself from marriage-minded mamas, marquess’s heir and aspiring antiquarian Leo Westrop persuades Lillian Gower to fake a betrothal, promising to help her publish her botanical book—but not revealing he targeted her because he hopes her famed antiquarian parents will help his career. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I wanted a time when antiquarian and botanical fields were growing, but there was still much to be discovered. The other Ladies Least Likely books are set in Britain in the later decades of the 18th century, so that’s where I began. When I learned that William Cunnington was excavating at Stonehenge in 1798, that historical tidbit became the linchpin for my setting. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would! Lillian especially, as she is funny, smart, and perceptive. I think we’d get along well, though I would imagine she and Leo would make a great couple friend also. They’d be a lot of fun at dinner parties. 5–What are three words that…