Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Marina Adair | A timely twist on Gilmore Girls meets Sleepless in Seattle
Author Guest / July 3, 2024

1–What is the title of your latest release? YOU’VE GOT MALE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? YOU’VE GOT MALE is a timely twist on Gilmore Girls meets Sleepless in Seattle where three generations of women navigate life, love and dating in the modern-day world of apps, snaps and social media. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I chose Colorado because I wanted the backdrop of the beautiful Rockies and Denver specifically because of the coffee and art scene there. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. I love how quirky and loyal she is. She is a perfectionist whose life is one Xanax from falling apart—kind of like mine. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Independent, witty, stubborn. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That when you decide to become a parent it’s okay for other things to slide through the cracks. We can’t be perfect at everything. As long as we love our kids and are there for them, we’re doing a great job. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I go….

Ashley Poston | Conversations in Character with Anders and Elsy
Author Guest / July 3, 2024

Book Title: A NOVEL LOVE STORY Character Name: Anders and Elsy   What are your names, and do they have any significance? Elsy: Eileen Merriweather, but everyone calls me Elsy. (rolls her eyes) In the delivery room, “Come On Eileen” was on the radio, so my mom thought it’d be fun to name me after it. My best friend’s name is Prudence. So, I might’ve gotten the better end of the stick there. Anders: Anders. Elsy: Really, no last name? Anders: Book boyfriends need to be enigmatic, sweetheart. What fun would it be if you knew everything up front?   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Elsy: Oh, it was full of books. My mom was a librarian, so she was a huge reader. On my summer breaks, I’d hole up in a quiet part of the library and read everything. Anders: Everything? Elsy: What, do you think I just read Romance, Anders? Anders: Perish the thought, I just can’t imagine you reading about The Great Emu War. Elsy: Please tell me it was about two faction of emus warring over a farm. Anders: Ah, so you haven’t read everything. Elsy: How was your childhood, Anders? Anders:…

Travelog | The Curse of Flores Women by Angélica Lopes  
Author Guest / July 3, 2024

I look out the bus window and start to notice the landscape changing. The ochre tone of the horizon, the red of the sky that burns the skin like fire. Everything is dry around here: the vegetation is thirsty and low, the animals are so thin that we can see the shape of their bones. A cloud of dust hangs in the air as our vehicle charges, and, after that, everything returns to silence. I am more than two thousand kilometers from my home in Rio de Janeiro, heading to the city of my ancestors in the interior of Brazil. A journey that began when a few weeks ago I received a lace veil as a family heirloom. Or perhaps it began even earlier. Much earlier, before my birth, when this veil, which I now am carrying in my lap, was laced by my ancestors. I feel the relief of the sequence of stitches at the tips of my fingers. Together, they tell a story of violence. The first women of the Flores family were skilled lace makers and created a lace code to communicate in secret and save a dear friend who was promised to a powerful and violent…

Farah Naz Rishi | A memoir about impossible loss and finding love where you’d least expect
Author Guest / July 2, 2024

1–What is the title of your latest release? SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE, inspired by the feeling of being apologetic for anything and everything (i.e. existing). 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A memoir, covering the span of over thirteen years, about impossible loss and finding love where you’d least expect. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since it was a memoir, the decision was made for me! Most of my life has taken place in the Philadelphia area, but there are also a few portions that take place in New York City and Portland, Oregon. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I love this question because there is no protagonist–it’s just me. But yes, I think hanging out with myself could be a very interesting experience (most days). At the very least, we could pull off some excellent pranks–and perhaps I could convince her to write my books for me. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Chaotic, sensitive, silly 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Your life is made of the people you keep. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you…

Kirsty Greenwood | A cynical virgin is sent back to Earth on a crucial assignment
Author Guest / July 2, 2024

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? After choking on a hamburger and dying, a cynical virgin is sent back to Earth and given ten days to get a kiss from her soulmate to stay alive or fail and work for a dating service for the dead. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I had just moved to London after years of living in the north of England. I fell so in love with London that summer that I wanted to write a book set around where I lived! A love letter, I suppose. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Ha! Not at first. But when she starts to unclench a bit? Definitely. She’s so firmly herself it’s very endearing. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Kind, straightforward, particular 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That entire books can be written in 20-minute bursts, just so long as you have regular dance breaks! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Oh gosh, wait until I’ve done. By force, though. I’m…

Laurie Devore | Author-Reader Match: THE VILLAIN EDIT
Author Guest / July 2, 2024

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to Present Laurie Devore!   Writes: Fast-paced dramedy at the crossroads of women’s fiction and contemporary romance. THE VILLAIN EDIT is a black comedy that looks behind-the-scenes of a Bachelor-like reality television show in the vein of UNREAL. Jac Matthis is a cynical romance author who joins the cast of the 1 to boost her career. Only, it turns out the one night stand she had the night before leaving the show was with her producer, the equally misanthropic Henry Foster. And Henry, along with the other producers, has slated Jac to be the villain of the season. Juggling both the show’s lead, Marcus, and her growing feelings for Henry turns out to be more than Jac can handle… and this show may lead to her career’s demise instead of her hoped for revitalization.   About: Laurie Devore is a southerner with a love for sports and prestige television. She believes the beach is the only place to live and her dog Wrigley is both a…

Krista and Becca Ritchie | Following a new path of honesty by leaving the old life of deceit behind
Author Guest / July 2, 2024

1–What is the title of your latest release? DISHONESTLY YOURS. It’s the first novel in a new romance series from us called the Webs We Weave. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Born into two families of con artists, Phoebe decides to follow her best friend on a new path of honesty by leaving her life of deceit behind. Only problem, her best friend’s older brother tags along to make sure they both don’t get into trouble—and their complicated history becomes even more complicated in this small coastal town. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? We love cozy coastal New England towns, and Phoebe’s best friend Hailey has a love for the film Mystic Pizza so we wanted to set it in Connecticut. A lot of our inspiration for the small-town setting comes from classic WB shows we watched growing up like Gilmore Girls, Everwood, and One Tree Hill. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes! Phoebe is a loyal best friend and would do anything to protect Hailey (a true BFF), and we also have a love for horror flicks like Phoebe, so we’d be down to…

Smashwords Hotlist Top 10 Preorders Releasing July 02 – July 09, 2024
Author Guest / July 1, 2024

August, Book 18, Were Zoo Series by R.E. Butler Nasty Alpha by Sam Crescent The Upwelling by F. Paul Wilson Crimes and Confections by Catherine Bruns Alien’s Luck by Nancey Cummings Voices in the Vapors by Eva Pohler Murder in the Library, Book 2, Pineapple Grove Cozy Murder Mystery Series by Brenda Kennedy and Kayden Keaton Every Corpse Has A Silver Aura (Piper Ashwell Psychic P.I. #22) by Kelly Hashway Dead, White, and Blue, Book 2, Northwoods Mysteries by Annie McEwen Hood’s Caper Book 1 Fairytale Bureau by Eve Langlais   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.

David Bell | Some Florida residents must contend with a deadly hurricane and a murderer
Author Guest / July 1, 2024

1–What is the title of your latest release? STORM WARNING 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The residents of a crumbling apartment building on a barrier island in Florida must contend with both a deadly hurricane and a murderer. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My in-laws have lived on a barrier island in Florida for years, and I’ve always wanted to set a book there. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, especially if I was trapped in a hurricane with a murderer after me. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Loyal, determined, caring. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? It’s fun to write a book with a large cast of characters. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? A little of both. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Utz potato chips. 9–Describe your writing space/office! Wherever the laptop ends up. Usually with books and papers scattered around. 10–Who is an author you admire? Too many to list, but I’ll name one—Hilary Mantel 11–Is there a book that changed your life? MIKE MULLIGAN AND HIS STEAM SHOVEL by…

Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot | Writing Partners in Crime
Author Guest / July 1, 2024

ECHO ROAD was inspired by a real case and a longtime friendship. We’ve been close friends for over a dozen years, thanks to beginning our careers at the same time with the same publisher. We’ve traveled together and spent time with each other’s families. Our kids are approximately the same age. We’ve supported each other through personal challenges that come with life. And, between the two of us, we have penned 73 stories and sold 25 million copies of our works. So, how did two busy writers juggling their own deadlines decide to also start writing collaborations? It all began with our editor at our publishing company, Montlake, who suggested we do a joint project of some sort for cross-marketing purposes. We brainstormed for a few days at a hotel in Seattle, where we’d traveled to meet with our publishing team. At the time, Kendra was living in the Pacific northwest, and Melinda was on the East coast. Given the distance, the most practical concept we could come up with was a novella series, where we would write alternating titles, each with its own mystery plot, but the series would have an overarching storyline as well. The project was so…