Book Title: HOMICIDE HONEYMOON Character Name: Kristy Piper, Wedding Director at the Aloha Lagoon Resort and Spa   How would you describe your family or your childhood? I grew up in Denver, a place of natural beauty. I learned to ski at an early age and always loved being in the mountains. However, the one aspect that I never got accustomed to was the cold. I was never a fan of the ice and the wind. Going to school in the snow sounds nostalgic and character-building, but bunding up and then stomping through the ice was never my cup of tea. During the cold winter nights, I would listen to the wind howl outside while watching the old Hawaii Five-O reruns with my dad. I’m talking about the ones from the seventies starring Jack Lord. I would sit and look at the palm trees, white beaches, and the people in aloha shirts and think it was the most beautiful place on earth. From the time I was in fifth or sixth grade, I made it a life goal to live in Hawaii, or at least somewhere beautiful where it never snowed.   What was your greatest talent? I’m a natural…

https://spotify.link/mfop8FmZ4Jb )   Africa by Toto This iconic 1980s hit has become synonymous with college acapella performances (see here for Ohio University’s adorkable version). So when we decided that our main character, Jenny Green, would be an acapella enthusiast, we knew that she would absolutely have to sing this song, the sooner the better. With its upbeat synth-pop drum tracks and nonsensical lyrics, “Africa” is an earworm imbued with emo-positive vibes. It can even cheer up Jenny, a 35-year-old woman riddled with regrets – especially that sinking feeling that she didn’t get the memo. “To think of all the money I had wasted on therapists,” Jenny muses as she belts out the song alongside her fellow Looney Tunes in her newly adopted city of Pittsburgh. “It turned out the most dependable way to shake off my troubles and improve my mood was to lose myself in a cluster of loud, searching souls.” And when we cue up this song and hear the layered harmonies and nonsensical musings about “gonna take some time to do the the things we never had” we, too, are swept up in a wave of nostalgia for the life unlived.   Daughters by John Mayer Jenny…

I usually have playlists that balloon to hundreds of songs long while I’m drafting, but once a book is finished, I pare the list down so it flows like a film soundtrack from chapter to chapter. The list for my second-chance contemporary romance RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT US is now at just over three hours of runtime, but if I had to distill the vibes of the book down even further, it would be in these five songs:   Bad Enough, by NIGHT TRAVELER. NIGHT TRAVELER’s music has an undeniable 80s feel to it while sounding modern and fresh. Total bliss for my Xennial ears. In this song, someone lays their heart on the line for their beloved. RIGHT WHERE WE LEFT US is a second chance romance between Duncan Brady and Temperance Madigan, who have been orbiting each other for nearly two decades. There’s a distinct moment where Duncan throws up his hands and puts all his metaphorical cards on the table for Temperance, and this song captures that hopeful desperation. There are two versions of this song on my playlist. It opens with the acoustic live recording–tender, yearny vocals–then it closes with the poppy, upbeat studio version, as…

Book: PICKET FENCE Character: Cade McDaniel   How would you describe your family?   There’s a reason people around town called us the Fighting McDaniels of Jubilee Point. The Captain— my dad— is forever doing the police force’s job, tackling gang members and basically trying to get himself killed. I mean, he’s almost seventy, for cripes sake. My sister, she’s a wild child. And mom, well… she loved delicate things, you know? Like tea cups and china figurines. Things easily broken. And my family broke alright. After the accident… well, all I wanted was to get away. You can’t fight a secret. Knock it on its ass and be done. Not when you’re the only one who knows something that could destroy your family. I almost got away when I joined the Air Force, but mom died and I’m back home now, still trying to pull my family out of trouble. And the mess I’m dealing with now—it’s the worst yet.   Where do you live? A log cabin out on Jubilee Point, a ways out of town. I built it with my own hands right along the Mississippi River. Solid walls. My own space. No neighbors. I mean, sure,…

There’s nothing quite like a road trip. They were the hallmark of my childhood complete with the old green and faux-wood station wagon with the back-facing seat and space for one of us to lay completely down in the back when we wanted to sleep. Circus peanuts, sandwiches at rest stops, AAA guidebooks, and the seat belt game for the kid in the middle. And oh, the fights among us kids followed by the never acted upon warning to cut it out or one of our parents would come back there. Remember those days, Gen X? We drove everywhere back then and no distance seemed too daunting. Our trusty wagon towed a pop-up camper with hard-sided luggage strapped to the top and only failed us once when the suitcases came loose, spilling all over the highway. So when I wrote a book about a road trip with an old man who’s supposed to be dead and a young girl willing to risk everything to give her brother a safe home, I was prepared. I knew road trips. Except the road ahead for Mack, Brandi and Sy is very different from my experiences. With no money, dwindling gas and very little…

Flowers Need Rain – Preston Pablo, Banx & Ranx This song is full of so much loving need which is exactly what grows between Ava & Sammy in Healing Magic & Playboys. From chapter one Sammy has a craving for just a drop of Ava’s attention, like flowers thirsty for rain. (And with him being a water elemental, I love a song with liquid metaphors!) And these lyrics connect throughout the story, with each of our MCs becoming vital to one another. ‘And my head gets dark and heavy, But then I see your face’ – This always has me thinking of the scene where Sammy discovers Ava is sick, and he does his best to take care of her. That’s when she realizes he’s more than just a self-centered playboy.   Black Magic – Little Mix This magical bop matches beautifully with our witch heroine’s seduction skills. Because Ava is not only a witch … she’s got some succubus in her veins too! She thrives off lust magic and is not shy about filling her cauldron. Sammy only needed one sip of her secret potion … and he’s gone for her.   What a Man Gotta Do – Jonas…

1–What is the title of your latest release? OF JADE AND DRAGONS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A silkpunk fantasy about an aspiring female engineer who must infiltrate the prestigious (and secretive) Engineers Guild disguised as a boy, in order to weed out her father’s murderer. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The book is based on Qing dynasty history, so I figured a tech-based fantasy world building on Qing dynasty aesthetic would be suitable! Also, I decided to create a nation made out of several small islands because I’m from a small island city myself and thought it’d be fun to develop a world centering tiny islands. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Of course! Us STEM girls would definitely hang out (and hopefully not create any trouble!) 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Innovative, headstrong, resilient 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How cannons and cannonballs actually work! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I draft, so my first drafts are usually pretty clean! 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Edamame 9–Describe…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WINTER LOST 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Coyote shapechanger Mercy and her werewolf husband encounter blizzard in Montana while trying to find out what happened to her brother.  As it turns out, if they can’t fix what her brother broke, the world is going to end. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My trusty assistant and I stayed in an amazing and haunted inn-with-hot-springs and I decided it would make a wonderful setting for the end of the world. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Only between adventures.  I don’t want to get caught up in the action and encounter the proper fate of a red shirt (person who is important to plot only because they die). 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Trouble-seeking missile. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? A lot of Norse mythology.  And I thought I was pretty good at Norse mythology.  And Americans pronounce Bifrost incorrectly. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Pizza.  I am boring. But I will eat almost anything.  Except haggis.  And bugs.  I won’t eat bugs. 9–Describe…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LONGITUDE OF GRIEF 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A boy trying to understand the fractured relationship with his father seeks comfort in various small-town connections, including one with an older gentleman who is part intellectual mentor and part charlatan, setting up a series of consequences that distorts his worldview. Fun, right? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It takes place in a small town, much like the one I grew up in. Some readers will say my exact town, but that’s not quite true. But its setting is in my bones. I think I’m obsessed with small towns from a philosophical perspective, the way some are obsessed with racecars or race horsing. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. He’s a conglomerate of many friends I’ve had in real life, including me. Though I wouldn’t be friends with myself. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Sensitive, creative, mournful 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How to get myself out of a corner. Because I didn’t draft this novel, I spent a lot of time…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Emlyn, a hunting and fishing guide, must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago to head deep into the Idaho wilderness when the friend who introduced them goes missing. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? For many years Idaho has been a favorite place for me. I would never force a setting on a book, so to speak, but when I came up with the basic plot for this one—a woman who sets out into a remote landscape in search of a missing friend—I knew Idaho would be perfect. It’s so rugged and wild and beautiful. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely! I would love to have Emlyn take me to some of her favorite fishing holes! And I would do my best to build her up and assure her that there is so much more to her than how she sees herself. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Emlyn is reserved, thoughtful, and deliberate. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?…