1–What is the title of your latest release? The Lost Portal: Mirror Realm Series Book II 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Hadley Caldwell, ex-demon huntress turned dream-host, has just been given an impossible task: find the Portal of Osiris, or face the gods’ eternal wrath. She and her band of huntress sisters embark on an epic quest spanning oceans, dreams, and time. But to defeat the gods, Hadley must first confront her troubled past. The Lost Portal is a mythology-inspired fantasy full of mystery, adventure, family drama, and sisterhood.  3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The end of book one (The Last Huntress), hints at the involvement of an Egyptian god, so getting the characters to Egypt was essential. Having been to Cairo, I was excited to incorporate some of my own experience into the girls’ adventures. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? One hundred percent! Hadley’s drop-dead gorgeous looks are the least interesting thing about her. She spent her childhood learning how to pick locks, hotwire cars, and physically defend herself while other kids her age were busy making friends and having fun. But she’s never…

1–What is the title of your latest release? The Wedding Engagement 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Planning a wedding is so romantic – except when it’s not yours and you’re planning it with the guy you’re secretly crushing on. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This a follow up to my book The Ex-Mas Holidays (though it can be read as a stand-alone). I set the series in the Scottish Highlands because I live in Scotland and wanted a Scottish setting. I liked the idea of a backdrop of a small town in the highlands for winter in my first book and springtime in this book. There will hopefully be a summer book to come in the future too… 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes. Liv is the cool dichotomy of a Jane Austen fan who is a karate blackbelt. She also loves tea and scones and I’m always up for having those! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Quirky, empathic, and kickass. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? In Nigeria they have an insult whereby if you are called a “Dundee…

1–What is the title of your latest release? O Little Town of Bethlehem 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Everyone deserves a second chance at Christmas, even the infamous and unredeemable Madeline Drake.  But when a snowy accident topples her through a slip in time, Madeline wakes to find herself in tiny, turn of the century, Bethlehem, Wyoming. Her arrival sends a ripple of change through the tenaciously rooted lives of the town’s odd collection of lost souls, and now it is Madeline who must find a way to earn their trust if she has any hope of making her way home.  A cozy magical story of the power of finding kindred spirits in the most unlikely of places, this story is as if The Midnight Library and It’s a Wonderful Life twined together like a candy cane and landed in your stocking.  3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I didn’t decide, the story idea did. About 14 years ago—while stuck on a long car trip across Wyoming– with the kids whining endlessly from the backseat (we’ve all been there)—a spark of an idea hit me and I spent the rest of…

What I love about this playlist is that several songs were suggested by people who got to read the book early and their choices told me that they really got Faolan Kelly and her story. RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW is a genre-blending kind of book, part western, part horror, part fantasy. It’s a story about one young person howling out their grief and who (or what) answers back. At times, it’s bloody, but it’s funny and hopeful, too. I feel like this playlist gives you a good idea about what kind of vibes you’d be stepping into when you crack open the book, and I hope you love it as much as I do. Mood to Burn Bridges by Neko Case There are a lot of reasons why this song works. The opening is all about people in your town being so happy to see you fail that she’s “surprised they don’t come up and thank me.” Which is essentially the first chapter of RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW. Case’s response to her neighbors in the chorus is also Faolan Kelly’s attitude all the way: “’Cause my mood to burn bridges/ Is not unlike my mood to dig ditches/…

What are the holidays without classic jingles, carols, hymns, and pop songs? Christmas music makes even the most Grinch-like heart beat a little faster – probably. I mean, in I’LL BE GONE FOR CHRISTMAS, one of the protagonists, Clover, is the quintessential Grinch, and roving carolers make her rageful but…anyway, I love Christmas songs, and I listened to a ton while working on this book, so here are a few of my favorites: Chosen Family by Carlie Hanson One of the biggest themes in the novel is chosen family and finding your place, and this is one of the most beautiful modern Christmas songs I’ve heard. In the lyrics are the words, “It’s funny how the safest landings /Need you to jump,” which is true for both Clover and Bee, who swap homes and travel across the county, completely out of their comfort zones, to find themselves again. Can You Stand the Rain by New Edition One of my favorite Christmas films of all time is Best Man Holiday, during which the men of the movie perform a choreographed dance to “Can You Stand the Rain” by New Edition. It’s super cheesy and incredibly random, but I don’t care, and…

Releasing Oct. 8 – Oct. 15, 2024 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? MURDER AT A SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? All single mum Paislee Shaw wants for Christmas is to be in her own house, but the kitchen is still under repair. Next best date is Hogmanay, Scottish New Year. That New Year’s Eve, her employee’s black-sheep brother is killed under cover of the fireworks.  Lavish gifts of designer pups, a suitcase of cash, and expensive jewels all point to questionable activities that force Amelia to realize her brother hasn’t changed after all. Paislee, with DI Zeffer’s help, must discover who is behind McCormac’s murder before Amelia is next.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Murder at a Scottish Christmas is book 6 in the Scottish Shire series, so the location in Nairn, Scotland, has been established. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes! And Lydia, Paislee’s bestie, too. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Paislee Shaw is determined, hardworking, and brave. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned about puppy smuggling—it is an actual crime that should be stopped and have stricter consequences….

1–What is the title of your latest release? A MERRY LITTLE MURDER PLOT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? During the most wonderful time of the year, famous author Helen Monroe arrives in Briar Creek to be the writer in residence. When a woman’s body is discovered with a copy of Helen’s latest manuscript in her hand, the reclusive novelist becomes the prime suspect in the murder. Now Lindsey the librarian and her crafternoon pals must prove the author innocent before “The End” becomes Helen’s final sentence. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The Library Lover’s Mysteries are a series, so the books always take place in the fictional town of Briar Creek, CT based on a village (Stony Creek, CT) where I used to live when I was a resident of the nutmeg state. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes! I love Lindsey Norris. I was a part-time librarian for two decades and she’s a composite of all my fellow librarians. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Smart, tenacious, and kind. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That a person can be…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THIS CURSED HOUSE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Instead of embracing her ability to see ghosts, Jemma has spent her life running from it. But now, she must use her gift to save a cursed family, or else suffer their same fate. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve lived in the South almost my whole life, so a Southern location was a given. Because the film Eve’s Bayou was such a major influence on me and this idea, I had to go with New Orleans. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, although I’d ask that she keep the ghosts away. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Broken, yet resilient, and gifted. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned that although the concept of forgiveness sounds beautiful in theory, it’s not up to someone to tell another person when or how they forgive someone else. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I waited until I was done with the first draft before editing. 8–What’s your favorite…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A JINGLE BELL MINGLE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Fresh off an unforgettable (but definitely not to be repeated) one night stand, the creatively blocked screenwriter Sunny Palmer abruptly needs a place to live. And luckily for them both, her one-night stand partner (the reclusive boy band heartthrob Isaac Kelly) has plenty of room for her and her grumpy cat in his mansion. But in a world of Christmas miracles and inns with only one bed, can these two wildly different roommates really keep their connection completely in the realm of the arts? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? A Jingle Bell Mingle takes place in Christmas Notch, Vermont, the small town at the center of our last two novels. We’ve known since book one that we wanted Isaac to end up in the town’s 19th Century mansion overlooking the valley, and so we decided to completely commit and make the romance a roommates-to-lovers tale.  But the story at large is still in our beloved every-day-is-Christmas small town, and since this book is our Christmas Notch farewell tour, we made sure to visit…