“Torn Between Two Lovers” by Mary MacGregor   Having fallen in love with two men, “Torn Between Two Lovers” becomes Elizabeth’s anthem for much of Book 1 and well into Book 2. Particularly in SACRIFICES BEYOND KINGDOMS, she is haunted by this dilemma of being torn between two men whom she loves equally. I chose to use this theme in these two books because of the many similar stories told to me in confidence by women, and men, throughout the years of my living in different countries and traveling all over the globe. This love triangle situation is more common than most societies will admit.   Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool Loving both of you is breaking all the rules…   “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton & cover by Whitney Houston   Prince Michael sends Elizabeth the original Dolly Parton version which he grew up listening to, that his mother had loved, after Elizabeth left him and went back to Trinidad. In response, she sends him the younger Whitney Houston’s version. He then subtly accuses her of not liking his version and wondered if she was sending him some sort of “color-coded” message,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ONE-STAR ROMANCE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A struggling writer must walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with a man who gave her book one star on Goodreads. Though this maid of honor and best man would rather never see each other again, they’re forced back together over the course of a decade every time their best friends celebrate a new life milestone. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Having spent much of my twenties and early thirties in the NYC area, it felt very natural to set much of the book there. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely! 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Creative, funny, loyal 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a lot of linguistics terminology, since my romantic lead is an aspiring linguistics professor and I had to figure out what his freaking dissertation was going to be called 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I try to wait to do significant edits until I’m done, though sometimes…

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 Catherine Bybee!   Writes: New York Times bestselling author, Catherine Bybee, writes page turning, heartfelt and emotional romance novels with just the right amount of spice. In ALL OUR TOMORROWS, Bybee returns to her billionaire heroes and heroines with high-stake careers and jet-setting lifestyles. Mix in a hefty dose of real-life drama, including funerals, babies and an un-expected inheritance. You’re bound to find something you can connect with.   About: Previously employed as a critical care trauma nurse, Catherine Bybee is known for taking pages out of her life and spinning them into her books. ALL OUR TOMORROWS is no exception. Bybee found her writing passion while convalescing after an injury she acquired while on the job. “No one was more surprised than I was when I published my first novel… and my second… and my third. I wanted to be an actress for crying out loud. Writing novels was nowhere on the career radar. I can’t spell my way out of a paper…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When an introvert agrees to fake-date a Scottish celebrity, she ends up living her own Roman Holiday. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve wanted to write a story set in Italy for a long time. I have extended family there and absolutely love spending time there. Also, my story is a modern twist on Roman Holiday, so Rome was the perfect fit. I chose Scotland for my fake boyfriend’s home country because I recently finished a school degree in Edinburgh (online, sadly, but I hope to go someday). 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. I love quirky travel buddies. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Jaded, funny, vegan. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned that when looking through the Aventine Keyhole in Rome, you can see two sovereign states at the same time, and also that there’s a museum of broken relationships in Zagreb! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I am constantly editing,…

BORN OF GILDED MOUNTAINS is the tale of a silver screen queen from Hollywood’s golden age, disappearing to the mountain hamlet of Mercy Peak, Colorado, in order to pick up the pieces of her life and keep a promise to a long-lost friend. In this story of community, friendship, adventure, treasure hunt, lost-dreams-found, and restoration, music plays a special role. A few of the songs below are actually in the story, and a few were integral to the writing process. Join me for a virtual concert? You can hear a full playlist here, but below is a deep-dive into five extra special songs: Dream a Little Dream (Michael Bublé) Rusty (nickname for Ruby) Bright and Marybeth Spatts (later known as Mercy Windsor in her Hollywood life) grow up as pen pals who become best friends in the 1930’s and 40’s. When Marybeth is facing desolation as a young girl, and wishes she’d had a mother who might have sung her a lullaby like the one she hears a neighbor singing, Rusty writes to Marybeth to go turn on the radio, and the first song she hears will be her lullaby. That song turns out to be Dream a Little Dream,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? HER PART TO PLAY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Desperate for extra income, Adanne accepts a last-minute job as a makeup artist for a movie that’s filming in her small Alabama hometown. But the money hardly seems worth having to face the actor who got her fired from her last job in Hollywood. Sparks fly on and off the set, but will either of them follow the pull of their hearts? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since I currently live in Iceland, it was probably a little homesickness that inspired me to write a story that would place my characters near my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. Even though I mention Huntsville in the story, the main setting is a fictional town called Hope Springs that I placed as a suburb of Huntsville. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I definitely would. Adanne is the friend who would be outwardly reserved but welcoming and authentic. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Loyal, Authentic and Creative. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned how incredible…

A Tempest of Shadows, Book 1 Tempest of Shadows Series by Brenda K. Davies Homicide Honeymoon, Book 22, Aloha Lagoon Mysteries by B.A. Trimmer The Boss, Book 3, The Assistant Series by Ramona Gray Dragon of Her Dreams, Book 20, Dragon Knights Series by Bianca D’Arc The Way Back by Heidi Chiavaroli You’re Mine, Book 6, Crave and Claimed Series by Sam Crescent One Fired Up Fourth, Book 3, One Effed Up Holiday Series by Claire Raye The Worlds of S.E. Smith by S.E. Smith A Most Excellent Adventure by Jude Knight Charmed and Dangerous, Book 5, A Witch in Wolf Wood Series by Lindsay Buroker     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…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A DECEPTIVE COMPOSITION, Lady Darby Book 12 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A portrait artist with a macabre past and her dashing inquiry agent husband are forced to confront long-buried family secrets that threaten to unravel their lives. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I have wanted to set a book in Cornwall for some time. It’s such a beautiful and atmospheric place. And I’ve been hinting for some time about Lord Gage’s maternal relatives being smugglers and rogues. This was the perfect time to take my characters to the southwestern tip of England to confront Lord Gage’s past. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely. Kiera sees the world in a different way than most people, so her perspective would always be fresh. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Artistic, observant, loyal. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? A droll teller was a type of traveling minstrel that once roamed the Cornish countryside sharing tales and legends and singing ballads. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I…

Shh, don’t tell my bossy big sister, Jess, that you asked someone to come here and talk about the area around the Three Sisters B&B, or she’ll take over. She can’t help herself; it’s a habit left over from when we were little, and she was always in charge, and she forgets that we’re all grown up now. Anyway, I’m the middle sister, Em Walker, and unlike Jess, I never abandoned Kentucky for twenty years, so I know this corner of bluegrass and bourbon country better than she does. Cooperton, despite being a small town, lays claim to two world-famous businesses-slash-tourist-destinations, plus a variety of natural attractions. The first business, Rackhouse Saddlebreds, is especially dear to my heart, since I’m a dressage rider and I board my horse there. The farm, located right next door to the B&B, was founded in the civil war era, and is still exclusively owned by the original owner’s descendants. They breed highly sought-after horses, and every fall they hold an auction weekend that’s become more like a state fair with a variety of horse-related exhibits before the sale. One of my favorites this year will be a display of saddles that are works of…

1–What is the title of your latest release? My latest release is A COLLECTION OF LIES, the fifth in the Kate Hamilton Mystery series.   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Kate Hamilton and DI Tom Mallory are honeymooning in Devon where a local history museum had hired them to trace the provenance of a bloodstained dress said to belong to a murderous Victorian lacemaker. Exactly Kate’s kind of mystery—until the donor of the dress, a man who lives as a Victorian gentleman, is found dead in a pool of blood. As Kate and Tom race to find the murderer, they learn that old secrets can be deadly—and this killer isn’t going to come quietly.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Kate and Tom are on their honeymoon, so I asked myself where they would go. Neither of them are beach people, and since the entire series is set in the British Isles, I had lots of amazing spots to choose from. Would they choose the Scottish Highlands? A picturesque village on the Cornwall coast? The lush, green Irish countryside? I decided on Devon, specifically the national park known as Dartmoor…