Driving the Sun Road in Glacier National Park had been high on our wish list for our 2021 “go west” road trip. Stretching 50 miles from the west side at Lake McDonald to the east side at St. Mary Lake, it promised our first true glimpse of glaciers, and the kind of scenery that lingers long after the journey ends. From June through September, reservations were required to enter from the west between 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. On the advice of a local, we took a different approach. We drove around to the east side and entered after 3:00 p.m., bypassing the reservation requirement. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip. On the way, we made a memorable stop at Two Sisters Restaurant on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near Babb, Montana. Known for its legendary huckleberry pie, this was a must. (Montana folks love anything huckleberry which is endemic to Montana.) We ordered a slice to go and stepped outside to enjoy it in the fresh mountain air. Sweet, tart, and unmistakably Montana, it was the perfect introduction to the region. Soon after, we began our ascent along the Sun Road, a marvel…

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.

T is for Timelines. This book takes place in 1998 and 2020 H is for Haunting. Enter a home haunted by more than just the strained memories of a lonely childhood. E is for Estranged. Sometimes we drift apart from the people we’ve loved or grown up with. S is for Suburbia. Where it feels so important to always keep up appearances. E is for Eerie. With an oppressive atmosphere, growing tension and dread, and pervasive uncertainty, there are plenty of eerie vibes here. F is for Family. Complicated dynamics and lifelong ties A is for Amber. Our main character M is for Murder. The prologue kicks off with a double homicide and betrayal. I is for Inheritance. Amber and her family are moving back into Amber’s childhood home. L is for Lockdowns. Maybe the stress of 2020 is making Amber see and hear all these strange things. I is for Imagination. Or perhaps it’s not the stress, perhaps it’s just Amber’s overactive imagination… A is for Arson. In 1998, a troubled neighbor boy likes fire just a little too much. R is for Revelations. Hidden truths will come to light W is for Whispers. A hateful voice won’t be…

My mother told me most of what I know about writing by the time I was about twelve years old. She was a writer, too—although her career was cut short by her early death, so early she was gone before her talent could fully flower and long before I even had the idea for my first novel. I can picture her quite clearly, reclined on a couch under a mohair blanket, dreaming up a story. Some writers have deep and powerful imaginations, more vivid than real life. That can’t be taught. As for what can be taught, I’ve summarized her thoughts in seven laws. Here they are, with commentary by me: 1. Organization is everything. If the story isn’t organized, what have you got? A mess. To be organized, you must make some big decisions from the get-go, such as: What’s the POV? One character? Multi? Tell it in first person? Third? How about the tense? Tone? I’ve got a nice beginning but will it lead to an end? Getting stuck without an end is bad. Make sure an ending is possible, and “the world blows up” doesn’t count. There are maybe 10,000 decisions in writing a novel. Accept that….

This week on Jen’s Jewels, I’m delighted to spotlight DOG PERSON by bestselling author Camille Pagán—a heartfelt, humorous story that will tug at your heartstrings. Told through the unforgettable voice of Harold, an aging dog with a mission, this novel beautifully explores grief, healing, and the enduring power of love. LIGHTNING ROUND In three words, describe the feeling readers will have when they finish your book. Warm, grateful, alive What’s your favorite writing season: cozy winter, hopeful spring, beachy summer, or reflective fall? Cozy winter is when I get the most writing done; summer is when I have my best ideas.  What’s one snack or treat that always appears when you’re deep in writing mode? Coffee, coffee, and all the coffee! My go-to is a cortado.  THE SPRING SPARK  April often feels like a season of renewal. Did anything about this story feel like a fresh start for you as a writer? Yes, absolutely—I wrote this novel after experiencing a pretty profound loss in my personal life. Because of that, it took me about twice as long as usual to write and edit this book, but the experience was so healing.  What was the very first image, line, or idea…

Book Title: BLONDE DUST Character: Pauline Bazelet How would you describe your family or your childhood? My  Parisian mother Marcelle lived with her eyes turned toward somewhere else. Paris, I know. She was beautiful, composed… but never really happy. Doug—my stepfather, a GI from Reno—was different. He took me out into the desert, showed me the mustangs, the silence, the space. That’s where I felt… free. For the first time. What was your greatest talent? Horses. Not riding them—understanding them. Knowing when to approach, when to wait. Earning their trust.  Significant other? A  magnificent mustang. Commander. He doesn’t lie. He rules. With him, I don’t have to be anything else. Just calm. Just true. And my best friend, Billie-Pearl.  Biggest challenge in relationships? Learning to speak up for myself.  Where do you live? Reno, Nevada. Between the hullabaloo of the casinos and the stillness of the desert. I belong more to one than the other. Do you have any enemies? Yes.  Kendall Spencer.  My married  boss.  And the father of my child. The man who thought I would never say no. He may still think that. He’s wrong. How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is…

What is the title of your latest release? THE PARIS MATCH What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? This book follows Layla Bailey, a recent divorcée who has been invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris. She is understandably nervous to be there, and even more so when an accidental slip of the tongue gives the bride a case of cold feet. So now, Layla needs to try to repair her mistake…under the watchful, demanding eye of the very handsome, very mysterious, very taciturn best man.  How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Paris is a city that I truly love, and for several years I thought about writing a book there—but I always felt a bit of fear about trying to represent a place I and so many other people love so passionately. When the idea for this book came to me, though, I knew it was time!  Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely, yes! Layla and I have some things in common (organized, plans-driven, a bit reserved), but are different enough in terms of life experiences and interests that we would probably have tons to…

Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

Some romances are won with flowers and sonnets. These begin with a thread, a key, a quiet blade tucked out of sight. I love stories where a woman steps into an impossible room and reads the grain of the door rather than the warning on the wall. She listens for the softest hinge, counts the steps, pockets a clue, and chooses the exact moment to make a promise that sounds small until the world realizes what it cost. That is the kind of ingenuity that turns survival into devotion. Deals and trials concentrate feeling. A bargain fixes the stakes in ink, then the love story has to find air between the lines. A task looks unwinnable until a heroine changes the rules with a kindness, a question, or a knife used for the right thing at the wrong time. Below are five fantasy romances that treat wit as a form of magic and make escape a love language. THE WITCH COLLECTOR — Charissa Weaks Every year a rider takes a woman from the valley, and Raina plans to end the practice with a knife and a plan that should not work. The winter forest feels like a character, the old…

In this scene from WHAT WE ARE SEEKING, the main character, John Maraintha, is learning how to garden when he first meets one of his alien neighbors. Excerpt from WHAT WE ARE SEEKING by Cameron Reed: The work had to be done on the knees and bending down, which was hard on the back. Yet itwas satisfying to pull at the base of a stem, using a firm and steady tension so as not to breakthe roots, until they came free of the branching passages they hid in and he held the plant wholein his hand. Once he had managed this a few times, Ru moved to the opposite corner of the bedto weed, and together they finished more quickly than he had expected. Then she showed himwhere to plant black-eyed peas, at the corner of each cluster of corn seedlings; the corn, shesaid, would support them as they grew and they would nourish it by fortifying the soil. A thirdsister, to be planted later, would shade the ground with her broad leaves to cool it. In this way anarrangement of seeds would grow into the shape of a story—a very old one; Ru said it came allthe way from Earth….