What is the title of your latest release?THE ONE WHO WALKED AWAY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Bounty hunter Elle Randolph is chasing a dangerous man who seems to be hiding out somewhere on the Mendocino coast in Northern California. He has not killed anyone yet, at least not that Elle knows of. But that changes when people start dying all around her and finding her quarry becomes even more urgent. She wants to work with the detective investigating the murders, but Ronan Clarke doesn’t trust bounty hunters any more than Elle trusts cops. Can they declare a truce long enough to catch a killer? How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I’ve been visiting the Mendocino coast for about ten years. My husband and I vacation here every summer to beat the heat. It’s usually about thirty degrees cooler on the coast than it is anywhere else. I’ve fallen in love with the rugged coastline, the waves crashing on the rocks, and the serene redwood forests. I wanted to share my appreciation for this amazing place with my readers! Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?I would. I would hang…

I love a good Regency romance story! When I set out to write A MISMATCH MADE IN LONDON I knew I wanted it to be fun, sweet, and true to the time period. And consciously or unconsciously, I was influenced by my favorite Regency romances. So here is a list of my Top 5 favorite Regencies. (Okay, yes, they are all Jane Austen novels, but I love them!) Number One has to be PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. I will never forget the first time I read this story. I was in my teens, and I had already read Emma by Jane Austen, which I loved, but PRIDE AND PREJUDICE was just so incredibly PERFECT. I remember reading the book with such excitement, especially the part where Lizzie was discovering that Mr. Darcy had saved Lydia and their entire family from ruin. I couldn’t sit still. I literally read while pacing. Seeing the two of them go from intense dislike to falling in love and believing that they could only be happy if they ended up getting married was just the most exciting story progression I’d ever read. It became my favorite novel ever. My story, A MISMATCH MADE IN LONDON, uses…

What is the title of your latest release?TWELVE WEEKS OF LOVE & LOSS is Book Two in The Secrets Trilogy. It follows the characters from my debut novel, SIX WEEKS OF LOVE & LARCENY, into the next chapter of their lives three years later. It’s a stand-alone novel that doesn’t have to be read in sequence, but I guarantee if you read it first, you’ll want to go back to where it all begins with Six Weeks. What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?TWELVE WEEKS OF LOVE & LOSS is a thriller of obsession, deception, and survival – set against the backdrop of a love story that never quite let go. The story begins with a random encounter that opens the door to a second chance at an unforgettable romance but quickly takes an unexpected turn down a dark and twisted road paved by deep emotions that turn into something sinister. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?All three novels in The Secrets Trilogy are set in Philadelphia – it’s where the story began and continues to live on. I originally chose Philly as a backdrop simply because I’m familiar with it, but the…

Book Title: YOU’LL LOVE IT HERECharacter Name: Mona Bucket How would you describe your family or your childhood?Well, my parents were always causing chaos for me so…not great. Ever since my dad passed, it’s like my mom has taken it upon herself to carry on his share of the havoc. It’s a lot to worry about when I’m trying to manage my own life, but I digress. What was your greatest talent?I can focus on a task for sixteen hours straight with minimal downtime if I ignore the pain that comes right between my eyes during hour seven. Significant other?I’m focusing on my career for the next five quarters. Once I’ve secured my promotion, I can get back to other pursuits like relationships. Sami and I are friends—he’s helping me manage the tenants with their wildly different personalities. He’s easy to chat with and easy to look at—but nothing’s going on with us! Biggest challenge in relationships?It can be hard to find someone worth sacrificing my time for so I find that with friendships, it’s best to surround yourself with people who are where you want to be in life; people that inspire you and challenge you to work harder,…

I have what I’d call a weird process for writing my books. Every time I start a new book, I tell myself the same lie: This time I’m going to write straight through. First draft, start to finish, no looking back. And every time, I believe it. I start strong. The first half comes fast. I’m feeling good, maybe a little smug. Then somewhere around the middle, I hit a wall. Not writer’s block exactly — more like a structural wobble. Something isn’t hanging together, even if I can’t name it yet. So I break my vow and go back to the beginning. I read through, then start editing, because inevitably I find holes — timeline gaps, spots where the story doesn’t quite work yet. Once I fix those, I keep going. I write another 25%, then do the whole thing again. By the time I’m writing the ending — always hard, always — most of the editing is done. The last pages usually get written right before I hit send to my editor. For years I thought this meant something was wrong with me. Every writing book described a process that looked nothing like mine. Every workshop said just…

Excerpt from THE INEVITABLE UNDOING OF ZAHARA DOUGLASS by Leslye Penelope: December 12, 1999 A sound like the manic warbling of a robotic bird cuts through the all- too- familiar melody of Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers.” Zahara is in the middle of a series of whipping fouetté turns when it hits, and she stumbles. A cell phone. Somewhere in the first few rows. Its high- pitched dissonance is at odds with the orchestra’s faultless tones. The phone’s distinct melody is also well known but grating. The first chair flute, a ghostly pale young man with a shock of unruly orange hair, copies the ring tone subtly, then re-joins the rest of the woodwinds without missing any additional notes. A smattering of laughter breaks out in the crowd as the conductor bulges his eyes and purses his lips. Perhaps the young ginger will not be first chair for long. Zahara wobbles her way out of the turns and into the leaps that take her to the edge of the stage, a delighted smile never leaving her face. Breaking character would turn the disaster of her mistake into a catastrophe. She holds the final arabesque, briefly becoming a statue carved from…

Excerpt from FREIGHT by Ryan Lowell: CHAPTER 1 Billy Trask stopped short of the border and swung his tractor trailer into the storage facility. He took one last pull off his cigarette, flung it out the window into the slush, and situated his truck so that he was facing the road. It was only then that he pulled his crossword book from the console. He could see his breath. He kept it cold in the cab because the heat made him sleepy. The crossword book was for beginners, but he didn’t have an ego when it came to that stuff—he didn’t like to struggle. His father did the harder ones when he was alive, but his father was smarter and he said the puzzles kept him sharp. Billy got a couple words, and then he checked the time and pulled down his visor and looked at himself and took the gray bandana off and tied it back over his long, mostly gray hair, and he did not talk to himself this time. He pushed the visor back up, and in the distance the Buick was rolling toward him. Slowly. Too slowly. He set his crossword book back in the console…

Searching for your next unforgettable read? You’ve come to the right place! Today, I’m shining the spotlight on TIME TRAVEL FOR BEGINNERS by Jaclyn Moriarty – a captivating novel that asks an irresistible question: If you could revisit one moment in your life, what would it be? Discover why this is one of the most anticipated books of the summer and why it deserves a spot on your TBR. LIGHTNING ROUND What’s your favorite way to spend a slow August afternoon?I live in Sydney, Australia, where August is winter, and the afternoons are brisk and chilly. Darkness comes early and often catches me outside, far from home, in my prescription sunglasses and without my regular glasses. So I walk home tripping over things and bumping into people… But in summer? The beach with a book and then a long swim in the ocean. I hope to get a bit chilled on the way home so I can have a bubble bath. What snack, drink, or sweet treat always finds its way to your desk when writing?Peppermint tea, raspberries, blueberries, dark chocolate. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my desk is a table at the local chocolate shop, Coco Chocolate, so: Cardamom…

Hi! I’m Kit Tosello, author of IN A WORD, YES. I’m drawn to writing (and reading!) fiction that touches on life’s complex and often humorous topics of relationships and family, and I’m excited to tell you about this new contemporary small-town story. Featuring a single mom, second chances, and a sweet twist of romance, it’s a perfect read to share with your friends or book club! I is for Introvert. Meet Lucy Montgomery, the heroine of our story. Lucy wants to step into new adventures. Really she does. But is it worth stepping out of her comfort zone?N is for No, Lucy’s favorite word. In fairness, learning to set healthy boundaries for herself and her little boy has saved them. But five years after escaping a dangerous marriage, is it possible Lucy has cultivated a life that’s too safe? A is for the Adventures our heroine longs for. After all, doesn’t she live in a breathtaking mountain town, prized for exhilarating outdoor experiences? W is for Words, something Lucy geeks out about. Every morning she hops online to check Merriam-Webster’s word of the day and to play Wordle before strolling to her proofreading job at the local newspaper.O is for…

What is the title of your latest release?WHEN LEMONS GIVE YOU LIFE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Ratatouille meets A Man Called Ove. A depressed former Michelin-starred chef living in a nursing home secretly rediscovers the joy of cooking – and it just might save his life. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I spent years working in a nursing home, and it felt like the natural setting for the story I wanted to tell. I was drawn to the idea of bringing two very different worlds together: the relentless pursuit of perfection in Michelin-starred kitchens and the neglect and dysfunction of a failing aged care facility. The contrast created exactly the kind of tension I wanted to explore. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely! Griff is an incredible chef, so I’d love to pick up a few cooking tips from him! I’d also love to hang out with Lisa as we have a lot in common, including our midlife ADHD diagnosis. What are three words that describe your hero?Grumpy, compassionate, pineapple (spiky exterior, sweet inside)! What’s something you learned while writing this book?The discrimination many queer older people…