1–What is the title of your latest release? BIRDING WITH BENEFITS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A divorcee embarks on her “year of yes” and crosses paths with a shy but sensitive birdwatcher who changes her life in this charming rom-com. That’s my official log line! I also sometimes say: This book is about two 40-somethings fake dating while participating in a birding contest and definitely not falling in love! 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It actually never occurred to me to not set this book in Tucson. I love Arizona so much, and my initial love of writing started with nature writing, so I just knew anything I wrote would include a lot of landscapes and moments in nature. And this region is known as a birding hotspot, so it also made perfect sense to set the birding contest here! 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Definitely! I think we would have a great time together.  I intentionally made Celeste a bit larger than life and someone who I would look up to. She’s so determined to live life on her own terms. I’d love…

How would you describe your family or your childhood? Detached and lonely.   What was your greatest talent? Pleasing others.   Important people in your life? My children and grandchildren.   Biggest challenge in relationships? Being assertive.   Where to you live? At the lake.   Do you have any enemies? Not that I know of.   How do you feel about the place you are now? I love the place I’m at now. Both physically – the lake and the peace and quiet outside, and emotionally – the peace and quiet inside me.   Do you have children, pets, both, or neither? I have a dog, three children, one daughter-in-law and two grandsons.   What do you do for a living? I was a homemaker now retired.   Greatest disappointment? Not being courageous with my life.   Greatest source of joy? My children and grandchildren.   What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun? I sit outside and enjoy nature. I have my family here for wiener roasts.   What is your greatest personal failing in your view? Same as question #10. Not being courageous with my life.   What keeps you awake at night? The only…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BARELY EVEN FRIENDS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A grumpy, rich recluse meets his match in this steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling—with a Succession twist. Featuring a plus-size historical home restorer and a grump of a recluse, who are forced to work together. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I feel like so many books take place in NYC, I wanted to showcase that there are other parts of New York as well. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely. Bellamy is a fellow Swiftie, with great taste in movies (lol). We’re different in a lot of ways, but in my very unbiased opinion, I think she would be a lot of fun to hang out with. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Stubborn, ambitious, compassionate 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How truly difficult it is to put aspects of yourself in a character. Bellamy is the first plus-size character I’d ever written and didn’t fully consider the impact that would have on me in writing in my own experiences with fatphobia and…

“This Love” by Taylor Swift – everything about this lovely song evokes images of Isabel and Sirius love affair, but especially, “this love is alive back from the dead.” An apt tune for two lovers who find their way back to each other.   “She’s Only Happy In The Sun” by Ben Harper – Isabel makes it clear, multiple times throughout Isabel and The Rogue, that she desires to return to Mexico, despite how she would be separated from her beloved sisters, and later Sirius. So when Ben Harper sings, “Did you find what you were after? The pain and the laughter brought you to your knees. But if the sun sets you free, sets you free, You’ll be free indeed, indeed,” it’s easy to imagine these are words Sirius whispers to her.   “There, There” by Radiohead – with his haunting voice, Tom York effortlessly evokes the perils of navigating loneliness and pain…feelings Sirius Dawson would have been familiar with as a Crimean war veteran.   “I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys – When Alex Turner, lead singer of Arctic Monkeys, croons in his gravelly voice “wanna be yours” over and over, you know this is a man…

The Woman by the Lake by Kristen Ashley Cursed Omega’s Second Chance: The Omega Wolf’s Curse #1 by Odessa Hywell The Pull of the Tide by SD Simper Curvy Perfection, Book 32, Curvy Women Wanted Series by Sam Crescent Bella’s Dom, Book 4, The Doms of Madison County Series by Lila Fox The Magic of Rainbows: A Sweet Small Town Romance, Book 3, Love on Anchor Lane Series by Leeanna Morgan Their Naughty Princess by Calista Jayne Murder at the Dinner Party, Book 8, Cleopatra Fox Mysteries by C.J. Archer Shadow’s Reflection, Book 2, Stonebridge Witches Series by Nicole R. Taylor Boxset 5 by M.E. Clayton     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? THE LAST NOTE OF WARNING, the third installment in my Nightingale Mystery series 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? THE LAST NOTE OF WARNING is my third Jazz Age mystery following Vivian Kelly, a working-class seamstress who delivers dresses by day and escapes to a speakeasy by night. But New York’s underground world can be dangerous. When Vivian is accused of the murder of a wealthy client’s husband, she’ll cash in every favor she can from the criminals and bootleggers she calls friends to prove she had no connection to the dead man. But she can’t prove what isn’t true. The Last Note of Warning is twisty and dramatic and a little bit sexy, and I’m so excited to share it with readers! 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I almost always start with characters, rather than plot or setting, and I had three very different women who all lived in Jazz Age NYC bouncing around in my head for a little while. I didn’t know what their story was, or quite how they all connected to each other, but I knew that they…

1–What is the title of your latest release? HIDDEN IN THE NIGHT, Missing in Alaska 3 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A woman’s search for answers leads to a mystery hidden in the Alaskan ice. Joining forces with an Alaska State Trooper, she must battle a deadly blizzard, heartless sabotage, and everything the Alaskan winter can throw at her as the search goes on. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since this is part of the Missing in Alaska series, I knew it would take place in southeast Alaska and I wanted to involve characters from the small fictional town of Shadow Gap. But I also wanted to let my characters (and readers) experience Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. I wanted to explore glaciers and ice caves, which add to all the beauty that’s Alaska, and in this book, I made a point to make sure my characters experienced the aurora borealis (northern lights). 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes! I love that Ivy is all about old books and is searching for a lost Jack London manuscript. He wrote my favorite childhood book—The Call…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Throughout her childhood, Anuri Chinasa was the star of her stepmother’s social media empire. Now, at twenty-five, Anuri is struggling with her identity, with alcohol and with understanding her place in a world where millions know her face. When she sees her half-sister, Noelle being pushed down the same path, Anuri decides to take action to ensure that Noelle has both a voice and a choice in her future. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I am Nigerian and my father’s family is from Anambra state, so I knew parts of the story would be set there. I have lived in London for years and it feels right that I set the story primarily in the place I have called home for such a long time. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. She’s tons of fun 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Tenacious, multifaceted, protective 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? There are too many things which appear innocent on the surface but are…

Rami, Book 1, Chosen Few Series by Samantha Wilde The Book of Never, Volumes 1-5 by Ashley Capes The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery Collection I, Books 1-4 by Kassandra Lamb A Scot’s Pride, Book 1, Distinguished Scots Series by Eliza Knight The Runaway, Book 1, Barrett Boys Series by Jordan Ford A Seal’s Journey, Book 2, Steamy Nights Series by Rachel K Stone Dirty Seduction, Book 1, The Montgomery Billionaires Series by Juliette N Banks The Billionaire Babe, Book 6, The Baltimore Boys Series by Samantha Skye Securing Samantha, Book 5, Serenity Mountain Series by Cassie Colton Wanting You, Book 3, The Donovans (Sweetbriar Ridge) Series by Samantha Chase One Bite Per Night, Book 2, Scandals With Bite Series by Brooklyn Ann Sizzling by Abbi Glines The Ever After Diary by Gisele Stein Folly and Forever, Book 2, Michigan Millionaires Series by Kimmy Loth The Witch Collector, Book 1, Witch Walker Series by Charissa Weaks The Fire Heart Chronicles by Juliana Haygert Samurai Squadron III: Spinward Fringe Broadcast 20 by Randolph Lalonde The Sunshine Court, Book 4, All for the Game Series by Nora Sakavic The Vow, Book 2, The Birch Creek Ranch Series by B. E. Baker Handfasted…

1–What is the title of your latest release? DON’T ASK, DON’T FOLLOW 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Paralegal Beth Ralston discovers her boss murdered and her sister, Lindsay, fleeing the scene, leaving her only this cryptic message: don’t follow. But when Beth comes under suspicion for the crime, she must decide whether finding her sister to uncover the truth is worth destroying the only family she’s ever known. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I spent years in a Portland, Oregon law firm as a secretary/paralegal, and when this story idea came to me, I knew that it was the perfect setting. The plot needed to have believability as far as access to information, and because I already knew Oregon law, and different aspects of Portland, it worked well. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. Being a workaholic myself, I can relate to Beth! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Tenacious, workaholic, people pleaser. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Every time I write a novel, I learn something new about myself. This was my first domestic suspense, versus a series mystery…