Thomas Wolfe famously said, “You can’t go home again.” Except, you can. All it took was Peg Cochran’s historical mystery series, Murder, She Reported. Like the heroine in a time travel novel, I was whisked back to Manhattan and fell in love with the city all over again. I spent all my summers in Manhattan and part of my early twenties. Gritty summer days strolling past the antique shops on Lexington, stopping for coffee at Chock Ful O’ Nuts, rushing to my evening acting classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Meeting friends at the clock in Grand Central Station, meandering through the leafy paths in Central Park. The city was a treasure chest; the possibilities were endless. I can still taste the delicate cucumber sandwiches at Schraffts, the blinis at The Russian Tea Room and the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity. It takes a special talent to recreate a time and place (1930s Manhattan) and Peg Cochran has it. I was so happy to have the chance to interview her and find out more about this engaging series. The Murder She Reported series picks up the Manhattan vibe and I wonder how you came to choose that terrific…

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.

Welcome back to Jen’s Jewels, where I love shining a spotlight on authors and the stories behind their books. This week, I’m delighted to feature THE ISLAND CLUB by Nicola Harrison. If you’re looking for an unforgettable story about the power of female friendship, this one is for you. LIGHTNING ROUND In three words, describe the feeling readers will have when they finish your book.Transported, inspired and excited to get out there and try something new (ok that’s not three words but you get the idea). What’s your favorite writing season: cozy winter, hopeful spring, beachy summer, or reflective fall?Cozy winter! Even though I live in California where the sun always seems to be shining, I love a good downpour of rain to keep me stuck at home with a sweater, slippers and my dog curled up next to me as I write. What’s one snack or treat that always appears when you’re deep in writing mode?Chocolate covered almonds What’s one small thing that instantly puts you in a creative mood?As soon as I put on my Warby Parker glasses, I know it’s time to sit down and write. THE SPRING SPARK April often feels like a season of renewal….

What is the title of your latest release?IN PURSUIT OF CIVILITY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Managing an academy for young ladies is simple. Chasing treasure, rescuing students, and guarding your heart? That’s a different adventure altogether. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I decided to set the Merriweather Academy in Chicago because Drusilla and Annaliese Merriweather are members of the New York Four Hundred and I wanted to take them out of their normal world and throw them into the wild world of Chicago at that time. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Of course, especially when she’s been in my head for hundreds of pages, which means I’m now incredibly attached to her. What are three words that describe your hero?Compassionate, frazzled, determined. What’s something you learned while writing this book?That various steam engines really did blow up on a far too frequent basis. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?Edit as I draft. I have a seven-step editing process for every draft I do. I reread/edit the chapters I’ve written the day before, then move on to new chapters. By the…

The Author-Reader Match is a fun “dating-style” profile to introduce readers to authors and their books. Instead of trying to find your perfect match on 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 Jane Kirkpatrick! Writes:Historical novels based on the lives of actual women (and the men in their lives, too). With the Enduring Tides celebrates Mary Gerritse: poet, first mail carrier on the rugged Oregon Coast in the 1890s, and devoted wife, mother of four, daughter, and friend. A loss and a challenge begin Mary’s journey to discover where she came from and to whom she belongs. About:Jane is a storyteller who moved from a mental health career to homesteading to becoming a writer. She’s a character-driven author who delves into genealogy, visits the sites of her stories, interviews descendants, and loves bringing real people to life on the page. She’s won numerous awards (the Wrangler, Will Rogers, WILLA, and Carol among others) and has been a CBA and New York Times bestseller. Jane writes from her Central Oregon home and sometimes—to escape the snow—from her southern California desert place…

What is the title of your latest release?BUMBLEBEE SEASON What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?BUMBLEBEE SEASON tells the story of three strangers who connect over the fate of wild bees in a small town in Oregon. Beekeeper Jake Stevenson should be celebrating as he faces a huge honey harvest. But he can’t seem to hire any helpers and can’t do it alone no matter how adept he’s become at maneuvering among the beehives in his wheelchair. Jake meets Flaco López, a young migrant from Mexico, who is hungry, scared, and lost when he stumbles upon Jake’s beehives in a high alpine meadow. The two soon cross paths with Abigail Plue, a scientist more interested in insects than people, who’s studying a threatened bumblebee.When a divisive sheriff’s candidate threatens local immigrants and champions plans to destroy the meadow, the three must come together to protect everything they hold dear.Bumblebee Season is a story about honeybees, bumblebees, and human migration, but at its heart, it’s about the search for home and belonging. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The story takes place in the town of Hood River, Oregon, where I live. It’s a beautiful…

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.

Excerpt from THISTLEMARSH by Moorea Corrigan: April 1919 The war did not bring the Faeries back to England. As boys languished in the trenches, they still spoke in hushed what-ifs until all hope ran out. The belief in magic was replaced by the reality of mustard gas. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who still held on to hope. Despite herself, Mouse was one of those few. Faeries disappeared over one hundred years before, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. At the beginning of the war, when the army was still sending horses to fight against tanks, there was talk that if the Faeries did return with their magic, the bloodshed might end. The new sciences allowed for wild speculation as to where the Faeries had gone. Biologists turned to the microscopic world, looking for Faeries at the end of a lens. Spiritualists claimed that the creatures had dematerialized into ectoplasm, walking invisible alongside mortals, like ghosts or spirits. As Mouse’s cousin, Bertie, and her brother, Roger, were summoned to France, she returned to the tales of her childhood. She pored over the tattered pages of her inherited copy of Lady Blakeney’s Tales of Faerie: Stories for…

What is the title of your latest release?APHRODITE IN PIECES What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?This is Aphrodite in her “one night only!” big reveal. As she poses for her likeness, she tells her scintillating life story to the artist memorializing her in stone. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Writing about Aphrodite, I knew I’d be spending a lot of time in Greece, but I didn’t anticipate how much would be set in Troy. Her tumultuous relationships with Ares and Aeneas (and Paris!) are a big part of the war. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely! Aphrodite is so funny; she’d be a blast in the happy hour girl group. She’d spill the hottest tea. What are three words that describe your hero?Witty, irreverent, fearless. What’s something you learned while writing this book?So much about the Venus de Milo! For instance, in 1916, women’s colleges Wellesley and Swarthmore held a competition to determine whose student body had the most Venus-like proportions. Wild! Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?A mixture of both. I like to save a read over as a reward…

What is the title of your latest release?THE ANTIQUARIAN’S OBJECT OF DESIRE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Historian best friends are forced to fake hate to protect their reputations while dealing with dangerous magical antiques and rampaging ghosts, in a dark academia fantasy romcom. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I wanted to write a dark academia romcom with gothic vibes (but cute!) so it was instantly clear to me that I needed an old manor set in lonely countryside during stormy weather. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely! Professor Amelia Tarrant is my favourite heroine that I’ve written so far, and I would love to be best friends with her. Or, rather, second best friends, since her dear childhood friend Caleb Sterling always comes first in her heart. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Amelia is sensible, calm, and bookish. Caleb is vain, lazy, but clever. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned that I could write friends to lovers, which is a trope I’ve not attempted before and felt unsure I could actually do. But it turned out to be tremendous fun. Do you…