Book Title: RAVEN Character Name: Raven Sorrel Byrne   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Cherished. My parents cherished me and my two sisters. We were expected to chase our dreams, to laugh and love our family fiercely, and especially to embrace our Irish and Native American heritage. I grew up in Oklahoma and spent most summers in Ireland with Nan, my grandma.   What was your greatest talent? Growing up, I lived for arts and crafts projects. By the time I was a young teen, I’d taught myself how to knit and crochet, and my favorite, hand embroidery. By high school, I knew Interior Design was my passion. My sisters and I opened Triskelion Territory Designs right out of college. I love taking a client’s vision and making it better.   Significant other? Bran Knightley O’Faolain is the son of a Tulsa, Oklahoma, oil magnate and the man I don’t want to live without. Biggest challenge in relationships? Trust.   Where do you live? Oklahoma until a family crisis had my sisters and me packing up and moving to Dublin, Ireland.   Do you have any enemies? The Byrnes and the O’Faolains share a mysterious enemy…

CHARACTER INTERVIEW with SHANE MASTERS From Master of Chaos, The Unredeemables, Book 3 (Prequel Scene)   Shane Masters has been held captive for many months by scheming, despotic billionaire Owen Halliwell. He was abducted for the access codes for SmokeScreen, Shane’s genius brother Ethan’s immensely powerful algorithm. Halliwell needs it to execute his megalomaniacal plans. In this scene, Shane is being interrogated by Halliwell. Since the standard torture techniques have not worked, Halliwell has turned to truth serums, and sensitive instruments to measure Shane’s physiological responses, and then using his own cutting edge AI processor to analyze the data, and basically read Shane’s mind. He means to pry SmokeScreen out of Shane if it’s the last thing he does. Apologies to Fresh Fiction for using their innocent interview sequence for such a diabolical purpose!     Shane Here we go again. I stared through the glass wall of my cell at that bastard Halliwell, who was sporting a wide, gloating smile, his overly whitened teeth gleaming in his bony face. His shock of white hair stood straight up, and his white Uncle Sam goatee straight out. His big, pale green eyes glittered, hot with anticipation.   That smile boded no…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE NEIGHBOR WAGER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A modern, gender-swapped update of the classic romcom Sabrina 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? As soon as I pitched the book, I knew it had to take place in Orange County, where I grew up. The parents in Orange County expected their kids to do great things. It was never a question of if you were going to college, but where. My parents were always supportive, but I still felt that pressure to “make something of myself.” There is a real culture of worth being financial, and that really played into the themes of the book. At the same time, the county is somewhat conservative. People move there to raise kids. They expect everyone to get married and have a family. Deanna is a super smart programmer who expects herself to make the very best dating app. Even though she’s done well so far, she feels immense pressure to both sell her company for millions and prove she’s “match-worthy.” River, the boy next door, who grew up without her immense privilege (he moved in…

Book Title: ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY Character Name: Emmie (supporting character)   How would you describe your family or your childhood? So. Many. Brothers.   What was your greatest talent? My boss Anne is always talking about my “Machiavellian impulses,” and I’m like 73% sure she means that as a compliment. I would also be great at firing people, if she ever actually let me do it.   Significant other? Pft, Peter wishes! But no.   Biggest challenge in relationships? Ensuring that they find my quirks endearing, and not, y’know, frightening. I’m an acquired taste, although I seem to be a fan favorite with early readers of ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY. Go figure!   Where do you live? The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake! It’s disgustingly cute and I love it.   Do you have any enemies? So many! But I’m hoping to accumulate more. You’re not important until you have enemies plotting against you. Top of the list right now is someone whose name I’ll withhold for spoiler reasons, but she’s a lying traitor and I hope she’s eaten by wild Canadian geese. Seriously, they’ll eat anything.   Oh, also there’s one particular Canadian goose who hangs around our office, yeah,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? GHOST ISLAND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Jessica Niemi goes to an isolated island to take some time off but has to face a death woman and a legend of a ghost that keeps haunting the archipelago. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I always wanted to place a story on the Åland archipelago. It’s a marvelous place. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, definitely. It would be really interesting to meet her. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Complex, smart, multidimensional. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Some new facts about the World War II. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I usually write a first version completely and then start to edit. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Finnish salty licorice 9–Describe your writing space/office! It’s a cozy office room with a door I can keep closed while writing. 10–Who is an author you admire? Paul Auster 11–Is there a book that changed your life? Probably The Animal Farm by George Orwell 12–Tell us about when…

Once upon a time, I used to present a writing workshop on “Crafting Killers” to new writers.  Why did I focus my talk on killers? It’s because I think the villains in books are just as important as the protagonists.  A “good” villain can make or break a book. After all, a “good” villain will stay with you long after a story has ended. (Looking at you, Hannibal Lecter!) For today’s post, I thought I’d hit on a few key points when it comes to crafting a powerful villain. I have two main guidelines for villains: Good villains must command attention. A good villain will shock, surprise, and keep a reader on the edge of his/her seat. I believe that every character has a backstory. When a writer starts to create the villain, the villain’s origin has to be understood. Is the villain bad because of nature or nurture? Or a combination of both elements? I encourage authors to ask these questions about their villains: How did your villain come to be so wicked? What turned her/him into this being? Is your villain’s “wickedness” due to nature or nurture? What is the level of evil for this character? After all,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MEDEA 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Of the women who command the pages of Greek Mythology, the sorceress Medea is one of the most maligned and reviled.  Her story, notorious and startling and violent, is one that has historically been framed and biased by the patriarchal antiquity of the society from which it emerged. This retelling allows Medea the space she, as a protagonist, deserves– to be complex and resilient, ruthless, and vulnerable. The daughter of a sea nymph, and the granddaughter of a Titan, Medea is a paradox: she is at once rendered compelling by virtue of the divinity that flows through her bloodline and made powerless by the fact of her being born a woman. As a child, she intuitively submerges herself in the arts of witchcraft and sorcery, but soon finds it may not be a match for the prophecies that hang over her entire family like a shroud. When the strapping hero, Jason appears on the scene, desperate to get his hands on the golden fleece, Medea is forced to reckon with the complexity of her being and decide between love, duty, family, and magic,…

Bombshell by Abbi Glines Darcy and the Enchanted Library: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Monica Fairview Kilo, Book 9, The Alpha Elite Series by Sybil Bartel A Winter’s Miracle, Book 9, A Nantucket Sunset Series by Katie Winters The Offer, (Books 1-3), Book 2, The Billionaire’s Love Story Series by Lily Zante The Wolf Trilogy Box Set by Isabel Jolie Unexpected Cowboy Dad, Book 7, The Men of Stone Ridge Series by Heatherly Bell The Ruthless King, Book 2, The Dark Kings of NYC Series by Juliette N Banks Spicetopia Collection (Books 1-4) by Phoebe Alexander No Man’s Bride, Book 1, Misadventures in Matrimony Series by Shana Galen The Guardians Series: A Romantic Thriller Anthology Books 1-3 by Hope Anika The Wild Lord, Book 1, London Scandals Series by Carrie Lomax The Highlander’s Reward, Book 1, The Stolen Bride Series by Eliza Knight Baking Bad – A Cozy Mystery (With Dragons), Book 1, A Beaufort Scales Mystery by Kim M. Watt The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil A Valentine to Remember by Alexa Riley Requiem, Book 3, Ray Wyatt Series by Rick Mofina Sleeper Agent by John Birmingham Never Bet a Duke: Dukes and Wallflowers, Book 7, Wayward Dukes’…

Hi! I’m Jennifer J. Chow, author of ILL-FATED FORTUNE. Thanks for letting me share about the first book in my Magical Fortune Cookie series! Felicity Jin and her mother run a magical bakery in the quaint town of Pixie, California. Their life is charmed – until a prediction from one of Felicity’s handmade fortune cookies comes true in an unlucky way.   I is for identity. The Jin family identity is tied to their magical baking superpower. L is for long. Felicity has spent years trying to discover her special Jin recipe. L is for luck. One evening, after a bad takeout meal, she lucks out and invents handmade fortune cookies.   F is for Felicity. “Felicity” means happiness, an appropriate name for her because Jin pastries produce joy in others. A is for additional power. With Felicity’s fortune cookies, her personalized predictions come true. T is for trouble. One rude customer receives a very unlucky message. E is for enforcement. Law enforcement comes calling when the customer is murdered. D is for death. His body winds up in the alley behind the bakery. F is for Fortune Cookie King. The dead man happens to be a fortune-cookie-making rival. O…

1–What is the title of your latest release? NIGHT FOR DAY. It’s my first fantasy and set in a different universe than my previous three books. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? You and your ex are stuck in separate magical escape rooms trapped with ghosts and gods, and the only way out is to work together. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Before the pandemic, I was lucky enough to visit London. We stayed in the Westminster area, and this is the setting of Night for Day. I wanted a different cosmopolitan city that my American characters are dropped into. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would totally hang out with Camille and Ward! Granted, I’d prefer to hang out with them after they had figured out their relationship. I don’t think anyone wants to be around two bickering exes unless they’re sadistic. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? For Camille: determined, practical, and driven; while Ward is charming, optimistic, and empathetic. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I’ve learned to stretch beyond my comfort zone. The past three books were magical…