Instead of trying to find your perfect match in 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 Kari Lee Townsend!   Writes: Humorous paranormal cozy mysteries! ROAD TRIP TO RUIN is the second crossover book of the Sunny Meadows & Kalli Ballas mystery series. Kalli is from Clearview, CT. She and her boyfriend, Detective Nik Stevens, met Sunny and her husband, Detective Mitch Stone, on a cruise in the first crossover CRUISING INTO DANGER. Murder happens in the Bermuda Triangle and the detectives ban together to solve the mystery while Sunny and Kalli stir up all sorts of trouble as they do a little investigating of their own. This time it’s Kalli’s turn to visit Sunny’s hometown of Divinity, NY where murder happens with Kalli being the prime suspect. Her detective boyfriend shows up to help, but when her big fat Greek family arrives, they stir up trouble bigger than the size of Ma’s beehive hairdo.   About: If you like a little bit of romance, lots of laughs, cute pets, fun small towns, and one or more mysteries with plenty…

1–What is the title of your latest release? EFFIE OLSEN’S SUMMER SPECIAL   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s a friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance mashup that takes place in a high-end restaurant. Think” The Bear, but cozier, and featuring the cutest darn Maine-raised MMC you’ve ever met.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’m a New England gal through and through (I live in Vermont), and lately, I have been feeling so inspired by the beauty of my region. I’ve been wanting to “save” a Vermont setting for a farm-centered story, and Maine felt like a natural fit for a restaurant romance.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? TBH, I’d be pretty intimidated by her! Effie is a real-deal chef, who’s been in the restaurant industry for years. I’ve been in the food journalism for most of my career. I don’t know if I could hang tough with Ms. Olsen.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Willing to grow.   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned SO much about writing a three-dimensional MMC/love interest. I was so focused on…

Hi! I’m Elle Marr, author of five thrillers, and I’m excited to share a little about my latest psychological thriller THE ALONE TIME. Two sisters, Fiona and Violet, survived a plane crash that killed their parents twenty-five years ago. Now, when a true crime documentary filmmaker begins digging into the past, they must face the secrets they left buried in the woods. This story has twist after twist, with an antagonist that will surprise even the most well-read thriller lover. It’s also loosely inspired by my own experience with a plane crash when I was a kid.   T is for travel. Fiona and Violet swear off it after they are rescued from the Washington wilderness. H is for Henry. Henry is Fiona and Violet’s father, and the pilot of the passenger plane that crash landed in the forest. E is for explorers. True story: in the 1800’s, a band of explorers got lost in the Olympic National Park, the same location in which Fiona and Violet were stranded. It took the explorers six months to find their way out.   A is for art. As an adult, Fiona has channeled her trauma into creative expression, through her modern art installations in…

Hi Fresh Fiction Readers! I hope you enjoy this exclusive sneak peek at THE SALOON GIRL’S ONLY SHOT. It’s Denver, 1859. After a brawl in the saloon, Temperance has been fired (again!) and told to leave the shack she shares with two other saloon girls. It’s a cold night and she has nowhere to go—unless a good Samaritan takes her in? Owen is the hero, an aspiring saloonkeeper, and Clarence is his dog.   Temperance’s hands were shaking as much from upset and fear as the cold. She firmly tied her bonnet into place and stepped outside. The wind nearly cut her in half. As she came toward the street, a dark shadow peeled itself away from the side of the saloon. “I’m armed, sir,” she lied in her most threatening voice. “With what?” Owen asked. “A spare petticoat and a bar of soap?” “You. Why are you so determined to ruin my life?” “Last I checked, I keep saving it. Come on. I’ll take you to my room.” His silhouette turned to start across the front of the saloon where light spilled from the window. “That is very presumptuous.” She stood her ground. “We are square. I owe you…

H is for…Heroine. Phee, the last of the Templeton sisters to get her happily-ever-after is at the heart of this story, finally gets her chance in the spotlight. E is for…Eloquent. James begins to see Phee in a new light after she eloquently scolds him for his poor treatment of Lord Gilbert. It’s the first time he truly sees her, and it leads them down the path of love. R is for…Romance. What else? E is for…Entranced. James doesn’t expect to fall in love with a lady like Euphemia Templeton, but it isn’t long before she’s all he can think about.   C is for…Caress. What’s a love story, without a few stolen kisses and caresses? O is for…Ogle. It’s not polite to ogle a lady, but can one truly expect otherwise from a gentleman in love? M is for…Magical. Can a love story be anything less, when two people who believe they’ll never fall in love become each other’s soul mate? E is for…Embrace. Once Phee and James fall into each other’s arms, there is no going back. S is for…Sweet, because James, for all that he’s a bit of a grump at first, is a cinnamon roll hero…

I’ve spent a lot of time on the French Riviera, starting when I was chosen for a special writers’ residency, and I returned again and again, often as a scriptwriter attending various film festivals and television conferences. It gave me time to immerse myself in the history, culture and cuisine of the South of France.     I simply fell in love with the Cote d’Azur, and I got to know the fine people who ran a Grand Hotel which became what they called my home away from home. I explored the famous Riviera landmarks and the not-so-known little villages, as well as the enticing food markets and local restaurants. Then I started digging into the history of the Cannes Film Festival, and, lo and behold, I stumbled over a nugget of history that was “hiding in plain sight” which inspired me to write my novel, The Girl from the Grand Hotel.     I learned that, while most people assume that the very first Festival de Cannes was the 1946 one, actually, the whole thing began in 1939. That summer, boatloads of big-name Hollywood stars arrived for the pre-opening festivities, and they ensconced themselves in the very best hotels,…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE FUNERAL CRYER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The Funeral Cryer tells the story of an unnamed woman in a remote village in China who cries at funerals for a living. Her fellow villagers shun her as they believe she carries a deadly atmosphere. She leads a mundane and isolated life and her jobless husband does not appreciate her hard work. She goes to the barbershop regularly and gradually she is attracted to the barber, who is a newcomer in her village. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Professional mourning is a dying tradition in China – it mainly exists in remote areas now, so a village setting without convenient transport and where everyone knows everyone seemed an ideal place for the story to take place. I interviewed some friends who are from villages in Northeast China, and West Mud River Village, the village in the book, is actually the name of a real village; I based my story village on its details. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes. I’d tell her she doesn’t carry a deadly atmosphere…

In SPRING HARVEST, my latest thriller, a group of friends travel to a remote farm town to attend a music festival only to discover the town has been overrun by vampires. Music isn’t just a backdrop in the book; it’s a vibrant, living character that embodies the chaotic beauty of the novel’s setting. The music festival the characters attend—called the Garlic Groove Food and Music Festival—mirrors the likes of well-known festivals like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Electric Daisy Carnival, and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. To further enhance the reader experience, I even incorporated fictional bands within the story that could rival any real-life headline act, and I also included a “Garlic Groove Playlist” at the very end of the book. Below are five of the songs I included in my book’s playlist along with my reasoning and thoughts as to why they fit so well within SPRING HARVEST.   I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version) — Taylor Swift When Spring Harvest first opens, we’re thrust into a tense road trip to the Garlic Groove Festival, with main character Alix Summerlin and her sweet by bitter ex-boyfriend Logan navigating the fresh wounds of a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE KISS COUNTDOWN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When a struggling event planner and a sinfully hot astronaut strike a deal to fake date for three months, they must decide if a real relationship is worth a shot at happily-ever-after. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? While NASA has quite a few space centers in the US, Houston with its Johnson Space Center has always held a special place in my heart. I love the culture and food, and have visited often since I was a kid, so it was an easy decision to set the story there! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes! I think my main character, Amerie, would be a lot of fun to be around. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Cautious, snarky, loving. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned about the rigorous training astronauts have to endure. They put in so many hours, so they’ll be able to perform not only physically, but mentally as well. And many of them know Russian! 7–Do you edit as you…

Book Title: HAPPY MEDIUM Character Name: Everett   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Borrrrring. It was just farm work, sun up to sun down. Only time I had any fun was when I got to go to the pictures in town.   What was your greatest talent? Besides charming ladies? Acting, of course! I was born for the silver screen.   Significant other? I wasn’t one for going steady.   Biggest challenge in relationships? Well, nowadays the fact that no one except Gretchen can see or hear me, and that I can’t make physical contact with anyone without temporarily disappearing. That definitely gets in the way of things.   Where do you live? Gilded Creek Goat Farm. Forever and ever. Thanks a lot, Great Aunt Lucretia.   Do you have any enemies? I mean, I wouldn’t have many nice things to say to Aunt Lucretia if she reappeared, that’s for sure. Also dead remote batteries. And that one goat that always stares at me funny. I don’t like her either.   How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this…