1–What is the title of your latest release? A RIGHT WORTHY WOMAN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Do you know who the first female banker in America was? She was Maggie Lena Walker, who chartered a bank in Richmond Virginia in 1903. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The book is based on historical facts and the city Richmond in Virginia is where everything takes place. Jackson Ward a prominent African American community was the original “Wall Street of the South.” 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely, she was amazing, and she could possibly teach me a lot about life and leadership. She had a distinct intuition about people and how to maneuver in a time when things were not ideal for women especially those of color. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Bold, Brave, Fearless and Intelligent 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Good research takes time. All facts should be validated. Also, I learned a lot about dealing with people who should be an adversary, however, in all situations it is possible to make them a supporter. 7–Do you edit…

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 Sheryl Lister!   Writes:  Sheryl Lister  writes award-winning contemporary romance and women’s fiction featuring multi-faceted, intelligent, strong and slightly flawed characters. Enjoy stories that celebrate the beauty and complexities of friendship and sisterhood, and the navigate the sometimes rocky path to love and fulfillment. About:  Sheryl Lister has enjoyed reading and writing for as long as she can remember. She is a former pediatric occupational therapist with over twenty years of experience and often says she “played” for a living. A California native, Sheryl is a wife, mother of three daughters and a son-in-love, and grandmother to two special boys. When she’s not writing, Sheryl can be found on a date with her husband or in the kitchen whipping up delicious meals and desserts to satisfy her inner foodie. The ideal reader for NO RESERVATIONS will love: The joy of having sister-friends. The willingness to reach for dreams, despite adversity. To experience an emotional rollercoaster. A girls trip. Found family.   What to expect…

1–What is the title of your latest release? IF THE DUKE DARES, it’s the first book in my new Rogue Rules series about a group of girlfriends who band together to make a list of rules about how to steer clear of rogues after one of them is ruined by one. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Oops, I gave a little away above, lol, but for this book, it’s: When a rakish duke encounters his runaway betrothed, she’ll stop at nothing to ensure they never wed. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I envisioned the group of girlfriends meeting while on a summer holiday at a coastal town in England during the Regency. I wanted to use something with proximity to Bath as I’d planned to set a few books there, so I chose Weston (now called Weston-super-mare) on the western coast of England. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would absolutely hang out with the heroine, Persephone. We’d absolutely be friends! And I’d be friends with the hero too, especially once he reforms himself—can’t have him besmirching my reputation, lol. 5–What are three words that…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE DIABOLICAL 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Bruno Johnson is a wanted fugitive – and unless he helps the Costa Rican police, they’re turning him in. Bruno has to juggle the safety of his family while trying to solve a multiple murder. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? In the end of the first Bruno Johnson book, The Disposables, Bruno, his wife Marie and his father flee with some rescued children to Costa Rica to hide from the law. Books two through ten Bruno returns to the States to rescue others. Book eleven, The Diabolical is the first book set entirely in Costa Rica. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Oh, without a doubt. I love to write his point of view and love his moral compass. I could easily sit down with him and just let him tell stories from his past. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Loyal, honorable, and moral. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I always shied away from setting a book in Costa Rica because I wasn’t comfortable working…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SEX ROMP GONE WRONG 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s a collection of short stories about women and girls navigating relationships, love, desire, sex, motherhood, work, marriage, female friendship—all the things. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Most of the stories happen in my home state of North Carolina. Place is so important to me—not just the various people and cultures of a place, but the trees and flowers, the topography, the light in the sky. It all affects how I, and my characters, see and feel the world. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d hang out with any of my protagonists except the one who kills somebody. I’d keep my distance from her. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Funny. Wanting. Messy. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? What an elegant, rich, variable form the short story is! And how difficult it is to write a good one. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Both. I edit as I draft. I can’t help myself. I just…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WHEN SHE LEFT   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A young couple fleeing a criminal family is chased by an assassin / realtor in this heart-pounding thriller. And, yes, that’s “assassin / realtor.”   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My books almost always take place in the region I live, and I’ve lived at the intersection of DC, Maryland, and Virginia for the past few decades.   4–What are three words that describe your main character? I have three protagonists, but Lucky Wilson is the assassin / realtor, so he’s the one people want to know about. I’d say family, violent, and Christmas.   5–Which side character stole your attention the most from the main storyline? One of the characters in the young couple, Jake Smith, has a troublesome mother named Ruby. I liked writing her, but I’ve been surprised at how much early readers have vibed with her.   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? This book was less violent than my other books and, while violence has always been important for me to capture in crime fiction, it…

Book Title: A KILLER ROMANCE Character Name: Summer Merriweather   How would you describe your family or your childhood? I grew up on St. Brigids Island, with a single mom who ran and owned Beach Reads, a bookstore located on the boardwalk. I grew to hate the store. But now I’m running it. Funny, that.   What was your greatest talent? A quick wit and a smart moth that often got me into trouble.   Significant other? No.   Biggest challenge in relationships? Trust.   Where do you live? I’m back in St. Brigids.   Do you have any enemies? No person that I know of. But my mortal enemy is spiders.   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 place? I’ve grown to love my home all over again, After being away for years, I love the community and the bookstore.   Do you have children, pets, both, or neither? I inherited my mom’s African Grey, Mr. Darcy.   What do you do for a living? Run the bookstore, though I am a Shakespeare professor, by profession.   Greatest disappointment? Losing…

The Wickedness of a Highlander, Book 4, Midnight in Scotland Series by Elisa Braden Worlds Apart: A Novella by Elizabeth Hunter Leave Me: Nick & Elissa #1, Book 7, Badger Creek Duet Series by Claire Raye The Alpha’s Son, Book 21, The Alpha Shifter Collection by Sam Crescent Shadow Mark by Nancey Cummings Tales of the High Court: Collected Short Stories by Megan Derr The Bloodstone Rebellion by Thomas K. Carpenter Adam, Book 6, Devils on Horseback Series by Beth Williamson Good Vibes Only, Book 5, Iron on Iron Series by Gregory Ashe Wolf Agent, Book 2, Shadow of the Moon Series by Mac Flynn     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….

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE MISSING WITNESS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? LAPD Detective Kara Quinn, currently on loan to the FBI, returns to Los Angeles to testify against the human trafficker who took a hit out on her last year. But when the suspect is killed and a government whistleblower disappears, Kara realizes there’s a deadly conspiracy reaching into the highest branches of city government, and possibly the FBI. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The Missing Witness is the fifth book in the Quinn & Costa series. I always knew that one of the books would bring Kara back to LA. In book one (The Third to Die), Kara is on administrative leave because of an officer involved shooting. When she’s set to return, she learns her partner was killed and her identity leaked by the press – effectively putting a price on her head. So she was loaned to the FBI’s Mobile Response Team. Now, she has to return to LA to testify. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? The Quinn & Costa series has an ensemble cast. While Kara…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BOY WITH THE STAR TATTOO 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Sharon, an assistant to an Israeli naval officer stationed in Normandy, France, is intent on tracing his orphan roots to the French village from where he had been rescued post-WWII. When she identifies the mother who had tragically lost him, Sharon is unprepared for the shock of her discovery. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It decided for me. Once I glimpsed the road sign “Cherbourg” while traveling in northern France, I knew that one day I would write about the daring Israeli action that had taken place there in 1969. As the story developed, though, my research led me also to the Loire Valley as a second thread. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely! She would be my BFF. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Feisty, vulnerable, determined. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned, yet again, that I enjoy asking questions as much as I enjoy finding the answers. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are…