What is the title of your latest release?THE SEANCE GARDEN What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Professor Harper Grae specializes in the history of witchcraft and the occult – and yet she remains skeptical of all things otherworldly. But after stumbling across a body while on a local nighttime ghost tour, she catches sight of something in the victim’s centuries-old adobe mansion she can’t shake – something that’s impossible to explain, at least not rationally. As Harper dives into the history of the mansion in search of answers, she unearths more than a murderer…she must confront a new way of thinking about what might lie beyond the veil. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I was born and raised in coastal California, so I really wanted to set my story in a small-ish town right on the coast…preferably one with a colorful history. Monterey fits the bill! As one of the oldest towns in California (established in 1770) it has seen more than its share of strife, success, and scandal – from the indigenous peoples to the Spanish explorers, the gold rush boomers to the fishing industry workers, bordello madams to world-class aquarium scientists,…

What is the title of your latest release?QUEEN OF SHADOW What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Ruler of wraiths. Healer of hearts. Trainer of warriors. The ancient world of the Celts comes alive in this epic mythological fantasy. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?QUEEN OF SHADOW is a retelling of Irish mythology, part of the Ulster Cycle in particular, so the setting was preordained two thousand plus years ago. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely! Scáthach is wise and witty, powerful and passionate. She’d be a lot of fun to drink with! What are three words that describe your hero?hot, haunted, honorable What’s something you learned while writing this book?I had to do a lot of research for this book, so I learned many things. One thing that took a lot of hunting and researching in particular was finding what battle feats Scáthach trained Cuchulainn to master. I was also fascinated to delve into the symbolic drawings and body art of the Pictish peoples. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?Both! Every night when I begin writing I pull up the manuscript about…

Book Title: HOW TO RUIN A WEDDINGCharacter Name: Lucy How would you describe your family or your childhood?Could be better, could be worse. My parents were great when they paid attention to me, but most of that attention went to my sickly sister. I can’t blame them, though, when she’s been the greatest gift of my life. Well, the food was always good! I do miss my mom’s mofongo. What was your greatest talent?Taking care of dogs. I think they sense how much I love them because they always get attached to me, and I get even more attached to them. Significant other?In my dreams, Michael B. Jordan, in reality, nobody. Biggest challenge in relationships?Keeping them. Where do you live?New York Do you have any enemies?My old boss – who is lucky my aim is slightly off or else that paperweight would have taken out his eyeball. And everyone who has ever wronged my sister. Or mistreated a dog. 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 do love the sound of the faucet always leaking. The landlord never fixes it so…

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 Bal Khabra! Writes:Romance that’s got banter, tension, and the best kind of yearning. Embrace is a sports romance, the final book in an interconnected college hockey romance series. When struggling senior Kian needs help raising his GPA, Scarlett seems like the perfect tutor – except he has no idea she’s the coach’s daughter, or that she’s secretly been crushing on him since freshman year. Tutoring sessions start to blur lines, and their plan to help one another turns into much more. About:A book lover and professional daydreamer. When I’m not glued to my keyboard, juggling thirty different novel ideas, or using banter to convince my characters that they’re perfect for each other, you can catch me dragging unsuspecting souls into the Great Canadian Outdoors for some fresh air (and a little inspiration). When I do write, I love to blend all my favorite things: sports, banter, diversity, and fluff! So, if that sounds like your cup of chai, stick around, and we’ll embark on…

1. Annabel Blake The consensus among those who knew her well, just enough, or even at a glance, was that Annabel Blake was born in the wrong century. She had delicate wrists, skin untouched by sun or ink; preferred upswept hair (though the tendrils fell naturally), wore gauzy pastels and floral prints, preferred sensible flats to heels, and had never once entered a gym voluntarily but could walk miles in a day without a second thought. In the hot, sticky months, she carried a parasol over her head and a light shawl rolled up and tucked into her tote, snug against the stack of books she carried for lunchtime reading, including whichever Austen was currently in rotation. Annabel’s manners were impeccable and her grammar exacting (though she enjoyed a semicolon more than she should). And when baby-doll dresses were the nadir of fashion and not one could be spotted from her stop on Twenty-Third Street to her left turn in midtown, she was known to rock an Empire waist, a ribbon about her neck or hair, and a faraway smile on her naturally rose-colored lips. Annabel Blake knew, better than anyone who knew her, that she’d been born in the…

Life is a gift, yet when you lose a partner, it feels like a punishment. The loss can be all-consuming. The lucky, although it doesn’t feel as if fortune is smiling upon them, are directed to a path they never thought they’d take – a journey they must endure in order to survive. It keeps them going when all they want to do is hide under the covers and disappear for eternity. Until reality sets in and they realize others are dependent upon them leading the way through the forest of tears and fears. Author Sarah Lotz knows the reality of losing her other half and she turned it into something beautiful and dark, warming and heart wrenching, a tribute to the man she loved, a legacy for their children, and a gift to mystery readers. Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Sarah!Sarah: It’s an honor to be here – thank you so much for inviting me and for your fiendishly brilliant questions. I had a blast answering them. Kym: You may have written every mystery writer’s worst nightmare – HOW TO KILL A CRIME WRITER coming true. And yet for you, it truly was a serious source of anxiety…

Sarah Ellison isn’t running from the past – she’s determined to uncover it. A deathbed confession. A murdered brother. A decades-old secret buried in the mountains. As Sarah races to uncover the truth, she’s forced to rely on former Navy SEAL turned wilderness guide Ryder Goodwin – the one man who challenges her resolve at every turn. In the wilderness, silence hides danger… but breaking it could cost them everything. Here’s what WHEN THE SILENCE BREAKS means: W — Wilderness concealing deadly secretsH — Hidden truths tied to her familyE — Evidence long buriedN — No turning back T — Trust built under pressureH — Hearts colliding in crisisE — Every revelation raising the stakes S — Silence surrounding a classified pastI — Inheritance of dangerL — Loyalty testedE — Enemies in the shadowsN — No safe path forwardC — Courage to face the truthE — Everything she loves on the line B — Brother’s murder demanding answersR — Relentless pursuit through rugged terrainE — Emotional walls fallingA — A love neither expectedK — Killer secrets worth killing forS — Silence shattered at last WHEN THE SILENCE BREAKS by Elizabeth Goddard Mercy Ridge #1 A deathbed confession. A decades-old secret. A mountain that holds the answers–and danger closing in.When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather’s deathbed confession connected to her brother’s murder,…

Over the past three weeks, I have been surrounded by milestone birthdays. My northern neighbor hosted a multitude of family and friends to celebrate her granddaughter’s first birthday. It had a cowboy theme. The guest of honor donned a pink hat and matching boots. Her outfit changed hourly but stayed primarily pink. When they moved in, the father of the baby was three. He was a ball of energy, especially around Halloween. I’m in the background of his life but remember the milestones. My southern exposure neighbor’s family hosted her ninetieth birthday. A castle bouncy house appeared in her backyard for her great grandchildren to enjoy. She sat in her favorite chair, glass of wine at the ready, faithful dog at her feet, and greeted her guests like a true grande dame. She told me she feels seventy-five, which I take as a good thing. We’ve been together for a few decades, so I share many memories with these two neighbors. The passage of a husband, parents, siblings, and sadly, children. Both have an all are welcome attitude. That added to the success of their parties. After a full afternoon and evening, everyone left fed body and soul. Via text,…

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.

Book Title: WEIRDOS WELCOMECharacter Name: Rae How would you describe your family or your childhood?You would ask me that. Honestly, that’s personal. And it makes me uncomfortable. How do I know I can even trust you with this information? What was your greatest talent?My brain sets me apart from the pack. I look at things from a different view than most. People sometimes hate me for that. That bothers me. Like a lot. I want to learn all I can about certain subjects. I may infodump about these special interests of mine, but hello? If I’m telling you about what excites me then trust me, it means that I respect and even love you. Some call it “out of the box” thinking, which sounds weird to me because what’s supposed to be in the box? Or is the box empty? Confusing. Significant other?Wow. You really don’t care about boundaries, do you? I don’t know if this boy I like is a significant other yet. You know what else? I’m not sure I’m even ready for a significant other. Biggest challenge in relationships?I realize I have made quite a few mistakes in my personal life. I almost lost my bestie because…