1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BLACK CRESCENT   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? 1950s Morocco, a young man finds himself caught between love and war as the country rises against the French protectorate.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve spent 18 years living between Cornwall and Morocco, and I know and love the country and its people well. I’d come upon a photo of a stunning young woman in immodest dress in Casablanca and wanted to tell her story.   4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I may have married my protagonist! Joking aside, Hamou shares a lot of Abdel’s characteristics: I love him.   5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Charismatic, decent, conflicted.   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That the French built a kitsch Moroccan theme park in Casablanca that served as a brothel for its soldiers and administrators.   7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? As a professional editor, I find it hard not to nitpick at my drafts as I go. I am trying to…

Book Title: MARRYING THE NANNY Character Name: Emma Wright   How would you describe your family or your childhood? In a lot of ways, I had a very privileged upbringing. The northern tip of the South Island in New Zealand is a beautiful part of the world. My parents were professionals, so we had all the perks of upper-middle class—a sailboat and a membership at the club. That wealth and status turned my brother into the biggest d!ckhead alive. He teased (bullied) me constantly and encouraged his wife to use me as unpaid daycare. I did all the running around for our parents, but I thought that was just part of being a family. Then I learned that my brother knew my husband was cheating on me and never told me. I might have got over that eventually, but our parents were friends with my ex’s parents, so it turned into a whole thing at Christmas. I was the excluded from my brother’s ‘so it wouldn’t be awkward.’ That was the last straw. I sold everything and moved to Canada.   What was your greatest talent? At the time? I was pretty good at selling houses, but I walked away…

1–What is the title of your latest release? KILT TRIP 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? All travel consultant Addie needs is one glance at Logan in a kilt to realize how she’s going to save his sightseeing company—did somebody say, Outlander Tour? But Logan isn’t handing over the reins of his family’s business to anyone, least of all a tartan-drunk American his father hired. Sparks fly in a castle with dark corners, blurring Addie and Logan’s battle lines. They can’t afford distractions, but how can Addie do her job if she hasn’t explored all Scotland—and Logan—have to offer? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I studied abroad in Scotland, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life. I fell deeply in love with Edinburgh and the Highlands and while it was many years before I even dreamed of writing a book, I knew without a doubt, my first stories would be set in Scotland. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Addie would be the perfect travel buddy! 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Rugged, thoughtful, earnest 6–What’s something you learned while…

Ode to my Family by the Cranberries This song has the most direct connection to the book since it’s a favorite of the character Brett. It’s mentioned several times throughout the novel, and not only do I think that it’s a truly beautiful song, but it’s also perfect in terms of the themes of THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD. This is a novel all about family: our connections to the people and places we come from and also the painful mark those people can leave on us (and we can leave on them). This particular tune carries all those themes so well. Sadly, it’s also a haunting tune of its own now since the loss of lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. I still miss her, and I’m still so sad that she left us far too soon. At least we all have her legacy of such gorgeous music and such a gorgeous voice to cherish.   The Other Side by Sirenia My husband introduced me to this song, specifically because it reminded him of the relationship between the main character Talitha who escaped her ghostly neighborhood and her little sister Sophie who’s still trapped there. It’s such an evocative tune, and although…

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 Kevin G. Chapman.   Writes: I write mystery/suspense/thrillers, always with elements of humor (and often romance), and usually including subtle (and often not so subtle) commentary on social justice issues. My latest, THE OTHER MURDER, is a murder (obviously) mystery featuring two journalists as well as a pair of homicide detectives. Cable-TV producer Hannah Hawthorne scores a scoop the night of Angelica Monroe’s murder in Washington Square Park. She and her network light the flame of a media frenzy as every news outlet latches onto the tragic story of the 19-year-old NYU student who was brutally gunned down on a warm spring evening. It’s a coup for Hannah, who runs with the story, looking for the next angle. Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, an 18-year-old Latino basketball player with a history of gang membership is also gunned down. While the national media pours over Angelica Monroe’s murder, Javier Estrada is ignored, except by Paulo Richardson, a print journalist from a neighborhood…

The Wickedness of a Highlander, Book 4, Midnight in Scotland Series by Elisa Braden Zombie Fallout 22: Bridging the Gap by Mark Tufo Cruises Can Be Murder: A Girl and Her Dog Cozy Mystery, Book 22, Charlie Parker New Mexico Mystery Series by Connie Shelton The Last Duke She’d Marry, Book 3, Scoundrels of Mayfair Series by Anna Campbell The Empty Throne by Megan Derr Nerdy Boy, Book 3, More Than Two Series by West Greene Caution Contents Are Hot by Sandra Alex In Her Name: Red Legion by Michael R. Hicks Lust: A Vampire and Werewolf Power-Couple Romance by Candace Blevins Creeps, Cache, & Corpses, Book 7, Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries by Mary Seifert     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…

Military Men, Military Men Series by Shelley Munro Silver Spoon MC Collection: Loni’s Crew by Loni Ree Already Gone by Diane Benefiel The Offer (Books 1-3), Book 2, The Billionaire’s Love Story Series by Lily Zante His Diamond, Book 3, His & Hers Series by Charlotte Russell Darcy and the Enchanted Library: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Monica Fairview Bombshell by Abbi Glines Secrets of the Specter by Molly Fitz No Man’s Bride, Book 1, Misadventures in Matrimony Series by Shana Galen Spicetopia Collection (Books 1-4) by Phoebe Alexander The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil Betting On Her by Alexa Riley The Protectors Unlimited, Shifter Protectors Box Sets by Keira Blackwood The Stone of Knowing Complete Set by Allan N. Packer Whispered Words, Book 3, PowerUp! Series by Marie Harte Kilo, Book 9, The Alpha Elite Series by Sybil Bartel Never Bet a Duke: Dukes and Wallflowers, Book 7, Wayward Dukes’ Alliance Series by Alyssa Drake The Alpha’s Inferno, Book 2, Shifters of Grey Ridge Series by Reece Barden The Witch Collector, Book 1, Witch Walker Series by Charissa Weaks The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery Collection II, Books 5-7 by Kassandra Lamb   Each Friday the Smashwords store…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A HAUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A gothic thriller about a woman captured on a whaling ship in 1901, and a group of explorers who set out to explore the wreck of the ship in 2023, which is said to be haunted… 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I have loved Iceland ever since I went to Reykjavik in 2019 to teach for a few days at the University. When I pictured the shipwreck of the story in my mind, it was always in the Westfjords, on Iceland’s northwest coast, close to the Arctic circle – interestingly, there is a real wreck of an old whaling ship in the Westfjords, which I got to explore. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’m not sure – Nicky is a little prim, though she’s a badass, and Dominique is very paranoid. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Dominique is angry, scared, and bold. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Whaling ships used to be double hulled to break through Arctic ice. That particular…

Sherlock Holmes has his mind palace, which sounds rather grand. My Muse has an old Victorian mansion—a little dusty, a little weathered, with enough rooms to make things interesting. One room has a meadow for the unicorns and a mountain or two for the dragons. Another has battlefields and dark possibilities for the future. There’s even a spaceship around here somewhere. So come in and have a look at what the Muse and I have shaped over the years. Don’t mind the creaking floors and stiff doors. There is always a way out, even if it’s not always the way you came in. You noticed the curtain on the top floor that looked like it had been pulled back by a pale hand? Don’t worry about that. The ghosts are playful. Most of them, anyway. Let’s start with a room I’ve returned to many times over the years. The Fairy Tales were among the earliest stories I wrote because retelling a fairy tale in a different way is like painting a room a different color and rearranging the furniture. The frame and the walls are already there, but when you explore something a little bit different within those boundaries, a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? TRAPPED IN YOSEMITE   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The quiet of the Yosemite wilderness is about to become the epicenter of a massive earthquake, trapping witness Stella Rivers in a deadly game of cat and mouse. It’s up to her ex-fiancé Von Sharpe, along with his team of Mountain Wilderness Guides and their dogs to fend off a killer dead set on destruction.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Yosemite is a special place for the Mentink clan. Every time I visit, I think it’s so incredible it hardly seems real. Such a grand setting seems the perfect place for a life-or-death struggle, don’t you think?   4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Probably, but only in the city. If she’s fighting for her life in the wilderness, I’d be absolutely no help. She’s on her own in that case.   5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Determined, intelligent, vulnerable   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? John Muir loved Yosemite and he explored as much as he could. Often, he’d set out…