Book Title: IRIS KELLY DOESN’T DATE Character Name: Iris Kelly   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Loud. I’m the middle kid of three, and let’s just say my brother Aiden and my sister Emma probably spit up diamonds when they were babies. They’ve always had it together, had a plan, while I’m the kid who cussed out my high assistant principal about the patriarchal dress code. I tried to be well-behaved, I did, but I’ve just never been good at keeping my mouth shut, and, well, seems like well-behaved people never really get to have much fun. And I do like fun. My parents loved me—still do—but they’re not sure what to do with me. Never have been, and you know, that’s okay. I know what to do with me.   What was your greatest talent? Oh wow, I’ve got so many. I can draw pretty well. Owned a paper shop for a while and designed planners, some of them custom made for clients. Had to close that down though, and now I write romance. Yeah, go ahead and laugh. But I’m pretty decent at it…until I ran up against some writer’s block, but it’ll be…

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 Diane Kelly!   Writes: Cozy mysteries featuring curious, perceptive, and resourceful women and their furry, four-footed sidekicks. Plotlines feature unusual methods of murder and intriguing clues, and often involve some fascinating forensics. Handsome heroes play secondary roles, and there’s lots of humor, too. In SNOW PLACE FOR MURDER, an avalanche of trouble befalls recently divorced lodgekeeper Misty Murphy when a guest is found dead and buried in the snow outside her Mountaintop Lodge in North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Solving a murder is a slippery slope but, with the help of her hunky handyman, she’s determined to find out who put her guest on ice.   About: “Mom” to two adorable yet demanding dogs and five frisky felines, I can most often be found in a lounge chair on my deck, sunning my legs while concocting humorous whodunnits on my laptop. When not writing, I enjoy hiking the wooded trails near my home in central North Carolina, or in the mountains in the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LAST APPLICANT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s an emotional thrill ride about two women whose lives take a dangerous turn in the high-stakes arena of private school admissions. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? For this particular book, it was a no-brainer. Once I got going with the concept, I knew it had to be set in Manhattan. Not every book idea serves you an obvious and perfect setting, but this one did. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d hang out with either or both of them, and I’d probably see a lot more of myself in them than I should admit here. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Audrey: gives-no-fucks, driven, wounded. Sarah: desperate, loyal, surprising. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That I am in love with italics and em-dashes, and it will be my life-long struggle to curb my usage of them. In all seriousness: I learned that my storytelling skills were at least somewhat translatable from writing young adult to adult, and that I could stretch myself more…

Though I’d read many of Agatha Christie’s mysteries decades ago, I began rereading them when Covid disrupted our lives. Murder was more comforting than the world around us. After deciding to focus my 9th mystery on an amateur production of Christie’s play, THE MOUSETRAP, I delved into Christie’s life and career and educated myself about play production. Below I describe five books I used as resources, all of them fascinating reads. But first, a little about my book, A PARFAIT CRIME, and its relation to Christie’s play. THE MOUSETRAP, the longest running stage production in the world, opened in 1952 in London and is still drawing audiences. It’s also a staple of community theaters, like the one in A PARFAIT CRIME. I’ve seen the play twice and remember its scary moments and its stunning ending. To avoid spoiling that experience for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it, I reveal the minimum about the plot and nothing about Christie’s culprit in the scenes where my characters rehearse. ​​The book begins as café manager Val joins her grandfather in rehearsals, replacing cast member Jane, who died in an arson fire. Sweet Jane was known for the parfaits she served. After skeletal remains are found…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SANCTUARY MOTEL, first in a new series from Level Best Books 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Mess Hopkins, proprietor of the seen-better-days Fairfax Manor Inn, never met a person in need who couldn’t use a helping hand—his helping hand. So he’s thrown open the doors of the motel to the homeless, victims of abuse, or anyone else who could benefit from a comfy bed with clean sheets and a roof overhead. When a mother and her teenage boy seek refuge from an abusive husband, Mess takes them in. Shortly after arriving, the mom goes missing and some very bad people come sniffing around, searching for money they claim belongs to them. Mess tries to pump the boy for helpful information, but he’s in full uncooperative teen mode—grunts, shrugs, and monosyllabic answers. It’s not long before the boy vanishes too. Abducted? Run away? Something worse? And who took the missing money? Mess, friend Vell Jackson, and local news reporter Lia Katsaros take to the streets to locate the missing mother and son—and the elusive, abusive husband—before the kneecapping loan sharks find them first. 3–How did you decide where your book…

Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of two ongoing series: the Bibliophile Mysteries featuring San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright, whose rare book restoration skills uncover old secrets, treachery and murder; and the Fixer-Upper Mysteries (as seen on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), featuring Shannon Hammer, a home contractor who discovers not only skeletons in her neighbors’ closets, but murder victims, too. Her latest Bibliophile Mystery is THE TWELVE BOOKS OF CHRISTMAS.   There are a lot of fabulous Christmas mystery books on the shelves. One of the things we love about Christmas books of any genre is the familiarity of the traditions. Reading about a familiar tradition is like hearing a beloved song—it immerses us immediately in the feeling of a happy memory. When I sat down to write THE TWELVE BOOKS OF CHRISTMAS, I made sure to include lots of the cozy holiday traditions that readers expect and want. I mean, just look at the cover! This scene comes straight from the book and is wonderfully drenched in all things Christmas. But the readers who pick up my books also crave knowledge—they want to be entertained, yes, but they also want to learn something. And they’re voracious….

Gilded Curses, Book 9, The Shadow Realms Series by Brenda K. Davies Too Good to Be True by Kristen Ashley Spymaster, Book 18, Dragon Knights Series by Bianca D’Arc Zombie Fallout 21: The Burden of Time by Mark Tufo Reborn by Seth Haddon Grump Next Door, Book 9, Love Next Door Series by Sam Crescent Devil In Boots by Stacey Marie Brown Ouch! My Vampire Doms Built a Scary Dungeon, Book 3, My Vampire Doms Series by Calista Jayne Wicked and Wild by Evangeline Anderson Splintered Vows, Book 1, Desecrated Love Trilogy by Jade Marshall and Sofia Aves   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…

Queen of Chaos, Book 5, Legacy of the Nine Realms Series by Amelia Hutchins Never Again by R.L. Mathewson The Beckmeyer Family Complete Collection by Bree Kraemer Attired in Highland Gold, Book 15, Colors of Scandal Series by Sandra Sookoo To Dream of a Highlander, Book 2, The Highland Fire Chronicles by Samantha Holt Bratva Bully by Sam Crescent Towering Contract by Alexa Riley Sunshine Avenue, Book 2, Crown Island Series by Jan Moran The Witch Collector, Book 1, Witch Walker Series by Charissa Weaks Married to Krampus, My Holiday Tails Series by Marina Simcoe Delta, Book 8, The Alpha Elite Series by Sybil Bartel Absolute Vengeance, Book 1, Alex Shepherd Series by C.W. Lemoine The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil Watching From the Shadows, Book 6, Trident Security Series by Samantha Cole Save Me, Book 3, Phoenix Series by Stacey Kennedy Haunted Sweets, Book 17, Samantha Sweet Magical Cozy Mystery Series by Connie Shelton Tuck & Roll, Book 4, Sons of Redemption MC Series by Shay Michaelson Just Once by Lori Handeland Under the Harvest Moon by Bluestocking Belles Welcome to Fae Café by Jennifer Kropf     Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A SUMMER MORNING 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Hi, I’m Anne Leigh Parrish. In my 13th book, A Summer Morning, Timothy Dugan has problems. His girlfriend wants a baby. He hates his job. He can’t quit booze. His parents are divorced—not the problem—they are about to get remarried, to each other—that’s the problem! Oh, and someone from his past just resurfaced who could ruin everything in his life. Will Timothy recover from his addiction and save his relationships? A Summer Morning publishes October 3rd from Unsolicited Press. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This novel, like much of my fiction, is set in Dunston, New York, a stand-in for Ithaca, where I was born and raised. I can’t seem to get away from writing about this place, though I haven’t lived there for over fifty years! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? To be honest, no! Timothy Dugan is a slow-moving train wreck that is gradually gaining speed. He’s not a terrible person, but he’s awfully self-indulgent and self-absorbed for my taste. 5–What are three words that describe your…

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 Joanna Morgan!   Writes: Emotional, steamy romance with unique paranormal beings. Escape from real life & see through the veil to hidden worlds. Go on adventures, overcome danger, and fall in love forever after! This is book 3 in a series of elemental warrior romances but can be read as a stand-alone. If you already read BURN or RISE, you’re going to absolutely love CRUSH! Micah is my favorite hero, and many readers agree.   About: Joanna Morgan is a hybrid author who writes paranormal romance. She loves reading, chocolate, and the magic of nature. She’s an awkward introvert and chronic daydreamer. Lover of puns & pastries. Hopeless romantic? Nope. HOPEFUL romantic. I love love and all things romance.   Readers might be compatible with me if: You loved the Black Dagger Brotherhood (at least the first few books) and want that vibe with other paranormal beings. The idea of fate & true love. Yes, you’re destined to meet your one true love. When…