1–What is the title of your latest release? MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A novelist who has had horrible writer’s block for years receives a mysterious inheritance from her aunt and is whisked off to the south of France where she stands to be gifted a villa, an incredible writer’s retreat, and a whole new life. All she has to do is stare down her writer’s block long enough to write a novel in 6 months.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I spent eight months on the French Riviera in 2018 and it was so beautiful, vivid, and energizing that I knew after that year I would write a novel where a plus-sized character would go there and absolutely live her version of her best life. It felt destined and a no-brainer to me that I’d set the book in the south of France—it’s just so gorgeous there!   4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely. Poppy and I would have the best conversations ever.   5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Bold. Fierce. Earnest.   6–What’s something you…

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 J’nell Ciesielski!   Writes: Historical fiction? Check! Hefty doses of romance? Double check! Dashes of action and adventure? You bet! Happily ever after? Always! My two favorite things to do when telling a story is choosing a little-known bit of historical trivia and asking the question “what if?”. Even better if I get to combine them in the same story. My latest release, TO FREE THE STARS, is the second part in the Jack and Ivy duology and asks the question “what if the Winter Soldier fell in love?” You see, I was watching Captain America one too many times and suddenly I had to find out what happens if a brain-washed assassin falls in love. In the first book, THE BRILLIANCE OF STARS, we see Jack and Ivy falling in love, but it’s book two where their relationship is pushed to the limit and there are more questions to explore. How does a relationship survive when the person you married is no longer…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ENCHANTED TO MEET YOU   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A handsome stranger shows up in plus-sized witch Jessica’s clothing boutique to tell her that she’s the Chosen One, and only she can save her small town from destruction by an evil force. But is he telling the truth? And how is he so cute?   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I like to write books set in places I’ve actually been so I can get all the details right—unless of course it’s a made-up country like Genovia. This time around, I chose Connecticut. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Fairfield area—which West Harbor, where my heroine lives, is modeled on!   4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! As the owner of a clothing boutique possessing the magical power to pick out the perfect outfit for anyone, Jessica, my heroine, would be an invaluable friend to anyone!   5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Smart, quirky, kind   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I had no idea the first people…

Your book, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS, is about a medium and ghosts. What made you write about these things? Do you have a fascination with the paranormal? Do you enjoy shows about ghosts? I love the re-enactments but find the “ghost hunter” type shows kind of goofy. I grew up in a very rural, superstitious part of the UK and being told ghost stories – in fact my mum’s side of the family insist they lived in a haunted house for years – but I don’t actually believe in ghosts myself. But I love horror, I love ghost stories. They tell us so much about ourselves! They’re always an expression of something else, I find. What you’re scared of, what you’re haunted by, is very honest, and it’s obviously usually shaped by the local area and its history as well. Where I live now, in Cork in Ireland, if someone says they were “haunted” it means they were lucky – “Managed to get the Taylor Swift tickets! We were only haunted.” That’s pretty cool.   I do actually love the “ghost hunter” shows because of how goofy they are! They’re the kind of mediums Claire wishes she could be – they put…

Book Title: BRYNN AND SEBASTIAN HATE EACH OTHER Character Name: Sebastian Sudworth   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Huh. You don’t waste any time, do you? Just diving right on in. Okay, let’s see. Family…childhood…I mean, it was fine, I guess. Better than some, certainly. I grew up all over the place, owing to my dad being a diplomat, of sorts. I’m the youngest of three boys, and we were brought up to love baseball and America and to look for opportunities to fulfill our civic duties. I wouldn’t say my mother was exactly maternal, but she loved us a lot. That has never been in question. And we had nannies and housekeepers to fill in the gaps. Sorry if that all sounds painfully pretentious, but the fact is, it was.   What was your greatest talent? I can tell when someone’s lying. Almost always. It’s not like I have some mystical sixth sense or anything, I’m just a keen observer of human nature. I’m perceptive, I guess. It certainly came in handy in the journalism days.   Significant other? Currently? No one. I was married to my college sweetheart for eleven years, but my marriage…

Red Cross ball, Manhattan, 1917 Suddenly Elizabeth [Arden] sensed a lull in the conversation and noticed heads turning toward the doorway. A striking, dark-haired woman stood poised in a gown made of shimmering gold fabric with a deep V neck and Grecian-style folds. Her hair was pulled back in a chignon. It wasn’t . . . it couldn’t be Madame Rubinstein, could it? She most definitely hadn’t been on the guest list. Vogue staffers scurried around like squirrels, while the newcomer surveyed the room with a smile playing on her lips. She was sure it was Helena Rubinstein: she recognized her from magazine images and from that one time she had glimpsed her in her Paris salon. Someone should eject her, Elizabeth thought, but no one was doing anything. She grabbed the arm of a waiter. “That woman is not on the guest list,” she said, her eyes sliding toward the entrance. “Could you please go over and explain to her the ball is invitation-only? If she objects, ask to see her invitation. She doesn’t have one, so then you can ask her to leave.” He reddened. “It’s not my place . . .” “Do I need to fetch the manager?” she snapped. “I’m in charge…

A ROYAL CHRISTMAS takes us on a jaunt across the ocean, at Christmastime, to visit a sweet principality that feels like a page from a fairytale story.   A is for Ancestors…exploring and discovering an unknown heritage   R is for Regal…entering a world of kings and queens, rules and royalty O is for Openness…to experiencing and welcoming a different culture Y is for Youthfulness…an exuberance to embrace a fresh start A is for Adelaide…our reluctant heroine who is finding herself L is for Loyalty…to family and country   C is for Christmas…embracing new holiday traditions H is for Home…what Adelaide has longed for her whole life R is for Romance…what Adelaide discovers along the way I is for Importance…learning to discern what matters most of all S is for Security…discovering that real security is with loved ones T is for Truth…Adelaide digs deeply to find it M is for Montovia…the country that wins Adelaide’s heart A is for Anton…the hero who steps up and captures her heart S is for Surprises…all the happy unexpected discoveries along the way A ROYAL CHRISTMAS by Melody Carlson Adelaide Smith is too busy for fairy tales. She’s been working hard to put herself through law…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MAD ROGUES AND ENGLISHWOMEN, book 5 of the Highland Brides series. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A reclusive English painter and a roguish Scottish journalist banter and buss their way into intrigue in turn of the 19th century Edinburgh in the last book of the critically acclaimed Highland Brides. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I already had my Highland Brides series, which was mostly set in the Scottish countryside, but a wonderful trip to Edinburgh (in the years before Covid) with some fellow writers convinced me to set the book in Auld Reeky, as the city is affectionately called. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! Archie Carrington, the youngest-ever editor of the Edinburgh Review, is actually based upon a friend from my own youth, who was at that time an idealistic young journalist, full of the righteousness power of the pen. He was handsome and dashing and full of brio, just as a hero ought to be, and I’m happy to say he’s still handsome and still a friend, who has gone on to a brilliant, long…

The core of most objects is tough and hard to crack. It’s the center, seed, or nucleus, usually storing what makes up the object. Think of a seed and how it has the properties to grow into an ear of corn or a tree. Translate that seed to the core of a living, breathing story. The intimacy is emotion, and the character must have a reason to reveal the heart of their being. When a writer discovers the why of actions (motivation), the uphill climb to resolve a problem or reach a goal takes on purpose. The challenge is forcing the character to reveal the emotions that are often bound in pain. The character doesn’t understand their emotional wound prevents them from their full potential and prohibits them from achieving success. Feelings wrapped in physical, mental, or spiritual suffering rise from fear, grief, guilt, shame, anguish, sadness, sorrow, torture, betrayal, bitterness, depression, loneliness, oppression, abandonment, persecution, physical abuse, verbal abuse, and more. Our characters don’t want to relive the events causing these sensations any more than we do. It’s easier to stuff emotional baggage. Our characters need a reason to share what happened, and the motivation must be bigger than…

The Scandals and Scoundrels of Drury Lane hits ereaders this week with the release of the first book in the series, THE DUKE OF DRURY LANE by Tammy Andresen. Each Tuesday through October, another of the 8 novellas about the backstage shenanigans of a Regency theater company will be released, until the joint cast of characters finally get their production on stage. Here at Fresh Fiction, we thought it would be fun to get to know the series a little better by asking the 8 authors a little bit more about their characters. Most likely to bet his salary on a card game? ANSWER: Florizel Holland from THE DISASTER OF DRURY LANE. Bet his salary on a card game? Flory bets himself in a card game…and loses. Most likely to win a dockside barfight? ANSWER: Kit Hollingsworth, the Earl of Kentwell from THE SCOUNDREL OF DRURY LANE because he was forced to live in servitude as a convict in Australia under very rough conditions and was hardened by seven years of that life. Most likely to keep secrets? ANSWER: Lady Mercy Ainsworth from THE DEVIL OF DRURY LANE. As the daughter of an earl, Mercy hides her artistic gifts behind…