Book Title: MOST LIKELY TO MURDERCharacter Name: Rick Hicks & Martina Lopez How would you describe your family or your childhood?Martina: What are you, my therapist? I’m not answering that question.Rick: Sorry, she’s had too much coffee. It makes her bitey.Martina: I’ll bite you.Rick: sighs Her family’s great. My family, well, it’s just me, my mom, and my sister these days, and my uncle Vic. But they’re good. Our childhood –Martina: I’m already bored with this question. Next! What is your greatest talent?Martina: All of my talents are great, none of which I can mention because it might implicate me in the court of law. Or get me suspended. Allegedly.Rick: I’m a pretty good mechanic, but I think my greatest talent is saying things that I instantly regret.Martina: Well, I never regret the things you say. They bring me joy.Rick: They bring me mockery, mostly from you.Martina: Loving mockery, Rick, but that’s what brings me joy. Significant other?Martina: groans Don’t ask him that or he’ll get all shmoopy about Nika Page.Rick: Is “shmoopy” a word?Martina: It is now. I just said it.Rick: We are both currently single. I think this interview has made it clear why. Biggest challenge in relationships?Rick:…

What is the title of your latest release?THE HARVEY GIRL What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A Pinkerton detective goes undercover as a Harvey Girl in the New Mexico Territory in 1890. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I looked at a map of Harvey Houses in Arizona and New Mexico, read a lot of Fred Harvey history, read a lot of Old West history, and did a lot of road trips. Las Vegas (NM) was the perfect spot on which to base my fictional Montaña Roja, geographically with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on one side and the Chihuahuan High Desert on the other; historically as it feels kinda epicentral to a lot of wild, wild West events; and perfect from the viewpoint of writing about Harvey Girls as they were essentially invented a hundred miles up the railroad in Raton. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. I wouldn’t get in her way, though. What are three words that describe your hero?Tough, focused, protean. What’s something you learned while writing this book?That most of the men of the Old West were drunk most of the time, which explains all…

Book Title: THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN LETTERSCharacter Name: Skye MacKinnon How would you describe your family or your childhood?I grew up in London, on the west side of the city, close enough to the river that I could see sun glinting off the water from my bedroom window. In the house with me were Mum and Dad, Cassandra and Cosmo MacKinnon. Now that’s a surname that deserves to be rolled over the tongue. It comes from my dad’s side. He was Scottish, born and raised on the Isle of Skye, which is where I get my name from. My mother is a prominent lawyer with a temperament to match. She approaches arguments in the same way a sharp pair of scissors would a swathe of silk. My dad worked as a potter, creating somethings from nothing more than soil, water and stubborn imagination. He was the one at home with me most of the time. I asked him once if he could arrange for me to have a brother or sister, and he cupped my cheek and said, “Now, why would I make another you when I got it so right the first time?” Nobody had a bigger heart, everyone…

What is the title of your latest release?RECIPE FOR JOY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?RECIPE FOR JOY is about a book of cherished family recipes, a series of letters sent by a mysterious hand, and two sisters who need directions back to one another. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?This came organically while I was writing the book. At the time we were living in Gates Mills, Ohio, which is the loveliest town on the east side of Cleveland. I knew this was the town I wanted to nestle my story in. The charming village, the memories, and meaningful time spent there…it’s all layered into my novel along with so much love. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. She’s a good soul who appreciates delicious food, so at the very least, we’d eat well. But I suspect we’d have some really connective conversations as well. What are three words that describe your hero?Loving, searching, tender What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned the importance of writing longhand. It was actually my way into this novel. Since then, I’ve incorporated writing longhand into everything, even if…

Welcome to Jen’s Jewels, where each week I highlight a story I loved and the author behind the words. Today’s gem is LUCIEN by J.R. Thornton. Let’s kick things off with a quick Lightning Round before digging deeper into the story. LIGHTNING ROUND • In three words, describe the vibe of your book. Fun, captivating, dark. • What’s your ideal writing fuel: coffee, tea, wine, or chaos? Definitely coffee. I like writing early in the morning. In my experience, wine is (unfortunately) not particularly conducive to (good) writing • Plotter, pantser, or organized mess? Somewhere in the middle. I usually start with 3-5 plot points and then let the characters figure out how we get from one to the next. THE DEEP DIVE • Tell me about a scene you rewrote multiple times. What made it so tricky, and how did you finally crack it? I probably rewrote the ending of the novel at least a hundred times. Endings are difficult because you have to make some major decisions: What final message do I want to leave with the reader? How much closure – or ambiguity – should there be? How do the characters feel about the events of the story? How do…

True confession time. I cannot stand where my high fantasy series is heading. I always knew it would go there. I just did not know how bad it would be. Or how much I would loathe it. Sometimes I wrestle with my own reluctance to keep putting words on the page. And it’s only going to grow worse. I know how it ends and it’s not good. But there is still light and hope. I will explain in a bit. That light is what keeps me writing right now. I’m in the middle of working on Stoneslayer: Book Nine Broken. This is a new generation pitted against an entirely new depth of depravity that shows no mercy and wants all power for itself. In DUNE, the Kwisatz Haderach was the male Bene Gesserit capable of seeing past the limited precognition of the female members of the order. I see my entire story right now from that same place of near omni-prescience. It horrifies me. Too many of the characters are only too willing to do the bidding of evil just to obtain crumbs of power and money. As if power and money are the only things that matter. I guess…

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 Ava Morgyn! Writes:I writes bestselling contemporary fantasy novels laced with horror and thriller elements and centered around gothic and feminist themes. You can expect underground worlds brimming with magic—both benign and malevolent, complex female characters finding their power and strength as they overcome relatable and otherwordly challenges, and a growing undercurrent of suspense where the stakes start high and only climb higher. In an Ava Morgyn novel, nothing is guaranteed but the thrill and a fully immersive, carefully crafted spell of a story. Like in ONLY SPELL DEEP, where main character Jude must face past traumas and dark family secrets in order to understand what lies at the heart of the elite new circle of friends she finds herself initiated into, all while navigating the enigmatic leader, Arla’s demands, a number of grim historic Seattle sites, and a toxic work environment that has just grown exponentially worse. There’s no way out but through in this twisted tale where power struggles abound and magic, fear,…

Book Title: THE SOMEWHAT WICKED WITCH OF BRIGANDALECharacter Name: Gretsella, the Witch of Brigandale with the Reasonable Prices How would you describe your family or your childhood?I would not describe them. A witch might not have hatched from an egg at the age of fifty, but she should always strive to give the impression that she did. What is your greatest talent?Anything that I choose to attempt. Significant other?Don’t be ridiculous. Biggest challenge in relationships?When people insist on doing what they think that they’d like to do, instead of exactly what I tell them that they ought to do. Where do you live?In the finest, tidiest, most pleasantly-scented cottage in the great forest of Brigandale. You may not see it. Do you have any enemies?If I do, they know better than to allow me to become aware of them. 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?It’s a pleasant enough place, if overpopulated by meddling prophetic forest creatures. Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?I have one son. His name is Bradley. He has a very symmetrical face and a kind…

For a change from my usual selection of Irish tales in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, this month we’ll honor the Ides of March with stories set in ancient Rome – a rich milieu for storytelling. These books provide keen insight into this vanished world and explore the opportunities – and restrictions – of high-born women close to men of power. We begin at the beginning of the imperial era with JULIA, DAUGHTER OF ROME by Elizabeth Elson. Daughter and only child of Octavian, who took power after Julius Caesar was slain, Julia occupies a place of privilege – but is essentially an asset to be deployed by her father for political gain. In a quest to obtain an heir of his own blood to follow him, her father marries her off to two men in turn…but her heart is given to Iullus, son of her father’s rival Marc Anthony. After she’s widowed a second time, while her father schemes a third marriage, she and Iullus no longer try to deny their love. They meet clandestinely, their illicit relationship risking Julia’s position, reputation and her very life. Full of detail about the daily Roman life, from clothing to rituals to…

What is the title of your latest release?PINKY SWEAR What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A woman’s surrogate – and childhood best friend – vanishes days before the baby’s due date, launching a cross-country search that uncovers long-buried secrets, shattered loyalties, and the true cost of love, trust, and betrayal. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The story moves between the characters’ hometown of Denver and Philadelphia where Mara had been living. I wanted the two locations to feel vastly different and for Lexi to feel uncomfortable, coming from her Denver home. I hope that the locations heighten the suspense and help the reader gauge how far she’ll go for her child. What are three words that describe your main character?Determined. Loyal. Vulnerable. Which side character stole your attention the most from the main storyline?Mara Vannatta, Lexi’s childhood best friend and surrogate, is as complex as she is mysterious. Her choices set everything in motion, forcing readers (and Lexi) to question what love and desperation drives us to do. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned that vulnerability is often the bravest thing we can do. Writing PINKY SWEAR reminded me that…