1–What is the title of your latest release? OMEN OF ICE   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  When a young druid arrives at the Winter Court to act as the protector for a handsome Fae royal, she discovers that everyone is hiding a secret—and his might be the key to saving the world—or destroying it.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  The idea behind Derriga came to me a long time ago. I’ve been playing with it off and on for years. When I came up with Omen’s characters, Derriga was the perfect home for them!   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?  Um, hell yes. Tania is a badass. And though she doesn’t like to admit it, she’s got a killer sense of humor (Valen would disagree…)   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Depends on who you ask… Tania would say that she’s loyal, focused, and brave. Valen, on the other hand, would say that she’s beautiful, stubborn, and in desperate need of some fun. He’d also argue that last one was one word because he said it really, really fast.  …

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 Jacqueline Carey!   Writes: Oh, I’ve traveled to many places under the big umbrella of fantasy! CASSIEL’S SERVANT takes us to Terre d’Ange, a land inspired by the south of France, where 10-year-old Joscelin Verreuil will spend the next 10 years training to become a chaste, stoic warrior-priest of the Cassiline Brotherhood…. only to be assigned to guard the most notorious courtesan in the realm. Alternate historical fantasy dripping with intrigue, edgy sensuality and opulence is the hallmark of my Kushiel’s Legacy series. This laconic hero wants none of it.   About: A longtime Michigander, I love being surrounded by the woods and dunes and gorgeous Lake Michigan—but I’m happy to Netflix and chill, too. I’m an unabashed foodie and an above-average home cook. While I’m definitely a Fortress of Solitude writer, in the kitchen, I thrive on camaraderie and fellowship. I love learning new things, especially weird things. Here’s one:  Hiccups are your body’s way of attempting to breathe through your no-longer-existent gills….

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 Brooklyn Ann!   Writes: Urban Fantasy romances between vampires, witches, sorcerers, and other paranormal creatures with a heavy dose of weirdness, heavy metal, and interdimensional shenanigans. 80s Horror Romances featuring a Final Couple instead of a Final Girl. Rockstar Romances featuring metal bands finding love on the road in the craziest ways.   My latest novel, BEWITCHING THE VAMPIRE, is an enemies-to-lovers romance between the Lord Vampire of New Orleans and the leader of a local witch coven. Highlights include a powerful, plus-size heroine, a vampire who likes Twilight and those old-lady strawberry candies, a waffle house brawl, and a whole thing with the song, “Laser Shooting Dinosaur.”   About: I’m an ex-mechanic from Idaho who has always been a weird outcast. I love heavy metal, horror, cats, and art. I’ve loved New Orleans ever since my romantic awakening came with Interview with the Vampire. In Bewitching the Vampire, I finally got to set a book in that eccentric city and showcase my love…

1–What is the title of your latest release? JUST ANOTHER MISSING PERSON 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Julia is a dedicated police officer and mother: so what happens when she finds a criminal in the back of her car, threatening to expose her daughter’s worst secret unless she becomes corrupt? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I look at a map! Very uninteresting answer, I know, but I usually pick out somewhere fun. This was Portishead in the UK. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Oh for sure! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Workaholic, loyal, empathetic. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That the police water cooler banter really is just like other offices! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I am a prolific redrafter – I did nine of Just Another Missing Person! 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Chocolate fondant cakes 9–Describe your writing space/office! I work in coffee shops almost exclusively! 10–Who is an author you admire? Lisa Jewell 11–Is there a book that changed your life? For sure, Lisa Jewell’s Ralph’s Party:…

To whet your appetite for a book devoted to the tradition of French pastries, I’ve compiled this acrostic composed of some of my very favorite pastries. Bon Appétit!   A is for apple chaussons: Apple “slippers”, crispy pastry with a sweet apple filling.   B is for brioche: dense, eggy, buttery bread that loves a thick coating of jam. A is for almond croissants: a buttery classic, lovely for breakfast with a strong cup of coffee. K is for kouign amman: a cake from Brittany that resembles puff pastry with sugar atop that caramelizes while baking. Best served with Micheline’s wild rose jelly. E is for éclairs: Literally means lighting bolt. A staple in any French bakery, traditionally glazed with chocolate. R is for réligieuse: An impressive tower of éclairs served for an important event. Notable because the structure has to hold for several hours. The name réligieuse means ‘nun’ because the shape and the dark chocolate glaze give the tower the look of a woman in a flowing black robe. Y is for yeast: the lifeblood of any bakery.   I is for ingredients: all of which must be sourced with care and used with pride. N is for…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE DEJA GLITCH 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Two L.A. strangers, Gemma, a radio producer and Jack, a TV screenwriter, are stuck in a 24-hour time loop where they have to fall in love to break out of it. The catch is, Jack can remember the whole loop, and Gemma feels like every day is the first day they’ve met. But it’s not the time loop you expect! We see the story from Gemma’s perspective as she lives the day for the “first” time, and Jack does everything to get her to remember the loop and to fall in love with him. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I love writing stories on the periphery of the entertainment industry. The glitz and glamour (and sometimes ridiculousness of) Hollywood is always fun to play with. While none of my main characters are celebrities, they work in the industry, which allows for eccentric and entertaining side characters while not directly focusing the plot on being a celebrity. Gemma has ties to the music industry, and I thought a job as a radio producer would be…

I know, I know. It’s hard to think about Christmas when we’re in the dead of summer. But Christmas in July is a thing for a reason, right? Dreaming of those sugarplums and hanging metaphorical stockings as a way to anticipate the magic of that season? If you’re already thinking ahead about what you’d like to see under the tree, consider adding these five upcoming Christmas romances to your wish list!   FAKING CHRISTMAS by Kerry Winfrey (Berkley, 9/26/23) – In order to land a magazine job, Laurel Grant has been pretending to have a second life as a farm-wife-turned-influencer, complete with a full-fledged family and a much more nuanced knowledge of goats than she actually has. When her recently devastated boss invites himself to Christmas Eve dinner at the family farm, Laurel has to scramble to build out her fictional life or risk losing her job. And when she ends up snowed in with her long-time nemesis and new fake husband, Max Bennett, well . . . it might start to get hard to separate what’s real from what’s not.   WRAPPED WITH A BEAU by Lillie Vale (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9/26/23) – Fifty years ago, Elisha Rowe’s hometown…

A is for Anglophile, which Penelope Parish is fast becoming.   D is for the Duke of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke who has become engaged to Charlotte Danvenport, an American romance writer, much to the dismay of the townspeople. E is for England where Penelope hopes to recapture her muse. A is for the accidents Penelope nearly has when forgetting to drive on the left side of the street. D is for the dreamy detective Brody Maguire who immediately catches Penelope’s eye. L is for Lady Fiona Innes-Goldthorpe, aka “Figgy” who runs the tea shop inside the Open Book Bookstore and who quickly becomes fast friends and partners in crime with Penelope. Y is for the young kids shouting “a penny for the guy” at the Guy Fawkes Celebration.     D is for Danvers as in Mrs. Danvers, Penelope’s prickly tuxedo cat. E is for the English language, which Penelope soon discovers contains words and phrases she’d never heard before like tickety-boo (everything is fine,) bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and knackered (very tired.) D is for the dead body Penelope stumbles over at the Guy Fawkes Day celebration. I is for India Culpepper, the distant relative of the…

Book Title: POSITIVELY, PENELOPE Character Name: Penelope Edgewood   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Oh, my goodness! I love my family! Mostly. I mean, we all have times where we don’t get along with everybody . . . or when the people closest to us underestimate us (you know what I mean), but for the most part, I have a great family. And Izzy is my cousin, but we adopted her so she’s like my sister too. Josephine can be a little intense (and bossy), but when I took my psychology class in college, I learned that was pretty common for first borns. Luke is the real trouble. He’s always teasing me, which I love . . . until I don’t! I’m really not as silly as he thinks I am.  Oh, and my childhood? GREAT!! I mean, after I got therapy for my stutter, learned how to hide my ears with my hair, and started theater, it got so much better!   What was your greatest talent? Well, I’d love to say that singing is my greatest talent, but I think it’s more of my greatest hobby, which doesn’t necessarily mean talent. But at least…

The instant Sunshine ushered Trevor and the twentyish female with him into the spa the following evening, her determination to regard him as an investigator, period, stuttered to a halt. Damn the man for being so magnetic and gorgeous. “You’re right on time,” she said, fighting the urge to swoon like a lovesick teenage girl. “We have a lot to cover,” he replied, without an ounce of reciprocal heat in his eyes. At least one of them was all about business. Which was what she wanted in the first place and should’ve put her at ease. Yet his ability to ignore the pull between them and her lack of the same galled her. Lips compressed, she pulled herself together. With any luck, their meeting would end quickly and she could go home. “Depending on how the business operates and how complicated your inventory collection system is, this may not take long,” he commented, as if he’d read her mind. “Before we get into the details, meet Fern, my assistant.” The tall, slender, very pretty assistant. Was he involved with her? Jealousy stabbed Sunshine. Ignoring the feelings she had no business having, she forced a smile, strained as it was. “Hi….