1–What is the title of your latest release? THE VALKYRIE’S SHADOW   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  The Valkyrie’s Shadow is a YA Sapphic Fantasy about Valkyries, who are warrior women on horseback. In this sequel to The Valkyrie’s Daughter, Sigrid rises to the challenge of being a leader on Sleipnir, the eight-legged war horse descended from Loki. But the way his power affects her threatens to destroy her friendships, her relationship with Mariam, and much more.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  After deciding I wanted to write about Valkyries, which are part of Norse mythology, it was a matter of picking which of the nine Norse worlds they should live on. I did some research and ended up choosing the beautiful world of Vanaheim, which was home of the Vanir gods.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?  Yes! I’d love to hang out with Sigrid and go riding together.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Soft, ambitious, dangerous.   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?  Writing this series has involved fun research into Norse mythology and Vikings. I…

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 Jamie Beck!   Writes: Jamie Beck is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of romance and women’s fiction novels. Her newest, THE BEAUTY OF RAIN, is about two devoted sisters at a tragic breaking point who discover the beautiful and painful truths of being alive. “An important and meaningful read about what makes life beautiful.” – Sonali Dev, bestselling author of The Vibrant Years   About: I just celebrated my twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. I live with my husband, two “adult” children, and dog named Mo in Connecticut, just outside New York City. I am always listening to music and looking for a place to dance, and we are avid skiers and hikers, always looking forward to getaways in Vermont and Utah.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: As the author’s note in this book states, this story was inspired by a terrible health year that culminated in an emergency surgery that saved my life and nine days…

Straight Fire by Abbi Glines Single in Sitka, Book 1, An Odds-Are-Good Standalone Romance Series, by Katy Regnery Scandal on His Doorstep by Deborah Hale The Ford Brothers Series Box Set by Sandra Alex Tail and Claw: Books 1-3 by Nancey Cummings Forever Goals, Book 6, Rixon High Series by L. A. Cotton Captured by Lauren Biel The Score, Book 3, Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil The Mistake, Book 3, Volkov Bratva Series by Sam Crescent The Witch Collector, Book 1 Witch Walker Series by Charissa Weaks Flash Point, Book 1, The High Sierras Series by Diane Benefiel The War of the Gods: The Complete Series by Odette C. Bell Only Just Begun, Book 4, Ryker Falls Series by Lani Blake Demon Blessed: The Box Set by Nikki Sex Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries, Book 1, Gobbelino London, PI Series by Kim M. Watt Guarded Desires, Book 3, Heart of Fame Series by Lexxie Couper Perfect Together by Kristen Ashley Bad Intentions, Book 4, The Prescotts Series by Tara Wyatt Monster Match by Isabel Jordan   Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s…

1–What is the title of your latest release? PINE CREEK MATCHMAKER   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  When Caleb Weaver returns to Pine Creek to help out his family, he doesn’t intend to stay in a town where he feels he isn’t wanted. Sadie Ziegler isn’t too happy about her best friend’s brother, her childhood nemesis, returning to their Amish community. But when the two of them are coerced into working on a fundraiser, then team up to do a little bit of matchmaking, the realize they have a knack for working well together. When everyone around them falls in love, will they succumb to their growing feelings too? Or will the secret Caleb’s keep tear them apart forever?   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  I live in Northern Minnesota and frequent an Amish market in a nearby town. I thought it would be a fun, unique setting for Pine Creek Matchmaker.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?  Sure would!   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Genuine. Compassionate. Hunky.   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?  I learned a whole…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WITCHY WAY TO MURDER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Half-goblin, half-witch Dionne Cruz is a street-smart private investigator working in the magical shadows of Philadelphia. Sent to investigate what should have been a simple robbery, she is thrust into a world of intrigue, abduction, and murder. Needing a man on the inside, she teams up with Liam Wells, a non-magical friend from the police academy she’d once kissed but had ultimately kept at arms-length. Any unfinished business between them must be put aside while together they track down a wily killer. If they’re too late, the feuding goblin gangs will drench the streets of Philadelphia in blood. Including their own. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I live near Philadelphia and often thought the historical elements of the city would lend well to a fantasy story. All those iconic cobblestones and historical architecture – just ooooh. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. Dionne’s no shrinking violet and though she has a sensitive side, she’s not afraid of saying exactly what she thinks and all-too-often does. And though she…

Book Title: DEADLY FROST Character Name: Sparrow James   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Hi guys. Sparrow James here. I grew up on the west coast with a nature-loving family. My love of birds came from my mother, hence my name, but I got the biology bug from my father. I love field work; however, I don’t like the water. You see, my father was a marine biologist and I nearly drowned while on the ocean, hence my choice of wildlife biologist where I can keep my feet firmly on the ground. I have one brother and one sister. My entire family has been my rock after everything that happened. You’ll have to read the book to learn the details.   What was your greatest talent? I’m a black belt in Taekwondo. After growing up petite and people constantly underestimating my being able to take care of myself, I decided to master Korean martial arts. It has proved invaluable ever since.   Significant other? Well, now, that one is tricky. You see, I had a fiancé. He was a fellow wildlife biologist like me, but he disappeared two years ago when we were on a field…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ODDS ON THE RAKE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Gemma is spying on the best horseracing stable in England… And the most magnificent duke in the land! 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Inspiration came from a very unexpected source… F1! I’d been watching Netflix’s Drive to Survive and had the random thought, “Hey! How would this look in the world of Regency horseracing?” Then I really started to think about the sport in terms of all the personalities and jobs that combine to make it possible—horses, jockeys, owners, grooms, stable lads, bookmakers, turf reporters, stud operations, blacksmiths, seamstresses, animal surgeons… Really, the list goes on and on! And from there, a variety of characters and plotlines came to me for the All’s Fair in Love and Racing series. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely! Gemma is an intelligent and caring person who will do anything for the people and horses she cares for. And Rake is just such a swoony duke… 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Gemma is strong, intelligent, and fearless. Rake is…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SINNERS OF STARLIGHT CITY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Revenge is a family affair: A burlesque dancer at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair enlists her estranged mobster family in her vendetta against a fascist pilot flying to the Fair from Mussolini’s Italy. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? When I couldn’t travel during the pandemic, I decided to write about the places I missed traveling to the most: Chicago and Sicily 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! Rosa is an entertainer, and she would probably dazzle me with magic tricks and stories about circus life. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Tough, Whimsical, Determined 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How to do a coin drop, the simplest sleight of hand magic trick. I’m still terrible at it. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? A little of both. Usually I need the first quarter or so of the book relatively clean before I can continue finishing the whole story. The foundation has to be solid. 8–What’s your…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ONE OF THE BOYS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A “male violence” gene has been identified. Would you have your newborn son tested for it? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I tend to set my books in places that feel familiar, so similar to places where I’ve lived, though not identical. That means an urban setting, in a town big enough to be anonymous in but not so big that you feel lost or that it takes a long time to get anywhere! I tend not to name the town, so that readers can imagine the story taking place somewhere recognizable to them. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I probably wouldn’t hang out with Antonia, I don’t think we’d get on! She seems like a lot of work. But I might go for coffee with Bea because I imagine that being a bit more relaxed, and I think that we’d have an interesting conversation. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Antonia: ambitious, determined, impulsive. Bea: stubborn, independent, contrary. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE ST. AMBROSE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? This is Heathers meets Girl Interrupted, a dark academe suspense story. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I didn’t- it was what Sarah M. Taylor, the main character, showed me- a prep school in New England in the early nineties.  She came to me in a dream, and I knew I had to write her story- though I had no idea where it was going to take me! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely.  In fact, after writing Sarah’s story in first person, I feel like I did! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Weak, strong, and resilient.  I know the first two are contradictory! 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That if you wake up two hours earlier, every day, you can accomplish a lot even with a heavy workload already going on. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? It depends on how bad the daily drafting is!  If it’s really rough, I’ll go back,…