What is the title of your latest release?A BOTANIST’S GUIDE TO TRADITION AND TREACHERY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Botanist Saffron Everleigh is off on the adventure of a lifetime on an expedition to newly formed Turkey, but when one of the expedition crew is poisoned, all fingers point to Saffron and it’s up to her and her fiancé, Alexander, to discover the real culprit and prove her innocence. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I’m a great admirer of Agatha Christie and take a lot of inspiration from her Poirot stories, and some of my favorite books are of him abroad, particularly DEATH ON THE NILE and MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA, so the draw of that part of the world for Saffron’s next mystery was appealing. I visited Turkey as a very young woman and was enchanted by its beauty and history, so I decided that she would venture to newly formed Turkey on an expedition. I chose Smyrna (modern day Izmir) because of its beautiful location on the Aegean Sea, its layers of history and the presence of the ruins of the ancient marketplace, and the fascinating and tragic history of the…

What is the title of your latest release?SUMMER’S NEVER OVER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?When a woman returns to the summer camp where she grew up – five years after it burned to the ground and her close friend died – she gets entangled in an investigation into the truth about that summer, the fire, and is forced to confront long-buried secrets about the people she loves. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?It was actually the first thing about this book that I knew for sure! I really wanted to write a novel that took place at a summer camp. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yes! 100%. What are three words that describe your hero?Broody, gutsy, compassionate. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned that I’m actually good at taking editorial feedback. Which was a surprise!! I’ve always considered myself a pretty sensitive person, and once I got an agent and editor, part of me was nervous that I would struggle big-time with reading and implementing their feedback. But that wasn’t the case! We make such a good team and have a strong shared vision…

Excerpt from OFF THE RECORD by Sara Goodman Confino: “The nerve of that man!” I exclaimed for about the third time. In the end, we formed a group of twelve girls for lunch, and we grabbed sandwiches from a deli to eat outside in Farragut Park. We lacked a picnic blanket, so we crowded onto the low wall surrounding the statue of the Civil War admiral, who, the plaque told us, coined the phrase “Damn the torpedoes—full speed ahead.” I looked up at the statue’s face, thinking I detected a hint of a grin. As annoyed as I was at Fields, the camaraderie of the typing pool ladies made the sun seem to shine brighter. “I told you I didn’t like him,” Patricia reminded me. “Yeah, but you thought he knocked Louise up.” Most of the girls laughed. “He isn’t Louise’s type at all,” Connie said. “She liked them older and married.” My mouth dropped open. “Oh, honey,” Gladys said. “Don’t look so shocked.” “Be nice,” Patricia said, elbowing Gladys. “It’s her first week. The old men upstairs don’t even know she exists yet.” “Are you serious that Louise got pregnant by a married man?” I asked. “What’s she going…

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 list of the Top 25 Bestselling Indie Ebooks.

Welcome back to Jen’s Jewels, your weekly destination for all things fiction. Today, I am featuring THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET by New York Times bestselling author Natasha Lester. If you like historical fiction, this one is for you. LIGHTNING ROUND What’s your favorite way to spend a slow summer afternoon?At the beach with my family, reading a book! What snack, drink, or sweet treat always finds its way to your desk when writing?Cups of rose and vanilla tea. If your main character could plan the perfect summer getaway, where would they go?To a beautiful island like Madeira, off Portugal, which is both gothic and gorgeous like the Chateau Marmont, and where you can swim in the sea all year round. What’s one thing that instantly helps you slip into a creative mindset?Doing my morning pages! Once those are done, my brain knows it’s time to write. THE SUMMER SPARK June often feels like the beginning of adventure and possibility. In what ways did this story represent a new direction or challenge for you as a writer?THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET is, in some ways, a reimagining of the classic novel JANE EYRE. I’ve never written a reimagining before, so it was…

Book Title: THE CHATEAU ON SUNSETCharacter Name: Aria Jones How would you describe your family or your childhood?My childhood was great until my parents died in a fire at a gas station and I was shipped off to the Chateau Marmont to live with my aunt, whose name is Miss Devine Rey, the weirdest name I’ve ever heard of. But she’s an actress, and it seems like having a strange name is normal in Hollywood. After that, my childhood vanished completely – living in a Hollywood hotel makes you grow up fast. What was your greatest talent?Being invisible. In a place where everyone wants to be seen, I just want to slip through the shadows. Significant other?My best friends, actresses Calliope and Flitter, who’ve taught me everything I know about Hollywood and the world. We call ourselves the Three Sisters. Biggest challenge in relationships?I try not to have relationships because everyone I’ve ever known ends up dead or gone. But now that the Chateau Marmont has been bought by rock star Theo Winchester, I’m having trouble sticking to my “no relationships” rule. Where do you live?At the infamous Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard, along with all the stars of the…

What is the title of your latest release?THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A big, sexy tearjerker. Marc Lacourt might have great cheekbones and a sexy French accent but he’s a terrible person who did a terrible thing to Cassie the first time they met. Too bad that Cassie’s best friends Lucy and Russell think he’s wonderful. But years later, when an unexpected tragedy strikes their friendship group, Cassie and Marc team up to give Lucy and Russell the best weekend ever. Which means convincing everyone that Cassie and Marc are head over heels in love.After hating him for so long, it takes four bittersweet days for Cassie to wonder if she got Marc all wrong. Can they let go of their troubled past and together, face whatever the future is going to throw at them? How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Most of my books are set in London, where I live, but I knew that the largest part of THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER, had to be set by the sea. So I borrowed the gorgeous Arts & Crafts house situated on a cliff top on the…

• Triskaidekaphobia is the fear or avoidance of the number 13. • A Strawberry Moon is not named for its color. Early indigenous tribes used the name to mark the time when strawberries ripened. • During the siege of Sarajevo, people built makeshift stoves for cooking. Wood was scarce, so they burned whatever they could for cooking. Shoes were best for making pies. For soups, hardback books. And car tires. The amount of treads it took to cook a meal would be added to the recipe. Beans took six whole treads. • Most strawberries are hermaphrodites. • Soteria is primarily the Greek goddess of safety and deliverance • Hypothermia, acidosis and massive bleeding is called The Triad of Death. • “Like a Dog with Two Peters” is military slang for someone who is absolutely clueless. Somehow I always wind up with a subdirectory named msc in my research folders. The bulleted info above is just a few drops of the ocean of material I collected for my new book, SANCTUARY, a thriller set in America’s near future. Given that I was writing about the aftermath of a climate catastrophe that had crippled the U.S., there was a good deal of…

Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

Welcome back to Jen’s Jewels, your go-to destination for the hottest new summer reads! Today, I’m featuring THE STORIES WE TELL by Savannah Carlisle. If you love heartfelt coastal stories filled with charm, emotion, and summer romance, this is one you won’t want to miss. LIGHTNING ROUND What’s your favorite writing season: hopeful spring, beachy summer, reflective fall, or cozy winter, and why?In the beginning, I only wrote beachy summer, so it’s definitely my go-to. However, I wrote my first Christmas romance last winter and loved it so much that I’ll be releasing another one this year! What’s one snack or treat that always appears when you’re deep in writing mode?An iced skinny vanilla latte with cinnamon keeps me fueled during those long writing sessions. If your main character had a motto, what would it be?Piper’s motto would be, “Always stay one step ahead.” As a publicist, she’s always looking out for her clients’ reputations, and she’s a Type A who loves to plan everything in both her personal and professional life. THE SPRING SPARK May often signifies the start of something new. In what ways did this story represent a new chapter for you as a writer?It’s really the…