Against a richly detailed backdrop of glamourous settings, the protagonists of this month’s selections rub shoulders with influencers from Hollywood Golden Age stars to American wealthy to royalty in stories that show women battling the societal restrictions of the 50s and 60s to take control of their own lives. We begin with THE CHATEAU ON SUNSET by Natasha Lester.  After the tragic death of her parents, thirteen-year-old Aria Jones is sent to live with her aunt, an aging film star battling booze and drugs at Chateau Marmont, an exclusive residence favored by Hollywood elite (a real place, now a boutique hotel.) Left on her own by the aunt uninterested in raising her, Aria is befriended by two aspiring actresses, Calliope and Flitter.  Also residing at the Marmont is producer Bob Ashencroft, one of Hollywood’s power brokers who’s prepared to advance the careers of nubile young actresses – for a price.  Growing up observing the dark underside of Hollywood glamour, Aria wants to earn enough to escape the Marmont and live her own life.  But when reclusive rock star Theo Winchester buys the Marmont and hires Aria to tutor his daughter Adele, a growing passion for her employer will have Aria…

Before I became a full-time writer, I spent a chunk of my life working in open-plan offices and cubicle farms, so getting anything done – while everyone else gossiped with each other, blathered on the phone, the printer whirred, and people made those annoying noises they make when they don’t know they’re making them – depended on a good pair of earphones and a huge library of music. It’s a habit that became deeply ingrained, and now I can basically write anywhere, as long as I’m plugged in to music: trains, hotel rooms, airports, even the back of taxis… Some of my books have a distinct soundtrack, others are more freeform. THIS HOUSE OF BURNING BONES, for example, was exclusively written to Wagner’s Ring Cycle (or Der Ring des Nibelungen, if we’re going to be pedantic about it). All fourteen hours of it. On a loop. Not a single word was planned, written, rewritten, or proofread without operatic Germans warbling away about Dwarves and rings and things. BLOOD, RUST, AND STEEL was mostly composed to Howard Shore’s soundtracks for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (yes, yet more Dwarves and rings) – because I do like a bit of…

What is the title of your latest release?THE BOOK OF CHUCK What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?On the surface, it’s about a family with the ability to see death coming. But underneath, it’s really about one man trying to become the kind of ancestor his descendants deserve. To love well, to break cycles, and to leave his family with something better than what was handed to him. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?After reading the Deep Vellum Publishing re-release of THE ACCOMMODATION, the 1987 Jim Schutze book that explores race and civil rights in Dallas, I knew I wanted to set some of the story there. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?I would. Baby is cool, compassionate, and honest. I think she’d be a solid friend. What are three words that describe your hero?Human, wounded, healing What’s something you learned while writing this book?Because I see this book as a love story, I learned a little bit about love. Mainly that love is work of the soul. While that work is unfolding, it can appear flexible, kind, or even cruel, depending on where we’re standing. We spend so…

Music has played such a big role in the writing of this book, probably more than any other book I’ve worked on. The idea of narrowing it down to a list of five feels nearly impossible, but here are some that were on repeat as I got to know the characters and their story! Bad Reputation by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts This song is Thea. The Best I Never Had is dedicated to my short fuse girlies, the ones who were always told to calm down and that they didn’t need to be so angry and aggressive all the time. These are the women who watched 10 Things I Hate About You and felt viscerally seen by Kat Stratford. Those who want to be loved because of their fire and passion, not in spite of it. Y’all are badasses, and so is Thea. Nervous by Shawn Mendes I like to do interviews where I ask the ‘characters’ questions to get to know them before I start drafting, and as I got to know Owen, this song just felt so right. He’s this gorgeous, competent, kind man, but when he looks at Thea, he can barely string two words together….

What is the title of your latest release?MUTUAL DISCORD What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A girl’s girl influencer is in for a serious reality check when she discovers she’d fallen for her best friend’s boyfriend. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Since this is my first dip into contemporary romance, I wanted to set the story in a place I knew well. So I had Sofia live in the Phoenix area, where I live, and have her attend the University of Arizona, which is my alma mater! Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely! Sofia is witty and easy-going, ready for whatever her friends are interested in. She’s also incredibly loyal…which proves problematic when she realizes she’s falling for her best friend’s boyfriend. What are three words that describe your hero?Alex is self-aware, thoughtful, and cheeky! What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned about so many phenomenal, accomplished women in history! Sofia has a popular TikTok series called The Matildas – named after the Matilda Effect – which highlights women in history who have been erased from their discoveries or never received their flowers. Women who had amazing…

What is the title of your latest release?HOW TO FIND A ROMANCE IN A BOOKSHOP What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Failed novelist meets failed literary agent, in a bookshop. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?That was easy! In my head I live in Portneath ALL the time. Plus, when I created Capelthorne’s bookshop for my previous novel I just couldn’t bear it to be the setting for just one book. It was too good to waste! Capelthorne’s is a PROPER bookshop, with wonky beams inside and one of those curved bay windows, with lots of individual panes of glass, and “Capelthorne’s” picked out in gold on the sign above. Oh, and that smell! The smell of books, new and old. Your readers totally know what I mean. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yes, poor Petra, I really feel for her. I think we can all imagine making one of those social media gaffes, the very thought of which makes us wake up sweating in the wee small hours. Well, with Petra, she wakes up in the wee small hours and remembers that she ACTUALLY DID DO IT! She…

Excerpt from pages 44-47 of FATAL FINALE by Nancy Mehl: “You need to wake up. You’re in a lot of trouble.” Kaely tried to open her eyes, but it was difficult. She felt odd. Not herself. Where was she? Did she have a bad dream? Was Noah lying in bed next to her? But when she finally forced her eyes open, she saw the yellow walls and the cot with the blue blanket. It hadn’t been a dream. It was real. She struggled to sit upright, swinging her legs over the side of the cot and her feet onto the floor. Her head was still tender, but the pain had subsided quite a bit. Her tongue still hurt, but it was better too. She realized suddenly that someone had just spoken to her. Was that part of her dream? It was then that she saw a figure perched on the chair that she’d pushed back against the far wall before she’d fallen asleep. Could it really be . . . “Georgie?” she asked. Her voice sounded odd to her. Hoarse. She cleared her throat. “You can’t be here.” “But yet, here I am.” Georgie’s curly brown hair framed her face….

What is the title of your latest release?A NUMBERS GAME What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A fake psychic medium and his loan-shark best friend get caught between a missing lottery ticket and a gang war neither of them wanted – a laugh-out-loud, blood-soaked buddy crime novel for fans of Mick Herron and Robert Crais. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Blades Edge, the council estate, or if you’re in the US you might say Projects, where A Numbers Game takes place has always been in my head. It’s not where I grew up, but it is kind of close to where I grew up. With added bits of other places from my life thrown in. I wanted to write something that felt true to what I knew and Blades Edge feels very real to me. It’s part of England, but also something very self-contained. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Well. Mal, in many ways, is quite close to me in personality, though I was never a drug addict. So we would probably get on reasonably well. As for Jackie, well, he’s one of those people that would not take…

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 to Where Everybody Knows Your… Alibi— where we get to know the fictional towns we’d happily move to… if they didn’t have such a suspicious body count (but does that really matter?). This month’s guest is the talented (and one of the most genuinely caring people I know) Ruth J. Hartman. Ruth is the author of multiple delightful cozy mystery series which are set in our shared home state of Indiana. She’s also a proud self-proclaimed cat-herder, so it’s no surprise why there’s at least one furry feline stealing the spotlight in her mysteries! Ruth is a founding member and contributor of the Facebook group Murder, They Write, and is active on her author Facebook page where she loves connecting with readers and sharing her cozy world. Now, purr yourself something yummy, and let’s flutter over to quaint Maple Junction, Indiana, home of the Seneca James Mysteries and the Majestic Monarch Butterfly Farm. First of all, who unofficially runs the town… and do they know it, or does everyone just naturally look to them as a leader?Cody Bales is Seneca James’ best friend and Maple Junction’s town sheriff. If there’s ever any kind of problem, people know who to…