1–What is the title of your latest release? A CASTLE IN BROOKLYN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? After surviving a terrifying event during the Holocaust, Jacob comes to America to fulfill his dream of building a home.  With the help of his best friend, Zalman, along with his new wife, Esther, Jacob fulfills that dream.  However, after an unforeseeable tragedy occurs, Jacob’s friendship with Zalman and even his marriage, are threatened.  Through the years, the home continues to offer refuge to his family and others who live within its walls, as the novel ultimately comes full circle as Jacob’s dreams are truly realized. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and am familiar with the neighborhoods, so it was an easy choice. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Most definitely.  Although Jacob is not based on my father, he has many of his qualities.  I am drawn to people who are ambitious, with big dreams.  Jacob is sensitive, though quiet, and has an intriguing background.  Esther, another protagonist, would also make a good friend as she is compassionate and…

To set the scene: LOVE ON THE LINE is the first book in Anabelle Bryant‘s new Vauxhall Voices series where forbidden love is the central focus and members of London’s aristocracy fall in love with outliers of Regency society. Lola York, the heroine, is a woman with a complicated past, on the run and working as a tightrope walker in Vauxhall Gardens. Theodore Coventry, Earl of Essex, is a man on a mission, searching for the individual who murdered his best friend. Through unavoidable circumstances, their paths become overlapped and their emotions collide. In this scene written in Lola’s perspective, they both realize that their desire for each other may be an unstoppable force even if it breaks all the rules.   It was shameful to ask for a kiss. Scandalous to be draped across a gentleman’s lap. All the etiquette rules and deportment lessons from her youth wasted and forgotten in the span of a heartbeat. But Lola didn’t care. Something beyond coherent thought had control of her now. She wanted. Wanted with an ache inside that could only be satisfied with his kiss and more. She stroked her tongue across his lips, taking his mouth as she gripped…

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 Erin Bartels!   Writes: Immersive, contemporary and timeslip character-driven fiction in that offers hope without ignoring the hard things in life. Perfect for individual reading but often best experienced with a book club!   About: When I’m not busy writing award-winning books, I spend my time oil painting, sewing, gardening, playing guitar, taking photos, letting my neurotic chihuahua mix in and out of the house, and driving my son to and from his martial arts school. I adore all four seasons, am an untiring ambassador for the state of Michigan (where I set my books), and I’ve never met an indoor spider I didn’t carefully catch in a cup and relocate outdoors—except in winter, when we just give them free reign of the house. Unlike most people you know, I have been bitten by an owl.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: isn’t afraid to get real wants to get lost in a beautiful setting doesn’t expect their protagonists to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? DECENT PEOPLE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? In the small, segregated town of West Mills, NC in 1976, three enigmatic siblings, the Harmons, are found shot to death in their home. Their half-brother, Olympus “Lymp” Seymore is the community’s prime suspect, but the authorities don’t care who killed them. Lymp’s fiance seeks to prove his innocence. Her investigation unearths many secrets about the townspeople. Decent People is a novel about shame, race, class and healing. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? When I decided to bring back some characters from my first novel, In West Mills, I knew West Mills had to be the setting. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely! I enjoy learning from older people who’ve had a variety of life experiences. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Jo Wright is intelligent, determined, and caring. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? While doing a bit of research for Decent People, I learned that gun powder residue tests were widely used in the 70s. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE FRAUD SQUAD 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A working-class woman pretends to be a socialite in order to get her dream job at Singapore’s poshest magazine. But as she sinks further into her glamorous new life, her fears of being exposed also deepen—especially with a mysterious gossip columnist hunting for high society dirt. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I was living alone in California at the height of the pandemic, separated from all my family and friends in Singapore. Driven by homesickness, I decided to start writing a book set in my hometown. It was my way of staying connected with my loved ones back at home at a time when I didn’t know when I would get to see them again. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? 100%! Like me, my protagonist Samantha Song adores fashion and magazines, so we would have lots to talk about. Fun fact: I had my first byline in Harper’s Bazaar when I was 16, writing about wedding preparation while I was still a teenager! I then went on to write…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BACKUP PLAN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? N/A 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’m currently writing in the Sunrise Cove series (all standalones, I swear!), set at Lake Tahoe. Which happens to be where I live. Gorgeous lake. Stunning mountain. Skiing, boating … it was a no brainer. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes! Alice is incredible. She’s fiercely loyal, tough as nails but with a soft, shy heart, AND she can build stuff and fix her own car. She’d be a great BFF. If you can get past her walls, that is. The woman does have a fortress around her heart… 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Smart, funny, sexy! 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That I can indeed eat a whole box of cookies while stressing over a first draft. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I race through a first draft, then add in the heart and soul, the sexy, the funny, all in subsequent drafts. Everyone has their own way…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A LOVE BY DESIGN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A second-chance romance between a no-nonsense woman engineer and the cinnamon-roll earl who broke her youthful heart. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The entire series, The Secret Scientists of London, is set in London in 1842-1843 – the early Victorian era. I wanted to set the series in a time of socio-economic and political flux, much like our own. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely! Margaret is much like the women engineers I know in real life – she is straightforward, task centered, and takes no guff. What’s not to like? 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Gorgeous, goofy, big-hearted 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? The most interesting part of my research was learning about how the original Thames tunnel was constructed and what happened to it afterward. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I always tell myself when I sit down to write that editing can come later, then spend the entire time self-editing. Sigh….

1–What is the title of your latest release? A GUIDE TO BEING JUST FRIENDS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? N/A 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? As the third in the series, Wes needed to be where his brothers were. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes, I would and I’d bribe her to make me yummy salads every day. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Serious, Intelligent, Creative 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That I didn’t want the series to be over. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Typically, I re read what I wrote the day before and then move forward with that day’s writing. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? At the moment, I’m experimenting with making my own granola. I like to mix it with lemon muffins, strawberries, and vanilla yogurt. But honestly, my favorite food is chocolate chip cookies. 9–Describe your writing space/office! The space designed specifically for my writing is beautiful. I have a wall of bookshelves, a desk built into a pretty little nook, my various covers on the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WAR OF THE WICKED 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? War of the Wicked is a fast paced, steamy, MM Mafia romance. Brutal enemies and a hot love story. In the War of the Wicked no one gets out unscathed. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? All my books are written in fictional universes but they all are familiar in my mind as pieces of places I’ve actually been. Lucifer’s Landing for example is mirrored after the five boroughs of New York. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? So Dante is terrifying and dangerous but super loyal and would die for Rainn. And Rainn is a firecracker so yeah, I suppose I would. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Dante would be loyal, dangerous, and morally ambiguous (yeah that last one was 2 words but come on they go together) 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That just when I think I can’t write darker, I can. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I write until I feel I’ve…

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 CARLY PHILLIPS!   Writes: Carly Phillips writes sexy, stand-alone romances, usually about siblings with lots of family drama, fun and heat. Her heroes are alphas – they’ve been called alphalicious, in fact – and make the perfect book boyfriend. Her heroines are strong and smart with flaws and weaknesses we can all relate to. They are never too stupid to live, no matter what situation they find themselves in and in a Carly Phillips book you’ll always find steamy scenes and the happily-ever-after that is a must in romance. JUST ANOTHER SPARK is a stand-alone short story about my rockstar hero, Dash Kingston and his wife, Cassidy. Despite having told their story in JUST ONE SPARK, you can read their short, sexy story and still be able to follow characters and be tempted to go back and read the other books in the series!   About: Carly Phillips is a NY Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She has been writing…