What is the title of your latest release?BURIED IN A BOOK What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Bookshop owner Charley James is plunged into a mystery involving a rare book worth killing for in this new Cozy Bookshop Mystery How did you decide where your book was going to take place?She owns a bookstore so it was kind of a no-brainer LOL Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?absolutely! What are three words that describe your hero?Curious, Courageous, Determined What’s something you learned while writing this book?Lots about Vincent Price! One thing is that he was an excellent gourmet cook Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?definitely edit as I draft What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?Chocolate milkshakes! And Trader Joe Buffalo Chicken Wings Describe your writing space/office!A cozy little nook in my den. I have built-in shelves of books for both pleasure and research Who is an author you admire?Too many to name, but James Patterson and Stephen King come to mind. Is there a book that changed your life?Yes, LITTLE WOMEN. The character of Jo inspired me to be a writer. Tell us about when you got “the call.”…

CHAPTER ONE The embroidered edges of the curtains that framed Mia’s double- paned windows moved in smooth ripples just above her head, the breeze brushing against her face. Nearly every morning of her life began this way, no matter the temperature. Mia was in love with the night and the mystery the silence carried. Every evening her mother would storm into her bedroom to slam the window closed. But regardless of how many times her mother asked her to leave the window shut, she couldn’t. The moon just called to her; in her mind, if the window was open, the sky and her were connected in a way that was only feasible if the glass wasn’t there to separate them. She thought herself a  moon child. When Mia was younger, she thought her mother was more concerned with the energy bills than anything else. She’d had no idea then that there was such a thing as bad people who sometimes crawled through windows and stole little girls. It would have made zero sense to her anyway, as the people who did make their way into her room didn’t need windows or even a door, and they never meant any harm….

What is the title of your latest release?THE RESIDENT MURDER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A suspense-packed, multi-POV medical thriller that will keep you in a constant state of guessing and intrigue How did you decide where your book was going to take place?NYC, which is where I did my own medical training and thus, was most familiar with the culture of medicine Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely What are three words that describe your hero?Cautious, compassionate and inquisitive What’s something you learned while writing this book?It’s difficult to write both likeable and suspicious characters Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I typically edit as I draft What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?bagels with lox and cream cheese Describe your writing space/office!Typically in my home office, which is sparsely furnished, but has some inspiring art on the walls Who is an author you admire?So many-Mary Kubica, Liz Alterman, John Marrs Is there a book that changed your life?Again, so many! A notable few include The Nightingale, Covenant of Water, A Place for Us, The Other Mrs. Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out…

I’ve been writing historical romance since 2014—long before I published my first book in 2017. I’ve been reading romance since I was twelve, taking mental notes about longing and restraint, playing stories in my head, and learning how to build a quiet ache in my characters until they are brave enough to claim what they really want. And yet, for a long time, there was one kind of heroine I circled carefully instead of embracing fully. Curvy women. Not because I didn’t love them. But because I am one. I have been… For as long as I can remember. I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life, and if I’m being honest, that made writing full-on, unapologetically curvy heroines feel personal in a way I wasn’t sure I was ready for. It felt safer to write around it. Why would I write about one if I didn’t want to BE one? The first time I ventured there was in the third book in my Lord Love a Lady Series: SAVING THE DUKE. Abigail Wright had silver lines. A soft belly. A body that had lived. I loved her—but I only dipped my toe in the water. But the Busty Bodice…

It’s common to say music has healing qualities, and maybe that’s what got me through my 80s/90s childhood. As much as I remember my mother’s alcoholism, my father’s absenteeism, and my sister’s drug addiction, I remember the soundtrack playing in the background. My sister and I kept cassette tapes everywhere. The boombox sat on the bathroom counter like an altar we worshipped before school. The moment we got in the car—before the ignition even turned—we blasted Don McLean’s “American Pie” to carry us through the ten-minute drive. When I needed to disappear, I put on my yellow Sony Walkman and played U2’s The Unforgettable Fire on repeat. My GE digital clock radio (Model 7-4612B, red display, AM/FM, black) woke me every morning at 7 a.m., and whatever song came on lodged itself in my head for the rest of the day. Through my novel TINY LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, I thread the music that was playing—or the songs that mattered—to a young girl named Elliot. A story set in that era wouldn’t be honest without it. This was, hands down, the hardest list I’ve ever had to make. It should be a hundred songs. I narrowed it to eleven—because those are the…

Chapter 1 Every once in a while, there’s a winter fog so thick you can barely see in front of you. It rolls in with the mulled wine and the fake Santas and the Christmas lights on Oxford Street, around the time everyone starts mumbling about seasonal affective disorder like it’ll kill you. It rolls in with no warning and casts an intoxicating magic, the kind that belongs in story books. The kind that makes you want to stand still forever, lose yourself and just breathe it in. He was like that fog. He stopped me in my tracks and reminded me of what it was to have a heartbeat. So that’s how I ended up here, at Archway tube station, wearing huge sunglasses at 9.07 pm in case I cry. I look up at the board: three minutes. The next train is due in three minutes. I just need to hold it together for three more minutes. Then I’ll be on my way home. I can do this. The platform reeks of urine, and I can hear rats scuttling in the distance. A woman arrives, earbuds in, scrolling through her phone. A roll of silver wrapping paper pokes out…

Book Title: THE GOOD MOTHER TESTCharacter: Emily Meredith Logan Tell us about your childhood, Emily.I grew up in a modest home in Burbank, maybe in the top ten percent of truly carefree children (not without some hang ups, but nothing serious). My parents and teachers said I was multi-talented and I made friends at my own slow pace. Burbank is arguably the crown jewel of the two-million strong urban/suburban sprawl called San Fernando Valley (thanks to Tom Petty, aka “The Valley”). Crown Jewel because both Warner Brothers and Disney Studios are located here. So are lots of middle-class homes with mortgages. I grew up an only child on a sweet residential street where Mom stayed home, and Dad taught at a community college. When I was 18, in the mortgage crisis of 2007, my father lost his job and the bank foreclosed on our house. Our serenity turned into what I call a phase of chaotic readjustment. For my senior year, we ended up living in public housing in Reseda, not far from Burbank but a world apart. What does a family go through, having to start over?We were suddenly anxious about money and the future. Like my dad, I…

Happy month of Love! With all the hearts and candies and cupids shooting arrows, I’m still here for a little murder and mayhem in the mix! So let’s jump into a few of the stories that might warm your heart while also handing you the justice you want and the laughs you need. First up we have HEARTSTRINGS AND HIJINKS: A Delightful Valentine’s Day Cozy Mystery Caper (A Hattie and Moose Cozy Mystery) by Greta Sinclair. This delightful book just dropped a few days ago and it was a blast to read – quick, fun, and engrossing. The music, the pets, the love interest! I laughed and gasped and was thoroughly entertained with the way the twists and turns just kept on coming! Next, we have BE MY VALENCRIME (The Juniper Junction Cozy Holiday Mystery Series) by Amy M. Reade. This one is a little older but I’m a sucker for going back and reading stories that I loved even if I already know who the culprit is. Juniper Junction is a great setting, and the characters are so much fun to reconnect with. Lilly is a wonderful, motherly sleuth who is all about digging in and finding out what’s…

I’m pinching myself that the 22nd book in my Bakeshop Mysteries is out in the world. I’ve spent the last fifteen years writing about delectable treats, savory pastries, and a side of murder. It’s such a gift to be able to return to Torte, my fictional bakeshop, year after year. The characters have become more like dear friends or family to me. Every time I sit down to write a new book, it feels like coming home again. So much so that sometimes I have to remind myself they’re entirely in my head and that I can’t just pop into the bakeshop and say hi to the team while grabbing a strawberry almond scone and a honey lavender latte. Without further ado, here’s a little taste of THE WHISKING HOUR. T is for Torte, which is so much more than a bakeshop. It’s a community gathering space and a place where everyone who walks through the front door is treated like family.  H is for home. Jules found her way back to Ashland and rediscovered what home means. E is for eclectic. Ashland is filled with eclectic artists, playwrights, actors, musicians, writers, and bakers. W is for whipping. As a…

When Leslie Budewitz created the Spice Shop Mysteries, and set it in Seattle’s Pike Place, she captured lighting in a bottle. Pike Place, a vibrant waterfront market, is alive with exotic fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood, artisan crafts, massive flower bouquets, and the original Starbucks. There are over 500 shops, restaurants and vendor stalls. It’s fascinating, overwhelming and unforgettable, a Technicolor dream of a market.Leslie explains her fascination with the setting. I fell in love with Pike Place Market when I was a freshman at Seattle University, ages ago. Totally eye-popping to this Montana kid! It was just a few years after Seattle voters had agreed to tax themselves to save the Market, founded in 1907, from urban removal. The vote created a historical preservation district and led to a much-needed upgrade of the infrastructure, while preserving the founders’ mission to create a place where locals could “meet the producers.” The Market was pretty funky back then, but I loved every inch of it – the sights, smells, sounds, and of course, the taste. I shopped and ate there regularly, both in my student days and later as a young lawyer working close by. I asked Leslie how Pike Place…