What is the title of your latest release? TO CATCH A SINNER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? TO CATCH A SINNER is suspenseful friends to lovers romance between a relentless journalist and an enigmatic lawyer who fall in love before they realize their relationship has a fatal flaw.  Set in a fictionalized Washington DC, the story explores themes of identity, found family, and the pursuit of a new American Dream. How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I knew that the story would be set in the DMV because of a recently renewed love I have for the area. I knew that the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American history and Culture would be an important setting for the story. My characters were both going to be first generation Ghanaians and the DC area has such a rich and diverse first gen population.  Significantly, the house that sparked the idea for this story in the first place is located in McLean Virginia. The Potomac river was my muse for a lot of the story and so my characters spend a lot of time in places that it touches.  Would you hang out…

What is the title of your latest release? CHASE ME IF YOU CAN What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When photographer Sloane Michaels is invited to enter a prestigious nature magazine’s storm cover contest, she knows her favorite frenemy “Wild” Wes Talbot is the man to beat. But when an accident leaves Wes without a car, the two team up for the season…and find that the feelings between them might be more electric than the storms they’re chasing. How did you decide where your book was going to take place? In this case, the setting came along with the plot! While tornadoes and supercells definitely occur in other parts of the world, the highest concentration is in the American Midwest / Tornado Alley.  Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely! Sloane and I have a lot in common and would get along great.  What are three words that describe your hero? Kind, competent, determined  What’s something you learned while writing this book? I think every book an author writes teaches them something about themselves (whether they want to learn it or not!) and this book is no different. Some of those lessons were really…

S is for Suitcase Sisters go to Scotland Cousins Nora and Allie are sent to Scotland at the insistence of their indomitable Grandmother. Many surprises await them. H is for Hansome man in a kilt The cousins settle in a picture-perfect cottage in the village where their Gran grew up and a man in a kilt asks Nora if she has “a touch of cianalas”. O is for Old secrets waiting to be uncovered What has their Gran kept hidden from them and why does she want them to bring back an old book from an even older library? R is for Research for new Spa Products Allie convinces Nora to become a spa spy with her so they can discover a new product in the Highlands to take back to Arizona before her family business tumbles. T is for Train ride through the Highlands As the train journeyed north more pasture lands spread out like thick carpets. Flocks of sheep clustered together as the clouds grew into darker, more menacing threats.  B is for Boat ride on Loch Lomond The water became a speckled looking glass, reflecting the primrose blue canopy above as well as the rounded green hills on both…

Museums are fascinating places to visit. Full of nooks and crannies, they offer a great setting for a mystery. Among the bones and relics of the past, a history museum guards secrets from eras long gone and buries stories that can impact the present. When writing a mystery, it always helps to create a setting within a setting. This technique gives the writer a built-in cast of suspects. For DREIDELS AND DEAD ENDS, the bigger world relates to my hairstylist sleuth, Marla Vail. She owns a hair salon in sultry Palm Haven, Florida. Her clients are sources of gossip who may also ask for her help in solving a murder. By now in this award-winning series, Marla is married with a toddler son. She’s pregnant with her second child and juggles caring for her family with gift shopping for both Christmas and Hanukkah. The last thing she needs is another whodunit to solve in the midst of holiday preparations. Then her friend Becky Forest, curator at the local history museum, begs Marla to give a last-minute speech during their new exhibit’s opening gala. Their contracted speaker has cancelled, and she needs a quick fill-in. Marla’s interest peaks when Becky mentions…

Book Title: THE KILLER WEDDINGCharacter Name: Henry Vaughn (best man, narrator, the only one paying attention) How would you describe your family or your childhood?Mercifully uneventful, which I have come to appreciate more as an adult than I did at the time. My parents are sensible people in Surrey who worry about hedges and the church roof fund. I have a younger sister who works in logistics and finds my friendship with James a source of endless, justified amusement. Nobody in my family has ever hired a private investigator to look into anyone’s fiancée, which, I have learned this year, is not something every family can say. What was your greatest talent?Noticing things. The handshake that’s a fraction too firm. The smile that never quite reaches the eyes. The brother who appears from nowhere three weeks after an engagement and orders the wine before anyone’s asked him to. It’s not a talent anyone pays you for directly, though I would argue it has, on at least four occasions this year, kept my best friend alive. Significant other?Not currently, no. I went on three dates with a woman from the floor below mine in March, and on the third I found…

What is the title of your latest release?CECE DOWNING’S START OVER SUMMER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?After losing her stable job as an actuary and breaking up with her fiancé, a thirty-two-year-old woman flees to a coastal Connecticut town for a summer of reinvention, only to find herself caught between an unexpected romance, a local class war over an oyster farm, and a sudden family crisis. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I’ve always wanted to set something in New London, CT. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. She’s a bit all over the place, but she seems like a fun hang! What are three words that describe your hero?conflicted, driven, messy. What’s something you learned while writing this book?Running an oyster farming business is tough! Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I usually edit chapter by chapter. What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?Oysters, of course! Describe your writing space/office!A nice big office surrounded by my books. Who is an author you admire?Edith Wharton Is there a book that changed your life?STONER by John Williams Tell us about when you got “the call.”…

Book: A TWIST IN THE RIVERCharacter: Jake Jackson How would you describe your family or your childhood?I was the only child of loving parents, who died just as I was reaching adulthood (car accident, no survivors). My main influence growing up was my Uncle Arthur, a wily old bachelor – which is code for serial romancer – who used to send me crime novels on a regular basis. It is thanks to him that reading became one of my formative loves, and that I decided to become a detective. When he died, he bequeathed to me a place called Little Sky, a huge scrap of land complete with farmhouse, wood and lake. What was your greatest talent?I have always been good at seeing the pattern of things, making a story out of what looks like a shapeless mess. My final job before my early retirement was in the cold case division of the Metropolitan Police: putting together cases that others had given up on. Significant other?The first person I met when I came to Little Sky one hot summer was the local vet: a beautiful, brilliant woman called Livia. We had a torrid – at least I thought it was…

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.

What is the title of your latest release?SUMMER AT THE FRENCH BAKERY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Set in Brittany in France. This book is about a crossroads in Juliet’s life, celebrating a fresh start after recovering from illness and following her dreams to turn an old water mill on the banks of a lake into a salon du thé, a tea rooms. But before she can do that, she must agree to help the Mayor out and reopen the old boulangerie in the town. But she’s going to need all the help she can get. And not everyone is pleased to see her. As a turf war begins to grow between the rival bakeries, alliances and partnerships are formed, communities reunited, lost loved ones remembered and new loves begin to blossom. But will it be enough to save the heart and soul of the little ville….and will love survive where others have lost? How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I wanted to write about France and French baguettes. I love the ritual of visiting the bakery early each morning. There is a wonderful sense of routine to it. The smell of the…

Welcome back to Jen’s Jewels, your weekly guide to the best in new fiction. This week, I am thrilled to host New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne to talk about her latest novel, THE RAINY DAY BOOKSHOP – a warm, feel-good read that I think you are going to love. LIGHTNING ROUND What’s your favorite way to spend a slow summer afternoon?I love reading out in our covered pavilion in the backyard. It’s always cool with a lovely breeze and the sound of birdsong. Perfect! If your main character could plan the perfect summer getaway, where would they go?Rosie, the main heroine of THE RAINY DAY BOOKSHOP, would probably choose to stay home and work in her yard. She has a gorgeous view of the Pacific from her home in a small Oregon coastal town and it is definitely her happy place. What’s one thing that instantly helps you slip into a creative mindset?I love Lofi music. Listening to it always helps me find the writing groove. 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?Well, I have…