1–What is the title of your latest release? HAUNT ME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Sabrina is slightly ‘life-challenged’. After being murdered by her jerk cousin, she’s been left to haunt her family’s estate. Unseen. Unheard. Ignored. But her family’s secrets have just been exposed, and the Houses that rule the world have sent ambassadors to recruit her relatives into their service. With them comes Kieran Aspen, a half-death fae, half-vampire former torturer, who can see her. And hear her. Her world gets turned upside down as a result… 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? When I was invited to participate in the Immortal Vices and Virtues shared world series by Kel Carpenter, I blithely said “I want to write a ghost romance!”. And where better to set a slightly gothic romance, than the Highlands of Scotland? 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. Although I might confiscate all the knives and pointy things first. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Haunt Me is told through dual perspectives. So, for Sabrina: sassy, funny, lonely. And Kieran: antisocial, feral, witty. 6–What’s something you learned while writing…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE AFFAIRS OF ASHMORE CASTLE 2– What is it about? It is the second volume in a family saga set in Edwardian England, concerning the lives, loves, and tribulations of the reluctant new Earl of Stainton and his family, servants, neighbors, and friends. Fans of Downton Abbey will probably feel at home at Ashmore Castle. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? There is a big house up on a hill overlooking a delightful old village that I often visit. I always wondered what it would be like to live there, so when I was asked to write this series, it seemed a good way to satisfy the itch! 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? There are two heroines, old school friends, and very different from each other, but I love them both. 5—How do you describe your hero? There’s no one hero, but many male characters, all different, from the delicious, earthy blacksmith to the reserved, aesthetic earl. And with a series, there are always new people coming in. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Number plates on cars were…

1—How did you come up with the title for LUCK AND LAST RESORTS? I REALLY wanted another alliterative L title after Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, but was told not to reuse the word “love.” Ollie’s ultimatum is a last resort to make his and Nina’s relationship real, so that part was easy. Ollie is also Irish, so that got me thinking about the “luck” element, and I wove more about luck into the book after deciding on the title.   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Luck and Last Resorts is an angsty second-chance romance between a commitment-phobic yacht stewardess and a hot-headed Irish chef who has had an on-again-off-again friends-with-benefits relationship for nearly a decade. Think Below Deck meets Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Seeing as the entire premise is about Nina and Ollie being stuck on a yacht together for four months, that part was easy!   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. Nina can be prickly and unreasonable, but she is fun, loyal, and fierce. She’s the friend who will take you for a…

To celebrate Gena Showalter’s new book RUTHLESS, we here at Fresh Fiction thought it would be a fun way for readers to get to know her characters better (from her many many fab books) to play a little game we call “The Character Most Likely”. I love this because it satisfies my romance nerd self AND because I love Gena Showalter’s books. If you’re new to her Immortal Enemies series – It’s a mix of fantasy and romance – with men AND women who are ruthless. The result often combines chaos and eroticism in a satisfying way. Gena is free to select her answers from any of her paranormal series. Most likely to hold a grudge longer than anybody else? ANSWER: Kaysar the Unhinged One from Heartless and Ruthless. He forgives no one, ever. Well, except his darling, homicidal Chantal, who can do no wrong.   Most likely to figure out a way to use an enemy’s strength against him? ANSWER: Micah the Unwilling from Ruthless. As a beast tamer, he often senses the inside scoop. Before scooping out their insides.   Most likely to prefer a cloak of invisibility to super-duper sword or other instruments of battle? ANSWER: Viori…

Chapter 6   New York, New York Emily slipped into a dreamy state of contemplation. The voices of the attendees in the gallery faded away as she absorbed the beauty of the artwork. Marco Allegretto’s paintings were so vivid, they took on a life of their own. Where does the truth lie? In the paintings, or the book, or both? Even if their love affair had been doomed, what an experience to treasure, to be loved and adored like the mysterious woman in the painting. Or the mysterious Iris in the novel. Emily’s Romeos always turned out to be Bozos the Clown or, in Will’s case, a serial cheater. Despite her failed relationships, Emily still yearned for that wondrous one true love. Am I destined to be alone for the rest of my life? Or will I have to wait for the next lifetime to find my soul mate? An eerie sensation rippled up her spine and she nearly jumped off the bench. The first painting seemed to be moving. Emily wondered if she was seeing things, or if it was a surprise 3D effect of the exhibit? The woman posed in the chair in La Sedia shifted and was…

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 Shana Galen! Writes: Shana Galen writes fast-paced historical romance with bold heroines and dangerous heroes. Expect laugh-out-loud humor, nail-biting suspense, and toe-curling romance. Her latest, Beauty and the Thief, is the first in the new Royal Saboteurs series. About:   I’m a perennial award nominee but rarely the award-winner. Reviewers call my writing “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching.” I live in Houston and before being a writer and mom full-time, I taught English at the middle and high school level for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston’s inner city. I’m a magnet for animals in distress and have four rescue cats and one rescued dog. I’m also a dance mom (the good kind!) to a teenage daughter, and you can find me typing my latest book in a loud dressing room or a darkened auditorium. The ideal reader for Beauty and the Thief adores Enemies to lovers A hero with a sexy Irish accent Spies and secret agents…

When I made my first Facebook ads for my Gilded Age MM series, The Slippery Slope, I used the tagline, “Romance in the Gay Club Scene of the 1890s!”. And almost immediately, I had someone comment saying “Are you kidding? Or do you mean the 1980s?” Fortunately, I was able to reply and say, “It’s not a typo! There was a thriving gay club scene in The Bowery in the 1890s and earlier.” And guys, there was! The neighborhood of Bowery was famous for being a little slice of New York City where all the rules were broken and where men and women of all inclinations could live as their most authentic selves. It was so famous for the wild lives people lived that “going slumming” by visiting the Bowery clubs was considered to be one of the not-to-be-missed tourist attractions of New York before the twentieth century. The idea of social clubs and bars wasn’t new to the twentieth century. Neither was the concept of dance halls or public houses of ill-repute. By the end of the nineteenth century in large cities around the world, that hangout spot where everybody knew your name and was always glad you came…

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 Madeleine Roux!   Writes: Many readers might know me from my bestselling horror novels, but my first passion as a reader and writer was romance! As a teenager, I spent my nights and days obsessed with authors like Jude Deveraux, imagining a time I might get to bring my own romances to life. Twenty years later, I finally get to show THE PROPOSITION to the world. The Proposition is my eighteenth novel, but my first foray into romance, and I’ve poured my heart and soul–and my love for strong, smart heroines–into this book. In this Regency romance, you’ll join Clemency Fry as she grapples with her desire for independence and her desire for revenge against the man that tricked her into a loveless match. Her prospect of happiness seems dashed until a handsome stranger comes along, offering the revenge she seeks, and much more. Clemency never expected to fall in love while getting even with a dangerous villain.   About: Hopeless romantic seeks readers…

Do you enjoy humor in romance? I know I do. I’m not talking about an all-out slapstick comedy. Some readers love slapstick, which is great, but it’s not my thing (although a surprise slapstick-esque scene can be fun). And I’m not specifically referring to “rom-coms” either, since that definition has become a bit fuzzy over the past few years. Not every romance with funny scenes is a rom-com. But I do enjoy having a good chuckle while reading…and while writing. As an author, I have a choice to make. Do I want the scene to be funny for the reader, as someone observing what’s happening? Or do I want the scene to be funny for the characters, with the reader in on the joke? A great example of funny for the reader, while not funny (at least not at the time) for the character, is the “Wibblet” scene from Lucy Parker’s Headliners—a lovely enemies-to-lovers romance about two morning TV hosts. In this scene, a guest brings on a popular robotic toy called a Wibblet, and the thing goes crazy—terrifying the heroine, cursing and running amok—causing a scene on live television. It was so well-written that I had to set my…

1–What is the title of your latest release? STORM ECHO 2–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The Psy-Changeling series encompasses multiple settings. This time around, I knew we were heading into the territory of the DarkRiver leopard changelings: San Francisco and the surrounding area. The series hasn’t been back in San Francisco for some time, so it was wonderful to return and see glimpses of several familiar characters. I originally chose SF (and more widely, California) as a setting because I’d recently traveled through it, and it just felt right for this series. It has sprawling landscapes, big cities, rivers, mountains, deserts, everything you need for both the shapeshifting changelings as well as the more city-based humans and Psy. I also particularly loved the energy of SF’s Chinatown, and it just worked its way seamlessly into the series – which it does this time around too, with a major scene taking place in the heart of Chinatown. 3–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely! She’s fun, deeply caring, a loyal friend, and has a wildly colorful style. 4–What are three words that describe your hero? Cool, controlled, devoted. 5–Do you…