I’m an author who is always inspired by music – I always say that if I weren’t a novelist, I’d probably take my shot as a songwriter, and THE REWIND is no exception. In fact, music is folded into the plot and layered onto the page. Here are a few of the songs I had on repeat while I wrote the book and may just show up in Frankie and Ezra’s journey.   WITH OR WITHOUT YOU – U2 This song is foundational in their relationship. It was playing the first time that Ezra kissed Frankie or Frankie kissed Ezra (it was all such a blur, neither of them is quite sure), and haunts them throughout the next ten years. What I personally love about it is the ache in Bono’s voice as he wails the chorus, and how when you’re falling in love, you really do have to give yourself away, even if it’s going to hurt you in the end. We’ve all had that person whom we craved but who also made us miserable, and this song is so emblematic of that feeling for me.   MELT WITH YOU – MODERN ENGLISH Ahhhh is there a better song…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE GIRLS IN NAVY BLUE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? THE GIRLS IN NAVY BLUE is a dual timeline novel, moving between the WWI-era lives of three women who join the Navy as “yeomanettes” and 1968 when a young divorcee begins to uncover the secrets they kept for fifty years. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Norfolk VA was the perfect setting for this book; not only was it a center of naval activities during WWI with over 1000 yeomanettes stationed there, but it’s an area and a landscape I know well having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Probably not. My characters live far more interesting lives than I do. I’d probably be too boring for the likes of them. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Viv is determined, loyal, and, in the end, courageous. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Everything I learned about the yeomanettes and their service was new to me. I had never heard of these women before which is tragic considering the amazing contributions they made…

Hi everyone! I’m Emma Cane, the author of A SECOND CHANCE IN VALENTINE VALLEY. Here’s a hint of what the book is about. Steph Brissette is inching back to life after losing her husband in a tragic accident. Though her days are full, it’s only in her dreams that she revisits the accident – one that she can’t quite convince herself was not her fault. Then Jeremy Chen comes back to town. Jeremy first knew Steph as the bratty little sister of his best friend. Then, in one heartbreaking moment, she became the woman he saved – and the widow of the man he couldn’t help. But can she ever look at him without seeing everything she lost? The only certainty is that in a town called Valentine, love is always worth a second chance—which is what I abbreviated my title to for this challenge!   S is for Sexy, something the new town doctor Jeremy definitely is! E is for Everlasting, the kind of love Steph thought she had once before and wonders if she can find again. C is for Cowboys, like Steph’s brothers, and Jeremy hopes he can measure up. O is for Optimistic, which is how…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INTRODUCING CANARY STREET PRESS Romance imprint HQN Books renamed Canary Street Press   New York and Toronto, October 31, 2022 – Harlequin Trade Publishing (HTP Books) announced today that it will relaunch and rename its flagship romance imprint HQN Books as Canary Street Press, reflecting its expansion to publish a greater variety of modern, commercial love stories. NEVER NEVER, by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher – available in print for the first time – will be the launch title in February 2023. Regular publication of Canary Street Press will then continue with new titles beginning in Summer 2023.   Canary Street Press remains a romance imprint but is expanding the books it acquires to include more inclusive stories that represent everyone’s happy ever after. Canary Street Press will publish in trade paperback and hardcover formats, as well as mass market paperbacks.   Susan Swinwood, Editorial Director of Canary Street Press noted, “The Canary Street Press name was inspired by the Canary District, an historic area in downtown Toronto that has undergone a renewal, and is an example of a modern, revitalized community with a rich heritage. Canary Street Press is expanding our editorial direction to celebrate romance…

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 Kirsten Weiss!   Writes: Whimsical cozy mysteries.   About: Urgh. The dreaded “about” essay, and I hate writing about myself (it’s much more fun writing about imaginary people). Last year I took a flash nonfiction class and ended up writing flash fiction and letting everyone think it was about me. Scribbling something clever about myself should come easily since I write mystery novels for a living. But the really clever bios also seems a little fake to me.   My ideal reader match for the mystery novel, NIGHT OF THE CUPID, must love: A good laugh A twisty puzzle Small-town escapes A little romance! Let’s see where it leads.   What to expect if we’re compatible: You’ll want to go back and read the entire series And then you’ll want to read my witch mystery series set in the same small town! And THEN, you’ll join my Raven(ous) Society newsletter on my website to get exclusive (and free) short stories and updates on my…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE YEAR’S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR, Volume Three   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The supernatural, the surreal, and the all-too-real . . . tales of the dark. Such stories have always fascinated us, and modern authors carry on the disquieting traditions of the past while inventing imaginative new ways to unsettle us. Stories from some of today’s finest writers of the fantastique—sure to delight as well as disturb!   3–When beginning an anthology how do you decide what “types” of horror and dark fantasy will be included? Both genres can be so broad. I don’t try to define either – it’s something I’ve addressed in introductions for the volumes since 2010. Generally, I look for stories that don’t necessarily scare so much as unsettle or disturb.   4–What kind of archetypal supernatural/horror character would you hang out with in “real life?” Not sure I’d consort with archetypical archetypes! Maybe fresh versions of them.   5–What are three words that describe what you are looking for in a horror and/or dark fantasy story?  Effective, revelatory, and entertaining.   6–What’s something you learned while acquiring the stories and editing this…

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 Lenore Borja!   Writes: As a debut author, I might be new to the scene, but I’ve been creating stories for as long as I can remember. As a child, I’d stare out the window, elaborate daydreams dancing through my head. Later, while studying to be an actor, I’d write pages of backstory for my characters, diving deeper into their lives than the scene required. Eventually, I had characters to create and stories of my own to tell, and my first novel, THE LAST HUNTRESS, was born. THE LAST HUNTRESS is a YA fantasy that takes you to a realm behind the mirror where demons lurk, infecting humanity through its reflections. You’ll join Alice and her three best friends as they uncover an ancient plot that threatens the future of our world. This is a romantasy that celebrates the magic of female friendships and demonstrates how far we’ll go to save the people we love.   About: Writer seeks reader who loves an urban…

As a true crime fan, I’m familiar with this case, what drew you to this story? As a fan of Truman Capote, I was mostly familiar with his in-depth research for In Cold Blood.  But I learned several years ago that he had a fascination with other crimes, especially high-society crimes. This one drew him in because it took place in his milieu, the glitzy, glamorous world of New York, and Ann Woodward could have been one of his “swans”, if not for the fact that he could not stand her.  I was surprised by how much he could not tolerate her, and by how similar the two actually were.  By how hard the two had worked to pursue similar goals – the achievement of a better life within New York’s society, wanting to be surrounded by a “better” class of friends, trying to erase their pasts in order to build a new persona.   How much research went into writing DELIBERATE CRUELTY, and what was the process like? Quite a bit of research goes into such a book.  While Truman Capote is an author who has been studied and deeply researched, the life of Ann Woodward is less well-known,…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your new release, THE REWIND? Allison Winn Scotch: We were about a year into Covid, and I hadn’t written anything since the pandemic hit. I wanted to write something joyful and fun, a relief from everything that we’d endured. I hadn’t written a romcom in a long time, so I was pitching my friend on ideas, and she told me this was the one. I have always loved digging into the past and the road not taken, so while it wasn’t an easy book to write in the thick of it – mostly because of the complicated logistics of juggling three different timelines – it really was a joy to complete.   Jen: What brings former college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra back to their alma mater? And, how do they feel about seeing each other again? Allison: They head back to Middleton, their college, for the wedding of two friends, and they are nervous and anxious and full of both dread and anticipation but know they must show up all the same. So they do. And then it all goes wrong.   Jen: How has Frankie’s life changed? And Ezra’s? Allison: Ah, great question. Ezra’s has…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MERRY CHRISTMAS COWBOY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When a bad boy cowboy stays at a charming B&B while working on his cousin’s ranch, he meets the sweet innkeeper and sparks fly between them! But their temporary fling results in permanent consequences. Can Wolf and Violet figure out how to let go of the past and make a family in time for Christmas? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This book is part of my new series – Four Corners Ranch – so I knew that some of it would take place there. But I had also been wanting to go back to the town of Copper Ridge (my first big cowboy series!) for years, and as I was thinking about Wolf’s story, I realized this was the best time to do it. So Wolf goes to stay with his cousins, the Copper Ridge Garretts (who my long-time readers will know!) and it was natural to include the B&B, the town, and many other settings that have been seen in some of my older books! 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in…