Thank you for having me at Fresh Fiction today. I’m always excited to be invited. 1–What is the title of your latest release? A GENTLEMAN SAYS “I DO” 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? TEASER: A GENTLEMAN SAYS “I DO” is about a determined, savvy lady who only wants to save her family and a dashing rogue accustomed to getting what he wants. He’s looking for revenge but she helps him find love instead. SYNOPSIS: At the virile age of twenty-nine Iverson Brentwood has finally met his match. Catalina Crisp heats his blood like no other in his history as a confirmed bachelor. She is the most alluring young lady he’s ever encountered. Her boldness has stopped him dead in his tracks. But no matter how attracted he is to the intriguing Catalina, he can’t give into his desire to possess her in every way…for she is the daughter of the man he’s sworn to destroy. Catalina’s father is a well-known poet and a writer, but wastrel whose disappearances continuously put their household one step away from destitution. Something drastic must change, so it is with quill in hand, that Catalina completes her father’s latest parody of the…

Describe the setting that LETTERS TO SINGAPORE takes place for me. LETTERS TO SINGAPORE takes place in Calgary, Canada and Singapore. The protagonist Simran is a new international student at the University of Calgary. Bewildered and alone, she arrives in Calgary (the West) from Singapore (the East). Simran sends letters that go back and forth to 4 women in Singapore. She learns about surviving in a new city, new country and new “everything,” so place becomes a metaphor for transformation and reinvention for Simran.   Does this story draw on personal experience at all? What inspired you to write this book? I was inspired to write this novel when I was accepted into a four-month writing program by the Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Alexandra’s Writers’ Centre in 2019. I was excited and inspired, especially when I found out that my mentor was the marvelous Aritha van Herk. Thrilled and nervous, I finished this novel in 100 days. There are some parts of the novel that draw on personal experiences – one is the skiing adventure. Other parts are the strokes of creative fiction that I enjoyed incorporating as I delved into developing the stories. I enjoyed engaging in the intricacies…

What made you choose 1971 as the setting for A Snake in the Raspberry Patch? I chose 1971 because I didn’t want technology such as cell phones or computers to be in the story. Also, since true crime events in rural communities were part of the inspiration for this book, I didn’t want the date to conflict with other mass murders that have occurred in Canada. And in 1971, I was a teenager so could relate quite easily to what it would be like to live in that decade.   Is the story told through one character’s perspective? Liz is the protagonist, so the story is told through her eyes, but Rose, whose personality seemed to jump out early in the writing, took over many of the scenes. She almost came alive as I wrote. I could even hear her voice in my head.   Do you try to maintain the tension throughout the story? The murders, and/or a killer on the loose, so a potential threat to the girls, are mentioned throughout, creating tension. But I also wanted some normalcy – i.e., depiction of life on the prairie in the 70’s.   Families seem to be the heart of…

1–What is the title of your latest release?FOUR LEAF FELONY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? I finally got my big break! The interview of a lifetime and nothing could stop me from getting there! Not even a dead body that ended up diverting my airplane in an emergency landing to a small town where secrets swept under the rug have found their way out with a few dust bunnies attached. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I knew she needed to get diverted to a small town where she would end up staying which makes her character grow by realizing her dream was never her true dream. It’s the journey. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? A lot! Definitely a few times a week for coffee! She’s really good with gossip. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Determined. Curious. Strong. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I love holidays! All of them! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I wait until I’m totally done. I sprint through the first draft and call that the bones, then…

 1–What is the title of your latest release? FATAL CODE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? In the global race for space domination, a cryptologist must overcome his greatest mistake to help the granddaughter of a nuclear physicist decipher the clues to a top-secret nuclear project before it falls into the hands of America’s enemies. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Washington D.C. is where my SNAP Agency is located because it’s the epicenter of all things political intrigue and suspense. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? I would because she’s a lot of fun but honestly, she’s an aerospace engineer so I’d probably be clueless about anything she’s discussing and would just have to smile and nod. A lot. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Hawaiian. Funny. Genuine. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? So many things. Lots of space defense information; historical information surrounding the top-secret research at Los Alamos National Laboratory—including the inclusion of Black scientists like nuclear scientist George Johnson, after the war; and that measuring the weight of a wave is more math than I ever want to do…

Philippa Kirkpatrick has been raised at a castle by a duchess. I’m all about the details. Can you explain Philippa’s position a little bit? Philippa came to Carlyle Castle as a young child, when her widowed father married the Duke of Carlyle’s sister. She was raised at the castle, doted on by the Carlyle family. Her father died when she was a teenager, and then her stepmother, leaving her as the ward of the duke’s mother, the Duchess. The duchess has no other grandchildren and believes she never will; she loves Philippa as a granddaughter and made Philippa her sole heiress (and the duchess was a wealthy woman before she married a duke). As the duchess is elderly, and the duke is unable to run things himself, Philippa gradually becomes the lady of the estate, which she takes to and is determined to do well. The duchess trusts and relies on her completely, which means Philippa has to handle the troublesome new steward, William Montclair, herself.   The description for ALL THE DUKE I NEED doesn’t paint a detailed picture of Will. How would you describe him to readers? Charming and easygoing? Serious and a total boy scout good guy?…

1–What is the title of your latest release? CHEF’S KISS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A high-strung pastry chef’s professional goals are interrupted by an unexpected career transition and the introduction of her wildly attractive nonbinary kitchen manager. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Well, I live in New York City, and it seems like every YouTuber with a huge cooking channel is here, so it was a natural fit. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes–one hundred percent. Is Simone a super uptight person who might grate on my nerves if we were chilling out together? Maybe. Would she be cooking for me, though? Probably, and that is good enough for me. I have a ton of friends who are hardasses on the exterior and I think they’re neat. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? they/them/theirs – Kidding! I would say Ray is optimistic, outgoing… and tall. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How to brew beer at home. I knew I wanted Ray to have a hobby that was kitchen-adjacent but not food-related, and homebrewing seemed like a perfect fit. I…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THEIR ALASKAN PAST   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Famous Dog Musher, Ace Reynolds, is at low point in his life after a serious crash in the Iditarod ends his career and injures his lead dog, Luna. When his former girlfriend, Veterinarian, Maya Roberts, asks Ace for help in leading a dog rescue, he’s forced to choose between his heart and his head.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I write a series set in Owl Creek, Alaska, so it was really easy. The book centers around an Iditarod sled dog racer, so an Alaskan setting was imperative.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. She’s a vet who wants to start a dog rescue. There’s nothing cooler than someone who is compassionate and caring about animals and loves to be surrounded by them.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Strong, Loyal, Proud   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Answer: I did a lot of research about dog sled racing and the Iditarod. I admire these athletes and their dogs who…

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 MaryJanice Davidson!   Writes: NYT and USA Today best-selling author MaryJanice Davidson has been on best-seller lists around the world.  Her latest Shifter paranormal romance, MAD FOR A MATE, brings back her popular werebears and the snark for which she is (in)famous. In a world where apex predators are also shapeshifters, is there room for a shifter who can’t shift?  That’s the problem facing Verity Lane, proud member of a club out to prove themselves by participating in dangerous stunts. Which is probably how she ended up on this strange island… Bear shifter Magnus Berne wants two things: to connect with his motherless goddaughter, and to find out who keeps dumping dead bodies on his property. When he discovers Verity on his island, he’s determined to get some answers—but it’s clear that whoever has been killing shifters like her is just as resolved to keep it quiet. And now that Verity is in the crosshairs, they’ll have to move quickly to stay ahead, stay alive, and stay together….

As a reader, I always wondered why it was necessary when an author would come out with a book at the end of a series, telling the same story but from another character’s perspective. Now, as a rabid Night Huntress fangirl, I get it. For years we got stories without directly getting Bones’ perspective. He’s an amazing character with ever getting that window into his psyche, but sometimes you just couldn’t help but wonder. Like in DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE. I admit that it’s not my fav in the series – but largely because I just didn’t understand where Bones was coming from – which is why I loved OUTTAKES FROM THE GRAVE in which you have alternate scenes that gave me what I felt was missing from that earlier book.  So, I know why I’m so excited to read THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE, but what motivated you to write it? You could say that Bones did, and it took me completely by surprise. A couple years ago, I was reading the beginning of HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE for some reason, and on impulse, I re-wrote chapter one from Bones’ point of view. Then, just for fun,…