Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
January Bell | 20 Questions: TAURUS UNTAMED
Author Guest / June 9, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? My newest book is TAURUS UNTAMED, which comes out June 8th and finishes the Fated By Starlight zodiac shifters series- for now. My next book is WED TO THE ALIEN WARLORD and comes out in July! 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Earth sold me and my crew out for tech- and the scarred alien who hand-picked me to wed is the scariest of them all. Great. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I love the abduction trope, so I knew I wanted it to take place on an alien planet, but I wanted to put a spin on who’s fault the abduction is. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely- she’s brave and funny with a big heart. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Kind, honest, and sexy! 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Moore’s Law, which is basically an observation based theory on how fast technology advances —at an exponential rate— and then applied that to what would happen to human society if introduced to advanced alien tech. 7–Do you edit as you draft…

Liv Zander | 20 Questions: KING OF FLESH AND BONE
Author Guest / June 9, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? KING OF FLESH AND BONE 2–What is it about? At its core, this dark fantasy romance is about how love can turn us into fools for liars and monsters. The book asks the reader if villains deserve to be loved, and if we can root for such a couple against the guidelines of morality. As for the overall story, you’ll have to go in blindfolded, letting the first chapter give you a good spin. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book? I love how dark and forlorn it is, allowing my gory and macabre side to come out and play a little. 4–How did your heroine surprise you? Ada turned out to be much stronger than I first anticipated. Even though the book packs some serious angst, she remained rather level-headed throughout, using her brain to assess the situations and come up with plans. 5–Will readers love your hero? No, because there is no hero in this book. There is, however, a villain readers will hate to love. I have no intentions of redeeming him because, well… villains do it better. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while…

Theresa Nellis | Title Challenge: THE PORTLY LADY
Author Guest / June 9, 2022

Thanks for letting me drop in! I’m Theresa Nellis. I’m excited to share the second novel with you in my KEEPER OF THE MIRROR series. While on COVID lock-down in Japan, I tackled my first book, The Book of Peter. Since publishing that title, I have written The Portly Lady and its Prequel. The third book in this trilogy is currently in the editing phase with Atmosphere Press! I am a passionate supporter of animal rights. You’ll often find animal protagonists in my writing. Think the goofiness of Scooby-Doo mixed with the intelligence of E.B. White’s Charlotte. My inspiration is a blend of my experience as a Social Worker and Classroom Teacher—sprinkled with humor and twisted with dark, magical fantasy. The best part—I use my students as my unwitting literary muses. Sorry tiny humans—no extra credit! Embracing my dark side, I’ve ravaged through countless pages as Count Olaf inflicted misery and torture upon three unlucky orphans in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Next, I unabashedly dove head-first into J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series as I declared which house I’d be placed in—Gryffindor, naturally. Indeed, I gobbled up the wry humor from In a Glass Grimly by Adam Gidwitz….

Minerva Spencer | 20 Questions: PHOEBE
Author Guest / June 8, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? PHOEBE: Book 1 of The Bellamy Sisters 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Arrgh! I’m awful at elevator pitches. How about this: Phoebe will do anything to keep a roof over her family’s head… even marry the devil himself. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I write Regency Era romance, so I usually set the story in England somewhere. Although on occasion I’ll venture out to “The Continent” to spin my yarn. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely! Phoebe is actually one of my favorite heroines because she is a “get the job done” type of gal. She is accustomed to picking up the slack for her very large family and I really appreciate her low-drama, no-nonsense approach to life. Of course, like all of us she has her not-so-sterling qualities and in Phoebe’s case the particular quality is a tendency to judge first and ask questions later. This is something that will get her into trouble again and again with her hero, Paul. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Private, surprising, & driven 6–What’s something you…

Anabelle Bryant | 20 Questions: THE LADY LOVES DANGER
Author Guest / June 8, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LADY LOVES DANGER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Two people from vastly different worlds come together to find a lost child in Regency England and fall in love along the way. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My romances are set in the Regency era and since this new series features a group of crime fighting females, The Maidens of Mayhem, it was an opportunity for me to explore the lack of law enforcement in this time period. I enjoy writing about the grittier side of London just as much as the fancy balls and tea parties. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. Delilah is kindhearted, resourceful, and determined. She’s strong in overcoming her fears and pursuing her future. I think Delilah stays true to the time period, but also exemplifies important qualities women would also want to have today. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Sexy, vulnerable, and protective 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Even though the Regency era was over 200 years ago, there are many troubling themes that existed…

Annie Burrows | 20 Questions: HOW TO CATCH A VISCOUNT
Author Guest / June 8, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? HOW TO CATCH A VISCOUNT (The Patterdale Siblings part 2) 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Lord Darwen has been brought up to distrust women, especially pretty ones in search of a titled husband. Betsy has been brought up to do whatever it takes to snare her man! But when they meet, their fierce attraction makes them question everything they thought they believed. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Lol!  I didn’t decide at all.  Betsy, my heroine, wouldn’t leave me alone until I explained to my readers why she’d behaved so badly in “A Scandal at Midnight” (Patterdale Siblings part 1).  So the action takes place at Bramley Park, in Shropshire, where she lives.  And then follows her to Tunbridge Wells when she flees from her home, vowing never to trust ANYONE, ever again. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes.  Betsy is one of those girls who always tries to do the right thing but ends up getting into scrapes.  I adore her, and her tart tongue, and her hot temper. 5–What are three words that describe your…

Catriona McPherson | 20 Questions: IN PLACE OF FEAR
Author Guest / June 8, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? IN PLACE OF FEAR 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Death stalks the streets of Edinburgh at the birth of the NHS. In this city of lawyers, who will risk a scandal in the name of justice? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Easy – my home city. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Oh, in a heartbeat. I love her. But I wasn’t alive in 1948. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Upstart, bewildered, determined 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? From contemporary accounts: of all the odorous places in this district of the city – tanning sheds, brewery, distillery, stables, slaughterhouse – the confectionary factory was the stinkiest of all. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Answer: I wait till I’m done. I don’t even read as I go along. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? See’s Candy. 9–Describe your writing space/office! The color scheme is seafoam and terra cotta (my favorite) and it’s full of books – both mine and other people’s – and full of the…

Rachel Fordham | 20 Questions: WHERE THE ROAD BENDS
Author Guest / June 7, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? WHERE THE ROAD BENDS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Norah King is weeks away from marrying a man who can save her family farm, when she discovers an injured man on her property. Nursing him back to health is the right thing to do, but will her altruistic act prove the thwarting of her own plans? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I went with Iowa for the specific reason of wanting to have some secondary characters from my past novels make cameos. It’s totally a stand-alone book, but fans of my previous books will have fun spotting these “easter eggs”. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? For some of my books the answer would be maybe, but for this book I for sure would. Norah is optimistic, hard working and has a depth to her that would make spending time with her rich and enjoyable. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Optimistic, resilient, lovable 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I spent a bit of time digging into contracts in the 1880’s and how…

Taylor Hahn | Author-Reader Match: THE LIFESTYLE
Author Guest / June 7, 2022

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 Taylor Hahn!   Writes:   Insightful, hilarious, heartwarming women’s fiction fizzing with witty characters, sexy chemistry, and lots of love. Taylor Hahn’s debut novel, THE LIFESTYLE, follows Georgina as she dives headfirst into New York City’s swinger scene in an attempt to save her marriage. Does she know what she’s in for? Spoiler: Not even close. Georgina soon finds herself lost in New York’s most elite sex clubs, role playing with Matthew McConaughey, and handcuffing a complete stranger to a bed post. But it’s not all fun and games: THE LIFESTYLE takes an intricate, thoughtful look at marriage, friendship, ambition, and the so-called “perfect” life, asking whether it’s okay to get wild and take risks in the pursuit of true happiness.   About:   LA transplant but New Yorker at heart. Dog lover would be an understatement—I am obsessed with my dog. Lover of morning coffee, big windows, and Bridgerton. I read multiple books at a time and usually have one going on audio…

Donnell Ann Bell Interview – Special Agents and Suspense
Author Guest , Interviews / June 6, 2022

In your latest book, UNTIL DEAD, your unknown villain is a bomber. As a writer, what draws you to these types of thrillers and suspense stories? Thank you for inviting me. I enjoy books with a ticking clock. I also like to create an antagonist that is equal to my protagonist(s). In Until Dead, A Cold Case Suspense, my bomber is actually more than a bomber. He’s a Jack-of-all-trades’ assassin. He’s an explosives, weapons, and IT expert who no longer goes by his given name but calls himself The Tradesman.   How would you describe Special Agent Brian DiPietro to readers who may be new to your books? Brian is a stand-up guy (says the woman who created him). He’s a good supervisor, although he hates the idea of supervising because of a tragedy that happened in his past. He tried to leave the Bureau afterward, but his superiors convinced him to take a demotion instead. So, Brian is no longer Supervisory Special Agent Brian DiPietro but Special Agent Brian DiPietro. As I said, Brian balks at supervising others. Unfortunately for him, and the fun part for me, is to ensure he doesn’t get his way. By his experience and…