Your new book, DREAMING OF A DEVILISH HIGHLANDER, is the first in a series. Do you have a set number of books you plan on doing in this series? Or you’ll see what inspires you? For the Highland Shifters Series, I plan to publish three books about three Highlander warrior friends who are cursed at the same time by their fallen enemy’s mother. For my other series, like my Highland Adventure Series, I follow inspiration and write stories of previous secondary characters (making them heroes or heroines). I even did a spin off series called Scottish Treasure. But the Highland Shifters characters are separate and unrelated to the other series’ characters. The date is also slightly later. From the book’s description, there seem to be some supernatural and time travel elements to this story. Paranormal historicals are my favorite. Do you include these kinds of elements in all your books? No, this book contains far more paranormal than my usual books. I have included some very mild paranormal in a couple of my regular historicals, but these were minor elements, like second sight. In DREAMING OF A DEVILISH HIGHLANDER, the hero shapeshifts into a hawk during the daytime and…
Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Harper! Congrats on the release of THE LADY TEMPTS AN HEIR. What do you love about writing novels set during the Gilded Age? Thank you so much for inviting me to Fresh Fiction. I’m thrilled to be here to discuss The Lady Tempts an Heir. By far, the best thing about writing books set during the Gilded Age is the research. I love the history of the time and how accessible it is to us. There are so many primary sources such as newspaper articles, journals, and even photographs from the period that help me set the mood for my stories. A close second is the fashion. The gowns were so gorgeous and extravagant. I can easily lose a day of writing by researching what my characters would be wearing in a particular scene. Maxwell Crenshaw has been content living in New York but must go back to England after vowing he’d never return when his father takes ill. How do you think returning to his family estate changes Maxwell’s outlook on life so far, especially after he sees Helena again? By this point in his life, and after dealing with his parents social-climbing maneuverings…
Your newest book THREE TIMES TEMPTED is the third book in your “A Scandal in Mayfair” series. Can this be read as a standalone? And what can you tell readers about the series who may be new to it? How are these books connected? Hi Miranda! Thanks so much for asking about my latest release. So far, there are three books in my “A Scandal in Mayfair” series and all can be read as standalones (all my books can be read as standalones actually!). There’s one more book to come – a Christmas story at the end of this year. “A Scandal in Mayfair” pretty much does what it says on the tin – all three stories are about people who dare to defy the rigid social standards of Regency London to claim their happiness. ONE WICKED WISH, Book 1, features downtrodden governess Stella Faulkner who embarks on an illicit and passionate affair with notorious rake, Lord Halston. TWO SECRET SINS, Book 2, features Stella’s cousin Viscount Colville, who is determined to win the wildest lady in London for his wife, despite his reputation for being a saint. Book 3, THREE TIMES TEMPTED, features Lady Imogen Ridley, Stella’s cousin and…
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 Marissa Clarke! Writes: Romantic comedy About: I’m a small-town (previously large city) author who lives on the Gulf Coast. Instead of a fence in my backyard, I have a river. In trading out concrete of the city for the green of the country, I also lost my Wi-fi. Boo. It’s okay, though; my neighbors and chickens are more entertaining than social media anyway. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Someone in search of relaxation A fondness for hunky single dads is a plus in this reader Appreciation for female entrepreneurs A love of silliness Soft spot for characters who can laugh at themselves as well as each other A willingness to accept (even if begrudgingly) small-town dynamics Someone who likes to smile at shenanigans My ideal reader must have a love of happy endings What to expect if we’re compatible: Laughter Smiles Perhaps some tense moments Scenes featuring loving, involved parents spouting terrible cliché sayings And for sure, a happily ever after ACCIDENTALLY PERFECT by Marissa…
“I have an idea.” He was much too close, the already cramped kitchen seeming much more so with him near enough behind me to feel the warmth rolling off him. He smelled like a hazy memory—some basic soap or shampoo that I associated with my younger years. “What?” My voice came out husky, my thoughts already turning inappropriately sexy. “Let’s fix the pool table.” “Oh. That.” Fool. Of course he didn’t share my problem of a wandering brain. But doing something, anything sounded better than more chances for my mind to get me in trouble. “Let’s do that.” “I found a toolbox earlier. It has a level in it, so we should be able to fix the table by tightening the legs and adding a shim if necessary.” “You’re a man of many talents.” I followed him back to the game room, stopping to collect the toolbox from the hall closet. “I try.” Calder shrugged as he started examining the pool table this way and that. “With my dad at sea so much, Mom made sure that we all had basic fix-it skills.” “Smart mom. I need to remember to show the girls things like screwdrivers and drills.” I wandered…
1–What is the title of your latest release? JANE AND THE YEAR WITHOUT A SUMMER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Jane Austen stumbles over a body while vacationing in the spa town of Cheltenham, and solves the murder with the help of dishy painter Raphael West. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? This is the 14th book in the long-running Jane Austen Mystery Series, which follows the famous author’s life. We’ve reached 1816, which has gone down in history as the Year Without a Summer, because a volcanic eruption in Indonesia had a global impact on climate that caused relentless rain and worldwide famine. Eeek! It’s the same summer that Mary Shelley famously wrote Frankenstein because she was stuck indoors with Lord Byron, telling ghost stories around the fire in wretched July weather. Jane took a trip to the party town of Cheltenham in late May, 1816, so I set the book there. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. I’ve been hanging with Jane for 26 years, now, sending her on all sorts of bloody and intriguing adventures. I love her viciously funny way with words,…
I see that your new book, THE SINISTER, is the ninth book in the series. Can it be read as a standalone story for readers who may be new to the series? THE SINISTER can most definitely be read as a standalone. I wrote this purposely to work as a standalone. I quickly and economically give the reader the information they need to understand the back story. How would you describe your main character, Bruno Johnson, to readers? Bruno Johnson is an ex-cop, ex-con who rescues children from toxic homes in South Central Los Angeles. He couldn’t do it as a cop because of all the rules and policies so now he goes outside the law to rescue the children. From the book description, it says that family plays a big part in THE SINISTER. Does having the main character deal with family issues increase the anxiety or sense of danger? Bruno Johnson is a real person with real problems. He rescues children and women from hostile environments and the story—each novel–always overlaps into his family. He keeps the children he rescues which means his family continues to grow. With a bigger family comes more problems. I’m very…
1–What is the title of your latest release? LONG OVERDUE AT THE LAKESIDE LIBRARY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? LONG OVERDUE returns us to Lofty Pines, Wisconsin where Rain decides to keep the generational log-cabin library up and running year-round. A library patron who has recently loaned a few cookbooks is murdered at the “Ice Fishing Jamboree” on Pine Lake and Julia’s husband Nick takes the hit. Rain is on the case to clear Nick’s name. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? LONG OVERDUE is the second book in the series, so I knew we’d return to Lofty Pines, Wisconsin. The setting decision was pure magic for me. I previously lived in a log-cabin for 6 years and it was so cozy and charming. I also wanted the Northwoods of WI feel. If you haven’t been to a lake in upper Wisconsin, I implore you to add it to your bucket list! The clear lakes and tall pines…well…it’s breathtaking! 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely, although Rain is a bit of an in introvert like me, but once she trusts you, she opens like a flower….
It’s not exactly appropriate to hang around a school, but that’s where I find myself come Monday afternoon, parked just outside the gates, watching as people come in and out. I personally don’t know why anyone would want to be a high school teacher, but props to them, because someone has to do it and I’m glad it’s not me. I look down at the DMV picture I have of Cara. She’s an attractive woman. Extremely so. Warm brown eyes, smiling right at me, long, lush brown hair and her lips upturned at one corner. I find myself wondering how she will react to finding out that she has a half sister. Or maybe she already knows and doesn’t care. Some people aren’t so friendly with certain sides of their family, and the fact that she took her stepfather’s last name makes me think she isn’t too close with her own biological father. She apparently has a boyfriend who is a biker; I saw his name on the deed to her house. I hope that’s not going to be an issue for me and he’s not going to cause any problems. I’m here today to make sure I have the…
Hi, and thank you so much for inviting me to visit. It’s lovely to be here! In your latest book, CLAIMING HIS VIRGIN PRINCESS, your hero Noah Carson is a billionaire. This is a common thing for a romance hero. What makes a billionaire hero so attractive? What is your favorite type of hero to write? It’s interesting how many heroes are rich, isn’t it? One thing I particularly enjoyed about Noah was his perspective on wealth and power. He doesn’t come from money but from very humble origins and worked hard to build his commercial success. I think there are a couple of reasons why billionaire heroes are popular. At the most obvious level a rich hero can do things that are poor hero can’t, like whisk the heroine away on a luxurious yachting trip, as Noah does. But for me, the real appeal lies deeper. That wealth is a sign of the hero’s success. One of the things most people find attractive is competence – whether it be a man who can fix things with his hands, or solve a problem, or just be very, very good at whatever it is he does. If he’s a businessman his…