1–What is the title of your latest release? THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? “The Master Craftsman is a fascinating treasure hunt, an atmospheric tale of the Russian Revolution, and a heart-thumping generational story.” Patti Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I have long had a passion for the former Soviet Union. After reading a news article about a missing Imperial Easter Egg created by Peter Karl Faberge, I chased down a rabbit trail of research into the world of Faberge. This led me to the opulence of pre-Revolution Russia, and I knew the story needed to find a home there. But to make it a little more interesting, I decided to make it split time so that we could marry modern day Russia with the Russia of Faberge’s day.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely! The modern-day heroine, Ava Laine, is a girl on a mission on a heart-thumping adventure. I like her spunk. The historical heroine, Alma Pihl, was wildly creative, one of only three master craftsmen in The House of Faberge, and designed…

In TO MARRY A HIGHLANDER, the hero and heroine are made to marry after being found in a somewhat compromising situation. As a romance fan, I like that trope because it’s a quick way of getting two people together who otherwise might not. As a writer, what do you like about using that trope? I like using that trope because sometimes the characters do want to be together, but there is something holding them back. In To Marry a Highlander, that’s what the situation is. Maura has always had a fancy for Conall, but he has such a reputation with the lasses, that she fears if they ever married, he would break her heart.   Your hero’s reputation with women precedes him in this book, and cause trouble in one way or another. How would you describe him to readers? As the younger brother of the Laird of Sutherland, and right hand man to the laird, Conall holds a prominent place in the Clan. He is tall, slender, but all muscle. His long brown hair is tied back with a strip of leather. He uses his deep blue eyes, mesmerizing smile, good looks, and charm to pursue the lasses, 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 Lisa Roe!   Writes: I write humorous women’s fiction with a hint of romance. I call my work “mom-com” because it is a funny, but emotional and very honest look at mothering and a mother’s story. I want to write about how fiercely we love our children, the lengths we will go to make them happy and protect them, but also about how we are only human and that we mess up. Sometimes often, regardless of our best intentions. I also love to explore the world outside of our nuclear family—neighbors, friends, parents, lovers—because after all, we are more than simply someone’s mom.   In my debut, WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, Ginny, an artist, and single mom from Queens, finds that after years of struggling to make ends meet, a second chance at love might come with the added benefit of helping her give her quirky eleven-year-old daughter Harri everything she never could before, when her new husband asks them to move into his home in an upscale…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BURNING PAGES 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When bookseller Delaney Nichols is invited to a Burns Night dinner, little does she know that her and her coworker Hamlet’s lives are about to be turned upside down. The dinner leads to a real fire and a murder for which Hamlet becomes a suspect. Delaney will have to work hard to douse the flames of suspicion and help find the real killer. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Back when I started the series, I knew I wanted to write something that took place in Scotland. I wanted to go to Scotland (and I was lucky enough to go back then), and I wanted to “create” a bookshop. I didn’t know a thing about Edinburgh, but somehow, we booked our room right in Grassmarket. Once there, I knew I’d found the perfect spot for The Cracked Spine. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Absolutely! I kind of do. She’s in my head all the time. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Curious, grateful, bookish. 6–What’s something you learned…

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 as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Sarah Smith!   Writes:  I write sweet and sexy romcoms featuring Filipino-American MCs. In THE CLOSE-UP, media editor Naomi gets drunk at a bar and swears off relationships forever after dumping her cheating ex. She hits on a random hot guy named Simon who happens to be the famous cam guy she lusted after in college. She’s so shocked to see him that she vomits on his shoes before running off. The next day she finds out, much to her embarrassment, that she’s been assigned to film an online series about him (he’s a couples therapist now). The two try to navigate professional boundaries, but their attraction is undeniable, and they can’t help but give in to it.   About: Let’s cut to the chase. You’re aching for something funny and filthy to read, right? Well, look no further because I’m the author for you. My books will have you laughing one minute and fanning yourself the next. It’s a guaranteed…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author- Reader Match Up” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Annie Rains!     About: USA Today Bestselling Author Annie Rains writes heartfelt stories that will make you laugh, cry, and continue turning pages well past your bedtime. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s reading from her huge TBR pile or spending time with her husband, three kids, naughty foster dog, and feisty cat.   Writes:  Annie writes heartwarming romance for both adults and young adults. Annie’s young adult debut THE MATCHBREAKER SUMMER hits shelves on April 5th! In her fellow matchbreaker, has she found the perfect match?  There’s nothing Paisley Manning loves more than her family’s summer camp—the glittering lake, the firefly trail, the time-honored traditions. But this is her last year to make memories, thanks to her mom’s new boyfriend, who has plans to whisk them away to Wyoming.  Enter Hayden Bennett. Paisley and Hayden are like oil and water. She follows the rules, and he lives to break them. But when fate sticks them together and Hayden hears about Paisley’s…

Your novel, THE UNQUIET DEAD, is set during the Gilded Age. What is it about that time period that has inspired you? Will you write novels set in other time periods? When I first decided to write A DEADLY FORTUNE, the first book in the Amelia Matthew series (THE UNQUIET DEAD being the second), there was never any question but that I would set it in the Gilded Age. The Victorian/Gilded Age is far and away my favorite time period to read, so it made sense that I gravitated there for writing as well. I think there’s something so evocative about that time period. It’s far enough in the past to feel somewhat exotic, but it’s also comfortably modern in a lot of ways. The people and their motivations feel recognizable to readers. I have ideas for novels set in other time periods, so I’m sure I’ll get around to them eventually. I have part of a WWII book drafted, and a few notes for a book set in the Civil War-era western US.   I love stories with paranormal elements, or about different types of extrasensory perception. What made you decide to give your female protagonist the ability to…

I started reading your Happy Camper series with the second book. I loved the book and I like your amateur sleuth, Zo Jones. I think for a cozy mystery author, it must be difficult creating protagonists who finds themselves involved in murder investigations and inquisitive, without making them obnoxiously so. And I say that as somebody who adores cozy mysteries and the variety of amateur sleuths. Is it difficult to keep finding reasons for Zo to be involved in murder investigations? Thank you for reading! I’m so glad you enjoyed MIDNIGHT SPELLS MURDER. I, too, often read out of order, and honestly, I don’t mind because I think a series usually gets better with time. It is hard to find viable reasons for Zo to be involved in murder. It’s the burden of an amateur sleuth, I suppose. But Zo has many interests, including her Happy Camper shop, her stargazing club, and her newspaper column. Plus she’s incredibly curious. I don’t have to look too far to find a reason for her to get involved in a crime.   Another thing I like about this series are the friends and supporting characters. Do you have that support system for the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE CATCH   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? After a harrowing attempt on a judge’s life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge’s wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.   Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the people who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I typically chose the setting from a place I am familiar with. With this series, I decided to explore the state I grew up in through this series. Washington is an extremely diverse region, from forested mountains to rugged coast lines, to remote islands.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THREE SHOTS TO THE WIND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Chloe Jackson has a secret admirer. She’s pouring drinks at the Sea Glass Saloon when an airplane flies over the beach with a banner reading I LOVE YOU CHLOE JACKSON. Then a bouquet of lilacs – her favorite flower – is delivered to the bar, followed by an expensive bottle of her favorite sparkling wine. Chloe’s ex-fiancé from Chicago has flown down to Florida for an accountants’ convention. Unfortunately, he’s not in a hotel conference room, he’s floating in the lake next to Chloe’s house, clutching a photo of her. Who murders an accountant on a business trip? When her boyfriend becomes the prime suspect, Chloe is determined to find the murderer. But if she isn’t careful, it may be closing time and lights out for her . . .   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My editor originally suggested setting the series in Key West. I’d only been there once but used to live in the Florida panhandle which is called Lower Alabama, the Emerald Coast, and the Redneck Riviera –…