How would you describe the dynamic between the two main characters in A LITTLE MOORE ACTION? Chase Moore seems like your typical playful playboy which, at first, rankles Campbell King, who is in New York for work and redemption. So there is a give and take between the two main characters that screams attraction, but Bell is set on fighting it. Chase… not so much. Your book is described as a rom-com. Do you enjoy reading and watching rom-coms as well as writing them? I ask because a few writers have said that what they like to read and what they like to write isn’t always the same thing. Rom-Coms are my bread and butter. To read and to watch. I’ve been told I’m too empathetic, so if I watch or read something angsty, I’m a drama llama for days. Don’t even get me started when I lost a whole night’s sleep after a particular episode of Game of Thrones and couldn’t stop crying (it was also the last episode that I watched). So it’s better for everyone that I like to entertain myself with things that make me happy. Though I do love a good drama-filled BL manga (it’s…

Danielle Jackson: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Jen! We are so glad to have you hear and chat about your new book, THE ASTRONAUT AND THE STAR. What are three words/phrases you think best describe your book?   Jen Comfort:  funny, nerdy, and “horny” (the latter is according to the starred Library Journal review, and I am very proud she got away with that description in the official tagline!)   First things first, I love a grumpy sunshine pairing. But what I love more is when the female main character is the grump, and the male main character is the sunshine! Reggie and Jon are this to a T! What appealed to you about this grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract setup?   Jen:  The original premise for this book was that it was a gender-flipped take on I Dream of Jeannie, which I watched a lot of growing up (I was just a very indoor child without many cool hobbies). In the show, there’s this grumpy, workaholic astronaut named Tony who gets saddled with the cheerful, chaos-causing magic Jeannie—a character who could be the blueprint for the “manic pixie dream girls” of our time. Since my absolute favorite thing to do is play,…

How would you describe your protagonist, Detective Koa Kane, in DEATH OF A MESSENGER to readers? Koa Kāne is a cop with a dark past. As a teenager, he accidentally killed the sugar mill owner who tormented Koa’s father. After Koa covered up the killing as a suicide, Koaʻs remorse and guilt drove him to become a detective and embued him with a powerful empathy for victims and uncanny abilities to pursue criminals. As a native Hawaiian, Koa is also my readers’ window into the unique geography, history, culture, and language of the Hawaiian islands.   There are some ritualistic elements to the crimes in DEATH OF A MESSENGER. What about that attracted you as an author to put something like that in your story? Hawaii itself is a character in all four of the Koa Kāne mysteries. The human characters interact with and are shaped by the Big Island’s landscape, speak its lyrical language, relate its past, and celebrate its myths. The ritual elements in the crime at the heart of Death of a Messenger provide a mechanism to explore the cultural history of the islands. Thus, the crime scene at the beginning of the book offers a platform…

Audio books have become my favorite way to continue a story while keeping up with my busy schedule. It’s not like my husband is talking to me while reading his email on his phone, or the kid cares what’s on the car radio while watching YouTube on our commute. And don’t get me started about how tedious laundry, vacuuming, or steaming the floors can be! Audio books are a life saver! However, I must confess that I can be rather picky when it comes to the actor who presents the author’s characters. Finding the perfect marriage of mystery and voice can be difficult—but I discovered it in Elle Cosimano’s collaboration with Angela Dawe in FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD, and naturally I had to get Elle here for just deeper look into her story!   Kym: Hi Elle, welcome to the Cozy Corner! Elle:  Thank you for inviting me, Kym! Kym: First off, I loved the audio version of FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD which released 2/1/22. Angela Dawe brought all of the characters to life with amazingly different voices. What is your favorite thing about having your books in audio format? Elle: Angela is AMAZING! She is the perfect…

I admit that I usually go for cozy mysteries rather psychological thriller – when it comes to books. But your latest book, THE OTHER FAMILY, sounds like some of my favorite horror films. What draws you to writing thrillers? I’m a Type A personality, so I think it’s likely about control. Psychological suspense novels are driven by fear of the unknown–for the characters, and for readers. But as the author, I know what’s going to happen–I’m the one who’s making it happen. In real life, there are so few things we can control, and there’s always going to be a measure of uncertainty and fear–unnerving for someone who likes to be in charge. In my fictional world, I truly am! The book description for THE OTHER FAMILY describes a sinister “watcher”. In some suspense or thrillers, the perspective alternates between a few of the main characters, along with an unknown killer playing the role of voyeur. Does your book jump perspectives as well? Or do your characters just get an eerie feeling of being watched, without confirming it for the readers throughout the story? My novel unfolds from three perspectives. Nora Howell is a mother of two who’s recently moved…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MALICIOUS INTENT   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company’s cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by government, medical, and advocacy groups and everyone hopes the device will be a success. Well, almost everyone. Someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch, but to what purpose—and how far will they go to get what they want? Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can’t believe he’s finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he’s found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy’s life’s work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The entire series takes place in Raleigh, NC. I wanted it to be in North Carolina, not far from a fictional town I created in my previous series, and in a location where there is a Secret…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your gripping new release, THE CAGE?  Bonnie Kistler: The opening scene in the elevator came from my years of practicing law in big firms in high-rise buildings. I spent countless hours riding up and down in these “cages,” and the situation often struck me as fraught with peril. Imagine getting trapped in a disabled elevator. Then imagine getting trapped with someone who might wish you harm. That’s where we find Shay Lambert and Lucy Carter-Jones when The Cage begins. The larger themes of the novel were inspired by the fall-out from the Great Recession of 2008. I knew so many bright young professionals who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Once you lose your place on the ladder of success, it’s hard to ever get back on the right rung. That’s Shay’s back story. The third big “light bulb” moment came when a big news story broke: a prominent man was arrested for frequenting a massage parlor/brothel in Florida. The women involved appeared to have been trafficked, and that got me thinking about the exploitation of workers at all levels of the labor spectrum. What’s the office culture like at the fashion conglomerate…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SMOOTH AS SILK   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  attract story, haphazard, pro hockey player Robbie MacTavish, in his tattered kilt and mismatched socks, is the last person ambitious, prim Hyacinth Dawson wants in her life—no matter how charming he is. But she needs his help in order to get her bridal shop on the reality show, All Dressed in White. Is surviving with her heart intact possible?   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? All of my books are set in the South, so that was a given. I wanted a larger city for the setting for a new professional hockey franchise, but the story needed a small town feel. Since Birmingham, Alabama doesn’t have an NHL team, but has several upscale suburbs, it seemed a natural. The team could play their games in downtown Birmingham, with offices and the practice rink twenty minutes away in the fictional village, Laurel Springs.   4–Would you hang out with Hyacinth in real life? Yes, though I would probably enjoy it more toward the end of the book after she has loosened up a bit!…

Welcome back to Bliss Valley in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Travel there with A PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS which releases exclusively in paperback at Walmart on November 30, 2021. (Look for the paperback, ebook and audiobook available wherever books are sold on February 22, 2022). Secrets linger among the quaint covered bridges, rustic red barns, white farmhouses bedecked with laundry and handmade quilts wafting in the fresh air. In the second book of this series from Love Inspired Trade (following A WISH FOR HOME), hearts broken by betrayal and loss must be willing to take just one more chance when Naomi comes home to find Samuel, the boy who shared her first kiss. They’ve been changed in ways neither of them could have imagined the last time they saw each other ten years ago.   A is for ACCIDENT. Samuel King’s car accident showed this angry young man how messed up his life is…and leaves him physically messed up as well.   P is for PROTECTIVE. Naomi Gingerich Ropp is protective of Jared and Jesse, her toddler sons, and the secret she keeps in her heart, a secret about how her marriage wasn’t what she expected it to be….

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 David Nix.   Writes: Sweeping tales that dig deep into overlooked historical corners of the Old West. Worlds where heroes sometimes need redemption, villains can earn sympathy, and all those who populated the frontier receive a starring role. Characters that pop from the page with compelling conflicts, realistic conversation, and a steady diet of humor. The American West is as high as the mountains and as wide as the sky. You deserve stories that do it justice.   About: Author David Nix grew up in a Wyoming mountain town with a love of western movies, epic stories, and the vast wilderness at his doorstep. He writes stories that play like films, with tight plots, large casts, and twists you won’t see coming. David lives in Texas but has one foot rooted in Wyoming. On any given day he is an engineer traipsing through the woods with U.S. Army soldiers, a carpenter checking off boxes on a monumental “do” list, or a horse named Roger who only gives rides…