We settled into a silence that was less awkward than I’d worried it would be. Colin played with his phone—he’d discovered a daily crossword puzzle app that could keep him occupied for hours. I thought about sketching, but decided I had a better way to spend the time. I pulled up a website I’d scoped out earlier on my phone. “Hey, Col?” “Yeah?” “Can I ask you some questions?” “I guess. Why?” I shrugged. “Oh, I dunno. To get to know you better.” “Sure, shoot.” He turned his attention back to his game. “Would you like or dislike inspecting a roof for leaks?” “Considering I have no idea how I’d do that, dislike.” “No, but, pretending you did know how to do it, would you like doing it?” He looked off into the distance for a moment, and I took the opportunity to make sure Evelyn’s house remained still and inactive. “Yeah, I guess if I had the skills, I’d like it. It would get me outside.” I clicked like on the form. “Okay, cool. What about analyzing the structure of molecules?” “What? No. I’d be in a lab all day.” He shuddered. Dislike for sure, then. “Coordinate a business…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A WINTER’S EARL 2–What is it about? Really short answer: One exiled earl, one sexy poet, one hell of a past relationship to work through. Short answer: It’s a loose riff on Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, a second-chance m/m Regency romance set at Christmas with buckets of longing, angst, sexy fencing, a secret baby, found family and a brief but memorable appearance from a bear. Longer answer: it’s about making a future that both acknowledges and draws a line under the past, about confronting the demons that have haunted you for years – and about how really, deep down, you never forget your first true love. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love writing about snowy weather and remote places. Sherborne’s castle in Cumbria is basically at the end of the world, surrounded by bleak, dramatic landscapes and beset by bad weather. Nothing to do but light the fires, look out at the darkness and work through all those lingering romantic feelings… 4–How did Sherborne surprise you?  Sherborne was quite a complex character to write. Without getting too spoilery, there’s an unthinking nobility that guides some of…

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 Kari Lee Harmon! Writes: National Bestselling Author Kari Lee Harmon writes romantic comedies, emotional women’s fiction, and dark women’s fiction. She also writes fun cozy mysteries as Kari Lee Townsend. Her newest book JINGLE ALL THE WAY is book 3 of the Merry Scroog-mas holiday romance novella series. Her books always have a bit of humor, a bit of romance, and depending on the genre, a bit of mystery or emotion. WWW.KARILEETOWNSEND.COM About: If you’re looking for an author who will make you laugh out loud one minute, shed a tear the next, and sigh as you reach The End, then I’m the author for you. I love to go on adventures, play with my two big fluffy Samoyeds, drink a great glass of wine, pretend I’m a professional photographer, and curl up with a good book. I used to love a hot bubble bath, but now I’m all about a hot tub. My favorite holiday is Christmas, and, yes, I start watching Hallmark Holliday movies just as…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Kerry! Congrats on the release of your debut novel, THE WEDDING RINGER! I’d love to know more about your publishing journey.   Kerry: Thanks so much, Danielle! THE WEDDING RINGER is actually the third novel I’ve written. I wrote my first manuscript in 2015, and it lives in a desk drawer that shall never see the light of day. In 2017, I wrote a women’s fiction manuscript and entered the mentorship program Pitch Wars, where I was selected as a mentee and spent a few months working with romance author Melissa West. After Pitch Wars, I queried that manuscript but didn’t land an agent. I did, however, learn a great deal about plotting, story structure, and pacing. In 2019, I wrote the manuscript that would become THE WEDDING RINGER and entered Pitch Wars again. This time, I was mentored by women’s fiction author Susan Bishop Crispell, who helped me expand on the book’s emotional depth by adding more of the protagonist Willa’s internal reactions and using characters’ physical actions to convey emotion.  After the Pitch Wars agent round, I found myself with multiple offers of agent representation. I’d dreamed for years of an agent requesting a…

“That is, without question, the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.” Ruby gave a start of surprise at the unexpected voice so close behind her and jerked the leash in her hand. Predictably, the dog on the other end—­a poodle shaved and trimmed into a series of white puffs like a Q-­tip—­didn’t move. Ruby had been holding on to her for over five minutes, and she had yet to see the dog do anything but blink. Her owner had commanded her to stay, so stay was what she intended to do. “I shouldn’t say that,” the voice continued in a low, flirtatious rumble. Its owner, a tall, well-­built stranger with shoulders like a linebacker, smiled as he stepped close. “I’m not supposed to play favorites, but you’ve obviously put a lot of time and effort into this dog. What’s his name?” “Her,” she said. “It’s a girl dog.” “Well, she’s got something special, that’s for sure.” The man extended a hand, his eyes smiling down into hers. They were gorgeous eyes, so dark they were almost black and ringed with the kind of long, curling eyelashes that Ruby had regularly pasted on when she was kid. “I’m Spencer Wilson, by…

“Sacked?” Witherspoon repeated. “And your family has no idea you no longer have a job?” Percy nodded. “That’s correct. I wouldn’t have said anything about the matter except you’re going to speak to my former employer. I know this makes me look very bad, but I assure you, I’ve nothing to do with my stepmother’s murder. I simply don’t like working. Well, that wasn’t the exact situation. It was more a case that my employer didn’t appreciate the hours I wanted to keep. Apparently, they expect you to be there from early in the morning until half past five or even six o’clock in the evening.” Surprised, Witherspoon simply stared at the man. It took him a good thirty seconds to recover and ask another question. “When were you sacked?” “At the end of September.” “You’ve been pretending to have a job since the end of September?” Witherspoon pressed. He wanted to understand, to ask how on earth anyone could possibly keep up such a tiring charade? But other than satisfying his own curiosity, the man’s employment situation probably had very little to do with Mrs. Andover’s murder. On the other hand, from what he’d learned of the dead woman,…

Jen: What inspired you to start writing DOCTORS AND FRIENDS in early 2019? Kimmery: You know what they say about fiction: write what you know. I’m a former ER doctor so it was natural for me to write medical fiction. In 2018 I wrote a column about my desire to base a novel around an infectious disease doctor who would embody some of the characteristics of my late father: somebody innovative and scientific and data-driven and quirky. Initially, I envisioned the novel as a cautionary tale. We hadn’t experienced a major pandemic in a long time and since it was inevitable that one was going to occur at some point, I thought it would be interesting to explore how that might play out in the era of modern medicine. In 1918, when a highly virulent form of superflu decimated large chunks of the population, things were very different than they are now. (Or so I thought! It turns out we repeated many of our same mistakes … but that will undoubtedly be the subject of much nonfiction analysis.) The main protagonist of DOCTORS AND FRIENDS is an ID doctor at the CDC, and when a new viral outbreak occurs, she…

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 Natalie Walters! Writes: I write what I love to read. Intriguing suspense centered around intricate plots; memorable characters who make me laugh with them, love them, and root for them; and a storyline that speaks internal truths that stick with me long after the last page. Oh, and I unapologetically exploit my dear friends whose careers in the military, three-letter agencies, and law enforcement help me bring a level of authenticity to my stories! Proof of that exploitation is evident in my newest novel, LIGHTS OUT. When an Egyptian spy goes missing in America, CIA officer Elinor Mitchell is the only one to blame. In a race against an impending terror threat, Elinor must work with the last person she expected, Jack Hudson. Not only is he her ex-boyfriend, the man she betrayed, but also the team leader for the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency—a private contract agency that keeps Americans obliviously unaware of the continuous threats against them and their country. Without Jack…

I wanted to believe I had changed. I was a better person with more empathy for others, but if Billy hadn’t pulled away, I wasn’t so sure I would have passed his test. It was time for another moment of reckoning. I walked over to my front stoop, climbed the three steps, grabbed the handle of the rust-colored, never-locked security door, and froze. I couldn’t quite bring myself to take the inside staircase to the top floor apartment to face the discordant soundtrack that was my family, but what choice did I have? I turned back to the street—maybe I could leave—but my ride was gone. Besides, my mother didn’t send a return ticket and the change at the bottom of my backpack wasn’t enough to buy a subway token. My backpack! I left it and my suitcase in the back of the van. I plopped down onto the stoop. The sun was setting, and in the second-story windows of the nearby buildings, with their red-brick exteriors, mirror images to mine, with their two legal apartments and one illegal basement apartment, I could see silhouettes of the infamous Beach Chair Ladies, BCs for short. From Memorial Day until the first…

1–What is the title of your latest release? DEADLY TARGET 2–What is it about? Criminal psychologist Erin Larson is running a podcast and caring for her mother when her ex—Detective Nathan Campbell needs her help. Someone shoots his father who was investigating a cold case. Erin’s podcast focuses on cold cases, so they join forces to learn the truth. But someone is trying to stop them. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love the spectacular and stunning setting of the Rocky Mountains in Montana. Thick green forests and beautiful pristine rivers. 4–How did your main character(s) surprise you?  Erin’s secret past was unexpected, and I loved the twists and turns that arose as I wrote the story. 5–Why will readers relate to your characters?  My hope is always that my characters will be relatable. Erin’s character is complex and she’s relatable on many different levels. She has career dreams and goals but gives those up to help her mother. We can all relate to the fact that life is filled with hard choices, and we must choose our hard. She also wants to make sense of her past, but has no one she can truly…