“Come on, Oliver. Just give me an inch,” I muttered, trying to drag him up the front steps of my apartment building. Bringing the rock star to my apartment was my last resort. I tried to get him to tell me where he lived, but he couldn’t even form a coherent sentence for me to do so. All he did was mumble and drool. Then, I grabbed his phone to see if I could get a number to call, but his phone was dead, and I didn’t have the type of charger needed to charge his. Therefore, all I could think was to bring him to my apartment for the night. Getting him out of the car was a headache of its own kind, and now trying to get him to move his feet was a nightmare.  “I’ll give you a few inches,” he mumbled back.  I wondered how horrified the shy, distant Oliver would’ve been by his comments that night.  I wrapped his arms around me and pulled him to the best of my ability. He had the hiccups, and kept muttering something under his breath, but it wasn’t clear what he was saying. Honestly, I wasn’t even interested…

One of the best things about cozy mysteries is the introduction to a hobby the author is either passionate about or just picked up because they always wanted to try it. Throughout the mystery, the reader can either enjoy something they love, or learn a few fascinating tricks of a trade they can appreciate. Cozy readers after all, are intelligent and open to new and exciting new artistic outlets, that’s what makes us unique in the reading world—author can sell us their books and a new hobby. Fair warning dear readers, Allie Pleiter is one of those gifted artist/authors who will allow you to escape into her world, and make you want to empty the aisles at your local craft store of every knitting supply possible! But isn’t that what makes reading a great new cozy mystery all that more special? Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Allie! Allie: Thank you so much! I’m delighted to be here. Kym: You’ve recently expanded your amazing career as a romance author, non-fiction author, speaker and career coach to a mystery author. What made you broaden your personal writing into a new genre? Allie: The chance to do a knitting-themed mystery was just too good to pass…

Nikki snagged another glass of champagne and sipped as she walked through the living room of Max Ingram’s house. Tailored suits, designer gowns, and plenty of flashy jewels caught her eye as she walked the perimeter, distracting her from her mission. Focus. She turned her attention to taking in the extraordinary security measures. Fuck. Mia wasn’t kidding about this. A burly guy stood at the foot of the stairs with a dog sitting at his feet. The dog looked like a military sentry on duty. Her heart thumped in response. No worries. The stupid dog won’t attack a random guest. In her ear, Jared’s voice said quietly, “You’re on duty. That’s your third glass of champagne.” She turned and saw him standing near the patio. Then she pointedly scratched an itch with her middle finger, making sure he took note. Although the champagne was quality, she still preferred to blend in as the help. Unfortunately, Ingram had his own waitstaff, so she couldn’t jump in for a shift and disappear. Even worse, between the alarm system and the dog, she didn’t see an easy way to breach the house undetected. And the painting Mia wanted was too big to take…

Jen: What inspired you to write INSTAMOM? Chantel: Years ago, I fell in love with a single dad. After not really knowing whether I wanted to have children or not, I was thrown into a situation where, if I decided to date this guy, I’d be putting myself on the path to becoming a stepmother. I wanted to explore this idea in a novel, and how my heroine would cope if she was proudly childfree by choice and led a very public life, yet fell in love with a single dad. I’m very interested in the role social media plays in our lives—this idea that strangers know about us, that there’s a version of ourselves that we curate and that we try to make consistent so that people will “like” us—but is that really always the whole picture of the real us? And if it’s not, how does having two personae—an online version and an IRL version—affect the way we live our lives? Let’s talk about Kit Kidding and her love/hate relationship with social media. Please describe the impact it has on her professional and personal life. Kit is well-known for her role as the author of Kid-Free Forever, a…

Reggie Lee Stafford glanced out the window of her daddy’s Hill Country convenience store just northwest of Austin, Texas. She looked out in time to see the silver BMW cruise slowly by. The top was down and the driver looked as divine as the vehicle. A bronzed god with longish blond sun-streaked hair. He radiated the attitude of a celebrity, hiding behind the lenses of his designer sunglasses. Driving with his elbow stuck out the window, he craned his neck to peer into the small store. He gazed up at the fading sign that proudly proclaimed the establishment to be Stafford’s Mercantile, a name Reggie’s grandparents had selected in 1949 when they’d first opened their doors in Rambling, Texas, and when the wares had included yard goods and hardware. Reggie leaned over the counter to stare back at the hunk in the sports car, surprised when he pulled into the parking lot and climbed out. He shoved the keys in the pocket of his faded denims and continued to gaze through the plate glass window with an air of indecision. She noted that the denims were well filled with one-hundred percent prime American beef. Well, well, well. Eye candy from the city. My lucky day. She…

I love to write novels that revolve around interesting subjects.  The bad news is, it’s usually a subject you don’t know anything about or you wouldn’t find it interesting.  That involves a ton of research. My latest release, THE PERFECT MURDER, the final book in my Maximum Security Series, is set around the offshore oil drilling industry.  Since I couldn’t actually visit a platform off the Houston, Texas coast, I had to dig into the subject extensively.  It’s a difficult, dangerous life, I learned, one that takes the men and women who work on the platforms away from their families for two or more weeks at a time. I learned a lot and I’m hoping readers will find the subject interesting as well In THE PERFECT MURDER, Reese Garrett, CEO of Garrett Resources, a billion-dollar oil and gas corporation, is a man with a past who is determined to retain his hard-earned reputation by avoiding an affair with the beautiful woman who works for him, a valued and trusted employee. When McKenzie Haines is accused of murder, Reese is forced to make a choice–one that could destroy his career or get him killed.  It’s a fast-paced, high-stakes action-adventure as well…

1–What is the title of your latest release? TO TEMPT A SCANDALOUS LORD 2–What is it about? Niall, the Marquess of Inverray, is standing for Prime Minister when anonymous political tracts circulate that critique his campaign, and he’s determined to find the writer and put a stop to them. Little does he know the writer is Alicia, the dowager Countess Lindsay…his new bride of convenience. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  This book delves a bit into the political climate of the time, which is not something I initially intended to include. But since Niall is standing for Prime Minister and Alicia pens political tracts, I wanted to include details about the issues that the country was grappling with in 1834, and I found myself intrigued by how political and social life was changing even while some factions were determined it should remain the same. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  For all the challenges and heartbreak that Alicia has experienced in her life, she is still motivated by kindness. By a fierce sense of justice and equality. And because she feels so strongly about those things, her wealth of love is endless. 5–Why will readers…

Now level with his, her eyes gleamed in the darkness from beneath her hood. He could practically see the thoughts spinning through that sharp mind of hers as she tried to come up with an explanation he would believe. He didn’t doubt for one moment that the little minx wouldn’t lie to him to keep her— She cupped his face between her hands and kissed him. Surprised, he caught his breath as her warm lips touched his. The kiss was nothing more than a feathery tickle, a soft whisper so light that he found himself leaning toward her to increase the pressure beyond this mere teasing. Sweet Lucifer. She tasted of wine and adventure, spiced oranges and exotic places…danger. And he drank her in. Her lips were soft and supple as they caressed his. Amazement swept through him that she should be so delicate beneath the hard surface she showed to the world, that he could taste an uncertainty in her that suggested a deeper vulnerability. The intrigue of her simply captivated him. She was kissing him merely to distract him. No other reason. He wasn’t arrogant enough to believe otherwise. Yet that didn’t stop his blood from heating as…

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 Jadesola James! Writes: I’m a writer of contemporary romance who combines old-fashioned sensibility with thoroughly modern sexiness. I try to pour a lot of love into my books, and hope they leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside! About: I’m a mix of Southern-girl manners and East Coast street-smarts (Born in Alabama, raised in New York City!) and I adore emojis and writing long sentences. 😉 My loves: little luxuries, simple pleasures. Roaring fires, stained-glass windows, bossa nova, homemade scones, long walks on crisp fall days, perfume samples, snuggling babies/fur babies, piles of fresh snow, a big soft bed, and hot, sweet tea on a rainy day. (I was born in Cancer season and boy, does it show.) What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Loves a low-angst story with plenty of heart, and a little bit of heat Must love travel, both domestically and abroad Should like a look at different cultures, cities, occupations, ways of living life…

Hi, Bridget! Welcome to Fresh Fiction. Please introduce yourself and tell us about your book, LOVE SCENES.   Hello! I am the author of the aforementioned romance, LOVE SCENES, as well as two YA novels, WHAT YOU LEFT ME and WHEN THE LIGHT WENT OUT. LOVE SCENES follows out-of-work actress Sloane Ford as she gets roped into being a producer on her famous family’s WWII romantic drama, which just so happens to feature her least favorite former costar of all time. He is, of course, a roguishly handsome Irishman hellbent on being a better person this time around, much to Sloane’s great dismay. The glitz! The glamour! The celebrities! Hollywood is a great backdrop for a romance novel! What did set out to explore with your novel set on a movie set? What was your research like?   We meet Sloane at her lowest. She’s recently lost her steady acting gig on a long-running crime show. Her ex-boyfriend just released an album about all the failings of their relationship. She comes from a large family full of creative types who make a habit out of pushing her buttons. And to top it all off, she’s working again with the man…