Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Tif! Please tell us about your new book, IT TAKES HEART.   Tif: Thank you so much for having me back Danielle! I love the Fresh Fiction crew! I’m so pleased to introduce IT TAKES HEART, the first book in a new romance series called Heart Resort, which takes place on a heart-shaped peninsula on the Outer Banks. The series concept revolves around four siblings trying to find love on the couples resort that they collectively run, and IT TAKES HEART is between Brandon Puso (the youngest Puso sibling) and his former love, Geneva Harris. IT TAKES HEART is a wonderful story, chock full of some of my favorite romance tropes: returning home, second chance romance, sibling’s best friend… I say, the more the better! Do you have a favorite romance trope to write? What about to read?   Thank you so much for that! My favorite romance trope is second chance romance and friends to lovers! To read, I love opposites attract and just one bed. I adored the setting of your novel: a couples resort in the Outer Banks! What do you love most about writing in this locale? Were you able to travel…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WAIT FOR IT 2–What is it about? WAIT FOR IT is the love story of two people who have to change their self protective default settings if they want the romance that is sparkling right in front of them. This is much more challenging than they anticipate. Can Annabelle learn to ask for what she wants in a relationship instead of always putting her partner first? Can she stop picking men who need her instead of want her? Can Nick confront his anxiety and fear and be the man he once was? Can he believe in true love and its power to heal instead of harm? There’s only one way to find out! 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s set in Phoenix, AZ which has been my home for almost thirty years. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Annabelle stepped out of her comfort zone repeatedly and hilariously. It was a joy to watch her challenge herself even when it hurt. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  Nick has a huge heart. He pretends he doesn’t but it is obvious in all of his actions how much…

We look at each other across the shop. Or, more accurately, I glare at her. Thankfully, there’re no customers present to witness my daily mortifications by a uni student barely younger than me who loves to mop up the floor with my pride. The truth is we met in a book club a couple of years back, and we became fast friends. She gave hilarious reviews, which turned out to be handy for the shop. She thought I was delightfully quirky. It would have been the perfect spring romance, except that I’m attracted to men, and I was together with my ex. At any rate, we’ve got the banter down, especially now that I rely on her help in the shop. Customers love her, too. She pretends to reconsider. “Or how about ‘Aubrey Barnes, Fierce Defender of Books’? That’s got a superhero thing going on. More sympathetic, I think. Am I right or am I right?” Gemma gives an impish smile. Once upon a time, I was just Aubrey Barnes, ready to go for pints or a gig or the occasional big night out. Back before life became too real. Now, I’m twenty-three going on forty-three. I sigh, noting the…

Thanks so much for inviting me to give readers a bit of info about ROLE MODEL! This is the fifth book in my Game Changers m/m hockey romance series. NHL star Troy Barrett has recently been traded to the struggling Ottawa Centaurs after calling out his Toronto teammate and best friend, Dallas Kent, during practice after learning some horrible things about him. On top of being disgusted by his now ex-best friend, Troy has also been recently dumped by his secret boyfriend of two years. Now he finds himself heartbroken, angry, and alone in Ottawa. Harris Drover, the social media manager for the Ottawa Centaurs, is friendly, cheerful, and openly gay. He is wary at first of Troy because he comes with a reputation for being a jerk, but he finds himself fascinated by the sullen, and undeniably gorgeous, hockey star. Harris is determined to make Troy smile, and Troy is determined to become a better man. R is for Rozanov, Ilya. He’s a major supporting character. O is for Ottawa, the city the book is set in. L is for laughing way too loud, which Harris does all the time. E is for eggnog season, Harris’s favorite time of…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Sarah, and congrats on your debut novel, THE OTHER ME! Can you tell us a little about your journey into publishing this book?   Sarah: Thanks for having me! The book that eventually became THE OTHER ME went through several rewrites on its way to publication. When I started writing, I had no idea that it would be a thriller—I was having more upmarket/literary thoughts, though still with the speculative element, and the original pacing and ending reflected that. I took a few years to get the book to where I thought it was ready to query, and then I entered the Pitch Wars mentoring program, which I’d read good things about online. I didn’t get in, but PW mentor Layne Fargo (who’s also an amazing author) loved my manuscript. She was kind enough to refer me to an agent she knew, who asked me to revise and resubmit. I signed with that agent, did one more revision, and settled in to wait for months while my agent shopped the book around to editors. My agent emailed the manuscript to one editor on a Friday to give her an advance look before we went on…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Lindsay Marcott! Writes:  Modern Gothic suspense books. My latest novel, Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost, has just hit the stands. About: My first success as a writer was my sixth grade Thanksgiving play about a plucky Pilgrim girl and her wise-cracking pet turkey. After graduating from Smith and stints as a cat sitter, rock star assistant, and waitress in a TriBeCa grunge club, I began writing for magazines, then took a detour to Hollywood to write a few screenplays. I finally found my passion in writing novels: with Mrs. Rochester’s Ghost, eleven so far, and a new one in the works. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: •  You love getting goosebumps when things get spooky. •  Your mouth waters at the promise of a juicy story with twists that leave you gasping. •  You can imagine having your head turned by a brilliant but mysterious man. •  You see beauty in a misted redwood forest and excitement in the crashing of surf….

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 Amber Mitchell! Writes: I write young adult fantasy with cinnamon roll boys and determined teen girls, who understand the power of good female friendships! ROOTS OF RUIN is the final novel in the Garden of Thorns series, featuring sixteen-year-old Rose’s struggle to escape a slave dance troupe, take revenge on those that enslaved her, accept her destiny and fight alongside the current emperor of a foreign land to free her people in a neighboring kingdom. About: An amateur cooking enthusiast, travel addict, and history junkie author with a passion for stories in all forms, whether that be books, t.v., online gaming, or tabletop gaming. I met my husband as a teen and begin taking writing seriously which led me to realize that teenagers can do anything. When I’m not gushing about my newest fandom or latest book crush, I’m looking up pictures of future destinations I plan to explore. Must love to hear about the “stories” behind each travel site and constantly be willing to answer if…

Hello, there! (Or maybe I should say “hey, y’all,” as we do here in the Deep South.) I’m Valerie Fraser Luesse, and my latest novel is called UNDER THE BAYOU MOON. It’s set in Southwest Louisiana, which captured my imagination when I explored it as a writer for Southern Living magazine. I’m as excited about sharing the mystery and beauty of this place as I am about introducing you to my main characters: Raphe Broussard, a lonely Cajun fisherman who has endured a family tragedy and is raising his young nephew, Remy, on his own; Ellie Fields, a young schoolteacher from Alabama, seeking her true purpose when she accepts a position in Raphe’s hometown of tiny Bernadette, Louisiana; Heywood Thornberry, their gregarious yet secretive friend who loves capturing the magic of the bayou with his camera; Doc and Florence, two stalwarts in the community who take Ellie underwing . . . and a legendary white alligator. This new story is part romance, part mystery, and part cautionary tale against selfish greed and a disregard for truth.  I drew from a deep well of travel writing experience and several unforgettable trips to Acadian Louisiana to bring the bayou to life. I…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BEYOND THE TIDES 2–What is it about? From the back cover: When Meg Whitaker’s father decides to sell the family’s lobster-fishing business to her high school nemesis, she sets out to prove she should inherit it instead. Though she’s never had any interest in running the small fleet—or even getting on a boat due to her persistent seasickness—she can’t stand to see Oliver Ross take over. Not when he ruined her dreams for a science scholarship and an Ivy League education ten years ago. Oliver isn’t proud of what he did back then. Angry and broken by his father walking out on his family, he lashed out at Meg—an innocent bystander. But owning a respected fishing fleet on Prince Edward Island is the opportunity of a lifetime, and he’s not about to walk away just because Meg wants him to. Meg’s father has the perfect solution: Oliver and Meg must work the business together, and at the end of the season, he’ll decide who gets it. Along the way, they may discover that their stories are more similar than they thought . . . and their dreams aren’t what they expected. 3–What…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Anita! We are so happy to have you here. Can you introduce yourself so our readers can get to know you a little bit?   Anita: I’m Anita. My mom call me Teets. I love to dance. I love people. I love storytelling. I love my kids. I could list all of my credentials, but that’s a bore. Let’s go deep or not go at all. I’m a mermaid. A Black mermaid. I wrote Shallow Waters to help me heal my ancestral wounds. As a descendant of people who experienced chattel slavery, I needed a spiritual hero to take me back and face those wounds. Yemaya was exactly that.  SHALLOW WATERS is your debut novel! Will you share your journey into publishing this book?   I’ve never been the type to do anything by the book. During the BLM movement in 2020, I knew it was time to put Shallow Waters out there. I didn’t really send it to many publishers, but I kept feeling like I needed to make a move immediately. I decided to self-publish, because I felt like the story was ripe. While I was in the process of self-publishing, my bestie, Yadi…