Aggie the Horrible versus Max the Pompous Ass is an across-the-tracks romance that will lead the readers laughing one moment and shaking their heads the next at the hot mess these two main characters make out of their work-life situation. In a perfect world, Aggie the Horrible versus Max the Pompous Ass would become a primetime movie, AND I would be asked to cast all of its main characters. Afterall, no one knows them as well as I do. And since I hate to not be prepared for all of the what-ifs in the world, I thought I’d go ahead and pick the actors/actresses who would be invited to try out for each part. Cast of Characters: 1-AGGIE is a free-spirited young lady with a bit of a chip on her shoulder. She doesn’t feel the need to play by society’s rules. If anything, she takes pleasure in not playing by them. And she’s certainly not afraid to speak her mind. For her, I’d choose Emma Stone, most recently seen in Disney’s Cruella De Vil. 2-MAX was born into a dysfunctional wealthy family and was raised to view the world through rose-colored, privileged glasses. He’s driven to succeed for many…

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: About UNTIL TOMORROW: Emma Hendricks is a strong, independent journalist known for getting at the truth. She has everything she’s ever wanted until her fiancé leaves her alone and devastated a few days before the wedding. She’s the “go-to” girl for finding answers to unsolved mysteries, but even she can’t figure out what happened. Everything she believed in was a lie. Needing to get away, she heads to Beacon Bay–a small coastal town in Maine–for the summer. After finding an antique bottle wedged between two rocks in the ocean, she frees it only to discover there’s something inside. Breaking the bottle to retrieve her treasure, she cuts her hand. Kathleen Connor is the daughter of an artist mother and fisherman father, living in Beacon Bay during the 1940s in a time of war. She should be happy with her lot as a school teacher, but she’s always felt she was meant for something more. After pressure from her parents, she finally marries…

1–What is the title of your latest release? IN HARMONY 2–What is it about? It’s about musician, Nyah Monroe who is living a dual life as a classical double bassist and an underground dance music DJ. She’s trying to manage two careers on her own but needs help. Enter super-agent Tommy “Boombox” Mills who not only wants to help Nyah but secure the career legacy he’s envisioned for himself. He needs her and wants to make her famous. The problem is, she makes the rules and flying under the radar is her sweet spot. On a deeper level the book explores some intense themes like evaluating one’s legacy, inheritance, staying true to oneself, and loving someone through imperfection and challenges. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love that it takes place in some of the most simplistically enjoyable parts of New York; like Central Park on a summer day or even an apartment for one. Small underground clubs are the connective tissue of the city’s heartbeat and I wanted to highlight that scene because as the years pass, there are less of them around. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  I love how she pushes…

Welcome back to Day 2 of the Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup! We’re joined by Sera Sera Taíno, author of A DELICIOUS DILEMMA, with a truly delicious recipe! Read on for the details and for a chance to win a copy of her book. Don’t forget to check out Day 1 if you haven’t already–historical romance author Minvera Spencer gave us a sweet start to this year’s BBQ Roundup. And come back all week for more books, food, and fun! Day 1 with Minerva Spencer  *** In A DELICIOUS DILEMMA, the main character, Val Navarro owns Navarro’s Family Restaurant together with her father in the fictional New Jersey town of East Ward. When the city builds a light rail station, the tight-knit neighborhood comes to the attention of a large development corporation. As the co-founder of the fair housing coalition, Val finds herself fighting not only for her working-class community’s future but for her restaurant as well. When she meets Philip Wagner, a reserved, handsome stranger with whom she feels an instant connection, she doesn’t realize that he is the heir of Wagner Developments, the company gentrifying her neighborhood. Now the struggle is on, not only for the survival of her…

The screen door swung open. Della came out into the alley. “Hey there,” Della said. She fished a half-smoked joint out of the pocket of her faded plaid shirt and lit up. “I thought you’d be long gone. You forget something?” Della was planning to work a double shift again. Brutal hours, but she didn’t have a choice. The bank was threatening foreclosure on her house. “No. I was just daydreaming.” Sarah pushed away from the building. Della nodded, took a long toke, then tipped the joint toward Sarah. “Want a hit?” Sarah shook her head. “Thanks for the offer though.” Even though she didn’t smoke, she was touched by the generosity of the gesture. “See you tomorrow,” Sarah called over her shoulder as she headed past the sour-smelling dumpster. “Yup.” Della leaned her bony hip against the building, took another long toke, shut her eyes, and tipped her face up to capture the late-afternoon sun. As Sarah turned left out of the back alley onto E. Knoxville street, she could see Della, eyes still shut, exhaling a long, slow stream of smoke into the air. Sarah walked on. A gray pickup truck rumbled by, but other than that, it…

Welcome to the 2021 Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup! We have a fabulous lineup of authors with new books, delicious recipes perfect for summer parties, and BOOK GIVEAWAYS. Follow along all week to see who is joining us. You’ll learn about new books and find your next great recipes. Plus, there are chances to win books, too!  To kick things off, historical romance author Minvera Spencer shares a sweet treat, perfect to nibble on while chatting with friends on a deck or patio. Her new book, OUTRAGEOUS, the second in the Rebels of the Ton series, is a high stakes battle of wits that pits two people against each other initially… until pesky attraction starts to come into play! *** “TWO-FILLING” PECAN BRITTLE My mom calls this pecan brittle “Two-Filling Pecan Brittle” because she broke not one, but TWO dental fillings one Christmas. But that didn’t make her stop eating it…. (Image from Food Network) Ingredients 1 1/2 cups toasted chopped pecans (the toasting is up to you and you can substitute other nuts if you don’t have pecans) 1 heaping tablespoon salt 1 cup water 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup (you could use dark but you’d get a different…

Up until a few years ago, I had written off graphic novels as “just comic books” and nothing “too serious.” Said the woman who now writes contemporary romance novels (Summer 2022! GET READY). But I remember listening to a podcast or seeing a list on a book review site that said something along the lines of “Graphic Novel Recs for Any Type of Reader” and suddenly, my library hold list was full of requests for books with pictures. And now, if I’m not reading at least a graphic novel or two at a time—in addition to all of the other reading I do—then it’s because I just came off of a week-long bender devouring an entire graphic novel series and I need a breather before I start a new one. There’s something in the physiology of reading Graphic Novels that just works for me. I get to see the characters and all the plotlines come to life in front of me. I read dialogue and inner monologues with the added benefit of sometimes having reactions from other characters that would otherwise go unsaid or a glimpse of foreshadowing from a literal shadow in a scene. The attention to detail is…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE CALYX CHARM 2–What is it about? It’s the third book in the Sacred Dark series, so it’s also about resurrection, second chances, and found families. This one in particular features star-crossed lovers, Violetta and Tibario, who come from feuding households. Tibario died during this feud, only to return to life as a blessed cat-soul. Violetta, a seer, has foretold the destruction of the world as they know it due to the escalation of their families’ battle. So when Tibario returns to her with an apocalypse hanging over them, they have a chance to start again and create a new future together.  3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I absolutely loved writing a setting in which trans people are part of the cultural background. I also love the fantasy drama of grandiose witches and primeval spirits, set around resurrection, dark sorcery, and thunderous prophecies. It’s meant a lot to me to tie all these together with flairs of swashbuckling romanticism. 4–How did Violetta surprise you?  It felt like Violetta was one surprise after another. She was a complicated character to write because her story is so personal, so…

So many of my friends are non-fiction readers.  They don’t grasp the true enjoyment of reading. In fact, their idea of “reading” fiction is binge-watching whatever the latest book adaptation is on Netflix.  They don’t make a connection between the vibrant stories they enjoy and the books that gave them life. And they are fine with that. Meanwhile, I scratch my head. I’m also puzzled by the readers who think Romance is only about sex.  Now, let me assure you, I love the pull and verbal sparring of a couple destined to be in bed together (or anywhere else they want to be.). But that isn’t the reason I’m a dedicated Romance reader.  I knew the moment I was introduced to my first Romance heroine this is where I belong. Without fanfare, here are the reasons I knew I was a Romance Reader: I love a book where the woman decides to take control of her destiny, even if it flies in the face of societal norms or puts her in dangerous situations, or encourages her to go after that promotion. I know she is going to triumph and I’m onboard with cheering her on. I believe love is the…

“Why did you marry me, Maggie?” His voice was gritty and dripped with raw vulnerability. She whipped around to face him. He stood just out of reach with arms splayed gently to his sides. Sweat and sawdust glistened on his skin and thin lines of wet dampened his shirt where it clung against the curves of his chest. “It was the first thing I ever did for myself,” she whispered to him. Her honesty hit her in the gut. Her only taste of freedom had been with him. Free to make her own choices and to love unequivocally, even in the most profound ways. “Love” was a strong word. But so was “forever.” She stepped forward. The harsh light made the edges of his face sharp and distorted, and she found herself reaching up to brush away the hard shadow from his chin with the tips of her fingers. He caught them with his own and held them for a moment, pressing them against the angle of his jaw. The hair there prickled the tender skin of her wrist and she pulled back slightly, unsure as to why she’d done that in the first place. “I’d never pushed boundaries like…