What are you currently reading, watching, listening to? Well, along with the rest of the world, I just rediscovered Fleetwood Mac and I’ve been listening to their live album rather a lot. On audiobook, I just finished Jeff Guinn’s THE LAST GUNFIGHT, which is a pretty clear-eyed look at The Matter of Tombstone, often referred to as “The gunfight at the OK Corral,” but really a two-year trainwreck of patronage, black market cattle operations, and opportunism. I’m reading C.L.Polk’s THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN, which is just as enjoyable as I expect, and Carlos Hernandez’s SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE, a very fun romp. (I totally read kid’s books and I think every writer should. Kids don’t have patience for a lot of nonsense.) My spouse and I have been watching LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, which just finished as I write this, and catching up on SCOOBY DOO: MYSTERY INCORPORATED. I am incredibly impressed by LOVECRAFT COUNTRY in general, though I did feel the ending was rushed and missed several opportunities for character development in preference for gotcha moments. They could have used a 90 minute finale. And of course we’re watching the current season of THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF, because we live…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Try As I Smite 2–What is it about?  In a paranormal retelling of A Christmas Carol, two people usually at odds with each other have to learn from the past, present, and future in order to stop a demon uprising. Sometimes it pays to have a little devil in you. . .  3–What word best describes your heroine?  In charge 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  He’s incredibly powerful, but hasn’t been corrupted by it. His intentions, even when he’s being an ass, are about using his power, both as a mage and as a leader, to help. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Each other, oddly, given how against each other they start out. Delilah turns to her mother (which may or may not be a mistake) but her relationship with both parents is a little…unusual. Alasdair’s only family is his sister. He calls on the Convens Syndicate of magical leaders, of whom she is a part. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The book is set primarily in the northern California mountains near Yosemite which is gorgeous and one of my…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Love Is a Rogue is the first book in my new Wallflowers vs. Rogues series with Avon Books. 2–What is it about?  It’s a gender-flipped take on Beauty and the Beast with an HGTV twist. It’s the tale of a bookish highborn lady, a handsome rogue of a carpenter, a fixer-upper bookshop, and the chance to build a love to last forever. I have a soft spot for carpenters since my grandfather, father, brother, and husband are all builders. In fact, parts of the book are based on my real-life experience fixing up a Victorian farmhouse with my husband (that’s how I met him!) in Portland, Oregon. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Bookish. Lady Beatrice Bentley has retreated from society to her brother’s Gothic mansion in Cornwall to work on her etymological dictionary. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Ford Wright is a hot, rugged carpenter who builds bookshelves for Beatrice. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Beatrice turns to her best girlfriends, fellow members of the secretly subversive Mayfair Ladies Knitting League. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Beatrice and Ford…

The Christmas holiday season has always been my favorite time of year. When my three girls were younger and still at home, we spent the month of December decorating outside and in, cutting out and frosting sugar cookies, designing and baking gingerbread houses-monuments-buildings from scratch, and sharing special Christmas Eve traditions together. One common thread throughout all those activities was the presence of music–carols playing in the background that enticed us to sing along as we enjoyed our activity. Even though my girls are adults now, I’m pleased to say that we still do the same. . . only, we try to cram it all into a few days or the week we have together when they visit. And yes, we definitely do our best to make the most of it. This year, with the pandemic, I’m not sure if we’ll all be together, but I can guarantee that our gingerbread building permits will meet the regulations and codes in our four different states, and come Christmas Eve, you’ll find us in a group Facetime or Zoom opening our pajamas and reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas aloud. Distance and differing time zones won’t stop us. In fact, one year,…

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 Victoria Ellis! ABOUT: Twenty-something author seeks readers who have a passion for second chance romance, strong family bonds, and have an intense love for music; especially played from record players! The ideal reader match would be one who would love to get lost in a novel with a strong female lead and a hunky, bearded, thoughtful guitarist named River Jacobs. What I’m Looking for in My Ideal Reader Match: -Their idea of a perfect date includes a Saturday night in with a glass of wine (whether it’s alcoholic or sparkling!) and a great, supportive best friend who will always make you feel like the strong, capable person you are! -Prefers a strong family bond, with a dynamic duo of father & daughter. -Deeply emotional music themes; 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s! -Enjoys a fast-paced and emotional storyline -Falls easily for the unbelievably attractive, old soul male lead -Wants to be swept away in the reminder that love can always come back around What…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  A SHERIFF’S STAR is my new release from Harlequin Special Edition. It is the first book in the Home to Oak Hollow series. 2–What is it about?  A SHERIFF’S STAR is the story of a single mother of a little girl with Down syndrome. Mother and daughter travel to Oak Hollow where Tess Harper will curate the town’s museum before moving to Houston for Hannah’s heart surgery. Upon arrival in the quaint Texas town, her four-year-old slips away for an unannounced game of hide-and-seek. Tess finds her in the arms of the handsome chief of police. Although tempted, she’s not here for romance, and he’s exactly the danger-seeking type she avoids. Staying away from him becomes impossible when he turns out to be her landlord and next-door neighbor. Hannah adores him and his grandmother, making separation difficult. Anson Curry’s alluring tenant is jumpy and standoffish, but he helps her move into the house he’d planned to fill with children. He’s vowed not to start a relationship unless it can be a forever thing, so getting close to another woman who’ll leave town is a chance he shouldn’t take, but her daughter, Hannah, keeps…

Hi, everyone! I’m thrilled to share an excerpt from THE SECRET INGREDIENT, my queer rivals-to-lovers foodie romance. When classically trained chef Adah Campbell and intuitive baker Beth Summers meet, their attraction. . . and rivalry. . . is immediate. The two women couldn’t be more different, but their intense passion for food and undeniable chemistry draws them together. Below is a sneak-peak of Adah and Beth’s meet-cute (in this case more of a meet tense…that’s a thing, right?) THE SECRET INGREDIENT is available now. Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy! Excerpt: The woman stepped forward without missing a beat, extending her hand. I closed the gap between us, shivering as her long fingers brushed my palm. Her skin was warm and a little work-rough. A heavy quiet settled over me as we shook hands. I had the strange thought that I could have held her hand all day. Up close I realized her narrow, wary eyes were a soft shade of green. They widened for a fraction of a second before she stepped back, shoving her hands into her pockets. “I’m Adah Campbell, the new executive chef at Bella Vista. This is Sean Jacobs, our GM, and…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?    My latest book in the Dr. Kate Vet series is called SADDLED with MURDER. It will be available on October 27, 2020. The word saddle in the title has a duel meaning, one of which involves a wild mustang who has been adopted out and is having difficulty adjusting to his new home. 2–What is it about? It’s a mystery that reminds us to be careful what you wish for. The story begins at the Oak Falls Animal Hospital Christmas party, where Cindy, the receptionist, suggests playing a party game. Everyone is asked to share a secret selfish holiday wish. It’s been a long day for Dr. Kate Turner. She’s juggling a lot in her professional life and private life and when it is her turn, she stands up in front of the staff and says she’d like to make two problem clients disappear. Kate isn’t specific – but the audience yells out some names. “Abracadabra, poof, they’re gone,” she says. That night a video taken at the party is posted on social media, which makes Dr. Kate feel terrible. But she feels even worse when the first of those clients is found…

It’s that time of year when all the ghosts and goblins appear! Unfortunately, 2020 has made it difficult for them to visit your doorstep, so why not let them visit your library instead:) My guest at the Cozy Corner will allow you to do just that, and so much more. Maggie Toussaint loves to captivate readers with her eclectic writing that captures the imagination no matter what genre you prefer, she’s offering a sea full of great books! *** Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Maggie! Maggie: Thanks! It is my pleasure to be here. What an interesting mix of writing you do! Mystery, romance, and sci-fi, but what you left out in your bio was how beautifully you incorporate paranormal in your Dreamwalker Mysteries. Can you tell our readers about the series? I have had an arm’s length fascination with the paranormal for most of my life. When I decided to write in this genre, I blended my fear and fascination into a reluctant sleuth’s strengths and weaknesses, and Baxley Powell formed on the page. You see, she’d denied her psychic abilities for so long, that her journey of self-discovery involves learning about a new extrasensory talent with each…

Hey Fresh Fiction readers! I’m so happy to be here participating in the title challenge for my new release, FEEL THE FIRE. This is book 3 in my Hotshots series about smoke jumpers and wildfire fighters, but it also stands alone well. We met Tucker briefly in book 2, HIGH HEAT, and you’ll see small easter eggs from the couples of books 1 and 2 in FEEL THE FIRE. In FEEL THE FIRE, I wanted to look at some of the people behind the scenes in Wildfire Fighting—the people calling the shots, arranging logistics, and deciding how best to approach a fire season. This year Oregon has been in the news with a very active and heartbreaking fire season that claimed over a million acres. While FEEL THE FIRE includes a number of the realities of fighting wildfires, it centers around the reunion romance of two childhood sweethearts meeting again as adults and coworkers. There’s lots of family and feels and sexy tension! F is for First Kisses E is for Eating, shared meals and long talks E is for Each moment counts L is for Longing * T is for Trust, both past and present H is for Home,…