REDEEMING A ROYAL is the third and last installment of my Royals of Aldonia series. And while that makes me so sad because I have truly fallen in love with this royal family, I feel it’s only fair, to be honest, and say that this series was never supposed to happen! Allow me to explain. . . When I write books from a series, I always write them as inter-connecting standalones. So, any of them can be read without having to read the ones that came before. And the reason I write them like that is because the Royals of Aldonia is the third series of mine that wasn’t supposed to exist. Reader – I have a problem! The Hidden Prince, which is book one and a novella, was supposed to be just that. A cosy, Christmas novella because nothing can be more swoon-worthy than a prince at Christmas. Right? Well, yes and no. Because while I was writing The Hidden Prince–Prince Alexander’s story–I wrote about his sister Princess Harriet who was very much a secondary character and who was supposed to trot off into the sunset with the rest of those characters. I should have known that she was…

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 MAKENNA LEE! Writes: Makenna Lee writes contemporary romance set in the Texas Hill Country. Her Second Chance Cowboy takes place in the fictional town of Cypress Creek. There’s a massive ranch with loads of history and a secret family mystery. Readers will meet James and Reese who played together as children, fell in love as teens, and haven’t seen one another since he broke her heart eleven years ago. About: Fifty-year-old introverted debut author who drinks way too much coffee while writing. Special needs mom of a twenty-three-year-old who has Down syndrome and influences her characters and stories. Has discovered a love for amateur nature photography after writing a photographer heroine. Dabbles in herbal medicine and enjoys renaissance festivals. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: -Loves a handsome cowboy who wants to help special needs children -Roots for an adventurous heroine with career goals and a romantic heart -Wants to meet a mischievous hound dog who rescues a kitten…

DIRTY TACTICS is a steamy brother’s best friend romance about fighting for love. Reagan Thomas kissed Zac Quinn when she was 15 years old and hasn’t been able to get over him ever since. Now, 10 years later, she proposes a two-week bet where she’ll prove to Zac that they’re meant to be. Zac, however, is wrestling with his own demons: his abusive father and feeling like he doesn’t deserve love. He plans to show Reagan that they’re not meant to be. But Reagan is willing to play dirty and that happiness is on the horizon for them both. D is for Dirty, of course. Dirty games and dirty minds. I is for it is okay to ask for help when you need it. Best friends, brothers, they’re all a call away. R is for Reagan, duh! Smart, hates the colour yellow and a gamer. T is for Thomas. Reagan’s family plays a big part in this story and in both their lives. Y is for whY you fighting such a good thing, Zac? Maybe Reagan will finally discover why. * T is for the working heroine who learns to stand up for herself. A is for all the fun…

Top 5 Reasons to Read A SPRINKLING OF MURDER, the first Fairy Garden Mystery Have you heard of the Fairy Garden Mysteries? They’re new. The first, A Sprinkling of Murder, is just out. It’s set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and features Courtney Kelly, a former landscaper who has taken a leap of faith and created her own fairy garden shop called Open Your Imagination. Courtney believes in inviting magic into one’s life, but when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she’ll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder . . . There are a lot of reasons that readers are falling in love with the Fairy Garden Mysteries, but here are the top five. Fiona, the righteous fairy. Fiona is a fairy-in-training. She should be a full-fledged fairy by now, but imp that she is, she did one too many pranks in fairy school, so the queen fairy has booted her out and subjected her to probation, during which time Fiona must get serious. By helping a human solve problems–that’s what righteous fairies are good at–she could earn her way back into the ranks. Fiona is fun, whimsical, and earnest. A powerful combo. Courtney Kelly, fairy garden…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Samantha! Please tell us about yourself and your new book, HE STARTED IT. Thank you so much! My new book, HE STARTED IT, is about three siblings (and two spouses) who have to go on a road trip in order to get an inheritance from their grandfather. Along the way, they have to deal with old grudges, family secrets, and a lot of scores to settle. This is a family road trip novel gone wrong–three siblings with strained relationships have to travel across the country per their grandfather’s will in order to receive a hefty inheritance. The route they are taking is the same road trip they took years ago with their grandfather, and they each have their own reasons for despising that trip. What is it about familial relationships, particularly sibling relationships, that you find fascinating? Sibling relationships are really complicated. If they grow up in the same house, they have a shared history during their formative years–something that can’t be repeated later in life. Siblings know your past, and you know theirs. And typically, they know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. Better than anyone else, in my experience. That makes siblings a…

I’ve been published for ten years, and in those ten years, on average, I put out about ten books a year of varying lengths. Because of my output, and the consistency of my output over time, one of the most common questions that I get is: How do you do it all? I’m afraid that my answer is not the one most people are looking for. I don’t have a magic bullet, or a golden ticket, or a secret key. Well, that’s not true, I do. It’s just that it isn’t an easy trick. The key to producing a lot of work? Just writing. That’s it! But for that to be helpful a writer has to be honest with themselves. They have to realize that writing is not: perusing the internet, tweeting, Facebooking, texting, talking about writing, researching, blogging, going out to fancy lunches, or even having industry-related phone calls and video chats and meetings. Those things might all be part of a writing career, to a greater or lesser degree depending on your path, but they are not writing. Even if I have to do those things, they cannot take priority over my writing, or my writing goals for…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  WHAT YOU WISH FOR 2–What is it about?  It’s about love, loss, and finding joy on purpose. School librarian Samantha Casey gets the worst new boss in the world–and he just happens to be the not-quite-forgotten biggest unrequited crush of her life. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  Resilient. Hopeful. Real. (That’s 3 words!) 4–What makes your story relatable?  It’s a story about people who are trying like heck to find joy in the midst of all their struggles and hardships.   5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Sam turns to her friend Alice, and Duncan turns to his sister Helen–but more and more, as the story goes on, they turn to each other. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s set on Galveston Island, on the coast of Texas, which is the historic beach town where I write all my books. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantser (write by the seat of your pants)? I’m a hybrid! I always start with a plot (more like a list of things I think will happen), and then, as the characters…

Content Warning: detailed depiction of physical abuse/assault.  *** Prologue Caroline Martin stared up at the ceiling tiles, small and square with tiny black holes that evoked an image of pepper jack cheese. Some were stained from leaky pipes that created ghostly formations of gray outlined in black above her head. The room was cold, and she began to shiver. One of the OR nurses noticed and covered her with another preheated hospital blanket, tucking it in under her chin and over her shoulders. “Thank you,” Caroline said through clenched teeth. She couldn’t move because they had already strapped her down to the operating table at her arms and just below her breasts. They left her legs free, covered with socks and leg warmers, as they would soon be placing her calves in stirrups. At least they had the decency to wait until she was completely under first. But after that, she was certain there would be no concern for her modesty. The pill they had given her fifteen minutes earlier began to take effect. Background noises blended together in a smothered cacophony, and only when someone got up close in her face was she able to focus. Even so, it…

Story is in everything, and I have often found myself most drawn to those that ask the big questions and explore the human condition. Those questions with a splash of imagination in finding ways to answer them, or even to ask them, are what provide the most inspiration for me when it comes to writing. As a mental health therapist, I have a front-row seat to the human condition, the common struggles, insecurities, pain, traumas, fears, and transitions so many of us face. I am constantly working with people through their anxieties, secret shames, failures, and rejections, and I find that at the root of so many of these struggles is the human need for belonging. For love. For acceptance. One day I was brainstorming story concepts and a question came to mind for me: Is there a love out there that is so big and unconditional that it could redeem even the most heinous of acts? From there I reimagined the concept of the Fountain of Youth. What if there was a Fountain out there that healed of all ailments and granted immortality. Would we drink? But what if there was a cost? You get to live forever, be…

My new historical romance, FAIR AS A STAR, is the first book in my Victorian Romantics series. Set during the summer of 1864, it features a handsome and compassionate clergyman hero and a courageous heroine who just happens to be betrothed to his brother. After a year-long stay in Paris, Beryl Burnham has returned home to the idyllic village of Shepton Worthy ready to resume the life she left behind. Betrothed to the wealthy Sir Henry Rivenhall, she has no reason to be unhappy–or so people keep reminding her. But Beryl’s life isn’t as perfect as everyone believes. . . F is for Family. Something Beryl values more than anything. A is for Alliance. The upcoming marriage of Beryl and Sir Henry Rivenhall. I is for Impetuous. Beryl’s younger sister Winnifred is driven more by emotion than good sense. R is for Romance. Sometimes it happens where you least expect it. * A is for Attraction. Mark Rivenhall has been besotted with Beryl for as long as he can remember. S is for Sisterhood. The bond that Beryl shares with Winnifred. * A is for Affinity. Mark and Beryl have always been friends. * S is for Supportive. Mark gives…