by Fresh Fiction Reviewers Debbie Wiley and Annetta Sweetko Hi Keri! Annetta and I (Debbie) are thrilled you’re joining us today at Fresh Fiction as we’re long-time fans of your work. Thanks for inviting me here! Can you tell us a little about your newest book, BLACKBIRD RISING, and what inspired it? I’d been thinking about writing an Arthurian inspired novel for a while, but in all honesty, it was just bubbling away in the background with no real substance. Then one of my favorite cover designers–J Caleb Design–put the Blackbird pre-made up for sale and boom, the whole story was right there. Needless to say, I grabbed that cover as soon as I could (his pre-made go really fast, so it was definitely meant to be). And so, The Witch King’s Crown series was born. You’ve written a variety of paranormal books, including other shifters. What made you decide on a blackbird shifter? The cover! I honestly had no intention of adding shifters into an Arthurian-based story, although I was always going to have witches and demons. In all of your various book series’ you have come up with very strong women ( for example – Tiger in the…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Starcrossed 2–What is it about? It’s the middle book in my Magic in Manhattan trilogy–not a standalone, but part of a 3-book romance series where two men from different classes fall for each other, fight to be together–and save 1920s New York from some very dangerous magic. 3–What word best describes Rory? Loyal. It’s hard for him to trust, but when he does, it’s for life. 4–What makes Arthur irresistible? He’s hiding a very soft heart under his playboy facade and always puts the safety of others above himself. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Arthur always turns to his best friend, Jade. Rory doesn’t ask for help, even when he needs it, because he’s had to rely on himself for a long time. But maybe with Arthur and the crew in his life, he’ll eventually learn how. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? New York is a city I visit often and there’s so much to love–the diversity, the history, the food, the architecture. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the 1920s, if I’m honest. I love the…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Eloisa! We’re thrilled to have you here. Can you tell us a bit about your Wildes of Lindow Castle series and where SAY YES TO THE DUKE fits in?  The Wildes of Lindow Castle series follows a huge family living on the edge of a bog, and Say Yes is the story of an adopted Wilde, Viola. Her half-siblings are gorgeous, vivid, and dramatic—but Viola is a shy wallflower. As she describes it, she has no more in common with His Grace’s offspring than a donkey to a dragon.  SAY YES TO THE DUKE is pure escapist fun: the wallflower attracts the attention of a duke, but she doesn’t want him because she thinks she’s in love with a vicar. They end up married, and then he has to work hard to change her mind! Family is an important factor in SAY YES TO THE DUKE, as well as the other books in this series, and I enjoyed catching up with the Wildes from previous books. What do you love about creating a tight-knit family like the Wildes?  It’s wonderful to be able to deepen and grow characters over several books. I became so fond of the duke and duchess, for example, that I have a prequel of their romance coming…

The devastation of war tests the human spirit to its limits, as individuals struggle to survive in desperate and dangerous circumstances.  With the war we’ve all been fighting the last few months against an invisible enemy, the topic is even more timely.  The following stories enthrall, astound, and invite us to look past the minor irritations and minutiae of our everyday lives and concentrate on what is truly important. This was certainly the case for the women involved in SEVEN DAYS IN MAY by Kim Izzo.  Despite the savage war being fought on the Western Front–and a warning from Germany that any ship crossing the Atlantic puts itself at-risk–New York heiresses Sydney and Brooke Sinclair stick to their plan to sail to England, where Brooke is to marry Edward Thorpe-Tracey.   While Brooke is excited to marry into the aristocracy, independent Sydney is drawn to the suffragette movement. Full of confidence in the future, the girls and Edward board the Lusitania for the seven-day voyage.  Meanwhile in England, Isabel Nelson, after escaping a scandal in Oxford, is grateful to have landed a secretary’s job at the British Admiralty’s mysterious Room 40.  Recognizing her skill at codes and cyphers, she’s soon put…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Yaffa and congrats on your debut novel hitting stores! Please tell us more about yourself and your book, A TASTE OF SAGE. Thank you! A TASTE OF SAGE came to be as I combined my interests in the romance genre and cooking. It was also important to me that there be some aspect that extends beyond the five senses. I started with Lumi, my main character, and an idea of the journey I wanted for her, but not as much of a clear idea of how she would get there. Little by little, I added the other characters and conflicts. That was the fun part. Will you talk a little bit about your journey into publishing? What has been the most surprising thing about becoming a published author so far? I queried for about two years on and off before I connected with my agent. What surprises me the most is how much there is to learn about how publishing works, though I’m making progress every day. In addition to being a contemporary romance, A TASTE OF SAGE is also a love letter to FOOD! I was obsessed with the descriptions of food throughout this novel…

Hi, there. . . Robin here. I’m getting so excited for the release of my thirty-fourth novel, DEAD SILENCE. I have to say, I love this book. The heroine is strong, yet flawed in how she perceives some of what is going on around her. She’s kicked into action when her son is threatened. Her love for her son–willing to do anything to protect him is a mother’s instinct I relate to so well, having three daughters and two grandsons. The love of a mother for her child is so ingrained in me that I forewent any romance in the story, allowing the love between mother and child to take the forefront emotion. I’ve been asked why I opted for a heroine who is an ASL translator and who has a deaf son. Many years ago, I became friends with someone who is deaf. She shared with me some of her frustrations, but also how her way of life is in comparison to mine. It got me to thinking that being deaf could be thought of as a disability, but could also be used as an advantage. . . it was all in how you looked at it. My friend…

In this time of #stayhome, even introverts like me are starting to go a little stir crazy. I love writing, of course, and reading, but I’ve needed something else to fill my days. So let’s talk hobbies! In my recent release, HONOR AVENGED, my hero Marcus loves to surf and watch movies. (He has an encyclopedic knowledge of movie quotes that he uses regularly throughout the series.) Now, I can barely walk across my house without tripping over my own feet, and I live in the cool and rainy Pacific Northwest, so surfing is no for me. And while I love movies, I don’t have Marcus’s memory for snappy quotes. So what’s a bored writer to do during quarantine? At first, I tried to keep busy with stuff that needed done around the house. I painted my bathroom. Power washed the front sidewalk. Ignored the pile of laundry sitting on my office chair. I filled my Amazon cart with all the stuff I want, then emptied it again when I saw the total. I tried working out, got through a full week of BeachBody On Demand, then got lazy for a week, then tried again. I walked the dogs. Cleaned…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  The Silence 2–What is it about?  Isla returns home to Sydney after 10 years living in London, to support her dad who is under suspicion in the case of a missing neighbor. Her home country, and her family, are more troubled than she expected. Her loyalty to her dad starts to waver when family secrets come to light. And it seems her community has been holding on to an older secret that goes to the heart of Australia’s colonial past. 3–What word best describes your main character? At the start of The Silence I would describe Isla as lost. She is hiding from life, at the beginning of a process of recovery but scared of the uncomfortable truths she really needs to face up to. I’d probably also say she’s tough, but she doesn’t know that about herself until later on. 4–What makes your story relatable?  The Silence is about people trying to figure out who they are, coming to terms with the things they regret and taking responsibility for those things. Some characters are doing better than others at the taking responsibility part, but they are all faced with that challenge and…

“I’M CURIOUS,” JINX SAID, her voice sounding strange even to her. “How did you get that scar?” She watched Angus swallow, then seem to relax, his blue eyes bright with humor. “Well, it’s kind of an amusing story.” He smiled. “I got pushed out of a barn loft when I was eleven.” “That’s awful.” He sat up straighter until they were eye to eye. “It was my fault. I asked for it.” “You asked to be pushed out of a barn loft?” “I was teasing her. She warned me that if I didn’t stop she would knock me into tomorrow.” “She?” Jinx felt goose bumps break out over her skin and for a moment she could smell the fresh hay in the barn, feel the breeze on her face, remember that cute cowboy who’d taunted her. Her heart began to pound. His smile broadened. “She was a spitfire, as fiery as her hair back then.” Jinx felt heat rush to her cheeks. “Tell me her name wasn’t JoRay McCallahan.” “Sorry, I’m afraid so,” he said and laughed. “I wondered if you would remember.” “When I saw you, I thought I’d met you before, but I couldn’t think of when that…

Picture a Reptile House. An enclosed space, just a guy and a girl. Low lights. Cool air. Soft music. Kind of romantic. If not for the snakes. If not for the fact that Mai is deathly afraid of snakes. And if not for the fact that Anthony and Mai are both intent on crushing their crushes on each other. 🙂 Here’s a scene from How to Quit Your Crush. Happy Reading! *** “I don’t like thinking about my future, but I like thinking about yours,” Anthony says. “Picturing you with Petri dishes and eyedroppers like in middle school.” “Can they be really good Petri dishes–not the plastic ones?” “They’re primo Petri. And you’re working late one night and all of a sudden, you stand up and cry, ‘Eureka.’” “I have never once in my life cried Eureka.” “Quiet. This is my vision.” “Fine.” I gesture for him to continue. “What have I done?” “You’ve cured cancer. All kinds of it.” “In one Petri dish?” “I said it was a really good one.” “That’s quite the vision.” But I’m smiling because it really is. “And where will you be?” “Like I said, I don’t like thinking about my future.” “Give it…