What is the title of your latest release?JOVE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Ron Eldon answers a call telling him one of his agents is dead, jumped from Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. Ron is a semi-retired MI5 agent, the news hits hard, because this time the agent was his daughter. How his daughter died is somehow wrapped up in a meeting Ron had with a Russian agent twenty years ago. Who hated her enough to kill her, or did her investigations lead her to a tragic end? How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I read an obituary of a dead English traitor who spied for the Russians and died over there and thought how a Security Officer reading that would have no regret. And then, the bridge! Clifton Suspension Bridge is in Bristol, my hometown, it seemed a fitting place for a suicide, which happens all the time. The bodies do float down to Avonmouth Docks where my dad used to collect them, he was a police officer at the docks. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?The heroine is Yolanda, and yes, I would, she’s a tough but…

Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

What is the title of your latest release?THE UNEXPECTED CALLER What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Just when a forty-something Amish widow decides she has no choice but to marry again, a mysterious caller opens up a whole new world – a secret club for Amish widows. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I created a fictional town in the middle of Ohio’s Amish country. I wanted to create a place where just about anything was possible. The town of Alliance became that place. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely, because Leanna has faced a lot of difficult life experiences but has remained sweet and hopeful. What are three words that describe your hero?Evan Keim is persistent, patient and passionate What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned to accept that my vision for this book had to be fine-tuned in order for the heroine’s story to be told well. I also learned to give myself permission to miss a deadline. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I usually write about 2/3 of a book, then start revising and editing while I complete…

Excerpt from SUMMER OF LOVE by Kerri Maher: In this excerpt, Winnie Hartley and her sister Miranda and friend Rachel are at the Magic Mountain Festival, a major outdoor concert given in Marin County, CA, in June of 1967, the Summer of Love. Winnie has just gotten some food to share, and is heading back to her sister: Once I’d loaded up a plate, I headed back, chewing on a piece of curry-soaked naan, inhaling the smoke billowing from hundreds of pipes and bongs and joints, letting the sound of laughter and talk and guitars and drums from all around fill my ears and vibrate through my body.  There was a treat for every one of the senses, and the vibe was so good, so full of generosity and goodwill, I almost cried with overwhelming happiness.  One of every three blankets had some kind of sign atop a stake in the ground: “Bring the troupes home” and “Hell No, Nobody Goes,” amid an absolute wildflower field of peace signs, some of which had been made of bright orange paper poppies, since the real ones had died off by the end of May. And the concert hadn’t even started yet. I…

Excerpt from THE EXQUISITE TORMENT OF LOVING YOUR ENEMY by Brigitte Knightley: Osric Tall and stark stood the fortress of Swanstone. Its steep battlements, overtopped with moss and seaside centaury, tumbled towards the shore. Beyond the ramparts shivered an agitated sea. White waves crested like knife-cuts before collapsing into black water. The tide was rising. Outside the tallest window of the tallest tower sat Osric Mordaunt. Bastard by birth, Fyren by profession, scoundrel by inclination. Inside the tallest window of the tallest tower sat Aurienne Fairhrim. Respected Haelan, preeminent scholar, and champion of moral good. Once upon a time, Osric had regarded Fairhrim as purely functional, as a Means to an End whose sole merit was that she was the only one who could heal his disease. He had considered her haughty and cold, insufferably high-handed, and-most damning of all-pretty at best. He had thought he hated her. He had been wrong. He had been wrong about many things. Fairhrim asked, “Is something the matter?” Osric shook his head, but it was a lie. Something was the matter. He was falling for her. Thrilling. Sickening. He held the truth unspoken. He tasted it on his tongue. The sun rose like a lover,…

What is the title of your latest release?FORMULA ZERO What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?F1 in outer space (and also they fall in love!) How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I knew I wanted to write about F1-style racing, and I knew I wanted my FMC to be a racer/competitor in her own right. To do that, I either had to write about the first woman in F1 (which just wasn’t the story I wanted to tell), or skip far enough into the future that women in F1 were commonplace. Once skipping into the future was on the table, my innate love of sci-fi took the wheel. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Oh, absolutely. Clarke and I would be great friends, and we’d also make a very efficient partnership at plotting the downfall of sleazebag men. What are three words that describe your hero?Driven, stubborn, impulsive What’s something you learned while writing this book?My new party trick is being able to list geographical features on Mars and the moon. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?Edit as I draft, absolutely. It usually means…

What is the title of your latest release?EVERY VERSION OF YOU What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A woman gets a second chance at life and love when she dies at 32 and is given the opportunity to relive a formative time in her life. She goes back intending to win back the “one who got away” only to find herself strangely drawn to the man she always hated. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I’ve lived in LA for the last decade and have come to really love this city, so setting my book here felt natural. I had so much fun exploring the city through my character’s eyes. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yeah, I could definitely see me and Joey being friends. I’m not sure I could write a heroine I wouldn’t be friends with – you have to spend so much time with them during the editing process! But maybe, that’s a challenge for future me. What are three words that describe your hero?Steadfast, driven, and persistent. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned how to edit! I love writing first drafts, I have…

During our 109-day “Go West” adventure in the summer of 2021, I attended Wild Deadwood Reads in South Dakota, where I met a fellow author and her husband from Washington State. When they heard we would be traveling through their area, they suggested we visit—and recommended a scenic trip on the Snake River with Snakedancer Excursions. It sounded like the perfect adventure, so we added it to our itinerary. Snakedancer Excursions operates out of Clarkston, Washington, at the gateway to Hells Canyon. We chose the half-day excursion that included lunch, and on July 21, 2021, climbed aboard our covered jet boat and headed upriver. Many people don’t realize that Hells Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon. Carved by the Snake River, Hells Canyon plunges nearly 8,000 feet from the peaks of the surrounding mountains to the river below, making it the deepest river gorge in North America. Experiencing it from the water gives you a unique perspective you simply can’t get from the road. As we traveled deeper into Hells Canyon, our captain pointed out the evidence of recent wildfires. The brown areas were exposed earth, the red patches were coated with flame retardant used to slow the spread…

AN INFINITE LOVE STORY is set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race. Told from the perspective of Vivian Mitchell – whose husband Joe goes missing on a mission to the Moon – AN INFINITE LOVE STORY follows both the early years of their relationship as they fall in love interspersed with the aftermath of Joe’s disappearance. When Vivian begins receiving messages she believes only Joe could send, she starts to wonder if their love is stronger than space and time. I had such an adventure writing this novel and I’m so excited to share Joe and Vivian’s story with you! A– Astronaut’s wifeN– Notes in unexpected places I– InvestigationN– Nation watches and waitsF– FateI– Intertwined timelinesN– Nostalgic memoriesI– InfiniteT– Television reporterE– Explore the Moon L– Lost in spaceO– Opposites attractV– “Viv”E– Epic love S– Space travelT– TimeO– Operator error?R– RomanticY– Yearning AN INFINITE LOVE STORY by Chanel Cleeton When an astronaut is lost in space, his wife relives their epic love as she attempts to unravel what truly happened to him, in this sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes.When Joe Mitchell launches into…

Book Title: A LIFE SO TRUECharacter Name: Evelyn “Evie” Turner How would you describe your family or your childhood?It was one of privilege and love. My parents are two of the most amazing people I’ve ever known. They were strict in many ways, but fair and always they taught me about God’s love and generosity, as well as the need to see even the poorest person as important as the wealthiest. What was your greatest talent?Like my mother, I’m really quite good at convincing people to part with their money for the cause of helping the poor. I’m also quite intelligent even though that isn’t a quality most look for in a woman in 1893. Significant other?For so many years I’ve put off falling in love because I was focused on becoming a nurse who could work at my father’s side. Now, however, there’s a handsome young man named Maxwell Garrison, and I’ve pretty much fallen for him at first sight. Biggest challenge in relationships?I’m confident and capable of forming relationships and building on them, however, my desire to be a nurse has caused me to hold people, particularly suitors, at arm’s length. Then there’s also the secret I’m carrying….