As my first release of 2020, Love Under Protection sets this year off with a bang for me. Fling Romance is a newer to me trope but I had a lot of fun bringing these characters to life and revisiting NYC again too. I’m excited to share will you, my TOP FIVE FAVORITE THINGS about the 425 Madison world. My favorite amenity in the 425 Madison building: First of all, can I just say that I am SO jealous of the tenants at 425 Madison? With all of the amenities that one can hope for, they seem to have it made. Hands down my favorite amenity would probably be the rooftop deck/lounge. What better of a place to escape and take on the city lights OR do a little hanging out with your favorite neighbors?  My favorite local hang out/nightspot in the 425 Madison world: When it comes to nightlife, O’Hara’s is my favorite place. O’Hara’s Pub is an actual spot located just 4 miles from the 9/11 Memorial and often frequented by – you guessed it – my beloved everyday heroes. For those that are new to me, I have a weakness for men in uniform, hence the inspiration…

Like every reader, there are some books that come along that I must read, and in turn, I must interview the author. The Keeper by debut author Jessica Moor was one of those books. Since my career in law enforcement began too many years ago for me to share, I’ve felt passionately about changing the way society views domestic violence and violence against women. I transferred into the Special Victims Unit on the police department to work for a specific sergeant, but when I got there, staying there to make a difference became my personal passion. When I was promoted, I spent time in patrol but went right back to the unit that had become my calling. Today, I still feel passionately about the subject, I am disheartened when we take steps backwards, and heartened when we smash that glass ceiling as The Keeper sets out to do. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner on Fresh Fiction, Jessica! Jessica: Thank you! I’m feeling distinctly cozy already! Congratulations on the release of your debut novel! In just a few sentences, tell us what THE KEEPER is about.  THE KEEPER is set in and around a shelter for women fleeing domestic…

Before I wrote my new book A First Time for Everything–which is also my first New Adult romance–all my romances were in third-person and alternated between the hero and heroine’s point of view. This is a satisfying, tried and true approach to romance novels, and I toyed with the idea of doing the same thing with A First Time. But I wanted to give readers what they like and expect in a New Adult book, which is first person, and I thought a change in my usual approach would be an interesting challenge. I went with first-person present, which gives the book a super immediate and raw feel, because everything Hannah experiences is being processed in the moment. That’s how things feel to everyone falling in love, but I think it’s especially true when we’re falling in love for the first time. The next decision was whether to alternate between Hannah and Casey’s point of view. I initially wanted to, but when I thought about writing from a twenty-one-year-old guy’s point of view, I gave a mental shudder. How could I possibly get into the mind of some horny college guy? I seriously couldn’t go there, not at first. I…

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 Laura Brown! Writes: Laura writes romances featuring characters with hearing loss, ranging from New Adult, to Contemporary, to Romantic Comedies. Matzah Ball Surprise is her first romantic comedy, featuring a fake date for Passover! About: A self-professed introvert, Laura becomes outgoing in quiet environments. She loves to read, and all things cats, and like many parents will enjoy child-free time, but may also talk about her son! Willingness to repeat is a must, as Laura’s hearing loss selectively misses words without her permission. Knowledge of ASL a bonus! What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: *Desire to learn ASL *Willingness to try matzah *Enjoys the fake date/only one bed trope *Ogles the gym buffs with Gaby (heroine) *Enjoys dogs with a penchant for mischief What to expect if we’re compatible: *Fulfilling HEA *Heroes who stumble over their emotions. *Lots of little hearing loss references *Supportive yet overwhelming families *Food as foreplay — FOR A CHANCE TO WIN: Rafflecopter Giveaway – $10 Amazon Gift Card & digital Copy…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Sparrow 2–What is it about?  Sparrow is the story of Savannah Darcy Rose (“Sparrow”), a gifted seventeen-year-old ballerina who suffers physical abuse at the hands of her boyfriend. It’s also about her friend and dance partner, Lucas, who serves as a second POV character. He’s been secretly in love with Sparrow for years and tries hard to be a strong ally for her, while facing a tragedy of his own. 3–What word best describes your protagonist?  Haunted 4–What is the most interesting thing you discovered about your protagonist while writing this book?  I knew that Sparrow would be filled with grief and despair after her boyfriend’s violent assault; what I also discovered was the depth and breadth of her rage. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Sparrow’s lifelong creed has always been, “I am not the kind of girl who tells,” so she internalizes her fear and pain and refuses to admit to anyone that her boyfriend is hurting her, until it’s too late. Lucas confides in his mother and his friends, especially Delaney, who is Sparrow’s best friend. 6–What do you love about the setting…

First of all, thank you to FreshFiction for hosting me on your website’s blog! For this supernatural Thursday, I thought it would be fun to discuss how dreams are used in fiction (especially teen fiction), seeing as dreams are such potent forces. Most of us have had one of the following reactions to a dream: “Thank god that wasn’t real! My heart is pounding.” “Uh, what in the world was THAT about?” “What a brilliant story idea! Let me write that down!” I’m partially joking on the third, but it is true that writers can be highly inspired by dreams and nightmares. As a personal example, part of my debut teen fantasy novel Paragon is based on a nightmare I had many years ago. I was on vacation in a remote cabin with family, but the cabin was full of ghosts that only I could see. Cue a ton of “Don’t you see them? Am I going crazy?” that left me feeling insane even after I woke up. Since dreams are such amazing fodder for writers, it’s no wonder that dream sequences themselves end up in fiction. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how stories can incorporate…

Eliza had spoken to each of the ladies over tea and found them every bit as amusing, pleasant, and pretty as she had during the Season. She liked them all, although a preference for one over the other had not yet shown itself. But her own preference mattered very little. The question was, which lady would the duke prefer? Lady Jane was tall and slender with hair the color of butterscotch. She had a wonderful singing voice, and not only did she read the papers, but she had opinions about their content. Eliza was certain she would make an excellent duchess. Lady Louisa had soft brown curls, an extraordinary bosom, and cheeks as round and rosy as the apples they plucked. She laughed and smiled a good deal, but there was a sharpness to her wit that would serve her well in a marriage with Wessex. He needed a lady with high spirits to keep him in line. Lady Abigail had hair of deep red, which was not very fashionable, but hers was so gorgeous that one could not wish for any other color. She was gifted with both the pianoforte and bawdy jokes. Eliza thought Wessex would enjoy making…

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 Christi Caldwell! Writes: It’s SO wonderful joining you!! Thank you for having me here at Fresh Fiction! I write historical romance novels set in the Regency, late Regency, or early Victorian era. My latest book, In Bed With the Earl, features a lost lord, who’d been kidnapped as a child, and is now returning to his previous world, and who of course, finds love along the way! About: I blame Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught for luring me into the world of historical romance. While I was in grad school at the University of Connecticut, I set aside my school notes and picked up my laptop to try my hand at romance. I believe the most perfect heroes and heroines have imperfections, and I rather enjoy torturing them before crafting them a well deserved happily ever after! What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: • You LOVE a flawed or imperfect hero and heroine. • You devour deeply emotional reads that have you…

Continuing my tradition of featuring Irish-set historical fiction for the month of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m offering up a round of novels that begin before The Great Hunger of the mid-1840’s and continue up to after World War II.  Erin go Bragh! We begin with GALWAY BAY by Mary Pat Kelly.  Drawing on anecdotes from her own family history, author Kelly begins her multi-generational saga in Ireland of the “before times”—before the potato blight that brought starvation and forced exile.   Like other fisherman and tenant farmers, Michael Kelly and his young bride Honora Keeley must sell their catch and their harvests to pay their rent, leaving them dependent on potatoes for food.  When the blight destroys the potato crop three out of four years, determined not to let their children starve, Michael and Honora join two million of their countrymen and emigrate to “Amerikay.” With her sister Maire, Honora and their children make their way northward from New Orleans to Chicago, fighting discrimination and opposition as they settle there and help turn this once-frontier town into a thriving metropolis.  The story continues with their sons who fight in the Civil War, and eventually in Ireland’s struggle for independence from British…

Paradise Island was exactly as cheesy as all the online reviews Zach had read on the flight down had suggested. He could hardly believe that Jenna would actually choose to honeymoon here or that she thought Elliot wouldn’t take one look at the place and immediately insist on going somewhere else, sexy lingerie or no. But when somebody allowed sentimentality to trump logic, this was the result. Had she even read any of the reviews when she’d planned the trip? To begin with, it wasn’t a hotel, but a cluster of small huts, which were probably supposed to suggest some kind of alone-on-a-tropical-island fantasy, on which continent, he had no idea. From the pictures online, it looked like someone had bought up all the set pieces from Gilligan’s Island, stuck them on sketchy dock structures the middle of a shallow inlet, and opened for business. Each cluster of huts had its own pier leading from a main building where the shops, restaurants, and spa were located, and each individual hut was spaced along the pier far enough from its neighbor to guarantee “privacy.” In other words, honeymoon gymnastics could take place without couples in the other hump-huts having to listen….