Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Gretchen! Please tell us about yourself and your new novel, THE OPERATOR. The Operator is the story of Vivian Dalton, a nosy switchboard operator who eavesdrops on all the conversations of the residents in her small town.   Set in Wooster, Ohio in the 1950s, I read that this story is inspired by your own family’s history! Can you share the background and inspiration for THE OPERATOR? I’d been doing genealogy research on my mom’s side of the family, and combined a little of that with my grandmother’s occupation.       Vivian Dalton is one of the town’s switchboard operators and knows everything about everyone because she and the other operators secretly listen in on conversations. If you were in a similar occupation, would you listen in on conversations? Why or why not? I really don’t think I would. It’s so invasive. Vivian overhears a conversation that could be her downfall – she’d be humiliated in front of the entire town and she’s desperate to stop it from getting out. What do you think readers will love about Vivian? What do you think they will find frustrating about her? I know different readers will love & find frustrating…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-ReaderMatch” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Jus Accardo! Writes: Pulse-pounding Young Adult fiction that will make you linger on the edge of your seat. Have a savage love of unfailingly loyal friendships, intense love that will stick with you for days after reading the last page, and action that will have you holding your breath? We might be Book Soul Mates. About: Music-loving caffeine junkie with a fierce love of books, dogs, photography, and ink. Low maintenance and no real-world drama as I’m usually absorbed in the lives and trials of fictional characters. I’m dog obsessed–but this can only benefit you because, dogs. Shy at first but get to know me and we’ll be friends for life. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Someone who thrives on love stories with a paranormal, scifi, or fantasy twist. Appreciators of snarky, sometimes dark, humor. Lovers of strong, independent girls that fight for what they want and those they love. Admirers of quirky, flawed characters that have room to grow….

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Love Around the Corner 2–What is it about? It’s about Gemma Romano, the oldest of three Italian American sisters in Brooklyn. There’s a lot of change happening in her life, some good, some bad. And now her first love, the boy who broke her heart, has moved back home. They have a lot of baggage to unpack. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Tough. But she’s also so big-hearted. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He tries SO hard to do the right thing, and to take care of everyone in his life. He’s made mistakes, but now he’s determined to do the right thing. Gemma describes him at one point as George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life, and that’s pretty spot on. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Gemma’s Number One is her dad, John. Since her mother died when she was a teenager, the two of them have relied on each other. They’re more than father and daughter. They’re business partners and best friends. Brendan could stand to rely on a few more people. He’s stubborn and insists on shouldering every burden himself. But…

I’m so excited to be back at Fresh Fiction celebrating another release! Flawless Foundations was such a fun book to write, it was a labor of love, that’s for sure. This is a tale of what happens when you fall in love with your bestie’s older brother. It features a sexy CEO and a feisty socialite. Is there a marriage of convenience or a marriage of love? You’ll have to read it to find out. In the meantime, find out my Top Five Favorite things about the 425 Madison series! My favorite amenity in the 425 Madison building: The maintenance team. In particular, the hot maintenance man who manages that team. Okay, let’s be honest here, the best amenity in the 425 Madison building is Jake Harper. 100%. Jake’s stroys unfolds in season one’s Boyfriend Maintenance but he’s is a constant fixture in season two of the series as well. My favorite local hang out/nightspot in the 425 Madison world: Blush, a cocktail lounge that Becca works at. It’s a high-end, posh and sexy. It’s been one of Becca’s favorite spots for several years. If you’re not from money or don’t love rubbing elbows with the rich and richer, you…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Yours in Scandal (one of my favorite of my book titles, if I do say so myself!)  2–What is it about? The series features three men who are named “Man of the Year” (think: People’s Sexiest Man Alive) and the unexpected ramifications that come with that! Yours in Scandal kicks off the series with a young, wealthy mayor of NYC who falls for his political rival’s daughter. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Conflicted–she’s been taught to be ashamed of who she really is, and she’s got a lot of self-discovery to do! 4–What makes your hero irresistible? Where to start! Robert is wealthy, powerful, and um, hot, so there’s that. But more than that, he’s good–just a really, truly great guy. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Both hero and heroine have an amazing support group! Robert has the undying loyalty of his sarcastic chief-of-staff, and Addie has two ride-or-die best friends. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? It’s in my own backyard! I live in Manhattan, and I love setting books here amidst the glamour and energy of the city….

Loom knitting is one of my favorite hobbies, besides reading, of course! The creativity and joy in finding the right yarn to match a pattern has ignited my creative senses and inspired me to seek out other crafts. Whether it’s a scarf, a shawl, or a blanket, each crafty adventure I take is both relaxing and inspiring. I thought it would be fun to share a few of my recent favorites with you guys before jumping into the books. Each one of these lovely loomed items is an act of love, as I often donate my work to charity, especially since I like using some of the thicker yarns and I live in Florida! And now onto the books. . . Peggy Ehrhart’s upcoming release, A FATAL YARN, is the fifth book in the Knit and Nibble series, and knitting is at the heart of the mystery. I love that the local trees are suddenly gaining sweaters, even better than the sweaters are to hide the dreaded X marks that signal the tree is marked for removal. Peggy Ehrhart has created a likable cast of characters and the entire concept underlying A FATAL YARN is sheer fun. Never mind that…

Hey, Everyone! Thank you so much to the amazing people at Fresh Fiction for having me today! I had a blast answering the questions below. Sincerely, Kelly Anne Blount xoxo Fresh Fiction 20 Questions with an Author 1–What’s the name of your latest release?  I HATE YOU, FULLER JAMES 2–What is it about?  My YA sports romance centers around a bad bet and the fallout it causes between the star basketball player of Magnolia Valley High and his tutor. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Strong! 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  His heart. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Wren turns to her best friends Dae and Brandon. Fuller turns to his little brother, Hudson. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The setting was modeled after the small mountain towns surrounding the beautiful city I live in, Asheville, North Carolina. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? I plotted out I HATE YOU, FULLER JAMES. I like to have a loose outline that helps guide me as I write, but if I want to change things up while I’m…

I fell in love with the Bible when I was sixteen years old. I read the Bible before that time, but it was a biblical novel, Two From Galilee by Marjorie Holmes, that caused me to realize that the people in the Scriptures were real. I never looked at God’s Word quite the same way again. Suddenly, the stories in the Old and New Testaments had names and faces and situations that I could understand and relate to. Of course, not everything in ancient times can compare to what we face today, but though the cultures are different, human nature does not change. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which, yes, I believe were real people and the Garden a real place, we have all struggled with a nature that is no longer perfect. We don’t have to teach a child to lie or take something that isn’t theirs or be selfish with their toys. We don’t improve much with age either, I’m sorry to say. The women of the Bible struggled with this same sin nature. Impatience, greed, anger, bitterness, ingratitude, worry, faithlessness, controlling attitudes, manipulation, and so much more afflicted them just…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Melody! Can you tell us about yourself and your new book, THE HAPPY CAMPER?         I’m a writer who loves camping. <grin> Also, I love restoration and décor. So anyway, a few years ago, I was a bit writing-weary when I happened to notice an old vintage trailer ‘for sale’ by the side of the road. The price was right and the 1963 camp trailer was cute…so I bought it and began to restore it. While restoring it, the idea for this book began to tickle my brain. Shortly afterward, I was writing THE HAPPY CAMPER.  Dillon Michaels makes a major life change by moving to her grandfather’s farm, and then into his old camper. What do you think readers will find relatable in Dillon’s choices to change her life? I think we’ve all hit crossroads in life–times when either circumstances or desires nudge us in a new direction. Both are the case for Dillon. She’s disenchanted with her demanding job, non-committal boyfriend, small shared apartment…and ripe for a change. She thinks Grandpa’s farm and his need for help is the answer, but when she arrives the situation has changed. Dillon has…

I got my first job at eleven, working at a doggy daycare, and I’ve been more-or-less continuously employed since then. Now, at age 34, my full work history is long and weird: server, gas station attendant, construction worker, theater set builder, house cleaner, bookseller, landscaper, bike mechanic, teacher, freelance writer, and editor. A lot of this work brought me joy, particularly when I was lucky enough to have great coworkers, or supervisors who invested in their teams. I’ve also seen firsthand the ways employers can exploit, belittle, and manipulate their workers. I poured years of frustration into my novella, FINNA. FINNA begins in an enormous homegoods store where, thanks to the uniquely awful corporate layout, reality has a tendency to tear doorways into other worlds. When an elderly customer wanders into a wormhole in a furniture showroom, the task of tracking her down falls to Jules and Ava, the workers with the least seniority. (There used to be a specialized division that handled these cases, but they were cut during the Recession.) Navigating a series of hostile, alien worlds would be hard enough, but Ava and Jules broke up three days ago. Before you ask: no, there’s no overtime (unless…