1–What’s the name of your latest release?  It’s called 500 Miles from You 2–What is it about?  It’s about two health care workers, Lissa and Cormac, who have to swap jobs – Lissa moves to rural Scotland, and country medic Cormac moves to the London inner city – and they have to trade notes on patients, but they never meet. Until… 3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  Well, they both work in health care so they’re pretty brave. Lissa though is shy about meeting men after some bad ghosting experiences, and Cormac was an army medic still troubled by his past so they need healing too.  4–What makes your story relatable?  I think we’ve all had days wherever we live where we think, ‘if I was only in the city/ in the country/ somewhere COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. 🙂 I think it’s nice to get the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes.  5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Well, Lissa has Cormac’s old boss Joan, the town doctor, who is quite fearsome and gives good advice, and Cormac has Lissa’s best friend Kim-Ange, an unusual character who has a lot to teach him…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Claim the Dragon 2–What is it about?  My hero, Steele, is a dragon shifter with the magical power to predict death in his dreams. Ironically, Steele, the man, has a hard time dealing with the death of a loved one. Now, Steele wants to save a woman he saw in his dream, Ravyn, but Ravyn’s used to saving herself. A victim of Burgess’ corrupt government, Ravyn has created a safe place for others like her so when Steele comes around talking about cursed Egyptian daggers and vicious vampires, she’s reasonably skeptical. How can two people so obviously at odds in this world end up on a supernatural journey to save everyone they care about…oh, and fall in love too? 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Sassy 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Physically I’d say his eyes, but if we’re digging a little deeper, his loyalty. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Ravyn’s best friend is Cree, a guy who saved her life Steele turns to his brother, Magnum 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love the futuristic city of Burgess with…

Hi, readers, I’m Callie Hutton, author of over 45 books, almost all historical. My latest release, A Scot to Wed is the second book in my Scottish Hearts series from Entangled Publishing. Mistress Katie Sterling has what she believes is proof that her mother’s family was cheated out the MacDuff Clan’s lands and castle many years ago. She has arrived to claim it waving an old, faded document. Evan McNeil has legally inherited the unwanted responsibility of running the MacDuff clan and tenants. He has his own clan to take care of miles from the MacDuff land. However, when he meets Katie on the road to the castle, with her so-called proof, he is determined to do his duty to his inherited clan and squelch any claim that Katie has. His ancestors had fewer problems when they fought for their land using crossbows and boiling oil. They didn’t want to bed the enemy. A – is for all the problems Evan has inherited along with the MacDuff clan. * S – is for Scottish honor, which Evan has, so he will not relinquish the castle and lands to an usurper no matter how many times she waves that paper in…

“I thought most women wanted happily ever after?” His gaze never left her face, the scrutiny making her uncomfortable. Becky pulled her hand away and turned to watch Byron. She didn’t like anyone looking too closely into what made her tick. “Maybe when they start out as little girls reading fairytales. But then real life happens, and they grow up. Some faster than others.” And it’s not that she didn’t want it. The plain and simple truth was that true love hadn’t come knocking at her door. “That’s a very cynical approach.” Better to let him believe she was cynical rather than a disappointed little girl who grew up but never let go of her fairy tale ending. “No different than your own.” She shrugged, looking back at him. “Well, okay, then. I’ve been thinking this through, and I believe it’s important for us to move fast but to make it look real. It’s a matter of finding the right balance, and that’s what we need to discuss to land on the same page.” Steve lowered his voice as a mother walked by pushing a baby stroller. “I’m listening.” Fast worked for her when it came to getting Byron healthcare…

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 Sara Desai! Writes: Books. Romance books Romance books that are funny. One romantic comedy book in particular: The Marriage Game, a sexy enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy about a grumpy downsizing consultant and a hopelessly romantic personnel recruiter who battle to secure office space as they interview the ten suitors her father has selected for her to marry. About: Island-dwelling extroverted introvert with a passion for trapping grouchy alpha males and sunshiny heroines in close quarters and pitting them against each other in a battle of wills seeks laugh-loving reader who loves scrumptious Indian food, crazy characters, big loud families, and heroes who know how to grovel. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Loves cute, fluffy Westies who have a weakness for pakoras Will not start dancing during an interview Agrees that extreme pogo should not be an Olympic sport Hates any food that is deconstructed, foraged at dawn, curated, bespoke, or can’t be seen with the naked eye. Knows instantly that…

When I sit down to write a book, part of the process involves thinking about the future. To make the stories pop, I like to imagine what will be going on in the world when a reader finally curls up with this book. Everything from the weather and the seasons to real-life events. Boy, did I get it wrong this time. And I’m guessing that pretty much none of my fellow cozy mystery writers had “global pandemic,” “social unrest,” “economic crisis,” and “political protests” on their backstory bingo cards. As a result, there’s a whole spate of mysteries coming out that bear little resemblance to the world we now see out the window. And maybe that’s a good thing. From the beginning, cozies and mysteries have served as an escape. So as we worry about a deadly virus with no vaccine and the racism that has no place in our world, books provide an off-ramp from reality. A chance to see the world the way we want it to be. An opportunity to drop our problems for a few moments. Imagine a world where you can eat, mask free, in a restaurant without a second thought. Or sit at a…

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 B. Ivy Woods! Writes: I write contemporary romance with a dash of suspense and humor set in Washington, D.C. My new release, Conspiracy in the Capitol (June 4th), is a second chance, diverse romance following a couple as they give their relationship another go, all while dealing with someone ready to do anything to keep them apart. About: Twenty-something Virginian born and raised in New York City seeks romance readers who have a thing for smart heroines and heroes with a heart. She married to someone she met on a dating app. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Loves a strong heroine who has a core group of gal pals in her corner Melts over a charming hero who will do anything for a second chance Dives right into a story with deep mystery and intrigue Enjoys an exciting book vacation to the sights and sounds of Washington, D.C. What to expect if we’re compatible: Witty banter between friends…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Stranger in the Lake 2–What is it about?  Stranger in the Lake is a story about Charlotte, a woman who’s left her trailer-park past behind to marry Paul, an older, wealthier man with a gorgeous house on an Appalachian lake in North Carolina. Their relationship is the focus of much small-town gossip, but Charlotte is able to ignore it until a woman’s body washes up under their dock—in the exact same spot where Paul’s first wife drowned. At first, the woman’s death seems like a horrific coincidence, but the stranger in the lake is no stranger. Charlotte saw Paul talking to her the day before, even though Paul tells the police he’s never met the woman. His lie exposes cracks in their fragile new marriage and dark secrets that have been simmering under the lake’s waters for years. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  Rags-to-riches 4–What makes your story relatable?  All my stories tend to focus on familial relationships. Parent-child, husband-wife, siblings. I love exploring the emotions that come along with these types of bonds, mostly because they’re so universally recognizable. Toss in the suspense angle—a lying spouse, a child gone missing,…

A question I get a lot, and I’m certain most authors and writers do, is ‘how do you manage to write novels?’. Growing up and getting into books relatively late compared to my peers, I used to ask myself that very same question. While I could imagine how people wrote movies, considering they are usually somewhere between ninety and a hundred and twenty minutes long, I couldn’t figure out how people wrote books. How did they fill hundreds of pages with words and somehow also make all of it interesting, especially to new readers, by which I don’t necessarily mean kids but rather anyone who picks up a book for the first time properly in general or after a long break? After working on my writing for a little over eight years I think I have an idea of what it takes to write a novel-length story and the four most important building blocks you’ll need. Of course, there is a lot of other smaller factors, but these are the basics. Inspiration + Creativity + Skill + Determination/Endurance Without some kind of inspiration, no skill or determination or even creativity will be quite able to help you fill out fifty…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Susie! Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your new book, STORIES THAT BIND US. Thanks for having me! Oh, where to start. I live in West Michigan with my husband and our three super cool kids (not to mention the cat, Flannery). I am so excited for readers to get their hands on Stories That Bind Us! It’s a novel about Betty Sweet and her nephew Hugo and how story brings them together.  Set in the 1960s in the Midwest, STORIES THAT BIND US offers a unique perspective about a changing society. What made you want to explore this time period in American history? What do you think will surprise readers about this setting and time? I’ve always been fascinated by the 1960s. I think, in part, it’s because that was the decade in which my parents came of age. They’ve always shared stories of what it was like for them and, as I researched for this book and All Manner of Things (set in 1967) it was really great to connect with them even more about their teen years.   I think it might surprise readers to know that in the 1960s…