by Fresh Fiction Reviewer Jessica Grogan Welcome to Fresh Fiction! Please tell us about yourself and your new book! Hi and thanks so much for having me on the Fresh Fiction blog! A little about me–I’m an Aussie author who’s happily married to her very own romantic hero. My hubby and I have recently become empty-nesters; our two daughters are currently studying at university, so I have lots of writing time. Yay! Aside from penning historical romance novels, I love to cook. And given the current situation around the world, I’ve been doing a lot of baking, particularly bread making. I find the whole process quite therapeutic and comforting. My new book, How to Catch an Errant Earl, is the second title in my Disreputable Debutantes series with Berkley Romance. It follows the fortunes of my practical bluestocking Scots heroine with a tarnished reputation, Miss Arabella Jardine, and unrepentant rakehell, Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald, the Earl of Langdale. At the beginning of the story, the reader discovers that Arabella has been forced to accompany her family on a Grand Tour of the Continent when she’d much rather be in London making plans to raise money for an orphanage. Gabriel is also abroad….

It’s almost impossible for the modern young woman to understand the lifestyle or the mindset of Polite Society’s Regency miss. And no wonder. She had a maid to help put on her unmentionables, comb her hair, and make her a cup of tea. She would never walk out the door without gloves covering her hands, a bonnet on top of her head, and a companion or chaperone by her side to protect her unblemished reputation from slanderous gossip. When going out for a stroll or to shop, most ladies had a dainty reticule swinging from their wrist, though said purse would have little more than a handkerchief, a hairpin, and threaded needle in it to make any hasty repairs. No essentials such as money, keys, or lip gloss. The pampered miss of yesteryear never made her own bed, laundered a piece of clothing, or stepped a foot inside a kitchen for any reason. My belief is that the typical woman of today would think being ridiculously pampered is getting a manicure, a pedicure, and a massage all in the same day. It’s safe to say most of us have washed a dish or two in our lifetime. Even the ladies…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Jane! Please tell us a little about yourself and the fourth book in The Way to the Lord’s Heart series, A DUKE TOO FAR. I’ve been writing Regencies for quite a while now. I love spending time in that world. The Way to A Lord’s Heart series is a sweeter saga than The Duke’s Sons, and A Duke Too Far focuses on the youngest couple in the group. The heroine hasn’t even made her bow to society as yet. Peter Rathbone, the impoverished Duke of Compton, has lost his beloved sister Delia and is at a loss as to what to do next. The crumbling family estate is in ruins, his finances are in disarray, and he didn’t have the usual upbringing expected of an aristocrat. How do these hardships and unique personality traits shape the man Peter has become?  I think they made him both more resourceful about practical matters (like carpentry) and more reticent in society. He knows he’s not the rich aristocrat people expect on hearing “duke.” When we meet Ada Grandison soon after the death of Delia, one of her closest friends, and she believes Delia may have left a clue…

When setting a book in a world that involves the heroine going on Tinder, it was important to me to try and understand how dating apps work. I mean. . . I haven’t been on a date in 35 years so I needed the skinny. What’s involved in the sign-up process, what’s the lingo, what are the dos and don’ts? Do I swipe left or right? And what kind of people are really on these apps anyway? So, what’s an author to do? Yes, you guessed it, I joined Tinder. Me – a happily married 49 (at the time) year old woman! Never let it be said I don’t go above and beyond for my books. Now. . . Let me explain. I didn’t start off intending to join Tinder at all. I started off just Googling around and reading a bunch of articles about the platform. Then I pumped my kids and their friends for information and even sat with a couple of young women as they perused their app to show me the lay of the land. But I found as I was writing there was still so much info I wasn’t sure of and I felt like…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Flying Gold 2–What is it about?  Flying Gold is a second-chance romance centered on Tiffani, a mechanic in her family’s classic car shop, and Matt, a cinematographer fresh off winning an Academy Award who is back in his home state of Georgia to shoot a television show. They were high school sweethearts, but he blew it, and this may be the only chance he has to make it right. 3–What word best describes your heroine, Tiffani?  Impulsive. Tiffani is one of those people who is a little terrifying to love because you never know what she’s going to do next. She’s got a great heart but she follows it without necessarily thinking through all the consequences. 4–What makes your hero, Matt, irresistible?  Matt is one of those guys who’s kinda nerdy and self-deprecating, but he’s also really compelling because in spite of his natural humility, he’s always driving forward, taking what he wants out of life, taking chances, and taking down obstacles that get in his way—including owning up to past mistakes. He’s humble and hungry which I think is a powerful combination. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when…

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 Annabeth Albert! Writes: I write hot men in dangerous situations! More specifically, I write contemporary LGBTQ romance, mainly m/m pairings with bi/pan/ace/demi rep and more.  I love books with heat, heart, and feels amid exciting backdrops. In my latest, BURN ZONE, I’m launching my HOTSHOTS series about smoke jumpers and wildfire fighters in Central Oregon. This series features burning hot chemistry, some of my favorite tropes with fresh twists, and a dedicated community of first responders who band together to keep the place they love safe. Fans of my OUT OF UNIFORM series will like the “band of brothers” feel here! And book one, BURN ZONE, is an older brother’s best friend romance with a forbidden twist as an upbeat newbie smoke jumper takes on the older, grumpy veteran he’s crushed on for years. About: Like long reads and deep feels that linger after the last page? Like your authors with bulging backlists and well-honed plots? Want sexy excitement without sacrificing…

“Why are you out of practice?” Gabe pursed his lips. “Is the rigor of vet school enough of an answer?” “If you need it to be.” He looked her way, his bright hazel-green eyes standing out starkly from the gray skies behind him. “If you’d said anything but that, that’s the only answer you’d have gotten.” “My sister tells me I’m good at cutting through the bull.” “I’ve got no reason to disagree.” He drummed his thumb on the steering wheel. “Aside from a close friend who went to vet school with me, you’re the only girl who’s been in that seat for a while. By design.” Olivia waited to see if he’d offer more. She had so many questions. They’d reached the end of the road, but the parking lot to the river access was a hundred feet away and underwater. The floodwater was flowing over the road, swallowing it up and reaching halfway up a signpost. If the dog had come this way, most certainly he’d angled off in another direction away from the river. “I had a fiancée,” Gabe added after a bit of silence. “A serious one. Before I entered vet school. I was a firefighter-EMT…

I’ve known bestselling author Callie Hutton for several years, but with the internet age, we actually just met face to face a few years back. She’s a wonderful writer, a fabulous person and an inspiration to anyone who’s wanting to mix things up a bit in their lives. She’s proof that you can take your career in a different direction and continue to produce a great product. Everyone could use a bit of inspiration from people like Callie right now! Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Callie! Callie: Thank you for having me, Kym. I’m excited to be here. You’re a bestselling historical romance writer, what made you decide to switch genres into historical cozy mysteries? Several of my historical romances had mysteries in them. I enjoy adding that to a romance. Then I wrote one that was true to the cozy mystery genre as well as romance that was part of one of my self published Victorian series. I sent it to my agent and she immediately asked me to give her a proposal for a cozy mystery series. I did that and Crooked Lane contracted the series.  What did you find to be the hardest part about switching to…

Staying home means more time to read. Right? To help pass the time between books, we asked six of our cozy mystery authors to share what they’re doing during their time at home! We hope you’ll cozy up at home with these first in the cozy mystery series: Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard, a Main Street Book Club Mystery Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker, a Seaside Cafe Mystery Death on Windmill Way by Carrie Doyle, a Hampton’s Murder Mystery Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns, an Italian Chef Mystery Dead in the Water by Denise Swanson, a Welcome Back to Scumble River mystery Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy, a Stationery Shop Mystery Keep reading to cozy up with our authors and check out the books over here! You’re trapped in a remote cabin with one character from your series for one week. Who would it be and why? Amy Lillard: Hands down-Fern. She might not have Helen’s cooking skills or Camille’s bottomless handbag or even Arlo’s practical side, but being stranded definitely wouldn’t be boring with Fern! Bree Baker: I would definitely spend the week with Everly Swan, the heroine of my Seaside Cafe Mysteries!…

Kate could hardly believe it.  Jason Maddox, the last man in the world she wanted to see, was sitting right beside her.  Worse yet, he was the man she had just hired to help her find Chrissy’s killer.  What the unholy hell had just happened? “So…umm…where do we start?” she asked, accepting whatever circumstances fate seemed to have set in motion. “I need to take some notes,” Maddox said.  “I’ll be right back.”  He rose from the swivel chair next to hers and she tried not to think how good he looked in a yellow knit pullover and dark blue jeans. But the pullover stretched over his powerful chest and an amazing set of biceps, one with a tattoo of an eagle perched on a globe and the words Semper Fi inked beneath it.  She had noticed it that night in the parking lot. She blocked the thought as he walked away and tried not to notice his long legs, broad back, and round, muscular behind.  She felt like fanning herself.  Just looking at all that hard masculinity made her face feel warm. He disappeared out the door, returned a few minutes later with a lined yellow pad, and sat…