Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Debbie Wiley Hi Lauren! Thank you for joining us today at Fresh Fiction! I love cozy mysteries, especially ones centered around a bookstore so MURDER IN THE FIRST EDITION is a real treat for me to read. Can you tell our readers a little something about the storyline and the inspiration behind it? Hi, thank you for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be here. The inspiration behind my Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series came to me a number of years ago. I had a good friend who owned a small used bookshop and being the book lover I am. It became my second home.  Her shop was my vision of the perfect bookstore–old and rare books, a reading corner, charming knick-knacks, and a bay window display that she decorated to highlight the season and one that never failed to attract passersby.  When I had more time to devote to writing, my old reading friend, Agatha Christie emerged, and the first image that came to mind was my real-life friend Maggie and her bookshop. From there, Addie’s was born. Even though, Beyond the Page Books & Curios is an expanded version of my friends, it’s…

Thank you so much for having me here on Fresh Fiction today! I’m Heather McCollum, mother of three overly dramatic kids, wife of one Highland hero, ovarian cancer slayer, lover of chai lattes and dragonflies, and author of Scottish historical romances. My twenty-first book, THE HIGHLAND OUTLAW, was just released on October 21st (I love coincidences!). I’m often asked where I get my ideas. I feel like ideas are just floating around out in the world everywhere, and I have fun picking them out of the tangle of must-dos and everyday occurrences. It means that I’m sometimes hyperaware of my surroundings. The worlds around us are our own personal settings, just like settings for characters in books. Just like I need to recognize the sights, smells, and sounds in my books, I try to take those all in while living my life. Then I let my mind wander and expound upon those details. For example, I walk my dog each morning through my suburban neighborhood. Being the conscientious dog owner, I pick up her poop and drop the biodegradable baggie in the neighborhood dog waste cans set along the streets. Almost every time I lift that lid to toss it…

To start off, can you tell us a little about your book, DIRTY LETTERS?  Two childhood pen pals are reunited when Griffin has a bit too much to drink one night and writes to Luca, the girl who suddenly stopped writing him eight years earlier. When he realizes why she stopped writing, they rekindle their relationship from afar and resume writing back and forth, this time as adults. Of course, now their letters are a bit steamier. Things get complicated when Luca suggests they meet in person. What were your biggest inspirations for DIRTY LETTERS?  Vi: I actually had a penpal when I was in grade school, a lot like Luca.  So did my kids! Penelope: Thinking back to childhood and the letters my friends and I would write back before there wasn’t any internet certainly inspired parts of the book. Also, music from groups like ABBA, inspired other parts. Why will readers fall in love with Griffin?  Because he’s rough on the outside but an old softie on the inside. Because his love for Luca is unwavering and transcends time. How did you get to know Luca? Did she ever surprise you?  Luca was a fun character to write….

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Talia! Can you tell us a little bit about your new novel, GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN? Thanks for having me! And you may regret asking me that question because I could talk about it for days. But I’ll try to restrain myself. GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN is a sexy, sarcastic romantic comedy with a fierce, frosty, chronically ill heroine named Chloe and an artistic, kind-hearted, working-class hero named Red. When the story begins, superintendent Red is convinced his posh, uptight tenant Chloe hates him–but she’s actually just mega-awkward, attracted to him, and always in pain. After certain cat-related shenanigans, they make a deal that involves the two of them working through Chloe’s ‘Get a Life’ list together. And then. . . things happen. LOL! One thing I loved about Chloe Brown is that even though her chronic pain and illness from fibromyalgia has hindered her in some ways, she’s still confident, good at her job, has a witty sense of humor, and knows she wants to change her life. What do you think readers will find the most relatable about Chloe? As a chronic illness sufferer myself, it was really important to me…

Planes from Logan airport were flying, but a lot of white-knuckle types had canceled. Once we were above the clouds, the flight was smooth, and by seven o’clock my taxi was heading into the city. Caroline’s Fifth Avenue apartment occupied the entire floor of an exclusive old building. A bastion of wealth and prestige. The view of Central Park was extensive and sweeping. Caroline once told me that she had bought the apartment from the estate of her third husband’s mother, a notable grande dame. “Everyone thought I was crazy, the jumped-up heiress from Chicago just getting her kicks, but the high ceilings give me room for my grandfather’s old masters. Turns out most of them are fakes painted by an apprentice. That’s the grandfather who invented hairpins. Knew nothing about art.” I seldom visited, but the uniformed doorman greeted me with a smile. “Good to see you again, Mrs. Streat. I’ll have your bags sent right up.” Caroline’s elderly Irish maids had been with her for years. As I came out of the elevator, white-haired Minnie, wearing her black dress and starched white apron, met me at the door. “Ah, Mrs. Streat, ’tis a pleasure to see you. 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 Lynette Eason! Writes: Romantic Suspense – Romance Writers of America defines romantic suspense as: “Romance novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.” I write more heavy on the suspense, mystery, or thriller element than the romance, but it’s still there for the romance lover. About: Deadline riddled writer seeks fans of mysteries/whodunits/with a touch of romance. Fans must appreciate strong heroines and heroes who will put their lives on the line to keep them safe—and vice versa. Fans must also appreciate strong conflict, twisting plots, and a strong faith element. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: · Loves a happy ending. · Is willing to lose sleep to find that happy ending waiting at the end of the book. · Loves a handsome hero who knows what it means to really love a woman. · Enjoys twists you don’t see coming. · Is willing to put off all housework until…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Megan! Please tell us a little bit about yourself, the Alaska Force Series, and specifically your latest book Sergeant’s Christmas Siege. Hi! I’m the author of about 100 books (ranging from cowboys to bikers to rom coms and more, like my beloved Alaska Force). The only thing I love more than reading romance in all its forms is getting to write it! The Alaska Force series is so much fun. Ex special ops heroes who live on a faraway Alaskan island and only emerge to take down bad guys? Yes, please! Sergeant’s Christmas Siege is particularly fun because it’s set at Christmas—in Alaska! Kate Holiday is a no-nonsense Alaska State Trooper who is sent to the remote island of Grizzly Harbor to look into various disturbances she thinks are the fault of Alaska Force. Templeton Cross is sent as a representative of Alaska Force to handle Kate. But Kate doesn’t like “handling,” Templeton has a way of getting under Kate’s skin, and Christmas is coming. . . Alaska State Trooper Kate Holiday is sent to investigate, disband, and arrest Alaska Force. After a tough childhood, Kate does her best to always go by the book, so…

Francie May 1952 It couldn’t be Margie, because she would cry, and besides, she might bring the children, which would turn the whole thing into a circus. Jimmy hadn’t come out and said it, because he was trying to spare her feelings, but he was playing golf with his father today–the club had called to confirm their tee time. That left Alice. As usual. “Mother, do you want the blue with the feather or the tan?” Alice called from upstairs. She had skipped her painting class this morning to help Francie finish packing and to say goodbye to Vi. Vi’s two boys worked for their father’s publicity firm, and all three of them were currently in the middle of the Mojave Desert getting ready to launch a client’s nuclear tourism business. It was just like Harry to leave his wife to make her shameful departure from an empty house, even when he was the one who’d smashed their sacred vows into smithereens. “Oh, the blue, I suppose,” Francie called. “Though it hardly matters, does it?” “Don’t be glum.” Alice came down the stairs carrying the hat under one arm, leaving the other free to hold on to the handrail. “It’s…

I love worldbuilding. It’s fun, the best kind of neverending logic puzzle, and it’s easy for me to spend days or months layering details onto a burgeoning universe. Nobody wants to read what amounts to a history book about a fictional world, though. No matter how intricate and interesting the worldbuilding is, it’s the people who populate it who are going to be the tethers that pull readers across a landscape. I’m not one of those authors who knows everything about a character down to their blood type before I put words on pages. In fact, often the non-physical truths (i.e. things other than height, age, eye color, etc) I know about a character when I start writing can be listed on one hand. I treat characters like strangers I’m meeting for the first time, and I write partially to unveil the core of an individual. For me, worldbuilding is layering up. Building characters, though, is more a process of stripping down. Everyone has a core of principles, beliefs, motivations, and needs. Sometimes (okay, rarely) these are all in easy alignment and sometimes they’re diametrically opposed, but no matter what, the core of a person is what drives everything they…

The Plot: It never fails that someone asks me where I come up with the story lines for my books, and I’m always happy to talk about it. Sometimes the plots are based loosely on something I investigated in my career. Other times, not so much. Sometimes I am simply inspired by something, or in this case–someone–I encountered on the job. While I was not completely aware of it at the time, the plot behind Dark ’N’ Deadly, the third of my Federal K-9 Series, started marinating in my head more than five years ago while I was assigned to my agency’s Denver office. The Colorado State Patrol Academy hosted a sovereign citizen seminar given by Chief Robert Paudert (ret.) of the West Memphis, Arkansas Police Department. Many Americans are unaware that the FBI considers sovereign citizens to be a growing domestic threat to law enforcement. Until relatively recently, law enforcement agencies were unfamiliar with this threat, and some paid the ultimate price. Chief Paudert’s son and another police officer were killed during an exchange of gunfire with members of a sovereign citizen extremist group. Since then, Chief Paudert has dedicated his life to educating law enforcement officers at all…