Asher paced from one end of Heather’s living area to the other as he debated the events of this endless day. First Sharon’s death, then Mario Ricci had tried to kill him and Brooke. His friend from the hospital had called him ten minutes ago to let him know that Ricci’s prognosis had taken a nosedive. He was now in a medically induced coma, so getting answers wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Which meant he and Brooke needed to find someone who knew what he was up to and why he’d been searching Brooke’s home. They needed to link him to . . . something recent. Someone current. They needed to know where he was living and who he was living with and if he was working with anyone. His phone buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket. Newell was finally calling him back. “Captain, thanks for returning my call.” “James, it’s been a good while. How are you doing?” “I’m hanging in there.” “Tough to transition back, isn’t it?” “Yes, sir.” “You’re always welcome to come back. It’s not the same without you and Black.” Asher shut his eyes. “Thank you, sir, I’ll keep that in mind.” Talking to…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Rachel! Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest novel, TOUGH GUY. Thanks for having me! TOUGH GUY is the third book in my GAME CHANGERS m/m hockey romance series for Carina Press. It’s sort of a second-chance romance story, but the first-chance never really happened so I don’t know what exactly you would call it. Second chance at a chance? Ryan was billeted by the Salah family when Ryan was a 17-year-old hockey player in Halifax, and he developed a crush on their son, Fabian. They reunite many years later as adults in Toronto. Ryan Price is a professional hockey player and has worked hard for the success in his life, but he still feels like something is missing. You’ve even described him as a “giant sad teddy bear.” Tell us more about Ryan! Ryan is a reluctant enforcer in the NHL, which means his role on the team is mostly to be physical and to fight other players. He’s good at it, but he hates doing it. He has also been traded a lot, so he’s never really felt settled anywhere. Adding to that, he suffers from an anxiety condition that makes him…

Mindfulness and self-care are hot button topics right now in our fast-paced, technology-driven world. Whether it’s gratitude journals, vision boards, yoga, self-help books, etc, everyone nowadays is looking for ways to refresh and re-energize themselves, particularly with 2020 launching a whole new decade. Reading is also a way to rest and rejuvenate, particularly if it’s books that spark your imagination and creativity. What better place to look than cozy mysteries with a crafty theme? I’ve seen hygge yarn in the stores, but it’s Sally Goldenbaum’s A MURDEROUS TANGLE that sent me to google to learn more about the hygge lifestyle. The Seaside Knitting Studio is hosting its first holiday hygge and all the members are looking forward to a quiet gathering knitting or crocheting before a warm fire in their comfortable clothes with hot spiced cider and homemade cookies. Unfortunately, a murder disrupts the town of Sea Harbor and now the Seaside Knitters are tracking down a murderer in their midst. Sally Goldenbaum’s warm and inviting characters make me want to pull out my loom and knit with soft music and the scent of lavender in the air. If you’re looking for a cleverly crafted mystery that also inspires you…

Back in November, I explained the concept of NaNoWriMo to my five-year-old daughter, who stared blankly at me for a moment and then declared, “I can do that!” and started drawing pictures on paper, begging me to staple them together, and then dictating the words to me. Readers, she has written no less than 50 short books about two characters named Stick and Pinecone (TM to come) in a little over two months. The best part is, however, after all of her dictation, as well as her growing comfort with reading and writing sentences on her own, she now writes her own books start to finish, and we are both so proud. Now, while I barely wrote 20,000 words during the month of November – and not very much since then – I can’t help but be inspired by my daughter’s tenacity, drive, and creativity. But cut to the recent events surrounding RWA, it’s questionable current and former leadership, the unfair takedown of Courtney Milan, and the countless writers who have come forward with their own unjust and malicious treatment by the organization, it’s HARD out here for aspiring authors to find the motivation to continue. And for marginalized writers…

Jen: What inspired you to write Followers, a futuristic novel about an internet-obsessed world? Megan: The original kernel was me thinking about how my kids and grandkids won’t be able to read cursive, and wanting to explore a futuristic story that would be more about those human differences than straight up tech and sci-fi. But as I got further into the book, it became clear to me that social media was the thread that held everything together–I knew I had to push what we have today to its limits, imagine how that could blow up, and sort of clean up the mess that would follow. I wanted to show not just what could happen if social media really ruined us but also who we’d be, as a people, afterwards, and how we’d approach technology again once we’d been burned by it en masse. The story focuses on the friendship of three women. Let’s start by discussing Orla. What challenges does she encounter in the workplace? Orla wants to be this famous writer, and she’s frustrated by the fact that she’s stuck writing about celebrities, trying to gin up Internet content about them. She thinks her job is real bottom-feeder stuff….

Catalina was halfway back to the office, walking fast, when her phone vibrated. She yanked it out of the pocket of her coat and glanced at the screen. Daniel. “Please tell me you’ve got a lead on Olivia,” she said. “Nothing yet, but you need to get back here now.” “Almost there. Why? What happened?” “There’s someone here to see you. Says it’s urgent. Says it’s about Olivia.” “Put him on the phone,” Catalina said. “Hang on,” Daniel said. The voice that came on the line was masculine, eerily calm, cool and controlled. It was, she concluded, the kind of voice that could lead you out of a burning building. It was also a voice that, under the right circumstances, could scare the living daylights out of you. “My name is Slater Arganbright,” he said. “Oh, shit,” Catalina whispered. “I realize you’ve got some history with my uncle. We can talk about that later. Right now we’ve got other priorities. I understand your business partner, Olivia LeClair, is missing.” Okay, so she had been on the verge of calling Victor Arganbright. It was one thing to put in a call for help. It was something else entirely to discover that…

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 Pat Simmons!  Writes: Lean on Me is an inspirational romantic women’s fiction. A mouthful, but if you’re attracted to any or all of those genres, Lean on Me is a perfect match. A good story never ends. In this novel, I tackle the unpredictability in the life of a caregiver and despite all the obstacles in the path, love will always find shortcuts. About: I seldom get lonely because I know how to entertain myself with my one-woman comedy show. If we’re just meeting, a conversation starter would be about disclosing secrets uncovered in our family trees. You would have my undivided attention for hours that I might forget to eat, breathe and sleep. If you rather keep family secrets buried, a train, car or plane ride to a fabric store would win me over. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: · Hopeless romantic craving a steak dinner romance versus a picnic in the park love story · Someone who…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Asa! Please tell us about your Viking Warriors series and its latest novel, LOKI ASCENDING. I’m super happy to be here! Thank you for having me again! The immortal Vikings and Valkyries in the Viking Warriors series have been sent back to contemporary Midgard–the human realm–by Odin and Freya in order to thwart Loki’s evil schemes and defeat the wolverine-human hybrid monsters he has sent to Midgard. The Norse warriors are supposed to stay undetected by the human population but one-by-one, book-by-book, they meet a mortal and fall in love with them. Loki Ascending is the third book in my Viking Warrior series–although each book can be read as a standalone–and fans of the series will recognize the hero, Scott, and the heroine, Irja, from earlier books. Irja is an immortal Valkyrie and the healer of the Norse men and women. She puts all her self-worth into how well she serves her fellow warriors. Although she’s been attracted to Scott for some time, she doesn’t think herself worthy of him since he is her queen’s younger brother. Also, history has taught her that bad things happen to people she loves. Scott also has a chip on his…

The cloudless August day dawned with a sky so blue, the air so crisp, it bespoke the change of seasons. Tessa rose before first light, swinging the kettle on its crane over the ashes she’d banked carefully the night before. Breakfast was a blur of bowls and mugs and terse words as her brothers hurried to their tasks at field and ferry. Ma was never so missed as at peep of day. But she’d made peace with Ma’s going just as her brothers would make peace with her going in time. Six days had passed since she’d seen Clay. Would he ride in on the Sabbath like last week? Or would some fort matter keep him rooted? She filled a wash bucket with lye, scrubbed her brothers’ shirts clean, and set out her own Sabbath best. Draping the laundry across a near fence, she pondered what needed doing next. Taking the whetstone she’d gotten from the creek bed, she began sharpening knives, the sound rasping her nerves. Next she gathered the last of the greens from the garden, braiding the onions to hang from the rafters. For supper she’d make fried mush with maple sugar that Zadock had expressed a…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? The Little Bookshop on the Seine which is book one of The Little Paris Collection, a trio of stand-alone novels set in Paris. 2–What is it about? It’s about a small town American bookshop owner who does a book shop exchange to Paris and finds things in the city of love are not all they’re cracked up to be. It’s an ode to books with a big helping of friendship, Paris and love! 3–What word best describes your heroine? Bookworm! 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He’s a little mysterious but all for good reason! 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Sarah has her squad back in the U.S. but while she’s in Paris she turns to Oceane who helps her with the little things (the best way to tie scarves in the French fashion) and the big things like love — without her I think Sarah would have hightailed it home already. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? The location! I’m a loud and proud Francophile and I love nothing more than researching off-the-beaten parts of Paris so I can set scenes…