Hi everybody! I’m Heather McCollum, author of Scottish romances. I’m excited to be here on Fresh Fiction to celebrate the release of my new novel, THE WICKED VISCOUNT, which takes place in 17th c London. Have you ever wondered what it feels like to wear the huge ensembles of silk and embroidery that the ladies in the English court used to don? My current Scottish historical romance series, The Campbells, takes place in 1684 and 1685. In THE WICKED VISCOUNT, the heroine, a feisty Scottish lass, must venture to the royal court in London. For the first time in her life, she wears the rich garments of the elite to fit in at Whitehall Palace. I wanted to experience what my heroine was feeling in the strictures of the costume, so I commissioned the talented Victoria Vane to create an ensemble for me. Even though my heroine grows up during the time when these dresses were worn, she is poor and has never worn the full costumes before. After two weeks of looking at fabrics with Victoria, we finally decided on a gorgeous magenta and lavender combination of silks. Imported from India, the fabrics are rich and beautifully embroidered with…

“These are some passionate turophiles,” Harris stated bemusedly beneath his breath an hour and a half later. They were observing the cheese-carving competition. Harris had his arms folded over his broad chest as he attentively contemplated the group of focused cheese carvers. “Don’t you mean turophiliacs?” she asked, and he rolled his eyes at her. Harris had been using the word turophile as often as possible in the hour since he’d first seen it in the festival pamphlet. He was like a kid with a new toy, and Tina thought it was endearing. “Hush, and let me enjoy this. I don’t often learn fun new words. It’s all accrued expenses, assessed values, and capital gains or losses in my world. Boring as hell.” He went back to watching the cheese carvers. Tina was tickled by how genuinely diverting he seemed to find this entire experience. He stopped at most stalls, asking questions and sampling so many different cheeses that Tina felt sick just watching him. She wasn’t lactose intolerant, but she was pretty sure she was developing an allergy just from being around this much dairy. “The guy over there, with the beard? Wearing the orange beanie and the pride…

I’m a mom of 3 teenagers. I’ve taught middle school and high school English. I have experience with kids. As a writer, I’ve written some romances where the heroine gets pregnant or wants to. Babies are part of life. However, I know a lot of readers don’t like kids in romance. I’ll be the first to admit, kids can totally kill romance buzz. Smart Bitches, Trashy Books even coined the phrase plot moppet to refer to small children in novels who have no purpose other than to drive the plot forward. They’re not fully fleshed out characters. They do cute things and the adults around them react. I’ve had friends suggest that I write YA (young adult) because I know kids – I must understand them and what they like, right? Therefore, writing YA should be a breeze. I’m not going to tackle the whole “writing should be a breeze” aspect. But part of my reasoning for not even considering writing YA is that my experience with my kids would read like something fictional. My kids are snarky and irreverent and pretty open about what they think and feel. They have awesome vocabularies (hello, English teacher mom). I’ve always felt…

Defending Harlow is a story of second chances. Harlow and Black knew each other in high school but didn’t run in the same circles. When he meets back up with her years later, Black is immediately attracted, except Harlow has written off dating, especially because she’s dealing with trying to keep the residents in the women’s shelter she works at safe. Harlow always had a crush on Black but figured he was out of her league, and it’s impossible to date him now that he’s showing interest because she’s absolutely positively decided that she’s done with dating. She’s had bad date after bad date and figures she’s just not meant to be with someone. The proof is in her last five horrible dates: 1. The guy who kept leaning over the table and stealing food from her plate without asking. 2. The man who ordered for her, which she thought was nice, until he started asking about how many calories were in each dish and then ordered her the baked chicken with vegetables and no butter. 3. The date who did a background check on her to make sure she didn’t have any skeletons in her closet that would make…

How does a 17th-century British historian move from mead and murder ballads to cocktails and speakeasies? When I first announced my new series, The Speakeasy Murders set in 1929 Chicago, I was met with excitement and some questions. Why the big jump? After all, my first series was set in mid 17th century London. Some people, very sweetly, even asked if Gina Ricci (my new protagonist) was the great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Lucy Campion (my original 17th-century protagonist)! I get the questions. I mean, on the one hand, as someone who has taught world history from the beginning of recorded time to present day, I can assure you that 260 years is not very long timespan at all! But on the other hand, the Roaring Twenties probably seems a thousand years away from the 1660s, with its decimating plague, religious warfare, and the Great Fire (After all, I used to half-joke that contemporaries referred to 1666 as the “Devil’s year.”) Socially, culturally, politically—these are very distinct eras, and I approached researching my new series very differently. While I did seek to familiarize myself through scholarly books with the general trends of the 1920s, and Chicago more specifically, I also spent a lot…

We are so excited to share this interview with New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley and Fresh Fiction Editorial Manager, Danielle Dresser! Thanks for coming to Fresh Fiction! Can you tell us about your Kat Holloway Mystery series and the latest book, Death in Kew Gardens?  The Kat Holloway series revolves around a cook in Victorian England. Kat is young for a cook, but she’s the best, and she knows it (though she strives to be modest about this). She’s also a very curious person and gets involved in solving murders and ferreting out secrets. In Death in Kew Gardens, Kat becomes distressed when the police accuse a Chinese gentleman who has been kind to her of murdering her employer’s next-door neighbor. Convinced the man is innocent, Kat sets out to prove her new friend, Mr. Li, couldn’t possibly have done it.  One of my favorite things about accomplished cook/ amateur sleuth Kat Holloway is how steadfast and hardworking she is, but she still has moments of vulnerability and even some fun now and then. What are some of your favorite qualities about Kat, and how has she changed since book one, Death Below Stairs? Kat is a woman of her time…

The South Shores series, featuring Claire (Britten) Markwood, has been one you have been writing for a while.  Did you know from the beginning that it would have the surprises it has for Darcy and Claire at the end? The more rom/sus novels I have written, the more I have learned to let the characters and events take over the story.  Although I do send my editor an early “proposal” of what will take place in the novel, she knows the story will grow as it goes and possibly takes off in another direction.  Darcy and Claire’s strong sisterhood relationship is something I planned from the first, but the real story of their mother and what happens to Darcy in Dark Storm was a surprise to me too. It’s amazing how books can take on a life of their own. You wrote a note to your readers at the end that you were ending the series after 6 novels.  Is there a reason to end the series now? I have loved seeing Claire and Nick’s romance and family grow.  I could keep the series going with other crimes they solve together, but I think their marriage has reached some stability…

Historical romance is my favorite romance genre and you probably wonder why when I write so many contemporary paranormal romances. I like variety in my reading and in my writing. But when it comes to picking stories to read, I love historical romance. I do write Highland romances, so I tend to read anything but that. Why? I don’t want to accidentally pick up anyone else’s story ideas while I’m writing, so I read what I don’t write. I love action, adventure, mystery, all things that I watch or read when I have the time. A sweet romance can be fun, but I tend to love more action and adventure, suspense, combined with the romance and historical theme. I was watching the true story about the Viking who beat the Roman Crusaders who tried to take their lands from them. He was in love with a woman, and they had to fight off the invaders, using their wits and fighting skills to win against overwhelming odds, not only from the Roman threat but from the Viking tribes who had been bought off to kill him and his people. He was a good leader, a fair leader, and for a hundred…

I love a lot of seasons but Spring is just plain fun for me to watch come in. Winter has its beauty, especially there at the end when I’m so sick of running my air-conditioning unit to make it through those late summer heat waves. I love getting my warm fuzzy slippers out and having the chance to use some of the quilts I’ve made. Still, spring is just plain magical. Now I’ll make a confession. I love birds. One of my favorite things to do in spring is to keep an eye on the Eagle Cam. There is a pair of Bald Eagles who next in Big Bear and there is a camera mounted so you can get a peek at them as they prepare their nest. It’s something I really enjoy, watching those bird as they tend their eggs and waiting…just hoping to see a chick or two. This year they have two little chicks. Wicked Highland Ways is the last book in my Highland Brides series. Some might look at it as the late summer piece in the collection but for me, it’s still springtime. Hey, Brenda has waited for five books to have her very own….

1. Tough Manly Men! I love reading and writing cowboy books. Nothing defines America and its values like the Old West. That was when men were men and women were women, but a cowboy wasn’t a cowboy unless he was wild, woolly and full of fleas. Of course, the heroes we love to read about are more likely to be tall, dark and handsome.  He can also charm the bark off a tree and is able to cope with whatever comes his way. 2. Cowboy Lingo: Today’s language seems rather dull compared to the colorful lingo of yesteryear.  Can you think of more mouth-pleasing words than hornswoggle, caboodle or skedaddle?  Or what about fiddlefooted, ranktankerous, or splendiferous? A latte may be the haute cuisine of coffee, but give me an Arbuckle’s any day. The rebellious part of me delights that my characters can use such words as “ain’t” and “druther” without guilt.  My eighth grade English teacher would have had a fit. Of course, back in the 1800s, she’d be more likely to have a conniption (any way you call it, it serves her right for branding me with an F). When a cowboy said “hell on wheels” he wasn’t talking about no bikers…