Book Title: WHEN THEY MET AGAINCharacter Name: Joanna Grebel How would you describe your childhood?There were certainly positive things about my childhood, but overall, my experience wasn’t the idyllic one you may have read about in other Amish stories. I’m the second born and only daughter in a family with an impulsive father, a depressed mother, and seven children born in eleven years, including two sets of twins. There was a lot of chaos in our household, that I often tried to control. Thankfully my oldest brother, Leon, was a shining light in my childhood – he taught me how to swim, took me kayaking, and convinced me I was both brave and could meet any challenge I faced with thoughtfulness and determination. What was your greatest talent?Trying to minimize risks and ensure our home was safe. But that talent didn’t keep our house from nearly burning down. Significant other?I courted Jacob Byer off and on for three years. Ironically, I met Jacob two days after I met Adam Slaybaugh, who asked me to court him even though we’d just met. I said no, that we had to be friends first. As it turned out, I thought I was friends…

What is the title of your latest release?THE DELIVERY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?In this ticking clock thriller, the latest attempt by freelance mailman Mercury Carter to make a simple delivery goes awry when he stumbles across a missing woman whose fate is tied to a major criminal conspiracy. How did you decide where THE DELIVERY was going to take place?I have long wanted to base a novel in and around Providence, Rhode Island, our home for a few years in the 1980s and a place we have enjoyed visiting since. It’s a rich and diverse city with a colorful mob history. Would you hang out with Mercury Carter in real life?We would definitely take in some baseball games together. What are three words that describe Merc?Determined, focused, capable. What’s something you learned while writing THE DELIVERY?Some scary things about the vulnerability of personal information stored by health care institutions such as hospitals. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I begin each day reading over pages I wrote the day before, which I lightly edit before starting new material. Once the first draft is done, it undergoes several edits. What’s your…

What is the title of your latest release?SOCIETY WOMEN What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?When Ellie is invited into an elite secret society for women, she discovers it isn’t a philanthropic club – it’s a revenge engine built to destroy powerful men who’ve escaped justice. And the woman pulling the strings has a connection to Ellie that could shatter everything she thought she knew. Now Ellie has to decide: protect the life she came from… or become the weapon the society needs. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I spent a lot of time in New York City the last few summers and I think it’s the perfect setting for a psychological thriller. It’s such a diverse setting and so many people are transplants from other places looking to chase their dreams. I love that! Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely! Ellie comes from privilege but is deeply aware of the people around her. What are three words that describe your hero?Defiant. Haunted. Dangerous. What’s something you learned while writing this book?One thing I learned while writing SOCIETY WOMEN is how thin the line is between justice and vengeance…

Book Title: MOST LIKELY TO MURDERCharacter Name: Rick Hicks & Martina Lopez How would you describe your family or your childhood?Martina: What are you, my therapist? I’m not answering that question.Rick: Sorry, she’s had too much coffee. It makes her bitey.Martina: I’ll bite you.Rick: sighs Her family’s great. My family, well, it’s just me, my mom, and my sister these days, and my uncle Vic. But they’re good. Our childhood –Martina: I’m already bored with this question. Next! What is your greatest talent?Martina: All of my talents are great, none of which I can mention because it might implicate me in the court of law. Or get me suspended. Allegedly.Rick: I’m a pretty good mechanic, but I think my greatest talent is saying things that I instantly regret.Martina: Well, I never regret the things you say. They bring me joy.Rick: They bring me mockery, mostly from you.Martina: Loving mockery, Rick, but that’s what brings me joy. Significant other?Martina: groans Don’t ask him that or he’ll get all shmoopy about Nika Page.Rick: Is “shmoopy” a word?Martina: It is now. I just said it.Rick: We are both currently single. I think this interview has made it clear why. Biggest challenge in relationships?Rick:…

What is the title of your latest release?THE HARVEY GIRL What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A Pinkerton detective goes undercover as a Harvey Girl in the New Mexico Territory in 1890. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I looked at a map of Harvey Houses in Arizona and New Mexico, read a lot of Fred Harvey history, read a lot of Old West history, and did a lot of road trips. Las Vegas (NM) was the perfect spot on which to base my fictional Montaña Roja, geographically with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on one side and the Chihuahuan High Desert on the other; historically as it feels kinda epicentral to a lot of wild, wild West events; and perfect from the viewpoint of writing about Harvey Girls as they were essentially invented a hundred miles up the railroad in Raton. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. I wouldn’t get in her way, though. What are three words that describe your hero?Tough, focused, protean. What’s something you learned while writing this book?That most of the men of the Old West were drunk most of the time, which explains all…

Book Title: THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN LETTERSCharacter Name: Skye MacKinnon How would you describe your family or your childhood?I grew up in London, on the west side of the city, close enough to the river that I could see sun glinting off the water from my bedroom window. In the house with me were Mum and Dad, Cassandra and Cosmo MacKinnon. Now that’s a surname that deserves to be rolled over the tongue. It comes from my dad’s side. He was Scottish, born and raised on the Isle of Skye, which is where I get my name from. My mother is a prominent lawyer with a temperament to match. She approaches arguments in the same way a sharp pair of scissors would a swathe of silk. My dad worked as a potter, creating somethings from nothing more than soil, water and stubborn imagination. He was the one at home with me most of the time. I asked him once if he could arrange for me to have a brother or sister, and he cupped my cheek and said, “Now, why would I make another you when I got it so right the first time?” Nobody had a bigger heart, everyone…

What is the title of your latest release?RECIPE FOR JOY What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?RECIPE FOR JOY is about a book of cherished family recipes, a series of letters sent by a mysterious hand, and two sisters who need directions back to one another. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?This came organically while I was writing the book. At the time we were living in Gates Mills, Ohio, which is the loveliest town on the east side of Cleveland. I knew this was the town I wanted to nestle my story in. The charming village, the memories, and meaningful time spent there…it’s all layered into my novel along with so much love. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. She’s a good soul who appreciates delicious food, so at the very least, we’d eat well. But I suspect we’d have some really connective conversations as well. What are three words that describe your hero?Loving, searching, tender What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned the importance of writing longhand. It was actually my way into this novel. Since then, I’ve incorporated writing longhand into everything, even if…

Welcome to Jen’s Jewels, where each week I highlight a story I loved and the author behind the words. Today’s gem is LUCIEN by J.R. Thornton. Let’s kick things off with a quick Lightning Round before digging deeper into the story. LIGHTNING ROUND • In three words, describe the vibe of your book. Fun, captivating, dark. • What’s your ideal writing fuel: coffee, tea, wine, or chaos? Definitely coffee. I like writing early in the morning. In my experience, wine is (unfortunately) not particularly conducive to (good) writing • Plotter, pantser, or organized mess? Somewhere in the middle. I usually start with 3-5 plot points and then let the characters figure out how we get from one to the next. THE DEEP DIVE • Tell me about a scene you rewrote multiple times. What made it so tricky, and how did you finally crack it? I probably rewrote the ending of the novel at least a hundred times. Endings are difficult because you have to make some major decisions: What final message do I want to leave with the reader? How much closure – or ambiguity – should there be? How do the characters feel about the events of the story? How do…

True confession time. I cannot stand where my high fantasy series is heading. I always knew it would go there. I just did not know how bad it would be. Or how much I would loathe it. Sometimes I wrestle with my own reluctance to keep putting words on the page. And it’s only going to grow worse. I know how it ends and it’s not good. But there is still light and hope. I will explain in a bit. That light is what keeps me writing right now. I’m in the middle of working on Stoneslayer: Book Nine Broken. This is a new generation pitted against an entirely new depth of depravity that shows no mercy and wants all power for itself. In DUNE, the Kwisatz Haderach was the male Bene Gesserit capable of seeing past the limited precognition of the female members of the order. I see my entire story right now from that same place of near omni-prescience. It horrifies me. Too many of the characters are only too willing to do the bidding of evil just to obtain crumbs of power and money. As if power and money are the only things that matter. I guess…

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 you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Ava Morgyn! Writes:I writes bestselling contemporary fantasy novels laced with horror and thriller elements and centered around gothic and feminist themes. You can expect underground worlds brimming with magic—both benign and malevolent, complex female characters finding their power and strength as they overcome relatable and otherwordly challenges, and a growing undercurrent of suspense where the stakes start high and only climb higher. In an Ava Morgyn novel, nothing is guaranteed but the thrill and a fully immersive, carefully crafted spell of a story. Like in ONLY SPELL DEEP, where main character Jude must face past traumas and dark family secrets in order to understand what lies at the heart of the elite new circle of friends she finds herself initiated into, all while navigating the enigmatic leader, Arla’s demands, a number of grim historic Seattle sites, and a toxic work environment that has just grown exponentially worse. There’s no way out but through in this twisted tale where power struggles abound and magic, fear,…