What is the title of your latest release?DEATH AT THE DOOR What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?When death knocks, they answer. The odd couple of crime-solving from Anthony Award-winning A NEW LEASE ON DEATH returns in DEATH AT THE DOOR, where a ghost and her living roommate find another supernatural mystery on their doorstep and must navigate the fine line between the dead and the living to bring a killer to light. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Boston is the perfect setting for a ghost story. It’s a modern city with old (for America) roots. It’s also a city of contrasts—old and modern, urban and suburban, posh and gritty at the same time. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Which one? Ruby, one of my protagonists, is very much the cozy mystery heroine. She’s sweet and has way too much energy for me to keep up with her. Cordelia, the other protagonist, is more like me. She’s a little rough around the edges. She’s also a ghost, which makes hanging out problematic. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Ruby is young, sweet, and perky. Cordelia is jaded, snarky,…

What is the title of your latest release?BLIND DATE WITH A WEREWOLF What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?When an old dangerous werewolf is given five blind dates for Christmas, what could possibly go wrong? (Hint—everything does) How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I’ve been working on parts of this story for years, but when I wrote Winter Lost, I realized that this story dovetailed with that one. So I set it just before and during the events of that book. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?I hang out with ‘em all, every day. The protagonist of this book is a particular favorite. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Beautiful. Dangerous. Vain (Is it vanity if he’s right?) What’s something you learned while writing this book?Dating in the electronic age is full of pitfalls and roses. Also dead bodies, vampires and a lioness. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?Yes. What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?Cubano Pizza. It has dill pickles on it—just like the sandwich. But it’s better because it’s pizza! Describe your writing space/office!I have two. I have a lovely office that…

What is the title of your latest release?THE THINGS GODS BREAK What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?After winning the Crucible and Hades’s heart, Lyra finds herself stuck in literal hell—Tartarus. In a race against time and monsters, she must find her way out and back to Hades. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?LOL. A bit of a spoiler alert for those who haven’t read book 1… the cliffhanger is a bit of a doozy. It also determined where book 2 would pick up. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. Lyra is one of my favorite heroines to write. She may say everything she’s thinking, even when she shouldn’t. But she’s honest, funny, loyal, and, to me at least, always interesting. What are three words that describe your hero?on the edge What’s something you learned while writing this book?That writing any kind of time element is…really hard. Really, really fun, but dang that was hard. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I edit as I go, take notes on the bigger changes, and then do another few passes after I’m done. Edits are…

Exclusive Excerpt from The Bell Tolls at Traeger Hall by Jaime Jo Wright: Waverly craved a glass of milk from the kitchen to settle her nerves. But with no one to ring for, she would have to get it herself. And the idea of walking from her second-floor room to the kitchen frightened her. She would need to traverse the broad staircase, pray that phantoms weren’t waiting to claw at her, and then—the horrors—she would need to make her way through the back hallways that were typically left to the help to maneuver. Kitchens weren’t normally thought of as fearsome places, but any room in Traeger Hall tonight was potentially frightening. She would need to be careful to slip past the parlor and her aunt and uncle’s remains and hope their eyes were still closed, not open and staring lifelessly at the ceiling. The undertaker, Mr. Fitzgerald, would have made sure they stayed shut, wouldn’t he? With glue perhaps? How did one shut a dead person’s eyes and make sure they didn’t pop open by accident? Could a dead person’s eyes spring open by reflex? Already halfway down the staircase, Waverly shivered. The grand entryway rose from the ground floor…

Excerpt from Dark Design by Nancy Mehl Erin enjoyed her walk with Adrian. He was more talkative than she was, and that helped her to relax. They had so much in common. He’d been on the police force in Chicago, but the out- of- control crime and the lack of support from city officials had left him discouraged and wishing he were still in Sanctuary, where his grandparents had raised him. When the chief of police retired a few years ago, he’d jumped at the job. “This place really is a sanctuary for me,” he told her as they made their way down a trail that led to a large lake. “I feel so at peace here. Since my grandparents died, the people who live here have become my family. I’m especially close to my officers. Besides being great people, they excel in their jobs. I’d put them up against any police officer in any city. Sometimes I can’t understand why they stay here. They could work anywhere. Like I said, things are usually pretty quiet— at least until you came to town, and we had to confront a serial killer.” “I hope you don’t think my being here had…

I always build a playlist as I’m working on a book. I don’t really listen to music while I actually write–it usually distracts more than helps me–but I like to play it to get into the headspace, and the process of figuring out the book’s sound can help me hone the vision for the book itself. For WHEN THEY BURNED THE BUTTERFLY, which is about a girl gang with fire magic in 70s Singapore, I drew heavily on angry women songs, especially with rock bents. Some of the songs I think encapsulate the book’s aura are: King – Florence & the Machine“But a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape/Just when you think you have it figured out/Something new begins to take” and “I need my golden crown of sorrow, my bloody sword to swing/I need my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology/I am no mother, I am no bride, I am king”In this book there are girls with changing faces haunting the streets, which hover on the precipice of some oncoming change. I call it the coming-of-age of both a girl and a nation; it’s an era of creating your own mythology and figuring out who they want…

My name is Dr. Carrie Vogel, and I’m twenty-four years old. Out of those twenty-four years, I’ve spent all but a handful in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheyenne is a modest front range, prairie town. Once called an “End-of-the-Tracks” town due to its placement on the Transcontinental Railroad, Cheyenne is a treasure of a town hidden in plain view. The railroad built its way west and reached Cheyenne in 1867. My family and I followed shortly after. To say moving to Cheyenne was a wild adventure is an understatement. There was really very little to be had at that railroad watering hole. We lived in a tent, as did many of the citizens. We endured gunfights and robberies, Indians and blizzards just to get us started. There were more saloons and brothels than there were churches or other places where decent folks could gather, but still we remained. The town fathers saw this as a place that would one day rival Chicago. It would be the crossroads of the United States, maintaining numerous roadways, railroads, and stage lines. I left Cheyenne to go east to school and become a doctor, but when I returned in 1890, I found the place greatly changed,…

What is the title of your latest release?THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A down-on-her-luck pastry chef makes a deal with a crafty demon to win back her ex-girlfriend after a proposal gone awry, only to discover the girl of her dreams might be the devil she knows. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The book primarily takes place in New York City, though there is a scene that takes place in the third circle of Hell and another that takes place in Louisiana. But more specifically, several key scenes take place in an elevator. It’s where Sam, the protagonist, and Daphne, the demon love interest, first meet. The book takes place over a handful of hours, so I wanted a consistent place where Sam and Daphne would meet after each of Sam’s—failed—wishes. And I wanted the setting to feel otherworldly, to serve as a bridge between Sam’s life in the city and Daphne’s in Hell. The book touches on the concept of liminal spaces and how supernatural creatures sort of thrive in those spaces and so a magical elevator seemed fitting. Also, shows like Bewitched and I Dream of…

It’s spooky season! The most wonderful time of the year! I love the fall for many reasons, but one big one is the ability to wrap yourself in a blanket, make some tea or hot chocolate, and cozy up with a cozy read. Let’s explore some of the fun books out there that you could lose yourself in. First we have, SPOOKY SPICE CAKE CURSE: Cozy Mystery (MURDER IN THE MIX) by Addison Moore Get ready for a romp that will leave you laughing out loud! I adore this series. I know it’s a long series, but I swear it’s highly recommended! And they can all be read out of order, so don’t hesitate to pick up this page turner that’s so well written it’s like it’s playing out right in your head. It’s set at Halloween and between the twists and the turns, you might want to put the book down before you take a sip of that pumpkin spice latte! Next up, we have CHAOS AT THE LAZY BONES BOOKSHOP (A Halloween Bookshop Mystery) by Emmeline Duncan This is a new series, and I have high hoped for the many characters and shenanigans introduced! I totally laughed at…

What is the title of your latest release?A SECRET DAUGHTER FROM IRELAND. This is the Book One of the three book Orchid Bay series published by Bookouture. What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A story about families, secrets and finding your way home. We meet Manhattan designer Becky White who has to move to Ireland after her mother dies leaving a mountain of debt. Everything in the US had to be sold off, and Becky and her teenage daughter are left with a house overlooking Orchid Bay in Coolnamona village on the east coast of Ireland. Becky never knew anything about this house and is desperate to know why her mother owned it. She settles into life in the village, but finds a letter behind an old painting in the house which makes her delve deeper and unearth deep buried secrets. This is a story all about belonging, families and how the secrets of the past shape our lives. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I live on the east coast of Ireland. My writing room overlooks the Irish Sea, and I can hear the waves crash on the shore. The novel revolves around…