I’m a music person. A karaoke junkie at heart. All genres, all eras, all artists. Every book I write has a playlist because music is how I catch a character’s vibe. It conveys their emotions, their secrets, the pulse beneath the story. For FALSE START, the second book in my Notes from the Deep End series, I needed songs that carried the weight of recovery and the sting of complicated love. Natalie Collins, a former Olympic swimmer and survivor of sexual assault, is fighting her way back after rehab and scandal. Torn between Mitch, her first love and anchor to everything she lost, and Eero, the alluring distraction who tempts her to start over, Natalie is caught in a riptide of past and future. These ten songs reflect not just her journey, but the dangerous, magnetic love triangle at its center. “Hurt” – Nine Inch Nails / Johnny Cash“I will let you down. I will make you hurt.”I count this song twice because I love both versions for different reasons. On paper, it’s about addiction, loneliness, and the frustration of trying to get clean. NIN’s version burns with rage, while Johnny Cash sings it like a confession. Both capture Natalie’s…

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 C.J. Burright! Writes:Hello, and welcome to my weird writing world! While there are always bumps and bruises along the way, you can always count on a happily ever after with my characters, whether you’re into contemporary romance, contemporary romance with a supernatural twist, or full-blooded paranormal romance. Short description of the author’s genre/new bookMy latest, DRUID CURSED, is all paranormal romance. Kellen Ravenwood is a druid cursed to an enchanted prison with only seven days to earn his freedom. But the key ingredient involves sacrificing a certain divorcee, Maggie O’Malley, and she’s done with sacrificing any part of herself for any man. Oh, and did I mention that Maggie is Kellen’s long-awaited soulmate? About:Cat girl (never mind her dog who refuses to acknowledge she’s a cat girl), introvert, and unrecovered Assassin’s Creed addict seeking fellow romance book devourer. Functions better with coffee, doesn’t mind the Oregon rain, loves music, and has yet to tame her snarky side. Ready to squee over the latest reads…

What is the title of your latest release?THE BRIDGE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?One bridge. Five strangers. A Christmas Eve that changes everything. On a bridge suspended above the Willamette River, five lives collide for a journey through hope and hardship in a suspenseful, heartwarming tale of courage, connection, and the magic of second chances. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?My husband and I were traveling from Seattle to Portland. About an hour out of Portland, the traffic on the freeway suddenly came to a standstill. We later found out it was due to an armed man carjacking multiple vehicles. When he attempted another carjacking on one of the main bridges crossing the Columbia River into Portland, deadly force was deployed by police. Traffic both ways was blocked, resulting in the delays. The whole time we were in that snarl of vehicles and irate drivers who just wanted to get to their destination, I kept thinking how one man’s choice—one bad choice—rippled out to affect thousands of people that day. That’s where the idea for The Bridge began. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely. Police Sergeant Archer…

What is the title of your latest release?DUST STORM What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?The Parent Trap meets Yellowstone when a small-town single dad and big city publicist reluctantly work together to save his family’s cattle ranch. The undeniable chemistry between them wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the engagement ring on her finger. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I have a soft spot for the breathtaking landscape of Texas Hill Country and couldn’t think of a better place for a generational cattle ranch. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely. Christian Griffith is the kind of calm I am immediately comfortable with. Cassandra is a mix of between the way I idolize Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly and the way I am terrified at Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton. I’m in awe of her, but also don’t want to get on her bad side! What are three words that describe your protagonist?Christian is steady, patient, and compassionate. Cassandra is blunt, confident, and loyal. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned way too many things that I didn’t want to know about the process of…

H is for the Heartbreakers, the famous boy band. E is for Everything Geek. While at Comic Con, Indie and Xander are ambushed by Gary, the overzealous host of the podcast Everything Geek. A is for archery, Xander’s sport of choice. R is for Rhythm of Your Heart, a fanfiction about Xander that Indie reads. T is for These Immortal Nights, the wildly popular young adult book series that was adapted into a hit TV show. S is for sisters. The relationships between sisters is a key theme in all four Heartbreak Chronicles books. In Heartstrings, Indie and Violet used to be as thick as thieves, but now they barely talk. Indie blames Violet’s career for their parents’ divorce, but maybe she doesn’t know the whole story… T is for TV show. Violet stars as vampire princess Lilliana LaCroix in the TV show Immortal Nights. R is for Ryan Klein, one of Violet’s not-so-bright costars. He’s also responsible for hiring the menace that is Darren. I is for “Indigo Skies”, the song Xander writes for Indie. N is for New Edge Recording Studio, the place where the drama goes down. G is for guitar, the instrument Xander plays. S is…

What is the title of your latest release?VICTIM #8 What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Military aide Luke Steele and FBI Special Agent Amberlyn Reiner go undercover once again to unravel a string of murders that may be tied to a nuclear threat capable of igniting a war. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?My main characters both work in Washington, DC, so that setting was a natural fit. The international element that occurs in Istanbul, Turkey came from a visit I made there while on my way home from Singapore. I fell in love with the city, and I loved the idea of being able to bring that part of the world more to the forefront of a suspense novel. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. Amberlyn Reiner has her flaws, but she is the type of person who would definitely make a good friend. What are three words that describe your hero?Loyal, honest, protective. What’s something you learned while writing this book?Serial killers are not common in Turkey. Because of this, I used an actual case as the basis for one of the villains to lend authenticity to…

There are no dumb questions. Yet as a society, we struggle with the barrage of daily questions we’re required to answer and most of them involve research—or digging through desks, computer files, even closets. Tax forms, the DMV, insurance forms, college applications, loans, Medicare. Ugh, it’s overwhelming. It’s times like these, I wish I had a Margaret Finch at my disposal. She’s detail oriented. She’s punctual—to the second. And she knows how to get things done—like solving a homicide no one else thinks is a homicide. Who is Margaret Finch? She’s the star of her very own mystery, THE BOTANIST’S ASSISTANT by Peggy Towsend. Kym: Welcome to The Cozy Corner on Fresh Fiction, Peggy!Peggy: Thanks for having me. A cozy corner is one of my favorite places to hang out. Kym: Your new release, THE BOTANIST’S ASSISTANT, is different than most mysteries in that it is not written in past tense, but rather present tense as if the reader is experiencing events with lab assistant Margaret Finch. Was your intent to have the reader walk into the lab with Margaret and discover the dead body together?Peggy: In one word: Yes. For me, present tense puts a reader right in the…

Who doesn’t love a review? I recently had my yearly employee review. It’s like an annual medical physical, but with less blood and more sweat and tears. My boss pointed out that no one is allowed to get a perfect score. So she arbitrarily chose a category and deducted five points. She selected productivity but pointed out it was the third one on the list and three is her favorite number. Science! Reviews have become a huge business. Websites are devoted to them for hotels, restaurants, movies, and every product imaginable. Even individuals are subject to them. I’ve been asked to give a shout out to the person who helped me in a store or my server in a restaurant. Even my dentist reminds me of my hygienist’s name, in case I have a suggestion. Since I’m not a member of the medical profession and have no useful knowledge to impart, I keep things light. Authors drop subtle hints that boil down to please recommend my book. Even best-selling authors get scathing reviews, or worse, spoilers. If you’ve finished a murder mystery, and delighted with the big twist at the end, let everyone else be surprised too. If I figure…

In this week’s Jen’s Jewels column on FreshFiction.com, I chat with Savannah Carlisle about her newest coastal romance, IF I’D HAVE KNOWN. From Gigi and Austin’s witty banter-turned-romance to the intriguing Salty Breeze B&B inheritance mystery, Savannah gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at her inspiration, writing process, and the surprises that shaped the story. She also shares her dream casting, the playlist that fueled her writing, and a sneak peek at what’s to come in the next seaside installment. Cozy up with your favorite fall drink and get ready to fall in love with this charming small-town series. Jen: What inspired you to write IF I’D HAVE KNOWN, and how does it connect to the first book in your coastal romance series?Savannah: When I first wrote The Summer of Starting Over, I wasn’t planning on turning it into a series. I wrote a big supporting cast because I love shows like Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias that have a tight-knit community. In the midst of writing the first book, however, I fell in love with the idea of Austin and Gigi getting together. By the time I was editing that book, I knew there was going to be a series,…

Welcome to LITTLE HORTON, the one town in America where Halloween isn’t just a party. It’s a way of life.   If you live in North Wisconsin, I can already picture some raised eyebrows. “Little H’? Isn’t that the town where all these people keep dying, and something awful always seems to happen when October 31st comes a-knocking?” You’ve heard the tales. You know the nursery rhymes. Jeremy Krone was on a roll when he left homeThat night.Shots in his gun, death in his heart, they swore his eyesWould bite.Streets a riot with gowns and masks, candy galoreSpills out.BANG BANG through the night, BANG BANGWhat was that?His ghost still haunts the town. Well. You can put all that nonsenseout of your mind. Having been the first lady of Little Horton for a decade, I’m well-placed to say that our charming little town isn’t haunted. Not by Jeremy Krone, and not by any of the men and women who tragically met their ends on Halloween night. It is true that our town has a history of being a little… unrestful, when that special time of year arrives. “No smoke without fire” is how the expression goes. But I assure you, those…