Each Friday the Smashwords store reports the bestselling indie fiction titles based on the previous week’s sales. If an author has more than one title eligible for the list, only the highest performing title will be included. This ensures high-performing titles receive the accolades they deserve, while providing up-and-coming authors the visibility they have earned. Don’t miss Monday’s Top 10 Hot Preorders List, where Smashwords will provide a list of the most highly anticipated ebook preorders.

Charlotte, the star of HELLO WIFE, is friendly, quirky, and a little bit reckless. Her story grows from a desire — a desperation — to have a partner. Someone to love who will love her back. As she drives herself toward that goal, her emotional hunger is exposed, over and over again. HELLO WIFE was written with Ravel’s Boléro playing in my headphones. Like Charlotte, the Boléro features a repetitive melody that repeats over and over. And like Charlotte, it gains intensity and depth as it rumbles, inevitably, toward its end. I like the idea that the pacing and rhythm of the music mirrors Charlotte’s journey. Plus, it’s a great piece of music. The rest of my list is made up of tunes that make me feel strong. That bolsters my own confidence as a writer and serves as an example of what real art can do to, and for, a person. Come To My Window, Melissa EtheridgeThis song puts me in the mood to write about love. “You don’t know how much I’d give, or how much I can take” might be the language of my character Celia, who loves her sister desperately. The refrain, “I’ll be home soon,”…

What is the title of your latest release?RICHES BEYOND MEASURE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A widow eager to let go of grief joins a treasure hunt with a wannabe cowboy. When they encounter danger along with lost gold, he’s tougher than she thought and her grief is turning into a longing for a new future. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The heroine of this book, Annie Lane, grew up at this ranch, and her husband’s death in a hail of bullets kicks off the beginning of an earlier book, Inventions of the Heart. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?I loved Annie, she’s hard-working and kind and loving…but just lately she’s decided everyone else is having all the fun. She wants in on the treasure hunt! What are three words that describe your hero?Musical, kind, city boy. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned about sailing ships that explored the California coast three hundred years before America was a country. I learned about Conquistadors and earthquakes…and I used all of that information in my book. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are…

What is the title of your latest release?EXTRAORDINARY QUESTS FOR AMATEUR WITCHES What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?After accidentally cursing his ex-boyfriend Ash, a young witch named Kieran must go on a fantastical quest to fix his mistake and win Ash back. Things get complicated, however, when Kieran finds himself falling for a mysterious new crewmember along the way. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Quests is a companion novel to Practical Rules for Cursed Witches, which takes place in the fictional country of Celdwyn. It made sense, then, to remain there, but to explore some new regions that I didn’t get to with the first book. The setting is also very cold and wintery to contrast with the first book, which took place in the lushest part of spring/summer. Would you hang out with your hero in real life?Oh, definitely. Kieran very much shares my sense of humor, and we’re both writers with a penchant for melodrama, so I figure we’d get along. What are three words that describe your hero?Sincere, flamboyant, and kindhearted. What’s something you learned while writing this book?It really solidified my love for main characters with big personalities….

What is the title of your latest release?THE SISTERHOOD What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?I’m so wholly incapable of coming up with an elevator pitch that my agent always writes book descriptions for me. I was born without that gene. In this book, we’ve got suffragettes, the London Season, a murdered debutante, stolen jewels, and a second timeline focused on Boudica and Roman Britain. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?London was one of the primary locations in the first book in the series (And Only to Deceive) and is a place I’ve circled back to a few times since. On this occasion, I was walking along the Thames, came to the statue of Boudica in her chariot, and realized in that instant I wanted to tell her story. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely! I’d even drink port with her. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Smart, loyal, intuitive. What’s something you learned while writing this book?Although we have a few primary sources that tell us about Boudica, there is no archaeological record of her yet found. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you…

What is the title of your latest release?DAEDALUS IS DEAD What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Daedalus, who famously designed the Labyrinth that imprisoned the Minotaur, enters the underworld to look for the ghost of his son, Icarus, who died using the wings his father built. Daedalus also looks back on his own memories of Crete, trying to understand why Icarus ignored his warnings and flew too close to the sun. It’s about becoming a parent and having to own up to the ways you’re complicit in the brutally unfair world your kid has to live in. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?The image of the Labyrinth at Knossos on the island of Crete has been in my psychic attic for a long, long time. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Definitely not, too much risk of getting fed to a Minotaur. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Creative, cowardly, crafty. What’s something you learned while writing this book?I learned I could finish a book! I’ve started and abandoned two novels, usually running out of gas and ideas between 20k and 30k words. Daedalus is Dead started as an…

Book Title: MURDER ON THE HIGH SEASCharacter Name: Zachariah Fitch How would you describe your family or your childhood?Well, my childhood was great, but later after the death of our parents, my three siblings and I went our own ways. Mainly because I didn’t agree with their professions. My brother was a mercenary, my one sister a nun, and my other sister a Winchester Goose. (A whore.) What was your greatest talent?I’d have to say I have a knack for bringing about justice. Righting wrongs. Significant other?My wife died a year ago, leaving me as a single father. I have a close friend, Lady Vivienne Harlowe who is a widow. Since she’s a noble and I am not. We’ve remained friends only, but sometimes I can feel sparks growing between us. In a romantic way, that is. Biggest challenge in relationships?I guess I have issues with trust. I don’t trust anyone. But then again, in my position as town sheriff, it kind of comes with the territory, I guess. Where do you live?I live in the town of Mablethorpe, England. Do you have any enemies?Most likely, anyone I’ve ever arrested, and pretty much everyone who inhabits Rotten Row . ….

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 Alexandra Villasante! Writes:I write queer love stories with a speculative twist. My latest book, FIREBLOOMS, is a queer, speculative love story. It takes place in a failing utopia where teens pay for all the words they use—in an effort to prevent hate speech and bullying. About:I run on cafecito, vibes and dulce de leche! In addition to writing swoony, thought-provoking YA stories, I’m the co-founder of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival and the Latinx Storytellers Conference. I want to do all I can to amplify the voices of Latinx creators, because we need more of our stories out in the world. I have a master’s degree in art and even though I don’t paint as much as I’d like, I do use drawing and painting in my writing life. If I get writers’ block (the horror!), I’ll shake it loose by drawing a sketch of my character, or an intricate map of the story world. I live with my family and an adorable disabled…

What is the title of your latest release?RESTITUTION What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?As children in Central Illinois, Kate and Martin were never told much about their mother’s childhood in East Germany. Decades later, when the Berlin Wall falls, they are faced with a difficult decision: Should they try to reclaim the house in East Germany from which their grandparents fled in the 1950s? But a house is never just a house, and the family secrets they discover drive the siblings apart just as divided Germany is coming together. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?Restitution is not autobiographical, but all the places featured in the book are places I know well. Like my characters, I grew up in Central Illinois, spent my childhood summers at the Bodensee (a lake in southern Germany), and lived in Leipzig, Germany while writing the early drafts of Restitution. Even before I started, I knew the story I wanted to tell and where I wanted it to unfold—in the places I love. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely. I would hang out with both Kate and Martin. Like them, I grew up moving…

What is the title of your latest release?THE LOST STORY OF EVA FUENTES What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?THE LOST STORY OF EVA FUENTES is the story of three incredible women spread across multiple countries and time periods whose lives are connected by the powerful legacy of one unforgettable book. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?As a Cuban American, I love exploring the interactions throughout history between Cuba and the United States, so I wanted the book to take place in both settings. I also had the opportunity to live and study in London for four years and it’s one of my favorite cities, so I was excited to incorporate it into the book. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?I would love to hang out with my protagonists in real life! I get very attached to my characters when I’m working on a book, and I really start to think of them as friends. What are three words that describe your protagonist?I have three protagonists (Eva, Pilar, and Margo) in the novel, and even though they live in different time periods, they share many similarities. They’re each brave,…