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 Andra Loy! Writes:I write contemporary rom-coms with snappy banter and elements of magical realism. My new release, THE ROMAN HOLIDAY RULE, is set in Rome and follows Lexi Walker, who has every minute of her trip to Rome planned. Her seat-mate on the plane, Mark Russo, has sworn off American tourists after his last heartbreak. When a photography bet keeps them sparring throughout the city, their competitive banter turns to undeniable chemistry. They both know the cardinal rule of holiday romances, but maybe a little bit of magic will prove that sometimes the best love stories break all the rules. About:Looking to laugh, travel through books, and fall in love (with my characters?) I lived overseas for twenty years collecting story ideas and traveling to hot destinations in Europe. Now I live with my husband and three children in Michigan, where I’m taking applications for the ideal reader — someone looking for real connections, big laughs, gorgeous destinations, and swoon-worthy romance. Reading my books…

Excerpt from THE PROJECT by Annie Lord: 1 We head down to the basement where the dance floor’s been set up. It smells like damp, and blue disco lights dapple over the walls. At the back, a guy in an Irish football top nods over the decks. He’s got a bony, birdlike face, one where you can see the skull underneath it. Maya, my best friend, who I dragged here tonight, hates this kind of music, this unce-unce-unce. She’s trying her best to look like she’s having fun because she knows how much I need this night to go well, sliding her hips left and right, braid snaking through the air, so shiny it could be glass. A little dishevelled knit top and then her toned stomach, a line moving down the middle like an R’n’B singer from the nineties. My eyes flick up to the stairs to see if it’s him coming down but, again, it’s not. I can’t help it. When I was in the living room earlier I was the same – the doorbell would ring and I’d look over the head of the person I was speaking to and check who it was. He’s probably not…

Excerpt from AUTUMN AT THE CAT CAFE by Kathleen Fuller: “Oh, we’re taking Gold Yeller.” That’s right. With everything going on, he forgot about Earl’s truck. “I plan on getting a bunch of pumpkins, or else we’d take my car.” “You don’t want to ride in the Turismo?” She paused. “I hadn’t thought about it. Anyway, Gold Yeller is parked out back. Which reminds me, you should probably park back there too.” “Not a chance.” There was a window in the apartment that faced the front of the square, but not the back parking lot. “Too risky.” Via’s expression was incredulous. “You’re worried about it getting stolen?” “Or damaged. It’s a three-hundred-thousand-dollar car, Via. Yeah, I’m worried about theft.” “That’s a lot of money. Hedge funds must be booming.” “I do all right.” He did better than all right, but he didn’t like to brag—his foolish mention of summa cum laude notwithstanding. “Pecan Corner is safe,” she said. “We’ve only had two break-ins in the last ten years. The worst crime people commit around here is being a little drunk and disorderly around the holidays. Sheriff Griffin is bored half the time.” “I don’t want to take the chance.” A…

What is the title of your latest release?THE SEANCE GARDEN What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Professor Harper Grae specializes in the history of witchcraft and the occult – and yet she remains skeptical of all things otherworldly. But after stumbling across a body while on a local nighttime ghost tour, she catches sight of something in the victim’s centuries-old adobe mansion she can’t shake – something that’s impossible to explain, at least not rationally. As Harper dives into the history of the mansion in search of answers, she unearths more than a murderer…she must confront a new way of thinking about what might lie beyond the veil. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I was born and raised in coastal California, so I really wanted to set my story in a small-ish town right on the coast…preferably one with a colorful history. Monterey fits the bill! As one of the oldest towns in California (established in 1770) it has seen more than its share of strife, success, and scandal – from the indigenous peoples to the Spanish explorers, the gold rush boomers to the fishing industry workers, bordello madams to world-class aquarium scientists,…

What is the title of your latest release?QUEEN OF SHADOW What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Ruler of wraiths. Healer of hearts. Trainer of warriors. The ancient world of the Celts comes alive in this epic mythological fantasy. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?QUEEN OF SHADOW is a retelling of Irish mythology, part of the Ulster Cycle in particular, so the setting was preordained two thousand plus years ago. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely! Scáthach is wise and witty, powerful and passionate. She’d be a lot of fun to drink with! What are three words that describe your hero?hot, haunted, honorable What’s something you learned while writing this book?I had to do a lot of research for this book, so I learned many things. One thing that took a lot of hunting and researching in particular was finding what battle feats Scáthach trained Cuchulainn to master. I was also fascinated to delve into the symbolic drawings and body art of the Pictish peoples. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?Both! Every night when I begin writing I pull up the manuscript about…

Book Title: HOW TO RUIN A WEDDINGCharacter Name: Lucy How would you describe your family or your childhood?Could be better, could be worse. My parents were great when they paid attention to me, but most of that attention went to my sickly sister. I can’t blame them, though, when she’s been the greatest gift of my life. Well, the food was always good! I do miss my mom’s mofongo. What was your greatest talent?Taking care of dogs. I think they sense how much I love them because they always get attached to me, and I get even more attached to them. Significant other?In my dreams, Michael B. Jordan, in reality, nobody. Biggest challenge in relationships?Keeping them. Where do you live?New York Do you have any enemies?My old boss – who is lucky my aim is slightly off or else that paperweight would have taken out his eyeball. And everyone who has ever wronged my sister. Or mistreated a dog. How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?I do love the sound of the faucet always leaking. The landlord never fixes it so…

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 Bal Khabra! Writes:Romance that’s got banter, tension, and the best kind of yearning. Embrace is a sports romance, the final book in an interconnected college hockey romance series. When struggling senior Kian needs help raising his GPA, Scarlett seems like the perfect tutor – except he has no idea she’s the coach’s daughter, or that she’s secretly been crushing on him since freshman year. Tutoring sessions start to blur lines, and their plan to help one another turns into much more. About:A book lover and professional daydreamer. When I’m not glued to my keyboard, juggling thirty different novel ideas, or using banter to convince my characters that they’re perfect for each other, you can catch me dragging unsuspecting souls into the Great Canadian Outdoors for some fresh air (and a little inspiration). When I do write, I love to blend all my favorite things: sports, banter, diversity, and fluff! So, if that sounds like your cup of chai, stick around, and we’ll embark on…

1. Annabel Blake The consensus among those who knew her well, just enough, or even at a glance, was that Annabel Blake was born in the wrong century. She had delicate wrists, skin untouched by sun or ink; preferred upswept hair (though the tendrils fell naturally), wore gauzy pastels and floral prints, preferred sensible flats to heels, and had never once entered a gym voluntarily but could walk miles in a day without a second thought. In the hot, sticky months, she carried a parasol over her head and a light shawl rolled up and tucked into her tote, snug against the stack of books she carried for lunchtime reading, including whichever Austen was currently in rotation. Annabel’s manners were impeccable and her grammar exacting (though she enjoyed a semicolon more than she should). And when baby-doll dresses were the nadir of fashion and not one could be spotted from her stop on Twenty-Third Street to her left turn in midtown, she was known to rock an Empire waist, a ribbon about her neck or hair, and a faraway smile on her naturally rose-colored lips. Annabel Blake knew, better than anyone who knew her, that she’d been born in the…

Life is a gift, yet when you lose a partner, it feels like a punishment. The loss can be all-consuming. The lucky, although it doesn’t feel as if fortune is smiling upon them, are directed to a path they never thought they’d take – a journey they must endure in order to survive. It keeps them going when all they want to do is hide under the covers and disappear for eternity. Until reality sets in and they realize others are dependent upon them leading the way through the forest of tears and fears. Author Sarah Lotz knows the reality of losing her other half and she turned it into something beautiful and dark, warming and heart wrenching, a tribute to the man she loved, a legacy for their children, and a gift to mystery readers. Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Sarah!Sarah: It’s an honor to be here – thank you so much for inviting me and for your fiendishly brilliant questions. I had a blast answering them. Kym: You may have written every mystery writer’s worst nightmare – HOW TO KILL A CRIME WRITER coming true. And yet for you, it truly was a serious source of anxiety…

Sarah Ellison isn’t running from the past – she’s determined to uncover it. A deathbed confession. A murdered brother. A decades-old secret buried in the mountains. As Sarah races to uncover the truth, she’s forced to rely on former Navy SEAL turned wilderness guide Ryder Goodwin – the one man who challenges her resolve at every turn. In the wilderness, silence hides danger… but breaking it could cost them everything. Here’s what WHEN THE SILENCE BREAKS means: W — Wilderness concealing deadly secretsH — Hidden truths tied to her familyE — Evidence long buriedN — No turning back T — Trust built under pressureH — Hearts colliding in crisisE — Every revelation raising the stakes S — Silence surrounding a classified pastI — Inheritance of dangerL — Loyalty testedE — Enemies in the shadowsN — No safe path forwardC — Courage to face the truthE — Everything she loves on the line B — Brother’s murder demanding answersR — Relentless pursuit through rugged terrainE — Emotional walls fallingA — A love neither expectedK — Killer secrets worth killing forS — Silence shattered at last WHEN THE SILENCE BREAKS by Elizabeth Goddard Mercy Ridge #1 A deathbed confession. A decades-old secret. A mountain that holds the answers–and danger closing in.When intelligence analyst Sarah Ellison learns of her grandfather’s deathbed confession connected to her brother’s murder,…