What is the title of your latest release?LUCKY GIRL What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A popstar plucks young, precocious dancer Lucy to star in her music video, alienating Lucy from her family and setting her on a journey through kaleidoscopic Hollywood to discover who she wants to become before her fifteen minutes of fame is up. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I knew Hollywood would be the main setting of the book in the second half; it made sense for Lucy to start in Massachusetts, where I grew up. I chose Leominster, Massachusetts specifically for her hometown because it has a perfect mix of rural woods and middle-class Olive Gardens, contrasting to the steely richness of LA. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely! I would love to have a deep talk with Lucy and help reframe some of her experiences. If she was one of my high school students—and that’s kind of how I imagine her, because for much of the novel, she’s the same age as my students—I would guide her through a personal narrative or autofiction assignment to help her sort her feelings out and think…

All my novels have a soundtrack that evolves organically. The playlist comes together when I’m writing, while I imagine how scenes look, feel, and sound. My latest novel, Always and Forever, takes place in contemporary New York City, but the characters’ current lives have been impacted by the past. The book’s playlist is therefore eclectic, containing music from various eras and genres. Many songs were inspirational to me while writing, and some of them are mentioned in the story, including: “Wild Horses” by The SundaysThe protagonist of Always and Forever, Suzanne Starek, craves more than friendship from Jay Darnell. She and Jay grew up together, and they’ve helped each other through tough times. During a scene in which they’re having a conversation inside his car, “Wild Horses” plays on the radio, and the song’s lyrics are symbolic of Suzanne and Jay’s dedication to each other. “I’m Not in Love” by 10ccThis ethereal, romantic song from the 1970s appears in the story when Suzanne finds an old cassette tape belonging to her uncle, Grant Carlisle. She reads what one of Grant’s girlfriends wrote on the tape, and it provides insight into his young-adult existence. “Rock the Boat” by The Hues CorporationAnother…

What is the title of your latest release?NOT YOU AGAIN What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A bi-sexual funeral director and an aspiring screenwriter have to team up in order to stop the Groundhog’s Day time loop they’ve been trapped in. It’s Palm Springs meets Six Feet Under. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I did a lot of research around supernatural hotspots in California, and eventually landed on Julian, which is a small town and one of the few places that’s considered a Dark Sky Community in the United States. That means the air quality is preserved through lack of harsh lights at night—perfect place to tell a story involving a time loop happening during a total eclipse. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Absolutely. She loves movies, cheese, and chases her dreams — she’s a badass. What are three words that describe your hero?Selfless, empathetic, loyal What’s something you learned while writing this book?This book dives into processing grief, and the idea of needing your own time to work through it. So as I was writing this, I think it helped me better process some of the grief I’ve…

Excerpt from TURNS OF FATE by Anne Bishop: Lucas Frost completed his patrol of the part of Destiny Park visitors found interesting—or to be precise, didn’t find too strange and unnerving. There was more to the park if you knew how to find it—or were destined to find it—but no one had bought a ticket for any of the trains, no one had bought a ticket for the bus that traveled to the “neighborhoods” on the island. Since no one had come to the pavilion to report someone missing, that meant no one had been foolish enough to go through a moon gate without fully understanding what would happen, depending on the gate’s intention at that moment. Most of the moon gates within reach of determined visitors were transportation. They took a person from the park to the station where a ticket could be purchased for passage on a bus, train, or ship. Sometimes one of those gates took a person far beyond the park—and usually beyond any hope of returning unless you were one of the Arcana. Some of the gates had multiple possibilities—like transformation. A kind of alchemy, changing one thing to another. Changing a person into something…

Book Title: FORBIDDEN SECRETS, Payback Mountain, Book 5Character Name: Gage Landry How would you describe your family or your childhood?My family was great… until it wasn’t. My dad was killed by a drunk driver when I was seven, and overnight I felt like it was my job to take care of my mom and little sister. Then Janie got sick – cancer – when she was twelve. High school for me was a blur of doctor’s appointments, working whatever jobs I could, and trying to keep my grades up. Looking back, I guess you could say I didn’t really have much of a childhood. What was your greatest talent?Recognizing bullshit. Part of that comes from training, the rest from experience. After years as a special agent with the FBI, you learn to see through people fast. Not much gets by me. Significant other?No. People close to me have a tendency to die, and I’ve had my fill of heartbreak. Better to live alone than risk losing someone else. Biggest challenge in relationships?I’ve been told I’m reserved – aloof, even – and that I keep myself safe by not letting anyone get too close. But my best friend and his crew…

A disabled writer’s unforgettable journey into Wyoming’s lost mountain town. High in Wyoming’s Absaroka Mountains lies Kirwin, one of the most haunted and untouched ghost towns in the American West. Tucked away at 9,200 feet, this abandoned mining town has endured avalanches, gold rush dreams, and even a visit from Amelia Earhart. Its silence hums with history. I had dreamed of seeing a real ghost town for years—one untouched by modern life. In 2021, that dream seemed within reach, as we went on our big go west trip, but our first searches ended in disappointment. Every “ghost town” Google led us to either had people living there or no trace of old structures left. On our last attempt, we ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, stranded on an empty stretch of road, rescued only by a miner in the one vehicle heading home and then by a kind sheriff’s deputy. That night, safe in our RV again, we decided no more ghost towns, for now. The experience taught me something: don’t rely on GPS or Google searches. Real research—old maps, local museums, and historical societies—is what leads you to the real thing. A Personal Mission By 2023,…

What is the title of your latest release?NEXT TIME WILL BE OUR TURN What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Nerdy Chinese-Indonesian girl moves to LA and falls in love, but make it ghey and with a LOT of yearning. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?This is a book that draws on a lot of my own experience, so I basically just drew from my own life. Magnolia attends Pasadena Community College, so did I. Magnolia goes to UC Berkeley, so did I. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yes, without a doubt! What are three words that describe your hero?Resilient, Rule-breaker, Pioneer What’s something you learned while writing this book?That I can make myself cry through my own writing. That’s so weird! It’s like finding out that you can tickle yourself? Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I wait until I’m totally done. What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?Any type of noods. Describe your writing space/office!I write at my dining table because my dining room is the room that gets the most natural light in the house and I just love it so much. So…

Fight the Dragons – Norbert Leo Butz (Big Fish cast recording)This song has always made me very emotional, whenever I hear it come onto my playlist I just stop and listen to it; the relationship between a father and his son is so beautifully portrayed throughout. I think it fits so perfectly for Jonah and his dad and the memories that Jonah is trying so hard to keep hold of, I think Jonah would really find comfort in this song. What is this feeling? – WickedI don’t think there is a better song to sum up Jonah and Dexter’s relationship in the start of the book! The sniping, the comments, the loathing. I could see them singing this and meaning every single word. 30/90 – Tick, Tick, Boom!This song resonates so well with some of the themes in the book – turning 30 and not knowing if you have your life together is a real fear Jonah has. The line “Hey, can you be optimistic? You’re no longer the ingenue” is particularly poignant for Jonah I think; he has a fear of being forgotten, of the things he’s achieved vanishing before he can really grasp them. So, although this song…

Excerpted from LUCKY SEED by Justinian Huang: Houyi was unable to see his reflection in mirrors, let alone any flat 2D image, so he always just presumed he was a very short, very wealthy human. He certainly had lived like one. Born to albino purebreds atop a grassy cliff overlooking the craggiest beaches in Malibu, Houyi was the son that Roses Sun had been awaiting all her life. Her obsessive fussing over this pit bull dominated her direct family for more than a decade. He was treated like more than human actually, more like “the living god of some prosperous country,” as Cristiano often remarked, not without a bit of envy. Houyi certainly got to go through the same general motions as the humans, if not better—sitting at the dining table on his designated seat next to Roses, riding his personal doggy elevator from her bedroom to the kitchen, chilling in his custom massage chair under the sunniest window in the sitting room. Why would he assume he was any different from the rest of his family? The dog was wrong about his identity, but despite existing primarily in one percent settings, Houyi did somehow innately understand that he was…

What is the title of your latest release?CHRISTMAS CAPTIVE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Someone put billionaire Jordan Campbell in a coma. Decorah Security asks nurse Hannah Andrews to use her psychic powers to reach him. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I needed an isolated mansion on the coast. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?I never write about protagonists I wouldn’t want to party with. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Bullheaded, rich, in need of the right woman What’s something you learned while writing this book?Would you believe I learned that a writer can get her ideas from the weirdest places? I was at a conference and went up to my room. We were on the 19th floor. I looked at the room numbers, and everyone could have been a year in the 20th century. That gave me the idea of having the heroine psychically step into that hallway and start opening doors. Each one took her to a past Christmases in the hero’s life. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I am the queen of editing. I usually start…