What is the title of your latest release?SECRETARY TO THE SOCIALITE (the socialite is Millicent Rogers, a real-life heiress, and the secretary is fictional Violet Redfield!) What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?In glamorous mid-century America, heiress and fashion icon Millicent Rogers relies on her quiet but ambitious secretary, Violet Redfield, to keep her world from unraveling. As their lives entwine amid fame, secrets, and betrayal, both women must choose between loyalty and the lives they truly want. SECRETARY TO THE SOCIALITE is a captivating historical novel about power, desire, and the hidden costs of devotion. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I’ve been visiting Taos, New Mexico ever since I was about 3 years old, and it’s always seemed like such a magical place to me! So many people, especially artists and writers, agree with me, and it’s a small town with a rich history, full of fascinating characters. I’ve also been visiting the Millicent Rogers Museum for just as long, and she seemed like the perfect figure for a novel. (the museum was founded by her son after her death, with her own collections of Southwestern jewelry, pottery, and paintings as the…

Jen: What was the inspiration behind your latest novel, THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER?Karen: Believe it or not, the main inspiration came from the purchase of a camera bird feeder. My husband regrets giving me this (since it started my obsession with birds) and is why I now have about 15 bird feeders around my house. After observing birds up close, I began to research bird behavior and how it mimics human behavior, especially that between parents/offspring and siblings hatched in the same nest. It was the perfect inspiration for a book about family bonds that sometimes are stretched so far they break. Jen: Phoebe is such a richly drawn and multifaceted character. With her gift of premonition and her complex relationship with her sister, Addie, she comes across as deeply authentic. What inspired her creation, and how did she take shape for you during the writing process?Karen: Her character is vaguely autobiographical. Although I come from a family with three brothers (I was the only girl), I understand from first-hand experience what it is to feel overlooked and to be the “responsible one” when it came time to care for our elderly parents, including a mother with Alzheimer’s. Although my…

With so many terrific new novels being released this summer, deciding which books to load into your beach bag can be a challenge. Where do you even begin? I’ve got some suggestions. Though my summer women’s fiction wish list can’t possibly include every worthwhile new release, it does include several books I’ve read personally and truly enjoyed. With five terrific titles to choose from, you’re sure to find something to pique your interest. Every book on this list is an absolute gem! THAT LAST CAROLINA SUMMER by Karen White Karen White’s latest novel captivated me from chapter one. The story literally opens with a bang when heroine Phoebe Manigault, then a child, is caught in a ferocious thunderstorm and struck by lightning. Thanks to the ministrations of a mysterious stranger, Phoebe survives but is forever changed, left with the gift of premonition, which she sees as more curse than blessing, one which ultimately drives her west, as far from Charleston, South Carolina and her family as possible. Summoned home to care of her ailing mother by her very insistent, very estranged, train wreck of a sister, Phoebe is plagued by recurring nightmares that will force her to confront the past…

I’ve talked before about how much I like unusual cozy mysteries – series that are out of the ordinary and twist the genre. Perhaps my favorite series is Juneau Black’s Shady Hollow Mysteries. In this series, the characters are woodland animals who live in houses in towns, wear clothes, have jobs, and deal with murder. The amateur sleuth, Vera Vixen, is a reporter at the town paper. Orville the bear is a police officer, and her best friend Lenore the raven, runs Nevermore, the bookstore. These are the perfect summer read and there are six books in the series with a new one coming out in October. The books are cozy, different, and a little dark, what with the murder and all. But you’ll enjoy them where every you spend your summer, on the beach or in your living room. I can’t recommend them highly enough! SHADY HOLLOW by Juneau Black Shady Hollow Mystery #1 The first book in the Shady Hollow series, in which we are introduced to the village of Shady Hollow, a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony—until a curmudgeonly toad turns up dead and the local reporter has to solve the case. Reporter Vera Vixen is…

A story of mothers, daughters, secrets, and second chances… with a soundtrack to match. “Where You Lead” – Carole King (Gilmore Girls Theme)Big Gilmore Girls energy lives at the heart of Summer on Lilac Island — quirky townsfolk, mother-daughter bonds, and the tug between staying and leaving. This theme song sets the tone for the entire book. “august” – Taylor SwiftA dreamy, wistful anthem for a summer that’s fleeting. Just like Gigi’s return to the island, this song carries that bittersweet tension of something beautiful that can’t last forever. “It Ends Tonight” – The All-American RejectsA dose of early 2000s pop-punk nostalgia for Gigi’s rebellious, misunderstood teen years. This track plays like the soundtrack to her grudging homecoming — fists clenched, eyeliner smudged, past unresolved. “betty” – Taylor SwiftThe story of a friendship gone sideways — and the hope of redemption. Gigi must confront an old friend she once hurt, only to uncover layers of love and grief she didn’t know were still there. “Runaways” – Betty WhoAn anthem for the black sheep who dared to leave. Gigi was the girl who fled her hometown with fire in her chest. Now she’s back, and the question is: can she stay?…

TINY VICES excerpt (Chapter 11, pages 74-48) by Linda Dahl The neurologist, Dr. Oakman, a fleshy man, looked up sharply from his desk as Corina burst through the door. “Mrs. Swanson, isn’t it? Please, take a deep breath. Here’s a tissue.” “Not Swanson! I won’t use his name ever again!” A nurse sidled in and raised her eyebrows. “Everything all right, Doctor?” “We’re just a little upset. Shut the door as you leave, would you, Karen? Ms. . . . uh, take a seat. Just breathe in and out, would you, please.” “I don’t want to breathe,” Corina said, but she sat down. Dr. Oakman gave her another sharp look, then busied himself with her chart. “And I understand that you’re here because you disagree with your diagnosis?” he asked eventually. “Because I don’t know what’s wrong with me and nobody else does either.” He tapped the paperwork, frowning. She was crying, hiccupping sobs. The doctor pressed a buzzer, and the nurse came back in. “Would you get the lady a glass of water? “Mrs. S—uh.” He paused, frowned. “You’ve had a thorough workup. I’m concerned, though, about these mood swings.” “He wants to take the house from me,” Corina…

What is the title of your latest release?SKY ON FIRE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?A grad student tries to get funding so she can continue her research by herself and gets caught up in a rebellion and people who are determined to befriend her, whatever it takes….in spaaaaaaace. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?“Decide” might be a strong word. I went to Iceland in 2017 and liked the ring road and the emergency preparedness. Then, in 2018, on the way home from Newfoundland, a series of texts with my editor made me realize that all my space stations were Norse islands. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely. Morgan is an expert at “parallel play,” so we could sit on the couch and read without ever speaking to one another. Perfect afternoon. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Smart, Determined, Introverted What’s something you learned while writing this book?This question is always a bit weird for me because I write books about things I’ve already learned. So, for example, I learned a lot about Icelandic volcanoes and Singapore’s food scene and Arthurian legends, but all of that…

Book Title: THE SANDY PAGE BOOKSHOPCharacter Name: Leah Powell, proprietor of The Sandy Page Bookshop How would you describe your family or your childhood?I grew up in Chatham, Cape Cod, on the coast, so my childhood was pretty idyllic. Summers were spent at the beach. My first job was at Buffy’s Ice Cream parlor. My first kiss was on Harding’s Beach. My family is very close, but sadly it is smaller now; we lost my mother to cancer five years ago, and my family has moved out of the area. At thirty-five, I’m the only one who returned to the Cape. It’s the first time I’ve returned since her passing. What was your greatest talent?Reading. Books are my greatest joy. It’s why I went into publishing career in Boston, which unfortunately didn’t turn out so well. But it’s also what drove me to renovate the old captain’s house in town and open The Sandy Page Bookshop. It’s been a labor of love and tears, and this summer will tell if it makes it or not! Significant other?Spoiler alert. My fiancé Greg and I parted ways, another reason I’m back home on the Cape. But there is someone new. Someone from…

What is the title of your latest release?THIS HOUSE OF BURNING BONES(or THOBB for short, which has the bonus of sounding a bit rude…) What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?In the heat of a blistering summer, Aberdeen’s police are struggling: half the force is off sick, all leave has been cancelled, someone’s firebombed a hotel full of migrants, and there’s a massive protest march happening this Saturday. But, as bad as everything seems, it’s all about to get much, much worse . . . How did you decide where your book was going to take place?That’s an easy one – this book marks the 20th anniversary of my Logan McRae series, so it had to be set in Aberdeen, like the first one. Plus, I grew up in the northeast of Scotland, so this landscape and its people are scrimshawed into my bones. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Yup. Unlike a lot of crime-fiction protagonists, Logan is a normal guy. Nearly all the big detectives are weird, larger than life characters, who’d probably get a bit wearing in normal life, but Logan’s just like you and me – only caught up in a series…

What is the title of your latest release?THE SPECTACLE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?THE SPECTACLE is a social thriller about a powerful art dealer and his descent into the underworld. Nobody knows quite who Rudolph Sullivan is, or how he ascended so quickly to the glittering top of New York’s gallery scene. When struggling assistant Ingrid meets the charismatic dealer at a party, she falls fast – Rudolph offers her a seductive taste of luxury and an escape from her humdrum existence. But Rudolph is hiding much more than his facade lets on. With insatiable tastes and a need to keep up appearances, his debts mount rapidly, and he turns to double dealing to stay afloat. As his adversaries close in, Rudolph realizes his fall from grace could cost him more than his reputation. Panicking, paranoid, and willing to sacrifice anyone to maintain his precarious foothold, he plans his most audacious gambit yet – and Ingrid is at the center of it. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?New York has a mystery that felt intrinsic to the book: a current of gritty instability, and an atmosphere of constant, almost self-destructive socializing….