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 Angela Carlisle! Writes: Hi! I write small-town romantic suspense with characters who feel like family and are just waiting to take you on a wild ride where danger is real but so is hope. In my latest book, SHADOWED WITNESS, Allye Jessup is the sole witness to a murder—but when she regains consciousness at the scene, the bruises on her own neck are the only evidence a crime occurred or that anyone else was ever there. With the help of Detective Eric Thornton, will she be able to expose a killer before he decides to silence her permanently? About: Besides my obsession with words, I have a thing for tea. I’ve probably got 50+ varieties to choose from, and often make my own loose-leaf blends because, why not? Want to join me for a nice, hot cuppa? On the other side of the kitchen, I like to experiment with recipes. I rarely find one that wouldn’t benefit from a little tweaking—and if I can…

C – Cassia. Our heroine, and a lady in waiting to Queen Catherine, the wife of— H – His Majesty. King Charles the II, the Merry Monarch, purported to be Cassia’s lover A – Accused. The court whispers that Cassia is guilty of the murder of her own father S – Secrets. They certainly abound … I – Innocent. Is she? Or is she simply an accomplished player at the royal palace?  N – Noble. Rolfe, the Earl of Ravenscroft, unlike any man Cassia has met before, a gentleman and a— G – Gallant. Rolfe is ordered by the king to safeguard Cassia until the truth can be uncovered D – Danger. It seems to lurk around every turn at the— R – Royal court of Whitehall Palace, a glittering place filled with deception, intrigue, and— E – Enemies. One never knows …  be they friend or foe? A – Ablaze, the passion that soon ignites between Cassia and Rolfe as they— M – Match wits while trying to expose the true culprit, leading to a most— S – Suspenseful, thrilling conclusion—and, of course, their happily ever after … CHASING DREAMS by Jaclyn Reding Merry Monarchs #2 At the court of the…

Excerpt from AMERICAN SKY by James Grady RUN Luc fought to calm his hammering heart as he faced the wall of windows to the world outside the Thriftway grocery store that early September Saturday afternoon. His white shirt and clipped-on black tie held no incriminating stains as he scanned the blue sky horizon of his Montana prairie valley hometown. The treacherous thirteen-year-old gray Dodge smirked in the parking lot. He stood near the checkout counters of two chatting cashiers who he’d worked with those months of 1967 that the news was calling The Summer of Love. Dennis, the other box boy, snuck onto the empty elevated office platform where local AM radio station krip filled the store with nightclub crooners and country and western wailers, not the rock ’n’ roll music sought by teenagers like just-graduated-from-high-school Luc. Two-years-younger Dennis spun the radio dial to a hundred-miles-away big-city Montana station. Landed on them playing an oldy-goldy that was still the #1 hit song for American troops in Vietnam. That song title rocked Luc to his bones: “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” Hell yes! Especially after what happened last night with Cherie. And what he’d done about that today that…

Book Title: BEHIND FRENEMY LINES Character Name: Charles Goh How would you describe your family or your childhood? It was all right. Grew up in Hong Kong. My mum was always there for me. It was hard leaving her to go to school in the UK. My dad … well, at least he was never abusive. That’s what Ma says. And Ba was nice to us. Until he cut and run, leaving Ma to pay off all the debt it turned out he’d racked up. Not everyone gets a great childhood. Best not to dwell on things. What is your greatest talent? I’m a decent litigator. And I can deadlift 200 kg. Significant other? None. Biggest challenge in relationships? I live with my cousin Loretta, and she would say it’s that I work all the time, have no social skills, and never talk about anything except law. Hard to argue with, really. Where do you live? London. Do you have any enemies? Kriya Rajasekar probably hates me. She’s a lawyer at a different firm, but we’ve run into each other a few times over the years, and something always happens. First time I met her, she tripped on some steps,…

A tall, strikingly confident woman strides into the room, clearly suspicious as to why she has been invited here. She wears a deep green velvet frock coat over a striped corset vest and tight black breeches. The cuffs on her black boots are folded over at the knee and barely conceal the silver hilt of a dagger sheathed there. No effort has been made to conceal the brace of long- nosed pistols she wears in a leather crossbelt. Fiery red hair flowing beneath the wide brimmed hat warns of an impatient nature, a sampling of which comes as she tosses the hat on the table, sits in the indicated chair, then props her boots up on the corner of the table. “With us today,” says the interviewer, “is Rose St. Clare, and may I begin the introduction by saying you come from a long line of famous privateers, beginning with the legendary Simon Dante, also known as the Pirate Wolf. How would you describe your childhood, being a direct descendent in such an adventurous dynasty?” (After a momentary hesitation, Rose crosses her ankles and leans back in the chair.) My childhood was what you might call today, that of a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? CAN YOU SOLVE THE MURDER? 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? CAN YOU SOLVE THE MURDER? is an interactive murder mystery novel in which YOU take on the role of a detective and YOU must solve the crime by making decisions about who to interview, which leads to follow, what evidence to gather, and finally, who to accuse. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The book takes place at Elysium, a floral wellness retreat set in an old country manor in the English countryside. One of the guests has been found murdered, and so everyone at Elysium is now a suspect. I chose that location because it’s a familiar environment for a classic murder mystery. This will be the first interactive novel many readers have experienced, so I wanted to make them feel comfortable with the case itself before they get deep into investigating and making decisions about how to solve it. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Well, in this book the protagonist is the reader. So I can’t really avoid hanging out with myself and I do love…

Excerpt from ROCKY ROAD TO MURDER by Lena Gregory: We arrived at Mom’s without further incident, finally, but when I went to grab a tray from the back, Eli held out an arm to block me. “Why don’t you let me get the desserts.” “Hey, buddy, you’re luck’s no better than mine today.” Of course, he hadn’t gotten hit in the head with the mallet, so there was that. I pressed a hand to the two butterfly bandages. Even though Gwen had styled my hair to cover them, I couldn’t help feeling self-conscious. Eli’s good humor faltered. “Are you in a lot of pain?” Though a constant, dull ache still throbbed, I smiled. “I’m fine. Just checking to make sure the bandages are in place and my hair is covering them. I don’t feel like wasting precious minutes explaining what happened.” “I should have backed into the driveway.” Gwen contemplated my mom’s empty driveway and the spot where she’d parked against the curb four houses down. After the last break-in at the café and my subsequent trip to the ER, Mom had instituted a rule that no one park in or block the driveway. That way, if they had to…

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 Amy James! Writes: Amy James writes contemporary romances that explore themes of self-discovery, personal growth, and found family. Her debut novel, A FIVE-LETTER WORD FOR LOVE, was shortlisted for the Rakuten Kobo 2025 Emerging Writer Prize. Her sophomore novel, CRASH TEST, tells the story of Travis Keeping, a Formula 1 driver whose world is turned upside down when his secret boyfriend, Formula 2 driver Jacob Nichols, is in a life-threatening crash. About: Amy James lives on the east coast of Canada with her husband and dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys watching motorsport (especially Formula 1, WRC and MotoGP), playing piano, and learning new languages. You can find her on Instagram. You’re my ideal reader match, and will love CRASH TEST If you love: What to expect if we’re compatible: CRASH TEST by Amy James A Novel Formula 1 meets Red, White, & Royal Blue in this contemporary romance in which an F1 phenom battling for the championship is sent spinning after his secret love is involved…

1–What is the title of your latest release? I have two books that came out within two months of each other – GIRL IN A DUMPSTER published by Down & Out Books and THEM BONES, published by St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? GIRL IN A DUMPSTER is a traditional hard-boiled detective novel and deals with what I call the corruption of the rich – “I don’t care what it costs others as long as I’m protected.”  But it’s also about family. THEM BONES features an unlicensed PI and is a more straight-forward tale about greed, in this case dealing specifically with dinosaur skeletons and the black market. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? GIRL IN A DUMPSTER takes place in Minneapolis because that’s where the Holland Taylor, the detective, lives and works. THEM BONES takes place in the Hell Creek Formation in Montana (that’s where the dinosaurs roam), the Twin Cities, and Toronto (so I could deduct my vacation on my taxes). 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d love to spend time with McKenzie, the hero of THEM BONES.  He’s kind, generous, helpful,…

Excerpt from INFINITE ARCHIVE by Mur Lafferty: When thinking back, Mallory wondered if the house of cards started to fall with what happened next or if it was earlier. But she stepped off the lift with Phineas to get a tour of the convention space and immediately was grabbed by Aaron. “Mallory! Thank God you’re here,” he said, taking her wrist. “There’s been a murder.” His shirt was smeared with red, and his hair was messed up. A bruise was blooming on his cheek. “What happened?” she demanded. “A convention attendee was found stabbed,” Aaron said, leading her by the wrist toward what looked like a panel room. Inside stood about twelve people, some of them looking awkward and expectant, some of them looking terrified. One of them, a pale teen wearing a deerstalker hat and no other attempt at cosplay, smiled and then quickly hid it. I’ll have to keep an eye on that one, Mallory thought. She looked up at Phineas. “No one enters or leaves. If the killer is still here, even.” She looked around the room. “Where is Pablo?” “Who?” Aaron asked blankly. “Pablo. Convention security.” Everyone looked baffled. “No one thought to call security? Christ.”…