If you love Fresh Fiction’s reading challenges—but don’t love juggling spreadsheets, apps, tabs, and reminders—this planner is for you. The Fresh Fiction 2026 Reading Challenges Planner was created for readers who want everything in one place, without having to log in, scroll, or search for the right file. It’s simple, portable, and designed to be used wherever you read—on the couch, at the library, in a bookstore, or while planning your next TBR. No spreadsheets. No apps. No hassle. Instead of tracking your reading across multiple tools, this planner lets you: It’s easy, tactile, and refreshingly offline. Built for Fresh Fiction Reader Games This planner includes dedicated sections for: Each challenge starts with the game card, followed by clean planning pages so you can match books to prompts and stay organized all year long. Make it yours This isn’t just a planner—it’s a keepsake. You can: Years from now, you’ll be able to flip back through it and remember exactly what you read—and why you loved it. Simple tracking that keeps reading fun Each planning page includes space for: No long reviews. No pressure. Just progress you can see and enjoy. Perfect for readers who: Only $9.99 on Amazon The…

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dear friend and MWA Grand Master Peter Lovesey. Peter passed away peacefully at his home in Shrewsbury, England, on April 10, 2025, after a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer. He was with Jax, his wife of 65 years. He was 88 years old. Peter Lovesey was born in 1936 in Middlesex, England, and counted as his earliest memory the 1944 Blitz bombing that destroyed his family’s house. In 1955, he entered Reading University, pursuing a degree in visual arts, but in December of his first year was persuaded to switch departments by an English professor who had been impressed by one of Peter’s essays. He graduated with honors in 1958 and the next year married his sweetheart, Jackie “Jax,” with whom he would have two children, Kathy and Phil. After a decade spent as a teacher, Peter got his start as crime fiction writer via a first novel contest sponsored by Macmillan/Panther. In a writing career that spanned six decades, Peter published forty-three novels: five stand-alone crime novels, including the CWA Gold Dagger winner The False Inspector Dew, which was selected to be on the CWA’s list of…

Fresh Fiction: Welcome, B.F. Peterson! We’re excited to chat with you about your latest book. Let’s start with the basics—what’s the title of your newest release? B.F. Peterson: Thanks for having me! My latest release is THE LAND BEYOND THE WASTE. FF: That sounds intriguing! Can you give us the elevator pitch for the book? BFP: Absolutely. The story follows Rydara, the mixed-race bastard daughter of a tribal king, who discovers that the queen of a neighboring country is sacrificing tribespeople in dark magic rituals. Her father refuses to believe her and banishes her to avoid war. Determined to find a way to stop the queen, Rydara and her loyal brother Aander set off through a desert wasteland to seek the fabled land of elves and dragons, hoping to find magic powerful enough to defeat their enemy. But even if they find the elves, will Rydara be able to convince them to save a tribe of prejudiced, short-sighted humans? And if her people are worth saving, what is she willing to sacrifice to do so? FF: That’s a compelling setup! How did you decide on the setting for the book? BFP: THE LAND BEYOND THE WASTE actually stems from a…

Tomorrow is the first day of October.  Scary shows are on TV.  Pumpkins are popping up on doorsteps.  And it’s definitely the season for some paranormal reads. In my case, I’m all about the paranormal suspense stories (those with a bit of romance thrown in for fun!). Ah, paranormal suspense. Stories full of vampires and werewolves…and murder and mystery.  Mix all of those elements together, and I am absolutely delighted.  It’s like creating a wonderful treat full of my favorite things. Who writes paranormal (romantic) suspense?  So. Many. Fabulous authors. Let’s start with TRUE WOLF by Pagie Tyler. If you love fierce, alpha werewolves, then her hero Caleb is for you.  Caleb has to track down some bad guys who have snatched some very dangerous weapons from the Air Force (hello, suspense!). Heat. Danger. Romance. Yes, please! Next up? Heather Graham. Heather Graham has a ton of great books that mix paranormal elements with romantic suspense.  She actually has a brand-new release out, LEGACY OF BLOOD, that I am dying to read (yep, did you see what I did there?). The hero and heroine go on a bloody hunt in Paris, and it sure appears to be an action packed…

One of the chief joys of historical fiction is learning about significant events or the lives of unusual people one has previously known little or nothing about.  This month’s selection of stories, all set in World War II, offers an array of such revelations. For lovers of reading, what could be more entrancing than a story about the healing power of books during war?  THE UNDERGROUND LIBRARY by Jennifer Ryan explores that facet in her novel that features the real-life underground library at Bethnal Green in London.  Juliet Lansdown leaves the country to take up her new position as deputy librarian at Bethnal Green just as the Blitz forces the library to relocate into the unused tube station.  Along with the library, the underground comprised a whole community with housing areas, childcare, a medical clinic, a theater group and spaces for people to gather.  Juliet is determined to make the flagging library succeed.  She’s helped in her endeavor by Katie Upwood, who signs on to work at the library until she can return to university.  Through the book club they establish, the two become friends with Jewish refugee Sofie Baumann, for whom the library is a haven where she escapes…

I love reading during the long, lazy days of summer. Give me steamy romances. Heart-pounding suspenses. Let me read a sexy romance like THE POWERBROKER by Anna Hackett or let me get chills from a thriller like HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES are by Jeneva Rose.  So many books. Just not enough summertime. Because, alas, summer reading season is almost at an end.  But not to worry. The beach reads will just be replaced by books for the spooky season. (Bring on the paranormal romances!) And, then, it will be time for the holiday romances. (I absolutely adore reading Christmas romance books each year.) Am I a seasonal reader? Guilty. When I start to see pumpkins and bats in stores, I begin to long for vampire romances. Shifter stories.  Spooky books that will have me looking over my shoulder and into every dark corner of the room. And when the twinkling lights appear, when I hear Christmas music as I walk into a department store, I want to curl up in front of a fireplace with a holiday story that will leave me with a smile on my face and the magic of Christmas in my heart. (Oh, yes, Christmas…

The sultry heat of August brings to mind tropic breezes and the allure of far-off places. One such place for me has always been India, a vast, multicultural land of mystery and ancient traditions.  In honor of that fascination, this month’s selections offer a kaleidoscope of views of the country from several different eras. Moving chronologically, we begin with BENEATH A MARBLE SKY by John Shors.  The author illuminates the story behind one of the world’s great cultural treasures, the Taj Mahal.  Princess Jahanara, daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan, who was in 1632 put in charge of overseeing the creation of the monument to his beloved late wife, Mumatz Mahal, narrates the tale, giving readers an inside look at the complexities of its creation at the hands of brilliant architect Isa. Along with the married Princess’s doomed love for the architect, we witness the fratricidal struggle between two of her brothers, both seeking to be heirs to the Peacock throne, one a cynical military man intolerant of the Hindus who make up much of the Empire, the other a scholar who dreams of a prosperous Hindustani Empire that peacefully unites both Hindus and Moslems. Following the historical record, Shors offers…

Every month that passes seems crazier than the month before, so once again I am thankful to writers—romance writers in particular—who give us a safe place to relax and luxuriate in the certainty that at least in the pages of a book there really can be a happily ever after. I must start my paeon to writers, however, with a shoutout to the phenomenally talented T.J. Newman. Her new book, WORST CASE SCENARIO, came out this month, and it is most definitely not a romance. Is there love involved? Oh, most definitely, beautifully, and poignantly. While I tried to read with my eyes shut and my ears plugged (I had a hard copy and an audio copy) out of sheer terror, by the end, the tears streaming down my face were in acknowledgement of the abundance of love contained in this thriller. Here’s the horrifying plot in a nutshell: a plane crashes into a nuclear power plant and its staff must find a way to prevent a nuclear disaster that would make Chernobyl look like a picnic. Definitely NOT a book any sane person would want to pick up. But do so anyway. Stick it out. Then drop me a…

Some people indulge in marathon sessions of their favorite show on Netflix. Like many other readers, I tend to rereads my favorite authors in the same fashion. I also love doing it with an author that’s new to me. In both instances the series tend to span back a few years. It’s a rare occurrence that the series is only one and a half years old. By August 29th you’ll have 6 books to devour—heaven. Pure heaven. That’s what I found when I stumbled across Sue Minix’s The Bookstore Mystery series. You don’t have to read all of them in order to love each novel. You just have to adore cozy mysteries, book stores, and pets…and S-C-O-R-E! Your vacation reads are covered. The bonus is the price on your e-reader. The first book in the series, MURDER AT THE BOOKTORE, is $6.99. The next five are $2.99. Quality stories at a great price so you can spend your hard earned dollars on the destination you deserve—even if it’s your own backyard with your feet in the kiddie pool. Enjoy! (I sure hope 2025 brings more from Ms. Minix and The Bookstore Mysteries.) MURDER AT THE BOOKSTORE by Sue Minix The Bookstore Mystery…

For the “I Hate Summer and Miss Winter” vibe:   HEART THROB: Hearts of Metal series Winter tour, lots of snow and ice, tour bus breaks down and hero and heroine must huddle for warmth. HEART THROB by Brooklyn Ann Hearts of Metal #7 Bassist Brand and filmmaker Lexi have both suffered traumatic pasts, but together, they can heal and have a happy future. THE GRUMPY BASSIST Brand Kife, bassist for heavy metal band, Viciöus, is known in the metal world as “the man who never smiles.” He has even less reason to smile when he learns that his band’s tour is going to be disrupted by beautiful filmmaker, Lexi Adams, who’s making a documentary about Viciöus. Brand has secrets that Lexi can’t learn. AND THE BEAUTY QUEEN Former child beauty pageant winner, Lexi Adams resists her mother’s pressuring her to become a model and is instead determined to be a successful filmmaker. She’s thrilled to film a documentary on one of her favorite metal bands, but Brand Kife is making her work difficult. First by being uncooperative in interviews, then by distracting her with his sinful good looks and aura of mystery. When they give into temptation, Lexi wants to learn…