As a true crime fan, I’m familiar with this case, what drew you to this story? As a fan of Truman Capote, I was mostly familiar with his in-depth research for In Cold Blood.  But I learned several years ago that he had a fascination with other crimes, especially high-society crimes. This one drew him in because it took place in his milieu, the glitzy, glamorous world of New York, and Ann Woodward could have been one of his “swans”, if not for the fact that he could not stand her.  I was surprised by how much he could not tolerate her, and by how similar the two actually were.  By how hard the two had worked to pursue similar goals – the achievement of a better life within New York’s society, wanting to be surrounded by a “better” class of friends, trying to erase their pasts in order to build a new persona.   How much research went into writing DELIBERATE CRUELTY, and what was the process like? Quite a bit of research goes into such a book.  While Truman Capote is an author who has been studied and deeply researched, the life of Ann Woodward is less well-known,…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your new release, THE REWIND? Allison Winn Scotch: We were about a year into Covid, and I hadn’t written anything since the pandemic hit. I wanted to write something joyful and fun, a relief from everything that we’d endured. I hadn’t written a romcom in a long time, so I was pitching my friend on ideas, and she told me this was the one. I have always loved digging into the past and the road not taken, so while it wasn’t an easy book to write in the thick of it – mostly because of the complicated logistics of juggling three different timelines – it really was a joy to complete.   Jen: What brings former college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra back to their alma mater? And, how do they feel about seeing each other again? Allison: They head back to Middleton, their college, for the wedding of two friends, and they are nervous and anxious and full of both dread and anticipation but know they must show up all the same. So they do. And then it all goes wrong.   Jen: How has Frankie’s life changed? And Ezra’s? Allison: Ah, great question. Ezra’s has…

It’s such a joy to find an author and follow them through multiple series, especially an author whose writing grabs you and sucks you into the story. For me, Melissa Bourbon’s novels latched onto my hand as I held the book (I may have latched onto Melissa’s at a book signing) and drug me straight into the mystery. Lola was the first of many series to snag my love of a great caper. To this day, I still pull out my Lola Cruz Mysteries to reread! But Lola was just the beginning of my girl crushes. Melissa has written so many great series, and they just keep coming from this talented, bestselling author. I had the pleasure of hearing about the Magical Dressmaking Mysteries before they went into print! Her Bread Shop Mysteries are killer whodunit recipes—the list goes on and I had the pleasure of asking Melissa about her latest release from her fabulous Book Magic Mysteries, Murder and an Irish Curse. Hold on tight, you’re about to get pulled into a great story!   Kym: Welcome back the Cozy Corner, Melissa! Melissa: Thank you! It is always fun to visit Fresh Fiction and the Cozy Corner!   Kym:…

Who is Ravenna Chastain? How would you describe her to readers? From the book description, she sounds like she lives a complicated life. JAK:Ravenna possesses an unusual skill set that makes her an excellent criminal profiler.  She realizes that’s pretty much the same skill-set required for successful matchmaking so she decides to change career paths. Her own dating life is a little more complicated because she’s got this weird talent for starting paranormal fires.  She makes men nervous.   How would you describe the dynamic between Ravenna and Ethan? JAK: Ravenna is looking for a man who isn’t afraid of her fire talent. Ethan Sweetwater comes from a family with a long history of hunting human monsters. The Sweetwaters are in a different line these days but he’s got the old family talent. Ravenna’s thing for fire doesn’t worry him but she’s starting to wonder if she might be dating a mob guy.   I started reading your books because of so many rave reviews from my fellow readers in online book groups. The thing that gets mentioned more than anything else, is how fab the main characters are. They stay with you long after you finish a book. What…

DEVOURING DARKNESS completely blew me away! And oh man, that epilogue! I’m bursting to ask spoiler type questions but instead will ask if you’ll give us any hints about what the next book will bring us? Thanks so much! Heirs 5, which will be titled COLD CURSES, will bring more trouble, more excitement, more sarcasm. And a lot more (SPOILER!)   One thing I love about your vampires is you have carefully crafted such specific rules and hierarchies, only to have Elisa (and Merit in the original series) break all the rules. How do you keep track of the various rules and ways to bend them? I have a fantastic continuity reader (shout-out to Krista!), and it’s pretty common that I forget things. (I usually have to remind myself what happened in the last book by the time I’m writing the next one). That’s a definite advantage of having printed books – they’re an automatic reference library.   I’ve enjoyed watching Elisa and Connor mature and come into their own as characters in the Heirs of Chicagoland series. In DEVOURING DARKNESS, they are pitted against a foe who makes them pull on their own connections, powers, and friendships without the…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your new release, THE MOST LIKELY CLUB? Elyssa Friedland: A great story from my mother. Some cool guy in high school did something not so nice to her – basically used her to get her to do his work for him – and then totally ditched her. Fast forward about eight years and my mom is married and a homeowner. She calls to have her windows washed and who shows up to do it… Mr. Cool Guy, not so cool anymore. I love this story. She tells it to my kids when they are upset about something that happened in school. It shows that it can be quite uncool to peak in high school and that we never know how people will turn out.   Jen: Four childhood friends—Melissa Levin, Priya Chowdury, Tara Taylor, and Suki Hammer—reunite at their twenty-fifth high school reunion. How have the ladies fared over the years?  Elyssa: Overall, the women have fared well in that they are healthy, have their basic needs met and have supportive people in their lives. But each of them isn’t satisfied in one way or another, often in several ways. They feel overwhelmed, like their full…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your new release, A DREADFUL SPLENDOR? B.R. Meyers: I was eight years old, and home sick from school one day and my mom let me watch the local channel’s afternoon movie, The Pit and the Pendulum (she was a big Vincent Price fan). The last five minutes of that movie terrified me — but in a fun way. And even though I’ve seen most of his other movies (House of Wax is stellar!) that first trip to the Medina Castle in The Pit and the Pendulum was the seed that eventually led to me write A Dreadful Splendor many years later. Never underestimate the power of television! The story started much the same way most of my book ideas come to me, in the form of a certain scene, a tiny vignette that keeps replaying in my mind. I ask myself: Is this the beginning, the middle, or the end? And who is telling the story? The more questions I ask, the more layers get added and slowly the premise becomes clear. For A Dreadful Splendor it was the final séance scene complete with a fake spiritualist and rigged tricks. Then I wondered; What would happen…

Jennifer Vido: What’s the inspiration behind PLEASE JOIN US? Catherine McKenzie: Several years ago, I received an invitation to a vague women’s organization. They wouldn’t tell me who recommended me, or give me the name of anyone who belonged, but promised that I’d be “surprised” by the members. They had to “experiences”— four-day retreats in Idaho and California, I think. I was seriously considering going until I mentioned it to my husband. He was convinced it was a cult. I was convinced it would be great book research. I didn’t go, but the idea stuck with me and that was the genesis.   Jen: What’s happening in Nicole’s professional life that’s causing her angst? Catherine: Nicole’s almost forty and she’s a partner, but it’s still not good enough. She’s done everything everyone asked of her for the last twenty years and she’s still on shaky ground. She lost a big client and her “points”, i.e., her annual share of profits, have been cut. She feels like she’s going backwards and is desperate to reach the goals she set for herself.   Jen: Why does the idea of joining Panthera Leo appeal to Nicole so much? Catherine: I think Nicole went…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your new release, THE MAKING OF HER? Bernadette Jiwa: Writers are often asked where they get their ideas. You’ll sometimes hear a writer balk at the question, but I’m not so sure that it’s a bad one because every book has a backstory. THE MAKING OF HER is inspired by a true story, one that I wanted to rewrite long before becoming a writer. A dear friend of mine was given up for adoption in England by her unmarried Irish mother in the 1960s. Her parents returned to Ireland, got married, and had more children. My friend reunited with her parents in the 1990s, but her siblings still don’t know she exists to this day. Like many Irish families back then they were torn apart by a legacy of shame and secrecy. I also wanted to preserve something of my Irish grandmothers’ stories lest we forget the plight of women of their generation. Without access to contraception, both grandmothers gave birth to eleven children. They had too many mouths to feed, and there was never enough of anything to go around. Their bodies, their hearts, and their souls took a hammering. Some women, like my grandmother,…

I love a suspense novel set on an island. Very reminiscent of AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie. What inspired you to write this novel, and specifically with this setting? There were several inspirations for writing THE RETREAT – the first, a local connection. Ever since I’ve started writing, I’ve wanted to write a book set where I live, in Devon, UK – a place that has inspired me for as long as I can remember. Having been born and brought up by the sea, it has, and continues to play a huge role in my life and its extremes have always fascinated me. Like the mountains, the sea is a beautiful but also terrifying environment – it can go from calm to rough and swirling within a matter of minutes – something very exciting to explore as an author. Part of the appeal was also that the local landscape is one I know and love – I like setting books in places I know well – I think the tiny details you get when you know somewhere intimately are hugely important in creating authenticity for the reader. Another thing I find so inspiring about the setting is…