And it came true! Kylie Logan is just one of the many pseudonyms used by National Bestselling Author, Casey Daniels. To the enjoyment of many, she released a brand new series in May that will wet your whistle and change your palate. I was delighted when she accepted my invitation for an interview at the Cozy Corner. Please welcome, Kylie/Casey! Kym: Hi Casey! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Casey: Thank you! It’s always fun to be here. Kym: You’ve written under a lot of different pseudonyms, can you tell us a little bit about each one, and what defines her? Casey: There have been a lot of them (probably more than anyone suspects) so I’ll just concentrate on the two most recent. One of them is Casey Daniels. Casey writes the Pepper Martin mysteries about a woman who works at a historic cemetery and solves mysteries for the ghosts there. They are light, funny, sassy. The other name I’m writing under these days is Kylie Logan. Kylie writes more traditional mysteries (no paranormal elements) in the cozy tradition. So far, she’s written the Button Box mysteries and the Chili Cook-off mysteries (neither series is around anymore) along with two series…

Miranda Owen: First, let me say that I am such a huge fan. How do you find the time to write so many different varieties of romance books, in addition to your historical mysteries? What is your process like? Jennifer Ashley: Thanks so much! How do I find the time? The short answer is: It ain’t easy! The longer answer is: I write every day. I start each morning, at breakfast, writing. I’ve made that a habit for years. So, even if I wake up wanting a day off, by the time I get to my computer with my bagel or toast, my brain turns on and starts creating a story. I can write anywhere from 500 to 2000 words during my breakfast sessions. That’s very helpful. If I can then do a few more writing sessions during the day (I can write 1000-1500 words an hour if I don’t goof off), that becomes a good chunk each day. In this way, I can write a full novel (100,000 words) in two months. That includes the first rewrite / revision. That’s two months if I’m not interrupted with real life—usually the work stretches to three months until it’s final, final,…

Things are a little rough for Izzy Lane. Still reeling from the break-up of her marriage, the newly single mom moves back to the Philadelphia home she grew up in, five-year-old Noah in tow. The transition is difficult, but with the help of her best friends—and her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Feldman—Izzy feels like she’s stepping closer to her new normal. Until her ex-husband shows up with his girlfriend. That’s when Izzy invents a boyfriend of her own. And that’s when life gets complicated. Blogging about her “new guy” provides Izzy with something to do when Noah’s asleep. What’s the harm in a few made-up stories? Then, her blog soars in popularity and she’s given the opportunity to moonlight as an online dating expert. How can she turn it down? But when her friends want to meet the mysterious “Mac,” someone online suspects Izzy’s a fraud, and a guy in-real-life catches her eye, Izzy realizes just how high the stakes are. That’s when Mrs. Feldman steps in, determined to show her neighbor the havoc that lies can wreak. If Izzy’s honest, she could lose everything, and everyone. Is the truth worth any cost? Writing a Woman’s Life columnist Yona Zeldis McDonough…

The various story-lines of cozy mysteries never get old for me. Carving, cooking, knitting, sewing, surfing, travel, witches. What’s not to like? But my favorite theme has always been a story within the story. The mysteries wrapped around an author’s words and bound together in one beautiful package. The month of June promises to fulfill my late night reading binges with new who-dun-its from some of the best in the business: Elaine Viets, Lorna Barrett, and Kate Carlisle. Add them to your to-be-read file, they’re the perfect addition to every cozy mystery library. CHECKED OUTA Dead-End Job Mystery By Elaine Viets When book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright temporarily relocates to her parents’ place in Northern California, she finds that wooden barrels aren’t the only things buried in the wine caves of Sonoma…. Excited to explore the secrets of wine country, Brooklyn attends an excavation of the caves hidden deep under her parents’ commune—and the findings are explosive. A room is unearthed, and it contains a treasure trove of artwork, rare books, a chest of jewelry…and a perfectly mummified body. A closer examination of the murdered man’s possessions reveals a valuable first edition of Jules Verne’s A Journey to the Center of…

A USEFUL WOMAN, A Rosalind Thorne Mystery by Darcie Wilde, the title caught my attention immediately—I had to swallow the affront that stuck in my throat. The audacity to say a woman is ‘useful.” The cover image of a historical era ballroom, however, explains the slight toward the female sex—the nineteenth century did not belong to us. And the author’s name, Darcie Wilde, immediately brought a smile to my face as I thought of a famous Mr. Darcy created by Jane Austen. Could there be a connection? Yes, ma’am. Darcie Wilde, or Sarah Zettel to those of us in the cozy world, has created a brilliant new series that embraces not only a historical mystery, but the style and romance of a Jane Austen novel. I absolutely loved this book and cannot imagine a better title. I also had to interview the very useful woman who wrote this impressive new mystery. 🙂 Kym: Hi Sarah! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Sarah: Thanks so much for inviting me! I’m really excited to be here. Kym: I love your new pseudonym, Darcie Wilde. Can you tell our readers how it came to be? Sarah: It started out as a pseudonym for some…

Love a good vampire historical? Or a great vampire contemporary? You’re not alone and our reviewer Miranda Owen had a chance to chat with Brooklyn Ann, author of Scandals With Bite series and Brides of Prophecy series. Other romance authors have said that writing a love scene is very technical and it is not the same experience for them than it is for the reader. Do you find that to be true? Technical wouldn’t be the word I’d use, though there is often a lot of pressure to get it right, to avoid cliches, purple prose, and to try not to be corny or crude when it comes to the naming of parts. I personally refuse to compare sexual organs with fruit or flowers. However, sometimes my love scenes literally pour out of my fingers out of nowhere and I’m sitting there reading the screen, blushing and saying, “Oh my goodness, you guys!” To my characters. Since you write a few different types of romance – contemporary, historical, paranormal, etc. – what is your favorite type of book to read? What do you enjoy most about each sub-genre you write in? I love to read all genres, though my favorites…

Is it dangerous to search for an old flame you never got over? What if you find him—and he doesn’t remember you? In her captivating new novel, Susan Shapiro—memoirist, novelist, humorist and writing teacher extraordinaire—explores the perils of revisiting the passion of yesteryear. Lila Penn leaves Wisconsin for graduate school in the big city, where she falls for her professor Daniel Wildman. Decades after their tangled link, she arranges a tête-à-tête in downtown Manhattan. But the shocking encounter blindsides Lila, causing her to question her memory as well as her sanity. Shuttling between Greenwich Village and Tel Aviv, the saga unravels the sexual secret that’s haunted Daniel and Lila for thirty years. Writing a Woman’s life columnist Yona Zeldis McDonough catches up with Shapiro to get the skinny on this hilarious yet piercing novel. Q: How long did it take you to complete? A: From start to publication six years. But I worked on a few projects in between. Q: Are there autobiographical elements in this novel? A: Yes part of it is very autobiographical. But the real story wasn’t ultimately very dramatic. So I wound up embellishing and dramatizing it a lot to make more page-turning as a novel….

What’s in a name? Everything when it comes to a cozy mystery. It must be witty, eye-catching, combine a hint about the series and the individual crime all in a couple quirky words. The author must turn a phrase, or twist it or just toss it out there and see if the readers catch the pun. Of course we do—we always do. That’s why we read cozies. They snare our attention with that little wiggle at the end of the line. The one you can’t resist even if the pond is full of bigger fish with names that make your eyes pop. The cozy author has given you a taste. A tease. A temptation you can’t resist. The new April releases are just so—titles you can’t pass up. Titles that made you go, “hmmm.” So what’s on your menu for tomorrow? About REST IN PEACH by Susan Furlong In the refreshing new Georgia Peach Mystery from the author of Peaches and Scream, an upcoming debutante ball turns into the pits when a juicy murder scandalizes a small town. The annual Peach Cotillion, Cays Mill, Georgia’s biggest event, is fast approaching and Nola Mae Harper is just as excited as the…

Hi, Sabrina! Thank you for joining us here today at Fresh Fiction. I’m so happy to be talking with you about your books and your life! I’m delighted to be here! THE STUDY IN SEDUCTION is the second book in the Sinful Suitors series. I love the idea of a bunch of gentlemen banding together to form their own club in order to pool information about the ne’er do wells in society who might be prospective suitors, in order to protect their sisters and other females relatives from unsavory marriages! Can you tell me one fact that readers might be surprised to discover about the series (even readers like me who stalk you on Facebook, Twitter, and your website!)? I considered calling it the Guardians Club, but my friend Megan Frampton said that sounded oldish. I realized she was right. Once I came up with the Sinful Suitors series and the St. George’s Club, I liked the names much better. There are now about 30 gentlemen in the St. George’s Club looking to protect their womenfolk from scoundrel suitors. You’ve talked last year about how you are intrigued with an open-ended series rather than one defined by a story arc…

In the coming months, I am going to be doing Q & A’s with a number of women’s fiction authors.  I think you’ll find their work engaging and their thoughts—on writing, life and how to balance it all—fascinating. I know I did!  First up is novelist, journalist and celebrity ghostwriter Holly Robinson. Holly is the author of several books, including The Gerbil farmer’s Daughter: A Memoir and the novels BEACH PLUM ISLAND and HAVEN LAKE. Her articles and essays appear frequently in The Huffington Post, More, Parents, Redbook and dozens of other newspapers and magazines. She and her husband have five children and a stubborn Pekingese. They divide their time between Massachusetts and Prince Edward Island, and are crazy enough to be fixing up old houses one shingle at a time in both places. About Holly Robinson WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOOGLEPLUS Holly’s newest novel, CHANCE HARBOR, tells the story of Catherine and Zoe. Though they are sisters, even their mother, Eve, admits her daughters are nothing alike. Catherine is calm and responsible. Zoe is passionate and rebellious.  Nobody is surprised when Zoe gets pregnant, drops out of college, and spirals into drug addiction. One night Catherine gets…