Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Blake Ferre | 20 Questions: THE REVOLUTIONARY AND THE ROGUE
Author Guest / August 19, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  THE REVOLUTIONARY AND THE ROGUE 2–What is it about?  Perrin de Vesey, an aristocrat who is grieving the unjust execution of his lover, is recruited by his friends to help save innocents from the guillotine. But handsome Committee officer, Henri Chevalier, is hot on his trail, eager to ensnare counterrevolutionary conspirators. Attraction simmers between the two, tearing down the barricades that stand between them. 3–What word best describes Perrin?  Compassionate 4–What makes Henri irresistible?  He dreams of freedom and equality for all people and believes in fair and just trials–even for his enemies. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Perrin has a strong support of friends from Crimson Rose–a club that welcomes men who prefer men. They stand together and shield one another from danger at all costs. Henri, on the other hand, finds himself unable to trust his fellow Committee officers. In a city where anyone might betray their neighbors, it isn’t easy to find good friends. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I have always been fascinated with the French Revolution. Their leaders fought for many good and noble causes:…

Suzanne Park | 20 Questions: LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT
Author Guest / August 18, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT, coming out August 18! 2–What is it about? LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT is an #OwnVoices workplace rom-com set in the video game industry. In this novel, Korean-American producer named Melody Joo is tasked with launching a controversial video game while being antagonized by everyone around her, especially Nolan MacKenzie, the company’s new MBA intern. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Fierce. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He’s a charming, smart, quirky, plaid-shirt-and-tortoise-shell-glasses-wearing kind of guy. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Her best friends Candace and Jane, as well as her mentor/friend at work, Kat. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? The backdrop is Seattle, where I lived for a long time. I love the sense of place it invokes, especially with the weather and the food and cafe scene. The work setting is also something I loved including in this book: I hearkened back to my days in tech where we had cubicles/workspaces and hard-to-book conference rooms and it was a lot of fun to describe. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantser (write…

Vivien Chien | 20 Questions: KILLER KUNG PAO
Author Guest / August 17, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Killer Kung Pao. 2–What is it about?  Our beloved restaurant manager, Lana Lee, who just wants peace, quiet, and to get her hair re-dyed, is present during the suspicious death of sue-happy, Mahjong player, Mildred Mao. Unfortunately, there’s a possibility that one of the twins from Yi’s Tea and Bakery, June Yi, may be involved. Lana has no real desire to help clear June’s name and struggles with the decision to implicate herself. But knowing it’s the right thing to do in the end, she begins to dig into the particulars to find out who exactly killed the problematic Mahjong player and what secrets the potentially guilty parties are hiding from one another.  3–What word best describes your main character(s)?   Sassy 4–What makes your story relatable?  I think it’s the fact that Lana and the community of Asia Village are all just regular, everyday people. They’re daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, kooky aunts and uncles, best friends and boyfriends. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Her best friend and roommate, Megan Riley. And, of course, her boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau. (Though she usually leaves him…

Phoebe Fox | 20 Questions: A LITTLE BIT OF GRACE
Author Guest / August 14, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  A Little Bit of Grace 2–What is it about? After the implosion of her marriage and the loss of her mom leaves Grace Adams entirely alone in the world, a letter from a relative she never knew she had sends her on a trip to a tropical paradise, where she starts to uncover answers about the eccentric woman her family never mentioned: an octogenarian who writes a viral relationship-advice blog, a compulsive (and highly successful) matchmaker. . . and the keeper of an unimaginable family secret held for more than fifty years. It’s a story about the choices families make and how they color what we believe, finding forgiveness for the unforgivable, and starting over when the happy ending ends. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  For Grace, it’s underestimated; for her Great-aunt Millie, it would have to be something like expansive, extravagant, magnificent, fantastical. 4–What makes your story relatable?  Grace holds family so dear and is so deeply loyal that in caring for everyone else she has lost touch with what she wants for her own life. I think that’s incredibly common for so many of us these days, particularly women, who often seem to feel…

Jennifer Ryan | 20 Questions: WAITING ON A COWBOY
Author Guest / August 11, 2020

Wednesday, August 26 at 7pm CT, you can chat via Zoom with Jennifer Ryan, during the Fresh Fiction Virtual Book Club! Please check our Eventbrite page for more details and to register. Hope to see you there! *** 1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Waiting on a Cowboy 2–What is it about?  Tate McGrath and Liz Scott have been best friends since kindergarten. Tate can always count on Liz to have his back and give it to him straight, so he’s not about to mess a good thing up. Until he sees her with a new guy and she gives Tate the cold shoulder. Tate doesn’t think Clint is good enough for Liz, and when her relationship with Clint turns dangerous, he discovers that not only does he want to protect her, he wants to keep her because everything he ever wanted was right in front of him the whole time. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Tough 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Tate cares, and he’s persistent. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Each other and family. Readers will get a glimpse of the entire McGrath family. 6–What do you love…

Sophia Singh Sasson | 20 Questions: MARRIAGE BY ARRANGEMENT
Author Guest / August 7, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Marriage by Arrangement, the first in the Nights at the Mahal series from Harlequin Desire.  2–What is it about?  This is a second chance romance that explores the conflicting demands of cultural values, individual fears, and family obligations against falling in love.  The heroine Rani is an Indian American who struggles with her traditional Indian upbringing and her feminist beliefs. She’s still reeling from the community stigma of being divorced, the last thing she wants to do is fall in love with another Indian man with a traditional family. Arjun is the eldest son of a dynastic family and is arranged to be married to a business partner and family friend. Falling for Rani will rip his family apart. Both Arjun and Rani must find the courage to love, and to make the sacrifices necessary to see their love to fruition. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Conflicted. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  “He owns the room, even when it doesn’t belong to him.” The line is straight out of the book and perfectly described Arjun Singh.   5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  For Rani…

Jules Bennett | 20 Questions: HIDDEN AMBITION
Author Guest / August 4, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  HIDDEN AMBITION 2–What is it about?  This is a revenge plot with the hero out to get even for the people who hurt his family. The shero gets caught in the middle and he realizes he’s going to have to make a decision between family loyalty and love. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  My shero, Haley, is strong-willed, determined, loyal, and has a soft spot for Chase. She’s a kickass businesswoman and runs the office in a “man’s world” role. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Even though he’s out for revenge, you can’t help but fall in love with him. He’s hurt because his family fell apart, so he’s going about his justice in the wrong way. A tough hero with a vulnerability is so sexy to me! 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Oh, they definitely run to each other for help, but they don’t realize how many lies they’ve gotten wrapped up in so they are definitely in this ordeal together. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  This is set in New York and the surrounding areas. I love…

Jennifer Ashley | 20 Questions: MURDER IN THE EAST END
Author Guest / August 3, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Murder in the East End (Below Stairs Mysteries Book 4) 2–What is it about?  Kat Holloway, a cook in a Mount Street mansion in Victorian London is asked to look into the disappearance of a nurse from the Foundling Hospital. Distressed for the woman, and intrigued, because the request comes from the foster brother of Daniel McAdam, a man she’s falling for, Kat can’t refuse. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  Tenacious 4–What makes your story relatable? The character of Kat. She’s an ordinary person, not an aristocrat or wealthy dilettante. She works very hard, is good at what she does, and knows exactly who she is. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Kat turns to Daniel McAdam, who is a man-of-all-work who sometimes masquerades as an upper-class gentleman in order to assist the police. She also relies on Lady Cynthia, who prefers men’s clothing to women’s more restrictive ones, and Mr. Thanos, a genius mathematician who is smitten with Cynthia. Kat’s kitchen assistant, Tess, and Daniel’s son, James, round out the irregulars. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The Victorian…

Kat Martin | 20 Questions: THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL
Author Guest / July 27, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?   THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL. It’s out July 28. 2–What is it about?  It’s about the theft of chemical weapons from an army depot in Colorado. Jessie Kegan, the heroine, is determined to prove her father, an army colonel, is innocent of the crime. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Determined. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  His strength and loyalty, and the military background that give him and Jessie a chance to survive the powerful enemies they confront. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?   They depend on the strength and intelligence of each other. And Brandon can count on his brothers to help him no matter what. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?   I love Colorado. Beautiful mountains and extreme climates provide plenty of interesting scenery and challenges. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)?  I do a little of both. I’m no longer able to just follow an outline. Much of the story depends on the clues that are uncovered as the hero and heroine try to solve the deadly problems they are…

Michele Campbell | 20 Questions: THE WIFE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Author Guest / July 24, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? The Wife Who Knew Too Much will be out July 28 from St. Martin’s Press. 2–What is it about?  Set amongst the glittering mansions of the Hamptons, The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a decadent summer thriller about the lives of those who will do anything for love and money. It tells the story of the two women who love the same man. Nina is a fabulously wealthy socialite who fell hard for Connor after the death of her real-estate tycoon first husband. Tabitha is a waitress and small-town girl who’s never gotten over her summer fling with Connor years before. When he comes back into her life, unhappily married to Nina, she falls in love all over again. When Nina takes her own life, tragic as it is, they can finally be together. Then she finds Nina’s diary. “I’m writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death. This is hard to admit, even to myself, let alone to the world. My husband is planning to kill me.” Did Connor kill Nina? Does he love Tabitha, or is she merely a convenient suspect? 3–What word best describes…