So many of my friends are non-fiction readers.  They don’t grasp the true enjoyment of reading. In fact, their idea of “reading” fiction is binge-watching whatever the latest book adaptation is on Netflix.  They don’t make a connection between the vibrant stories they enjoy and the books that gave them life. And they are fine with that. Meanwhile, I scratch my head. I’m also puzzled by the readers who think Romance is only about sex.  Now, let me assure you, I love the pull and verbal sparring of a couple destined to be in bed together (or anywhere else they want to be.). But that isn’t the reason I’m a dedicated Romance reader.  I knew the moment I was introduced to my first Romance heroine this is where I belong. Without fanfare, here are the reasons I knew I was a Romance Reader: I love a book where the woman decides to take control of her destiny, even if it flies in the face of societal norms or puts her in dangerous situations, or encourages her to go after that promotion. I know she is going to triumph and I’m onboard with cheering her on. I believe love is the…

My new book, DISASTER GIRL, which was released on May 20, is my favorite thing I’ve ever written.  There are many reasons I like it:  It’s set in Chicago, the city where I live.  The plot, involving revenge porn and a sleazy Internet predator, is timely and fast-paced.  The romance between mouthy, feisty Tess and brilliant, sweet Max was unbelievably fun to write.  But the real reason this book is my favorite is because I absolutely loved writing from the perspective of Tess, the main character. Right from the beginning of the project, Tess’s voice was clear in my head.  While the story took many iterations to get right, Tess herself, did not.  I knew her.  Like most of the women I know in real life, Tess is extremely independent and capable.  She’s great at her job and she’s dedicated to her friendships and family.  But also … she loves drinking bourbon at her neighborhood bar.  Sex is a priority, and she relishes her silly escapades with one-night flings.  She has a tense relationship with her mother and is overly protective of her younger sister.  Tess has a bit of a past; she’s done some not-great things that affect the…

“Life is like an ice-cream cone, you have to lick it one day at a time.”-Charles M. Schulz We all scream for it, don’t we? Yep! Ice cream is that universal crowd-pleaser that makes us think of celebrations and summer days. So what better way to indulge in that sweetness than a mystery series centered around an ice cream shop in the wacky little town of Upper Sprocket? To whip up a sweet mystery series, we’ll have to have an interesting protagonist. How about, Trinidad Jones, a woman who lands in the same hometown as her two ex-sisters-in-law and finds out the police chief is her felonious ex-hubby’s sister? How is she going to keep her Shimmy and Shake Shop going when there’s a murderer on the loose? And any worthy cozy will need an animal sidekick, of course. Trinidad’s faithful friend is Noodles, the aged labrador, who flunked out of service-dog school due to his myriad of quirky behaviors. He’s been known to hoard the mail and activate the car’s turn signal upon occasion. Okay! We’ve got the protagonist, the fuzzy sidekick, and the town. On to the good stuff! Writing a series of this kind necessitates LOTS of…

I’m Lisa Harris, and I’m so excited to introduce you to my new novel, THE CHASE, which hits bookstores July 6th. Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect! US Marshal Madison James may not be sure who shot her three months ago, but she does know one thing–it’s time to get back out into the field. When her partner, Jonas Quinn, receives a message that a federal warrant just came in on a man connected to a string of bank robberies, Madison jumps at the chance to get back to work. What she and Jonas find is a bank robbery in progress that’s gone wrong–and things are about to get worse. T—T is for Twists. Get ready to embark on a nonstop chase, full of twists and turns, where failure isn’t an option. H—H is for the Hunt. The US Marshals service is the government’s primary agency to hunt down fugitives. E—E is for Escape. When their suspects escape, Madison and Jonas must find them and bring them to justice before someone else–someone close to them–gets hurt . . . or worse. * C—C is for Complicated. What happens when two deputy Marshals discover more than their fugitives? Is…

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 as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Jadesola James! Writes: I’m a writer of contemporary romance who combines old-fashioned sensibility with thoroughly modern sexiness. I try to pour a lot of love into my books, and hope they leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside! About: I’m a mix of Southern-girl manners and East Coast street-smarts (Born in Alabama, raised in New York City!) and I adore emojis and writing long sentences. 😉 My loves: little luxuries, simple pleasures. Roaring fires, stained-glass windows, bossa nova, homemade scones, long walks on crisp fall days, perfume samples, snuggling babies/fur babies, piles of fresh snow, a big soft bed, and hot, sweet tea on a rainy day. (I was born in Cancer season and boy, does it show.) What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Loves a low-angst story with plenty of heart, and a little bit of heat Must love travel, both domestically and abroad Should like a look at different cultures, cities, occupations, ways of living life…

I never used to listen to music while writing. But after the pandemic hit, and we went into lockdown, everything changed. It’s been a year unlike any other as I’ve adjusted to having my kids and husband home full-time. The vibration—along with the noise level—in my house shifted. The added energy seeped under my writing lair door, disrupting my muse (the little bugger likes the status quo), and with him in full-blown meltdown, my ability to get into the flow floundered. With deadlines on the horizon, I needed to keep writing, so… Enter the solution—Noise Cancelling Headphones. A gift from God. A happy accident. There’s something about being flexible—adaptive in the moment—that pays off. I resisted at first, trying to power through, but in the end, hopped on Amazon and ordered a pair of NC headphones. And surprise, surprise, it not only worked but also expanded my horizons. Since then, I’ve discovered that each book takes on a musical personality of its own. It happens organically over the course of writing a book. No plans in the beginning. No driving intention behind the process. But by the end, I’m listening to the same string of songs over and over, until…

My name is Sunshine Meadows, but everyone calls me Sunny. I’m the heroine of Kari Lee Townsend’s Sunny Meadows Mystery series. I used to live in the Big Apple with my well-meaning parents who just don’t get me. So, I moved to the small town of Divinity, NY to start over. Something about the town spoke to my soul. You see, I’m psychic. I have visions, but they’re not always clear, so I use fortune-telling tools to help me figure out what my visions mean. I bought an ancient Victorian house I call Vicky, and a large white cat appeared on day one. He came with the house and decided to let me live with him. I never see him eat or sleep, and he moves at lightning speed, appearing from out of nowhere in random places. I’m thinking he’s immortal, so I named him Morty. After I settled in, I opened my own business and started giving readings in a special room I call my sanctuary. When a person comes to me for help, I get a vibe on what fortune-telling tool to use for that particular person, and then everything becomes clear. In TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES,…

Alma Katsu is an award-winning novelist who happens to have spent 34 years in intelligence with CIA and NSA. Her first spy novel, Red Widow, the story of two women CIA officers pitted against one another in a race to find a deadly mole inside Langley, was named a NY Times Editors Choice and has been optioned for TV by FOX. In the world of espionage, it seems there’s finally a place for women—at least on television and, to a lesser extent, movies. Carrie Mathison (Homeland). Elizabeth Jennings (The Americans). Sydney Bristow (Alias). Maya (Zero Dark Thirty). If you look at lists of espionage novels, you’ll see that this is where things break down a little. Lists of the most popular spy novels tend to be dominated by male writers and male protagonists. If women write in the field, it tends to be historical fiction, standalone novels about women in the resistance during World War II or toiling away in the steno pool during the Cold War. And while these books are inspiring, as an intelligence professional it was a little disappointing to not see the work of my female peers being represented in literature. This was my main motivation…

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 as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Elle Cosimano! Writes: I write fast-paced, genre-bending thrillers with a touch of romance and captivating whodunnits. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first book in my new, compulsively readable mystery series for adults, about the eponymous struggling author and single mom who, when overheard discussing the plot of her latest novel over lunch with her agent, inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband for money, in order to make ends meet. “Cosimano cuts dexterously between Finn’s adventures as a hitwoman, her deeply iffy romance . . . , and the domestic crises that keep on piling up as if nothing had ever happened to disturb them. Suspenseful, funny, and even a tad mysterious. More, please.” —Kirkus Reviews About: I enjoy cooking, reading, and traveling. (I do not enjoy excessive exercise, housework, or doing my own taxes.) I’m a homeschooling mom and an award-winning author of mysteries and thrillers for both the young and young at heart. I live in…

A SURREALIST AFFAIR took me years, off and on, to write, partly because it involved so much research to pull off. Most of the research involved the Surrealist art movement, but I also had to learn about art history more broadly, training of art historians, methods of art fraud, art thefts and recovery, the FBI Art Crime Team, the geography of Paris, and French phrasing. I had three years of high school French but met my language requirement for college because from the middle of junior year, I attended Dow High in Midland, Michigan (yes, Dow Chemical), which was more interested in STEM than languages. With only a rudimentary grasp of French, I needed a lot of help from Google, a critique partner who knew French, and a friend who had spent time studying in Paris, so he was also familiar with the geography of the city. Because my protagonist Elle Dakin was going through a Ph.D. art history program, that required its own research.  I am a professor in an academic department, so I know about impossible advisors and narcissistic professors, as well as the challenges of writing a dissertation. But my field is social work, not art history….