1–What’s the name of your latest release?  The Silence 2–What is it about?  Isla returns home to Sydney after 10 years living in London, to support her dad who is under suspicion in the case of a missing neighbor. Her home country, and her family, are more troubled than she expected. Her loyalty to her dad starts to waver when family secrets come to light. And it seems her community has been holding on to an older secret that goes to the heart of Australia’s colonial past. 3–What word best describes your main character? At the start of The Silence I would describe Isla as lost. She is hiding from life, at the beginning of a process of recovery but scared of the uncomfortable truths she really needs to face up to. I’d probably also say she’s tough, but she doesn’t know that about herself until later on. 4–What makes your story relatable?  The Silence is about people trying to figure out who they are, coming to terms with the things they regret and taking responsibility for those things. Some characters are doing better than others at the taking responsibility part, but they are all faced with that challenge and…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? The Sunday Girl 2–What’s it about? It’s an answer to the question: what would happen if a good girl snapped? 3–What word best describes your main character? Flawed. 4–What makes your story relatable? Most of us have had one really terrible breakup where, in our darker moments, we’ve toyed with the idea of revenge. Most of us, however, don’t actually go through with it. Not so for Taylor Bishop! And so, through her we get to live vicariously… 5–Who are the people your main character turns to when they need help? One of the key themes of The Sunday Girl is how abusive relationships isolate us and make it almost impossible to ask for help. But when Taylor does reach out, it’s to her best friend, her mother and, briefly, the police. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book. Well it’s set in London, and London is a second home for me. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? I’m a hybrid. I go in with an outline knowing how it begins, a couple of things that happen in the…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  The Library of Legends 2–What is it about?  The story begins in 1937 when China and Japan are at war. The main character, Lian, must follow her university when they evacuate, before they get bombed out. The students, professors and staff begin a thousand-mile walk to safety, carrying their belongings, school supplies, even kitchenware. And they also carry the Library of Legends, a priceless ancient collection of Chinese myths.   It turns out the mythical creatures described in the Library of Legends are also on the move, and that a celestial being travels with the students. As for Lian, she finds friendships and possibly romance. But family secrets make her a victim of political manipulation and she must distance herself from her classmates. Especially when one of them is found murdered. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  Cautious. Because of her family’s past, she is careful who she associates with. 4–What makes your story relatable?  Readers are telling me that right now, the story echoes their own feelings about living in uncertain times. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Their classmates, who are their community….

Jennifer: What inspired you to write your new release, HELLO, SUMMER?   Mary Kay: A couple years ago I read an article in my hometown newspaper, The Tampa Bay Times, about the area’s long-time conservative Republican Congressman, who’d just passed away from cancer. At the Congressman’s funeral, his son gave a eulogy that mentioned his father’s “secret first family”–the Congressman’s first wife and his children with him, with whom he’d had no contact for decades. It was a stunning moment that sparked a family feud played out in headlines around the country. When I went looking for a juicy story for my newspaper reporter protagonist Conley to dig into, that story immediately came to mind. Of course, my fictional Congressman dies in a mysterious late-night accident on a remote country road, and there are lots of other differences, but that story kept me up at night, wondering “what if?”  Why does Sarah “Conley” Hawkins choose to return to her hometown? She doesn’t have any alternatives. She’s quit her job as a reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, broken up with her boyfriend and given up her apartment–all in anticipation of a new job she’s accepted with a new digital-only investigative publication in…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Secrets of a Fake Fiancee 2–What is it about?  Spunky personal assistant Morgan Stewart is eager to claim the family denied to her. She’s been living incognito as her brother Dane Stewart’s assistant while learning all she could about the Stewarts. Morgan reveals her true identity as Henry Stewart’s illegitimate daughter at Dane’s wedding reception and is rejected. Sexy playboy Jared Robinson witnesses the interaction and although he has his own family drama with his MIA brother, he’s intrigued by the fiery Morgan and offers her a deal she can’t refuse: pretend to be his fiancée to help him gain the respect of the board of Robinson Investments. Instead, the couple fall head over heels in love. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Spunky 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  She is irresistible because she’s just wants to be loved and I think readers can relate to that. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  At first, Morgan is fiercely independent, but when she needs advice, she turns to her half-sister Fallon, a character you’ll find in book #2 of The Stewart Heirs series, His Marriage Demand. 6–What…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? (Im)perfectly Happy  2–What is it about? (Im)perfectly Happy tells the story of four friends who formed an accountability group to follow their dreams in college. However, ten years later, they can’t help wondering what happened to the hopeful, confident, driven women they used to be. Now, they are determined to get them back. Kara, Nikki, Raina, and Sienna: a wine expert, musician, radiotherapist, and an attorney have distinctly different dreams and issues to resolve. One is a mother, two are married and one…well, she’s avoiding the whole love and marriage thing. If you’re a fan of romance, friendship, and happy endings, I would be so pleased to share my book with you. 3–What word best describes your heroine? There are four of them. Kara is cautious, Sienna is a sweetheart, Nikki is spunky, and Raina is sarcastic. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? The focus of this book is on the heroines. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? They are friends and turn to each other. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? It’s set in Atlanta which is where I live. It’s fun…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Amanda! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, and catch our readers up to speed on what’s been going on so far in the Endeavor series? Thank you for inviting me! I’m a romance author living in Paris, France and an avid reader of novels with high stakes, steamy romance, engaging characters, and tons of emotion. That’s also what I love to write–and what you’ll find in Nightchaser and Starbreaker! The Endeavor series is a futuristic fantasy that introduces readers to Captain Tess Bailey and her crew of Robin Hood-like rebels who race across the galaxy stealing from the privileged to provide for those in need. They get into a sticky situation with a damaged ship and turn to Shade Ganavan for help, not realizing that he could be a danger to Tess–but also so much more. The risks, action, danger, and romance escalate in Starbreaker, the second book in the trilogy. To see how Tess, Shade, and the crew of rebel Nightchasers handle new threats and evolving relationships, you’ll have to try the books! STARBREAKER is the second book in your sci-fi romance series. What do you love most about the world…

by Fresh Fiction Reviewer Jessica Grogan Welcome to Fresh Fiction! Please tell us about yourself and your new book! Hi and thanks so much for having me on the Fresh Fiction blog! A little about me–I’m an Aussie author who’s happily married to her very own romantic hero. My hubby and I have recently become empty-nesters; our two daughters are currently studying at university, so I have lots of writing time. Yay! Aside from penning historical romance novels, I love to cook. And given the current situation around the world, I’ve been doing a lot of baking, particularly bread making. I find the whole process quite therapeutic and comforting. My new book, How to Catch an Errant Earl, is the second title in my Disreputable Debutantes series with Berkley Romance. It follows the fortunes of my practical bluestocking Scots heroine with a tarnished reputation, Miss Arabella Jardine, and unrepentant rakehell, Gabriel Holmes-Fitzgerald, the Earl of Langdale. At the beginning of the story, the reader discovers that Arabella has been forced to accompany her family on a Grand Tour of the Continent when she’d much rather be in London making plans to raise money for an orphanage. Gabriel is also abroad….

I’ve known bestselling author Callie Hutton for several years, but with the internet age, we actually just met face to face a few years back. She’s a wonderful writer, a fabulous person and an inspiration to anyone who’s wanting to mix things up a bit in their lives. She’s proof that you can take your career in a different direction and continue to produce a great product. Everyone could use a bit of inspiration from people like Callie right now! Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Callie! Callie: Thank you for having me, Kym. I’m excited to be here. You’re a bestselling historical romance writer, what made you decide to switch genres into historical cozy mysteries? Several of my historical romances had mysteries in them. I enjoy adding that to a romance. Then I wrote one that was true to the cozy mystery genre as well as romance that was part of one of my self published Victorian series. I sent it to my agent and she immediately asked me to give her a proposal for a cozy mystery series. I did that and Crooked Lane contracted the series.  What did you find to be the hardest part about switching to…

Staying home means more time to read. Right? To help pass the time between books, we asked six of our cozy mystery authors to share what they’re doing during their time at home! We hope you’ll cozy up at home with these first in the cozy mystery series: Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard, a Main Street Book Club Mystery Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker, a Seaside Cafe Mystery Death on Windmill Way by Carrie Doyle, a Hampton’s Murder Mystery Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns, an Italian Chef Mystery Dead in the Water by Denise Swanson, a Welcome Back to Scumble River mystery Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy, a Stationery Shop Mystery Keep reading to cozy up with our authors and check out the books over here! You’re trapped in a remote cabin with one character from your series for one week. Who would it be and why? Amy Lillard: Hands down-Fern. She might not have Helen’s cooking skills or Camille’s bottomless handbag or even Arlo’s practical side, but being stranded definitely wouldn’t be boring with Fern! Bree Baker: I would definitely spend the week with Everly Swan, the heroine of my Seaside Cafe Mysteries!…