1–What is the title of your latest release? THE WORST DUKE IN THE WORLD 2–What is it about? A duke and a “disreputable” young woman fall in love; familial opposition ensues. So, a bit like Romeo and Juliet, but with a much more cheerful outcome (YAY!). 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s fun writing stories that take place amidst the London haut ton, but it was equally fun setting this book primarily in the English countryside. People meet and interact under different circumstances than they would in London; their interests and occupations vary, too. My hero, for example, is a keen agriculturist, so for authenticity’s sake (and, often, my own amusement) I liked bringing in non-glamorous, necessary things like drainage ditches, apple blights, pumpkin patches, and so on. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  My heroine, Jane, comes from a disadvantaged background and has endured a lot of hardship and insecurity; I knew she’d be a strong person, but as the writing went on I was surprised and pleased by the quiet fortitude and resilience she displays when, in her new life as a cherished member of the Penhallow family, the going gets tough. (It’s…

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…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction! Can you tell us a little bit about your new book, WHEN THE MARQUESS WAS MINE? Sure! It’s the third book in my Wagers of Sin series, with a luxe, risque gaming club called the Vega Club at the center. Each book’s story turns on a scandalous or notorious wager at the club, and in this book, it’s actually a drunken birthday party that gets the hero, Rob (Marquess of Westmorland) in trouble. He wins, mostly by accident, the deed to a country house. His friends tease about turning it into a brothel, but Rob doesn’t really want the house; he decides to return the deed, but not to the feckless idiot who lost it. He plans to give it to the man’s wife and family, figuring they can punish the guy a lot more than Rob can himself. Georgiana Lucas is visiting her friend Kitty in the country when Kitty hears alarming news from her husband: the terrible Marquess of Westmorland is coming to take possession of their house. He claims he was swindled. He scares them all to death. Kitty vows Westmorland will never be allowed inside her house. So when Rob turns…

by Fresh Fiction Reviewer Jessica Grogan Welcome to Fresh Fiction! Please tell us about your latest historical romance, THE ROGUE TO RUIN and a little bit about yourself. Thank you so much for having me here today! THE ROGUE TO RUIN is a story about Ainsley Bourne’s determination to keep her family’s matchmaking agency afloat, even if she has to start a war with the gaming hell owner, Reed Sterling, who stands in her way. What was it like writing about two people with such different backgrounds and world views coming together to fall in love? I love writing stories where the hero and heroine are worlds apart. They clash so well on the page. But my favorite part is uncovering all the things that can bring them together as the romance unfolds. Sometimes these little tidbits are as much of a surprise to me as it is to the characters. What has your journey to becoming an Avon author been like? Simply put, it’s been a dream come true. I wrote for years, struggling to get more than a form-letter rejection. I can count, on one hand, the number of personal rejection letters and requests I received in ten…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction! We’ve been featuring the books you’ve worked on for so long, and we are so excited to learn more about the editors behind the books, as well as How to Write a Romance! Can you introduce yourselves, tell us how long you’ve worked at Avon, and your all-time favorite romance novel? Erika Tsang (ET): I’m Erika Tsang, editorial director of Avon Books. I just celebrated my 17th year here. My all-time favorite romance novel is… a very difficult question to answer. Jude Deveraux’s A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR because I discuss that ending quite a bit. Then there’s Johanna Lindsey’s WARRIOR’S WOMAN, Julie Garwood’s THE LION’S LADY, Jill Barnet’s IMAGINE (there’s a genie!)…my list goes on and on. Nicole Fischer (NF): My name is Nicole and I started at Avon Books about 6.5 years ago. My favorite romance is… ok, that’s an impossible question for a romance editor! I don’t have 1 favorite of all time, I have top picks in each subgenre. But if I had to name one, the first title that pops into my head right this moment is IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN by Lisa Kleypas because I love sassy, feisty heroines who…