Editorial Manager Danielle Dresser chats with bestselling author CHRISTY CARLYLE! Welcome back to the Fresh Fiction blog! For readers who aren’t familiar, can you tell us more about the Duke’s Den Series? The idea behind the series is that it’s a Victorian take on the reality TV show, Shark Tank, in which inventors present their ideas to venture capitalists. In this case, those with capital are dukes (except for the hero of this book) and they are investing in the wild plethora of inventions and innovations that were popping up with regularity during the Victorian era. I really loved that Diana Ashby was an independent woman, focused on her inventions and work. What inspired Diana’s tenacity and creativity? I know lots of women creators: writers, artists, and innovators, and I’m inspired by their tenacity. Diana wasn’t inspired by one single woman I know but by many who believe in themselves and their work and don’t let disappointments or even rejection stop them. Diana definitely embodies the kind of woman I’d like to be. Aidan Iverson had humble beginnings, but has become a successful and wealthy man. Nonetheless, he still strives to be accepted by high society. Why is this acceptance…

Editorial Manager Danielle Dresser had the chance to chat with Sophie Barnes about her latest book, THE INFAMOUS DUCHESS! This is the fourth book in your Diamonds in the Rough series. For readers who may not know, can you tell us a little bit about this series, and the latest release, THE INFAMOUS DUCHESS? Sure. This story features Viola Cartwright, Duchess of Tremaine and Henry Lowell, heir to Viscount Armswell and eventually the Earl of Scranton. As the daughter of a physician, Viola has come from the working class and has risen swiftly through the ranks of Society by marrying the Duke of Tremaine. He was an ailing man who proposed marriage in order to pay a debt he owed her father, but most consider her a scheming money-grabbing opportunist who took advantage of the old duke. Determined to avoid those who judge her, Viola has dedicated herself to creating a hospital with free care for the poor. Here she works stalwartly with some of the best physician’s London has to offer, including Henry’s brother, Florian (The Illegitimate Duke). She is happy with the choices she has made and has no need for anything else, least of all a romantic attachment….

Enjoy this fun interview between bestselling author SOPHIE JORDAN and Fresh Fiction Editorial Manager, Danielle Dresser! For readers who aren’t caught up, can you tell us a bit about the Rogue Files series, and your latest release, This Scot of Mine? Well, believe it or not, This Scot of Mine is the fourth book in the Rogue Files series. They’re all connected through characters often family members. By book four it’s a little challenging to relate how they are all connected. Book five, possibly the last in the series, is coming this October. Hmm. Maybe it’s time for a family tree!?   This Scot of Mine is a crazypants idea I came up with while on a writers retreat …. I pitched it to some of my other fabulous writer friends and we all brainstormed until I arrived at the final idea of a girl who PRETENDS to be ruined and pregnant (all lies for good reason) and gets paired up with the hero who needs to get married but has this curse hanging over his head.  I’ve read about secret babies before, but not so much about made-up pregnancies in historicals! Clara was such a fun heroine. What was your favorite part about writing her…

Please welcome bestselling author Christy Carlyle! We have a double feature today: an interview with Christy and an exclusive excerpt from her latest release, A DUKE CHANGES EVERYTHING. Don’t forget to check out the Fresh Fiction review, as well! INTERVIEW FF: Mina and Nick are two really interesting characters! On the one hand, you have Mina, who has a profound sense of duty and loyalty to the ducal estate of Enderley, and on the other, there’s Nick who wants nothing to do with it: the title of Duke of Tremayne, the actual property, and all of the responsibilities that come with being a duke. How did you balance this conflict with their budding romance? CC: Thank you! They were definitely two of my favorite characters I’ve ever written. Balancing that conflict with their romance was really the fun part. I love starting out with a hero and heroine who are truly at odds in terms of their goals. It provides the opportunity to have each of them take small steps toward each other, toward understanding and appreciating each other’s perspective. Not to say that either will change who are they are fundamentally. But when a hero and heroine can expand…

Some years ago I sat in a movie theater watching, The Perfect Storm. I must have been the only one present who did not know this was a true story, therefore the ending set in the proverbial stone of historical fact. Up until the point all three of the heroes perished, I had been waiting for that miraculous intervention, anything that would save them. When the movie ended, I was so aggravated that I had sat through the entire movie and had nothing but a sense of doom to show for my time. So my question to you is: what is the point of a movie or a book if it does not end with at least the hope that the characters we suffer with will be happy when the story ends. This is one of the reasons I don’t trust mainstream fiction or movies that are supposed to have a meaningful message to us poor, beleaguered souls of humanity. Too often, such entertainment leaves me depressed. In addition, because I am a writer, I have concluded that it is a lot easier for an author to give a book or a movie a sad ending than it is for…