Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Fall Recipe Potluck | SECOND CHANCE ON CYPRESS LANE by Reese Ryan
Author Guest / September 7, 2020

Welcome to the First Day of our Fall Recipe Potluck! We have an awesome lineup of authors telling about their new books coming out this fall and sharing delicious recipes–perfect for the cooler weather and cozy nights. Be sure to check back all week long for posts every morning. Also! Comment to enter to win a copy of the book featured each day. We hope you enjoy this potluck and find some new books and recipes to try. *** In my upcoming release, SECOND CHANCE ON CYPRESS LANE, rising star reporter Dakota Jones is inadvertently caught up in an international scandal that derails her promising career. She returns to the small town of Holly Grove Island to lick her wounds and regroup after spending the better part of two decades in New York City. The island town no longer feels like home, or so she thinks. But Dakota quickly begins to discover all of the things she’s been missing during the five years that she’d been actively avoiding the island since the death of her mother. Dakota discovers a new appreciation for her family and friends; the beach; the townsfolk who will always consider her one of their own. And…

Daryl Wood Gerber | Top 5 Reasons to Read A SPRINKLING OF MURDER + Giveaway!
Author Guest / July 20, 2020

Top 5 Reasons to Read A SPRINKLING OF MURDER, the first Fairy Garden Mystery Have you heard of the Fairy Garden Mysteries? They’re new. The first, A Sprinkling of Murder, is just out. It’s set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and features Courtney Kelly, a former landscaper who has taken a leap of faith and created her own fairy garden shop called Open Your Imagination. Courtney believes in inviting magic into one’s life, but when uninvited trouble enters her shop, she’ll need more than a sprinkling of her imagination to solve a murder . . . There are a lot of reasons that readers are falling in love with the Fairy Garden Mysteries, but here are the top five. Fiona, the righteous fairy. Fiona is a fairy-in-training. She should be a full-fledged fairy by now, but imp that she is, she did one too many pranks in fairy school, so the queen fairy has booted her out and subjected her to probation, during which time Fiona must get serious. By helping a human solve problems–that’s what righteous fairies are good at–she could earn her way back into the ranks. Fiona is fun, whimsical, and earnest. A powerful combo. Courtney Kelly, fairy garden…

SUMMER BBQ RECIPE ROUNDUP | Fast Girls by Elise Hooper
Author Guest / June 17, 2020

Today, we are pleased to share a delectable side dish in today’s BBQ Recipe Roundup from historical fiction novelist Elise Hooper. Her fascinating new novel, FAST GIRLS, is based on the true story of three women who competed during the 1936 Olympics. Remember: the recipe roundup is all week, so come back tomorrow and catch up on the earlier posts, too: Day 1, an appetizer with Lynn Austin: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=10708 Day 2, a main course with Dylann Crush: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=10709 Fast Girls is historical fiction inspired by three pioneering real-life women track champions of the 1930s. In the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything. Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team. From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but…

SUMMER BBQ RECIPE ROUNDUP | The Cowboy Says I Do by Dylann Crush
Author Guest , Giveaways / June 16, 2020

The Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup continues with the main course, provided by contemporary romance author, Dylann Crush and her new book, THE COWBOY SAYS I DO. And don’t forget to check out yesterday’s post. . .  and come back tomorrow for more delicious fun! Day 1, an appetizer with Lynn Austin: https://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=10708 Thanks so much to Fresh Fiction for inviting me to share a little bit about the first book in my new Tying the Knot in Texas series. . .  The Cowboy Says I Do. Like my heroine, Lacey, I grew up in Texas where everything seems bigger, including the cowboys’ appetites. There were plenty of backyard cookouts and gatherings with family and friends. But it was always so hot out that no one wanted to stand in front of a blazing grill. Lacey knows how to throw a party, so when she’s feeding a crowd she likes to toss together a batch of this Perfect Pulled Pork. Not only does it take just a few minutes of prep work, but it can be cooked the night before so a cowgirl doesn’t have to miss out on the party. There’s no such thing as a small get together in…

Dana Dratch | Present Imperfect + Giveaway!
Author Guest / June 8, 2020

When I sit down to write a book, part of the process involves thinking about the future. To make the stories pop, I like to imagine what will be going on in the world when a reader finally curls up with this book. Everything from the weather and the seasons to real-life events. Boy, did I get it wrong this time. And I’m guessing that pretty much none of my fellow cozy mystery writers had “global pandemic,” “social unrest,” “economic crisis,” and “political protests” on their backstory bingo cards. As a result, there’s a whole spate of mysteries coming out that bear little resemblance to the world we now see out the window. And maybe that’s a good thing. From the beginning, cozies and mysteries have served as an escape. So as we worry about a deadly virus with no vaccine and the racism that has no place in our world, books provide an off-ramp from reality. A chance to see the world the way we want it to be. An opportunity to drop our problems for a few moments. Imagine a world where you can eat, mask free, in a restaurant without a second thought. Or sit at a…

Louisa Leaman | My Top 5 Whispering Dresses
Author Guest / May 8, 2020

What is a whispering dress? Venture inside the bridal boutique of my heroine, Fran Delaney, and you’ll find out. Fran finds vintage wedding dresses, gets to know their histories, then matches them to modern-day brides, helping them to transform their lives. In that sense, her dresses ‘whisper’ their secrets and wisdoms to whoever wears them next. I was inspired to write The Second Chance Boutique while working for the Victoria & Albert Museum, researching their extraordinary collection of historic wedding dresses. It wasn’t just the dresses that fascinated me, but the personal stories behind them. From demure to ultimate glamour, from the courtesan’s sack-back gown to the ever-changing Victorian silhouette, the thirties to the sixties to the nineties, these dresses were as varied in character as the women who wore them – and it struck me that the spirit of these women seemed very much present, embodied in the fabric and stitches. The idea of these dresses stayed with me until, not long after my own wedding, I decided I simply had to write a romance based around them. So here are some of the ones that inspired me: The Scandalous One This dramatic Norman Hartnell gown was worn by…

Sarah Morgan | Exclusive Excerpt: FAMILY FOR BEGINNERS + Giveaway!
Author Guest / May 1, 2020

Flora was ten minutes early. Did that matter? Nerves were jumping around in the pit of her belly, but she always felt that way before seeing Jack. A man striding past gave her a wide berth and she realized it was because she was smiling at nothing in particular. Feeling positive, she walked up the steps and rang the bell. One day, she promised herself, she was going to have a proper front door of her own. Maybe flanked by olive trees, or pots filled with trailing plants. Jack opened the door. He was wearing jeans, and his shirt was open at the neck. His feet were bare and there was a hint of shadow on his jaw. Here in his own domain, he seemed younger and more relaxed. “You found us okay?” His gaze connected with hers and she felt a searing flash of chemistry that almost knocked her off her feet. Feeling a little disorientated, she stepped into the house. His fingers brushed lightly against hers, sending a shimmer of heat coursing through her. For a wild moment she thought he was going to simply kick the door shut and drag her against him, but instead he closed…

Amber Royer | Five Things I Love About Chocolate + Giveaway!
Author Guest / April 17, 2020

Somebody asked me the other day if I ever get tired of chocolate, since my funny, romantic Sci-Fi series revolves around it.  And I Instagram about it.  And post recipes, and cooking videos, and have a whole chocolate-themed cookbook.  And – I’m growing it. Don’t tell anybody, but yes, I go through phases where the last thing I want to do is think about another piece of chocolate – let alone eat one.  But when we travel, I’ll check out the shops in town, to find craft chocolate makers and mom-and-pop candy shops, and unique chocolatiers marching to the beat of their own kazoos. Talking to someone about their passion for chocolate as an art form, or for blending flavors the way a wine-maker does, or teaching kids about food or using chocolate to connect with the local community – or to communities of farmers around the world — is some pretty heady stuff.  And getting to taste the chocolate they’ve put all that passion into – that’s the kind of thing you can’t get tired of. There’s an almost universal connection that people have to chocolate.  Often, when I go to handsell the Chocoverse books I say, “The aliens…

Katy Ames | Top Five Favorites About the 425 Madison World + Giveaway
Author Guest / April 7, 2020

Hi! I’m so excited to share Love by Design with you! This story has so many of my favorite things: a hunky carpenter, a heroine getting back on her feet, a heavy dose of sexual tension, and a second chance at love. Plus, magic pancakes. It’s steamy and sweet and I hope you fall for Grayson and Annika as hard as I did! My favorite neighbor in the 425 Madison building: It’s too hard to choose just one. I would have to say, Lyla Dupree from Sweet on You because I have a serious sweet tooth and she makes the best goodies. And, Bernadette Williams from Accidentally in Love, because who doesn’t want to hang out with a sassy, straight-talkin’ lady who serves whiskey in teacups? My favorite mode of transportation around NYC: My two feet. There’s so much to see and do in New York, walking around the city is the best way to absorb as much as you can. Plus, it helps work off all the fabulous food. 🙂 Otherwise, the subway, though sometimes nuts, is the most efficient way to get around and avoid the constant traffic! My favorite or must-see NYC landmark: I’m on a museum…

Sasha Summers | Author-Reader Match: JACE
Author Guest / March 31, 2020

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-ReaderMatch” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Sasha Summers! Writes: Sasha Summers grew up surrounded by books. Her passions have always been storytelling, romance and travel–passions she uses when writing. Now a best-selling and award winning-author, Sasha continues to fall a little in love with each hero she writes. From easy-on-the-eyes cowboy (and JACE is super easy on the eyes!), sexy alpha-male werewolves, to heroes of truly mythic proportions, she believes that everyone should have their happy ending–in fiction and real life. About: Sasha loves reading—all kinds of books. When she’s not reading, she’s watching a movie on the couch with her cat, Gerard the Feline Overlord. Her hobbies include taking long evening walks in a library or bookstore, discussing fictional heroes, cooking (and eating) low-carb treats, and painting. Turn-Offs include: non-readers… Yea, that’s pretty much it… What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Fans of country music Lovers of hot singing cowboy heroes Strong female heroine—wounds and all Their love scenes on the page but not erotic Family Saga aficionados Prefers life with high…