Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
M.A. Grant | Exclusive Interview: THE IRON CROWN
Author Guest / April 9, 2020

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, M.A.! Please introduce yourself and tell us more about your new novel, THE IRON CROWN. Thank you so much for having me! I always struggle to introduce myself. I guess the easiest way of explaining who I am is to say that I’m basically the village lady who lives on the edge of the woods and only comes in to town when absolutely necessary. I love my animals, spending my time gardening, crafting, and baking, as well as writing and reading. I enjoy living in the liminal space between the world we know and the world we can sense, but not always see. The entire DARKEST COURT series is a great reflection of who I am and all the nerdy things I love. It centers on the lives of three Unseelie princes at the moment a civil war breaks out in Faerie, threatening their world and the safety of their people. THE IRON CROWN features the last battles of the war and ties up all the plotlines that have run throughout the series. This is the third book in the Darkest Court series. Can you set the scene (without out too many major spoilers, LOL!) for…

Adrianna Herrera | Exclusive Excerpt: AMERICAN SWEETHEARTS
Author Guest / March 24, 2020

A note from Adriana: I love that I get to finish the Dreamers series with a strong Dominican woman at the center of the story. Of all the characters, Priscilla is the one closest to me and the hardest to write. One of the things that I’ve tried to do with these Dreamers is to have nuanced conversations about the realities of immigrant lives, but without extracting the joys of who we are. Women of Color in fiction sometimes get cheated out of softness, and because we have so much to prove. The paths that we take to follow our dreams sometimes are so riddled with obstacles, we are not allowed to be. And then it can be hard to look for our own soft landing. Priscilla fights hard to stay in control. To feel self-sufficient until little by little Juanpa shows her that she can lean on him without losing herself because he’s done the work of becoming strong enough to be that for a woman like her. I love their story, and I’m so proud that it’s with these two that we say farewell to these Dreamers.   *** Priscilla The smiles and whoops of joy were already…

Rhenna Morgan | 20 Questions: HERS TO TAME
Author Guest / March 24, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? The name of my latest release is HERS TO TAME. It’s the second book in my NOLA Knights trilogy and features Kir Vasilek (right hand to a powerful Russian vor taking control of New Orleans) and Cassie McClintock (a sassy television news reporter who’s already tangled with Kir a few more times than she thinks she should have). 2–What is it about? HERS TO TAME picks up on a thread introduced in the first book of the series–HIS TO DEFEND. Cassie is a television reporter who’s reaped some serious notice and a promotion at work thanks to some information Kir leaked to her months ago. But work wasn’t all they did together, and the chemistry was off the charts smoking hot. Unfortunately, Cassie didn’t realize Kir was connected to a growing crime family in New Orleans when they first hooked up. As soon as she did, she shut down all communications in an effort to keep her reputation as a reporter squeaky clean. The only problem–her stories seem to be drying up and she still hasn’t shaken how much Kir affected her. When the death of one of Kir’s men brings them back…

Amanda Weaver | 20 Questions: LOVE AROUND THE CORNER
Author Guest / March 10, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Love Around the Corner 2–What is it about? It’s about Gemma Romano, the oldest of three Italian American sisters in Brooklyn. There’s a lot of change happening in her life, some good, some bad. And now her first love, the boy who broke her heart, has moved back home. They have a lot of baggage to unpack. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Tough. But she’s also so big-hearted. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He tries SO hard to do the right thing, and to take care of everyone in his life. He’s made mistakes, but now he’s determined to do the right thing. Gemma describes him at one point as George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life, and that’s pretty spot on. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Gemma’s Number One is her dad, John. Since her mother died when she was a teenager, the two of them have relied on each other. They’re more than father and daughter. They’re business partners and best friends. Brendan could stand to rely on a few more people. He’s stubborn and insists on shouldering every burden himself. But…

Therese Beharrie | Exclusive Interview: ONE LAST CHANCE
Author Guest / February 18, 2020

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Therese! Please tell us about yourself and your new book, ONE LAST CHANCE. Thank you so much for having me! My name is Therese Beharrie and I’m a South African romance author. My brand is basically banter and heart, and ONE LAST CHANCE is no different. It’s a romance about two best friends who love one another but act on it at the wrong time. Years later, they have to decide whether it’s the right time. It’s full of tropes – I call it a friends-to-fake-relationship-to-lovers-to-spouses-to-estranged-spouses second chance romance!  Zoey Roux is the third of the Roux sisters to get her own HEA! What has Zoey learned from her sisters as they found love in their lives? What has Zoey learned about herself in the time she’s been apart from her estranged husband? This is such a great question. So much of Zoey’s story is about her growth, and she’s definitely seen and admired her sisters’ growth as they’ve fallen in love, but more importantly, as they’ve found themselves while falling in love. Zoey doesn’t see herself clearly, despite having worked incredibly hard to become a better person since her marriage fell apart, but she prizes…

A.M. Arthur | HARD RIDE
Author Guest / February 18, 2020

Thanks so much to the folks here at Fresh Fiction for having me today to talk about my new release, HARD RIDE, the fifth book in my Clean Slate Ranch series with Carina Press. Single guy Derrick Massey is facing a long summer of five family weddings, and he needs a fake boyfriend to keep his family off his back about settling down. Quiet cowboy Slater needs a place to stay in the city while he heals from a broken ankle, and what starts out as an arrangement starts to feel more like the real thing for both men. HARD RIDE was my very first time writing the fake-relationship trope, and I had so much fun I’m definitely doing it again! I have no idea why I waited so long. Maybe I just needed the right couple to pop up, and they definitely did in Derrick and Slater. Both men have been part of the Clean Slate Ranch series since book one, especially Derrick, who’s made an appearance in every single book so far. Slater was mostly a name or figure in the background, so when it came time to write about another ranch cowboy, he was the perfect…well, clean…

Ruby Lang | 20 Questions: HOUSE RULES
Author Guest / February 11, 2020

What’s the name of your latest release? My latest release is HOUSE RULES. It’s the 3rd book in my Uptown series about love, real estate, and adulting. What is it about? HOUSE RULES is about exes who end up living together because the rent in New York City is too darn high. It also features meddling relatives, some sexy wrist-brace stripping, and an asshole cat. What word best describes your heroine? Evolving. Lana is in her 40s, but in a lot of ways she’s still finding her place in the world. When she divorced the hero Simon, she was an aspiring music teacher, but her own career aspirations seemed to take second place behind Simon’s. Now she’s moved back to New York and is trying to make it as a chef. What makes your hero irresistible? When Lana is sick, Simon puts her to bed, runs out to the all-night pharmacy to get her all the medicine she could possibly need, arranges it all on tray, makes her food. He’s also a runner and, in my head at least, looks a little like Matthew Goode.  It’s a pretty great combination. Who are the people your main characters turn to when…

Charish Reid | Title Challenge: HEARTS ON HOLD
Author Guest / February 4, 2020

My latest adult contemporary romance, HEARTS ON HOLD, features a professor and a librarian who engage in a short affair while working together on a university project. Dr. Victoria Reese isn’t expecting to catch feelings during this three-week trist; she’s looking for a release from the stressors of teaching at a predominantly white university, nosy administrators, and an overbearing mother. Her secret lover, John Donovan, has his own share of stressors: Managing the children’s department of The Farmingdale Library and caring for a cheeky 12-year-old niece. Working with the tightly-wound, schedule-obsessed professor sounds like a challenge for a man who has ADD and tries to live a laidback life. But there’s something about Victoria and her overdue paperback romance that makes John intrigued. He’s always up for a sexy challenge. H is for Hot. These two have amazing chemistry. E is for Earnest. John is there to support A is for Attraction. It’s instant. R is for Rendezvous. They have few of those. T is for Time-management. Victoria loves to schedule S is for Sisterhood. Yay for female friendships!   O is for Overdue. Victoria’s paperback is crazy late N is for Nemisis. Victoria’s boss is a meany.   H…

Lucy Parker | 20 Questions: HEADLINERS
Author Guest / January 20, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? My new release is called HEADLINERS, and it’s the fifth book in my London Celebrities series. 2–What is it about? Rival TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have been trading barbs on their respective shows for years, but the competition between them soured into full antipathy after Nick broke Sabrina’s family scandal on his show. With both their careers potentially on the rocks, their only chance to salvage their jobs is to (reluctantly) agree to co-host the network’s struggling live morning show. They have a limited deadline to lift the ratings, but have to contend with an unknown person on set who’s determined to see them fail. In order to make things work, they’re going to have to put the past behind them and pull together as a team. But when it becomes clear that the chemistry between them is not solely antagonistic, the road to true love is as rocky as the path to higher ratings. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Determined. Sabrina has a strong work ethic and she’s determined to make the best of things, and to not let her personal problems with Nick jeopardise her career any…

Rachel Reid | Exclusive Interview: TOUGH GUY
Author Guest / January 13, 2020

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Rachel! Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest novel, TOUGH GUY. Thanks for having me! TOUGH GUY is the third book in my GAME CHANGERS m/m hockey romance series for Carina Press. It’s sort of a second-chance romance story, but the first-chance never really happened so I don’t know what exactly you would call it. Second chance at a chance? Ryan was billeted by the Salah family when Ryan was a 17-year-old hockey player in Halifax, and he developed a crush on their son, Fabian. They reunite many years later as adults in Toronto. Ryan Price is a professional hockey player and has worked hard for the success in his life, but he still feels like something is missing. You’ve even described him as a “giant sad teddy bear.” Tell us more about Ryan! Ryan is a reluctant enforcer in the NHL, which means his role on the team is mostly to be physical and to fight other players. He’s good at it, but he hates doing it. He has also been traded a lot, so he’s never really felt settled anywhere. Adding to that, he suffers from an anxiety condition that makes him…