Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Michelle Major | 20 Questions: MISTLETOE SEASON
Author Guest / October 25, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? MISTLETOE SEASON 2–What is it about? Angi Guilardi always believed that food is love, and not just because she grew up working in her family’s Italian restaurant in Magnolia. Her passion is creating innovative and hearty dishes that showcase both her Italian heritage along with the more modern techniques she learned in culinary school. But only one year of culinary school due to an unplanned pregnancy that forced her to drop out of the renowned program. Of course she doesn’t regret sacrificing her dream for her three-year-old son, Andrew, who is the best part of her. She only wishes she could convince her parents to let her update the restaurant’s menu or add some of her cooking style into their family recipes. She gets a chance to try something on her own when she starts a catering company and enters into a partnership with the owner of Magnolia’s newest inn and wedding venue. Angi’s mother doesn’t appreciate her attempt to reinvent her life, certain she just needs a good man to be happy, and decides to take matters into her own hands as a matchmaker. But instead of falling for one of…

Kari Lee Harmon | My Top 10 Favorite Bachelorette Themed Parties
Author Guest / October 5, 2021

In SLEIGH BELLS RING, Amber Evans is the maid of honor for her best friend Samantha Darling, and Kip Covington is the best man for Nathan Snow. Amber and Kip have been at odds for a year, trying to outdo each other in every aspect of wedding plans. Now that it is their job to plan the bachelor and bachelorette parties, they can’t agree on a theme. Kip oversteps his bounds and invites them all to a joined party at his couples’ ski resort in Vermont. The bride and groom and thrilled, so Amber has no choice but to go along with the plans. That got me thinking about bachelor and bachelorette parties. I’ve been married for thirty-two years, so I haven’t been to a bachelorette party or thought about one in quite some time. In doing research for this book, I was amazed at the themes that are out there now, from wild to flat-out crazy. Here are my top ten favorite ones: A Friends-Themed Bachelorette Party You can arrange your very own Central Perk inside your bachelorette pad with a Friends-themed bachelorette. You can send the coffee mugs home with guests as favors, after your Instagram shoot. You…

Linda Broday | 20 Questions: A COWBOY CHRISTMAS LEGEND
Author Guest / September 29, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? A COWBOY CHRISTMAS LEGEND  2–What is it about? Once a former Texas Ranger, Sam Legend has retreated from family, friends–and life–and settled in the northernmost reaches of the Texas Panhandle. He’s unable to come to terms over the loss of his young wife and throws himself into a new venture of forging knives. All he wants is to be left alone and forget all about any happy celebration, most of all Christmas. But Cheyenne Ronan refuses to let him. She sees his wounded soul and is driven to try to help him. Christmas is no time to be alone, wallowing in misery. Beneath his long hair and unkept appearance is a man worth saving and she’s just the woman to do that. But she has secrets of her own. As Christmas approaches, they have to work together to put another broken family back together and find Christmas is filled with miracles and unexpected love. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The starkness of the Panhandle with it’s harsh winters and heavy snows seemed the perfect place for a man to disappear into. It has high mesas, sweeping vistas, and is filled with deep ravines and gullies. I lived there for a…

Jennifer Snow | Author-Reader Match: A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
Author Guest / September 28, 2021

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Jennifer Snow! Writes: USA Today Bestselling Author of fast-paced, sweet, and sexy contemporary romance set in small towns with quirky characters and snappy dialogue. About: Jennifer enjoys writing books that have humor, heart and heat! She loves to write dialogue and the witty banter between her hero and heroine is her favorite. She likes to populate her small towns with a quirky, lovable cast of characters that readers like to revisit. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: -Likes fast-paced, low drama romances with open door sex scenes -Prefers a Beta to an Alpha male lead -Has a slightly sarcastic and dry sense of humor -Must not require much sleep because once they start reading, it’s impossible to put the book down. What to expect if we’re compatible: -More book releases than you can keep track of (I have a similar *problem*) -A guaranteed HEA in every romance. -To be introduced to my dark alter-ego, J.M. Winchester who prefers…

Sharon Sala | Exclusive Excerpt: THE CHRISTMAS WISH
Author Guest / September 24, 2021

It was quitting time, and Bridgette was shutting down her office when Wade appeared in the doorway. “Hey, darlin’. Wanna go with me to get a Christmas tree for the store? I’ll throw in a snow cone for your trouble.” “Oooh, yes!” Bridgette said. “Do you want to take your car home first, or leave it here and I bring you back to get it later?” “Are you going to bring the tree back here to the store?” He nodded. “Then I’ll leave it here.” She grabbed her jacket and purse and followed him through the store as he locked up access doors and made sure the security cameras were working. Wade noticed the pensive look on her face and stopped long enough to give her a quick hug. “This was a weird day, wasn’t it, honey? Are you okay about everything that happened?” She sighed. “Yes. Just sorry for Josh’s family. I know LaJune and the kids well enough to visit with them when I see them around. This makes me sad for them.” Wade pushed a curl from her forehead, then brushed a kiss across her lips. “I think Uncle Dub was feeling the same. He called me…

Roan Parrish | Exclusive Interview: THE LIGHTS ON KNOCKBRIDGE LANE
Author Guest / September 24, 2021

Danielle: Hi, Roan! Welcome back to Fresh Fiction. For readers who might not be familiar, can you give us a little rundown about your Garnet Run series?   Roan:  Totally! The Garnet Run series is what I’d call cozy romance. It’s set in the small town of Garnet Run, Wyoming where (in my head canon, at least) everyone is queer unless explicitly stated. We start with Better Than People, in which Jack, a grouchy and antisocial artist, breaks his leg and can no longer walk his pack of rescue animals. Enter Simon, a super-shy, virgin animal lover who takes over the task. As they get to know each other, Simon falls in love with Jack’s menagerie—and then with Jack himself. Jack, of course, is already smitten. We also meet Jack’s older brother, Charlie, who raised him after their parents died when they were teenagers. The second book, Best Laid Plans, is Charlie’s love story. Forced to grow up at 18, when he had to raise Jack, run the family business, and pay the rent, Charlie missed out on the whole self-discovery part of being young. Now in his thirties, he’s never had a relationship—he doesn’t even know if he has…

Kari Lee Townsend | IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR… + Giveaway!
Author Guest / September 14, 2021

Every year I say I’m not going to start planning for the holidays until after Thanksgiving, but who am I kidding? I start watching Hallmark holiday movies the second they come out, usually before Halloween. With all the shortages in supplies as well as delivery services from the pandemic, this year more than ever it’s time to start planning early. Start what, you ask? Everything, I say! Start making a list and checking it twice. Start reflecting on the past year. Have you been naughty or nice? In NAUGHTY OR NICE, Samantha Darling is through being nice. Nice has gotten her nothing but heartache, so she decides to give naughty a try. Getting back at her ex is worth ending up on the naughty list. You’ll have to read the story to see what crazy situation her new motto has landed her in and how she handles it. I have no “real” exes to get back at because I’ve been with my hubby since I was eighteen; but if I did, I could see myself doing what Samantha does. Sometimes I feel like I’ve always been way too nice in life. Don’t get me wrong, I love being nice. Helping…

Jennifer Faye | Top 5 Things I Love About Christmas + Giveaway!
Author Guest / December 9, 2020

The first thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE Christmas. I love. . .  well, I guess I should save that for my Top 5 list, huh? Lol. The other thing you should know about me is that I love romances. So when you combine the two, well, what could be better than a Christmas romance? And that’s why I have not one, but two new Christmas romances out this year, CHRISTMAS IN BAYBERRY and FAIRYTALE CHRISTMAS WITH THE MILLIONAIRE. The first is a small town romance and the second is a big city romance because Christmas happens everywhere. So not only do I get to enjoy the holiday traditions with my family, but I also get to research what other people do for Christmas. Doing research for a book can be so much fun. I’m always learning something new. Now for my favorite things about Christmas. . . My family. . . without them, well, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas. I’ve been known to switch our Christmas celebration to Black Friday just so the whole family would be together. And you know what, it was just as fun because it’s the people who make it…

Jules Bennett | CHRISTMAS ON PEACH TREE LANE
Author Guest / December 8, 2020

CHRISTMAS ON PEACH TREE LANE is definitely a book based around holiday traditions. That’s actually the crux of the issue between the hero and shero regarding the annual Tinsel Tour. I love holiday traditions. I think a tradition just gives families and friends a special bond and something a little extra to look forward to. It almost makes those other people in your life feel special to know they share something so valuable with you. Especially in this crazy time, I think if we can continue to hang onto those traditions, that is so important for peoples’ mental wellbeing. In my family, we started something special about ten years ago. We do a Christmas morning breakfast that has blown into an event that everyone loves and talks about all year long. You know how sometimes you would have to try to fit in all the family visits and all the important dinners? But then you would be too full from one family, so you wouldn’t eat at the next house. It all just seemed so rushed and not what you want during a holiday. You want to be able to enjoy your family and friends. That’s where the special memories…

Eve Morton | Author-Reader Match: HOLIDAYS IN BLUE
Author Guest / December 8, 2020

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Eve Morton! Writes: I love to write about LGBTQ characters as they explore new aspects of themselves, their pasts, and/or new locations, especially as they fall in love. I’m a huge fan of the vacation romance, second chance, and reunion romances, and HOLIDAYS IN BLUE falls under all three categories. Both characters return to their hometown for the holiday, become trapped there, and must work out parts of their pasts together, all while igniting old passions. In short, I think love can change someone’s life, so I try to showcase this in my novels, while also indulging in the character’s quirks and other passions. About: I am a gigantic nerd who is always reading a book and always trying to learn something new. This has caused me to complete a PhD in English Lit and teach at numerous universities and colleges, while also trying my hand at tarot card reading, memorizing random facts about the personal lives of some actors and…