Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Carla de Guzman | 20 Questions: SWEET ON YOU
Author Guest / October 20, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Sweet on You 2–What is it about? It’s about a rivalry between a barista and a baker, set during the peak of the Christmas season on the Philippines. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Stubborn. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He’s charming, but not in the way that he thinks he is.  5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Sari would rather suffer alone than ask for help, but if she had to, she would turn to her friend Kira or her older sister, Sofie. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? My family and I spend Christmas in Lipa, so it feels special to write a book in that setting, in that time. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? Plotter, definitely!  8–What is an ideal writing day for you? Finishing a big scene or a chapter in a day, with a cup of iced coffee and maybe a sugar cookie. 9–Do you listen to music while you write, need total silence, or do you have the TV on? Depends on how annoyed…

Alexa Martin | Exclusive Interview: SNAPPED
Author Guest / October 16, 2020

Hi, Alexa! Welcome to Fresh Fiction. Please tell us about yourself and your new book, SNAPPED.  Hi! Thank you so much for having me! I’m Alexa, I’m a mom of four adorable and wild children and I’m married to my high school sweetheart. He played in the NFL for 8 years which is what inspired my Playbook Series. SNAPPED is the fourth book in the series and focuses on Elliot and Quinton. Elliot does PR for the Mustangs and when Quinton takes a knee on the field and covers the league’s logo on his jersey, she’s sent in to help manage the media storm. They get off to a rocky start, but eventually, sparks fly as they both work through some pretty big issues they’re both facing. Some of our readers may not know this, but your husband is a retired NFL player. How much of your experiences did you incorporate into the Playbook series?   He is! He was drafted to the NFL my freshman year of college, so I was pretty much a baby when we moved in together. The women that I met during that time really molded me into the woman I am today. It’s why female friendships play…

Betsy St. Amant | The Key to Everything
Author Guest / October 16, 2020

If you travel to north Louisiana and listen carefully, whispers on the cypress-laden air will tell you legendary tales of a young woman who repeatedly tried to make lemon bars. The trees shield their eyes from the tragic tale of utter failure, while the bayous draw their waters up tight in sympathy and shame. . . Well, okay, that might be exaggerated, but not by far. Confession: I don’t bake. If you say the word “lemon bar” around my mom, she turns ghostly pale from blocked memories of my attempts to make those pesky little yellow desserts all through high school. Never got it right. I’m convinced they’re my nemesis. Now, don’t get me wrong–I can make a mean batch of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies. You know, the kind where you cut open the package and place the already perfectly circular bits of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes? I’ve got that down! In fact, I make them a little on the “not quite done” side, and people rave. Everyone always wants me to bring those to parties, like I did something spectacular. (and when I remember the lemon bars, I’m convinced I did) My mother…

Nina Crespo | Author-Reader Match: THE LAST RULE OF MAKEUPS
Author Guest / October 13, 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 Nina Crespo! Writes: Nina writes romance stories that range from small town sexy to sizzling. THE LAST RULE OF MAKEUPS is the third book in her steamy Breakup Bash series. Cori has sworn off of relationships, but then she runs into her ex-ex-boyfriend, Grey Latham. What happens when Mr. Right has the worst timing? Read Cori and Grey’s story for all of the sizzling details. About: Author is looking for readers ready for a fun, sexy book vacation to happily ever after. A need for steamy, flirty romance, and a book boyfriend who knows how to deliver multiple orgasms is a must. Bring wine, cupcakes, and a sense of humor along for the ride, and we’re practically guaranteed to be a perfect match. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: -Open to a fling becoming a thing. -Believes in second chances. -Views girlfriends and wine chats as must-haves. -Loves music. -Loves a sexy hero in a towel or wearing nothing…

Kianna Alexander | Exclusive Excerpt: AFTER HOURS REDEMPTION
Author Guest / October 13, 2020

First, I didn’t get a contract. Now I’m stuck driving home in a monsoon. Peering through the water streaming down the wind­shield, Eden Voss kept an eye out for the turn going into her southwest Atlanta neighborhood. Typical of any Tuesday night, city traffic had been akin to driv­ing in a demolition derby, and the rain only exacerbated that. The farther she got away from the city proper, the more she relaxed. She’d just spent three hours sitting in a smoky hookah lounge in Midtown with a producer and his newest act, discussing whether her songwrit­ing might be a good fit for them. If the young artist had been as decisive as he’d been flirtatious, the meeting might have actually led to something concrete. She wondered what she would have been like if her dreams of singing stardom had come true. Those ambi­tions were long ago laid to rest. However, she knew that if she had made it, she wouldn’t have been so disrespect­ful as to ogle another industry professional, especially during what was supposed to be a business meeting. Eden pushed those thoughts away, concentrating in­stead on making it home intact. Even with the wipers going full blast, visibility…

Janine Rosche | 20 Questions: WILDFLOWER ROAD
Author Guest / October 13, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Wildflower Road 2–What is it about?  A widow searching for peace and a fallen pastor seeking refuge must work together to save her family’s struggling resort on Montana’s Madison River, but it’s only a matter of time before their pasts catch up to them. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Resilient–Despite all Ryann has endured, she has remained steadfast and loyal to those around her. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Shane has a humility that could only come from losing everything and everyone he’s loved, all thanks to his own actions. He doesn’t believe he deserves the second chance at life he’s been given in Montana. And he certainly doesn’t believe he deserves the affection of a girl as trusting as Ryann. He’s as vulnerable as he is dreamy. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  They both have a tendency to carry their own burdens to protect those around them. In one another, they find someone they can finally lean on. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  My parents introduced me to West Yellowstone, Montana, when I was younger. I’ve waded in…

Olivia Dade | Exclusive Interview: SPOILER ALERT
Author Guest / October 9, 2020

Hi, Olivia! Welcome to Fresh Fiction. Please tell us about yourself and your new book, SPOILER ALERT.  Hi! I’m Olivia Dade, a lifelong nerd and enthusiastic, pants-averse hag. I’m also a writer, and Spoiler Alert is my print debut. I’m incredibly excited about it, because the story tackles so many topics close to my heart: fandom, fanfiction, fatness, friendship, and family. It also contains a startling number of dirty geology puns, because no one stopped me!  Put briefly, the story is about a himbo actor, Marcus, who is secretly smart and hates how his worldwide-hit TV show has gone off the rails in recent seasons. He pours his frustration into anonymous fanfiction with the help of his online BFF, April–but if anyone found out he’d been criticizing his own show so openly, his career would be over. Which is a problem, especially once he meets April in person and falls in love. . . but can’t tell her they already know one another. Spoiler Alert is a sweet-hot romcom with lots of banter and emotion and nerdery, and if you read it, I hope you absolutely love it. The world of fandom is a relatively recent phenomenon in pop culture….

Sarah Smith | Exclusive Excerpt: SIMMER DOWN
Author Guest / October 6, 2020

I pick up all the pillows, toss them back on the bed, straighten out my clothes, and climb under the sheet. The heat inside me has officially cooled. My eyelids grow heavy. When I blink, I don’t see Callum anymore. Every muscle in my body is relaxed, free of tension at the thought. Soon I’m asleep. It’s deep and hard and everything good. Until I start to dream. *** Dream Callum is a million times nicer than real-life Callum. Dream Callum spoons me from behind, my absolute favorite. How did he know? He presses his clothes-free body against mine, a perfect shell for my hot and bothered self. None of this is real. That doesn’t make it any less divine. He wraps his arms around me. They’re so thick that when pressed against me, they cover most of my naked chest. Leaning back, I groan. “You like that?” he asks. I nod a yes, then moan again. Those thick lips press against the back of my neck. “What do you want, Nikki?” When his voice is this low, this gentle, it makes my eyes roll to the back of my head. The hottest sound in the world is Callum’s English…

Cat Schield | 20 Questions: UNTAMED PASSION
Author Guest / October 6, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Untamed Passion 2–What is it about?  After a single night of passion results in an unplanned pregnancy, a woman must decide if she can make a future with a man who can’t embrace love while he’s trapped by his resentment of his father. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Determined. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  I love Oliver’s inner strength. He’s a recovered addict who strives every day to stay sober despite the increasing pressure coming to bear on him because of the drama surrounding his father’s criminal activity. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Oliver struggles to reach out to anyone. He has estranged himself from his family and keeps most people at arm’s reach. His assistant is the person who he relies on the most. It’s to her he turns when he needs to find the woman who ran out on him after an incredible night of passion. Sammi has a tricky relationship with her mother who has managed Sammi’s modeling career since she was a baby. Sammi has a best friend, a fellow model who offers some much-needed career and romantic advice. 6–What…

Sarah Morgenthaler | Exclusive Interview: MISTLETOE AND MR. RIGHT
Author Guest / October 6, 2020

Hi, Sarah! Welcome back to Fresh Fiction. Please tell us about yourself and your new book, MISTLETOE AND MR. RIGHT. Thanks for having me back! My name’s Sarah Morgenthaler, and I write romantic comedy and contemporary romance. MISTLETOE AND MR. RIGHT is my Alaskan Christmas romcom set in the fictional town of Moose Springs.     This is the second book in the Moose Springs, Alaska series. What do you love about creating this town and its inhabitants?   I’ve had a blast creating Moose Springs. The residents are so quirky and fun to write. They’re very loyal to each other, and even more loyal to the land and to the wildlife in their community. It’s a close-knit place full of love. (They just don’t love all the tourists coming to town!)       What did you do to get into the holiday spirit while writing this novel, even when it wasn’t the holidays?   One of my good writer friends suggested I buy a Christmas-themed candle. Burning that while writing worked great for setting the scene! I also played lots of Christmas music while writing and looked at pictures of winter scenes.     Lana Montgomery has big plans to improve…