Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
B.J. Daniels | Exclusive Excerpt: AMBUSH BEFORE SUNRISE
Author Guest / May 18, 2020

“I’M CURIOUS,” JINX SAID, her voice sounding strange even to her. “How did you get that scar?” She watched Angus swallow, then seem to relax, his blue eyes bright with humor. “Well, it’s kind of an amusing story.” He smiled. “I got pushed out of a barn loft when I was eleven.” “That’s awful.” He sat up straighter until they were eye to eye. “It was my fault. I asked for it.” “You asked to be pushed out of a barn loft?” “I was teasing her. She warned me that if I didn’t stop she would knock me into tomorrow.” “She?” Jinx felt goose bumps break out over her skin and for a moment she could smell the fresh hay in the barn, feel the breeze on her face, remember that cute cowboy who’d taunted her. Her heart began to pound. His smile broadened. “She was a spitfire, as fiery as her hair back then.” Jinx felt heat rush to her cheeks. “Tell me her name wasn’t JoRay McCallahan.” “Sorry, I’m afraid so,” he said and laughed. “I wondered if you would remember.” “When I saw you, I thought I’d met you before, but I couldn’t think of when that…

Janine Rosche | Title Challenge: THIS WANDERING HEART
Author Guest / May 12, 2020

Who wouldn’t love to read a nice contemporary on-the-road romance right now? Roll down the windows, turn up the tunes, and set your eyes on the horizon with my debut novel, This Wandering Heart. The first book in the Madison River Romance is a second chance love story with what may come across as a too-good-to-be-true hero (I make no apologies) and a relatable heroine with conflicting desires and a haunting history. Take a trip with Robbie and Keira as they revisit their past and hope for a future filled with wonder, wilderness, and a whole lot of wandering. Teacher of geography, Keira Knudsen, has never seen a road she didn’t want to drive or a land she didn’t want to visit. With a History of childhood abuse, she finds safety in Isolation and solo travel where no one can control or harm her anymore. But none of her high school students would ever guess she is the popular, yet anonymous, Social Media influencer Kat * Wanderfull. Guided by her decade-old road Atlas that doubles as her journal, she visits rustic locations, old cities, and National Parks. Unfortunately, to make her Dream come true, and finally Escape her past once…

Amy Andrews | The One Where I Joined Tinder…
Author Guest / April 28, 2020

When setting a book in a world that involves the heroine going on Tinder, it was important to me to try and understand how dating apps work. I mean. . . I haven’t been on a date in 35 years so I needed the skinny. What’s involved in the sign-up process, what’s the lingo, what are the dos and don’ts? Do I swipe left or right? And what kind of people are really on these apps anyway? So, what’s an author to do? Yes, you guessed it, I joined Tinder. Me – a happily married 49 (at the time) year old woman! Never let it be said I don’t go above and beyond for my books. Now. . . Let me explain. I didn’t start off intending to join Tinder at all. I started off just Googling around and reading a bunch of articles about the platform. Then I pumped my kids and their friends for information and even sat with a couple of young women as they perused their app to show me the lay of the land. But I found as I was writing there was still so much info I wasn’t sure of and I felt like…

Lea Hart | My Writer/Introvert Life Hacks That Have Kept Me (mostly) Sane
Author Guest / April 14, 2020

We are hip-deep in a pandemic as I write this, and my youngest daughter is currently singing/shouting Beauty and the Beast for the fifth time today. I don’t hate it. She squeezed into an old costume, pulled out her “makeup” and asked for extra glitter. I complied of course and decided to paint her nails and curl her hair, too. ‘Cause getting on your glam is never a bad idea. I might even pull out the good china for lunch and serve the grilled cheese and grapes properly. These are unprecedented times and I’m doing everything I can to focus on the many positive ways we humans are pulling together. And not the news updates, I check obsessively. Some days are better than others, and today thankfully, has been a good one. Glitter and all. And it is with that spirit that I’d like to offer my writer/introvert life hacks that have kept me (mostly) sane. Make a plan. A loosy-goosy (yes, that’s a technical term) agenda will only make you feel unaccomplished at day’s end. May happen anyway but at least putting the right foot forward gives you a fighting chance of winning the war of laundry. I usually…

Victoria James | How to Stay Creative (and Productive!) During Stressful Times
Author Guest / April 3, 2020

I’m writing this post as the back door swings open for the tenth time in about three minutes. Kids are in and out. Forgetting gloves, hats, and soccer balls. The husband is on speakerphone in the other room on a work call. My elderly parents are calling with another item to add to the grocery list and I’m…staring at the word count goal on my writing calendar-and realize I’m thousands of words behind on my current work in progress. And I’m tempted to check for a news update. Time to take a deep breath and remember that it’s all going to be okay. The most important thing is that we’re all okay. But despite being grateful for SO many things, how does a person go about clearing all their worries and find the ability to be creative? Trial and error. I don’t think that there is one right answer for anyone and it may even change from day to day. I think that’s key though-be flexible. Here are five things that are working for me right now: Waking up before my kids. I always liked doing this, but now that we’re all home together it’s even more important. It’s UNINTERRUPTED…

Soraya Lane | MY ONE TRUE COWBOY
Author Guest / March 31, 2020

One of the hardest parts of creating a series is writing the last book. In My One True Cowboy, the fourth and final book in my River Ranch series, it was sad to say goodbye to the Ford family, but it was also incredibly satisfying writing Angelina Ford’s story! I certainly feel as if I left the best for last… Angelina is everything I love in a woman. She’s ambitious, she’s made it on her own, she doesn’t need a man and she’s strong. It made writing her so satisfying, because for her to fall for a man, he had to be someone very special. In writing her, I put her in the incredibly difficult position of facing a huge life change, which made her much more vulnerable than the strong, nothing-can-knock-me-down woman in the previous books. But it gave me a lot to work with, because I was able to show her grow and change, and also, fall in love. In the modern world we live in, I find it really inspiring reading about a woman who doesn’t need the money or love of a man to make her whole, because it makes the romance that much more satisfying….

Kim Redford | Exclusive Interview: COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT
Author Guest / March 31, 2020

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Kim! Please tell us about yourself and your new book, COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT. Thanks for inviting me back to Fresh Fiction! It’s always a pleasure to be here. COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT is a special book for me, so I’m delighted to talk about what motived me to write it. We all share a love of music, because it uplifts us, motivates us, inspires us, and simply pleasures us. I can’t imagine life without it. We owe a great deal to the many musicians who give their creativity through this medium. I particularly appreciate the musicians in my own family who generously share their talent at family reunions and other events. COWBOY FIREFIGHTER HEAT is my tribute to them and musicians everywhere. Wildcat Bluff County, Texas, is as much a character in the novel as it is the setting. What do you love about setting your books there? Is it inspired by a real location?  I absolutely love setting my books in Wildcat Bluff, because I keep learning more about the landscape, community, towns, and fascinating folks with each novel I write in the series. I started with the town of Wildcat Bluff, but soon Sure-Shot,…

Emily March | Exclusive Interview: TUCKER
Author Guest / February 25, 2020

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Emily! Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your new book, Eternity Springs: Tucker. I’m a native Texan and spend most of my time at our home in the Texas Hill Country. When I decided to do a trilogy set within the Eternity Springs world but in a locale outside of Colorado, Texas was a perfect fit. Gillian Thacker owns a bridal salon but hasn’t had the best luck when it comes to her own dating life. I love that contradiction – someone who works in the wedding business but isn’t really ready to settle down herself. What do you think readers will find relatable in Gillian? Gillian is a strong, capable person, but when she is thrown a big life curve, it takes her a little while to recover. I believe life is like that. It can knock you down, and we don’t all climb back on our feet at the same pace. I try to write my characters realistic. They’re not perfect, but they’re real. After a career in the Army, Tucker McBride is trying to navigate civilian life, and the last thing he wants is a boring desk job. So…

Delores Fossen | 20 Questions: TANGLED UP IN TEXAS
Author Guest / February 25, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  TANGLED UP IN TEXAS. It’s the first book of the Lone Star Ridge series for HQN. 2–What is it about? It’s about a Texas rancher, Shaw Jameson, who’s reunited with his childhood crush, Sunny Dalton. Sunny was once the star of a reality TV show that featured her and her triplet sisters, and she’s returned home after some personal and medical setbacks. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Resilient. Sunny’s been through a lot, but she’s managed to hang onto her “sunny” outlook on life. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Along with being hot, Shaw is a rock. As the oldest of his many siblings, he handles a lot of the family problems along with running a ranch. He’s the go-to guy who’s only missing one thing from his life–the woman he let get away. But now he has a chance to fix that. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Both the hero and heroine have siblings–lots of them–so they have plenty of help when they need it. My heroine, Sunny, is a triplet, and she’s very close to her sisters and her brother, Hayes. I…

Teri Anne Stanley | Favorite Dogs from TV, Movies, and Pop Culture + Giveaway!
Author Guest / January 31, 2020

I can’t exactly remember when and where my fascination with dogs started–but it wasn’t because I grew up with dogs. My mother’s dad raised Border Collies that he trained to herd sheep–they weren’t pets, and she had no desire to have the stinky dirty beasts in the house. And then my little brother developed allergies to dogs (and cats, and chocolate, and just about everything else you can imagine), so the first pet I was allowed to own was a turtle that I named Paddlefoot. My love of dogs must have started with books and movies. The first dog I remember knowing about was Lassie, the transgender wonder dog (you might remember that Lassie was always played by a male dog. Anybody know why?). But she/he was a little too perfect to be my first dog crush. That flowing coat, though. She/he was totally the Fabio of dogs, wasn’t she/he? I really fell in love with dogs from reading The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. Yes, it was an actual book before ‘ol Walt made it into a movie. I read and re-read the book almost as often as I read Charlotte’s Web (but I didn’t cry since…