Book Title: BRYNN AND SEBASTIAN HATE EACH OTHER Character Name: Sebastian Sudworth   How would you describe your family or your childhood? Huh. You don’t waste any time, do you? Just diving right on in. Okay, let’s see. Family…childhood…I mean, it was fine, I guess. Better than some, certainly. I grew up all over the place, owing to my dad being a diplomat, of sorts. I’m the youngest of three boys, and we were brought up to love baseball and America and to look for opportunities to fulfill our civic duties. I wouldn’t say my mother was exactly maternal, but she loved us a lot. That has never been in question. And we had nannies and housekeepers to fill in the gaps. Sorry if that all sounds painfully pretentious, but the fact is, it was.   What was your greatest talent? I can tell when someone’s lying. Almost always. It’s not like I have some mystical sixth sense or anything, I’m just a keen observer of human nature. I’m perceptive, I guess. It certainly came in handy in the journalism days.   Significant other? Currently? No one. I was married to my college sweetheart for eleven years, but my marriage…

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 you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Stephanie Vance!   Writes: Among other things (e-mails, postcards, the occasional grocery list) I write romantic comedy featuring smart, feisty, often sarcastic heroines who absolutely devastate men who are used to having their own way. Across the Aisle features Dallas McGrath, a female lobbyist working to succeed in a career dominated by men. She’s up against fellow lobbyist Grant Pierce, a handsome charmer who’s sure he’s just one flirt away from defeating Dallas in the lobbying game. Spoiler alert: he’s wrong.   About: Wise (a.k.a. old), witty (a.k.a. snarky), and wine-loving (that speaks for itself) woman seeks partner who appreciates slow burn enemies-to-lovers romcoms featuring strong women who, to put it bluntly, won’t put up with anyone’s crap. Must share my love of travel, romcoms, and dogs, not in that order. I’m a scuba-diver, a business-owner, and a non-sanctimonious vegetarian; I have no problem watching you eat steak (my characters do it all the time), if you’re not pairing it with a Sauvignon Blanc instead of a…

1–What is the title of your latest release?  How to Love Your Neighbor 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Noah Jansen and Grace Travis are next door neighbors. He wants to buy her house. She isn’t selling. In their efforts to convince each other, they accidentally fall and get heart makeovers neither of them were ready for. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Book one was set in California so it was easy. I love California and miss going there so it was a happy place to spend time, even if just in my mind. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. She’s fun, sassy, and very creative. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Intelligent, Underestimated, Genuine 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That I miss watching home reno shows. It’s been a while. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I tend to email myself what I wrote that day, read it on my phone, make a couple notes, then correct before writing new words. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Well, I’m going to seem like quite…

I love a magical first meeting between a hero and heroine in romance, but there’s a lot to be said for a story with two main characters with a shared history together. I’m always intrigued by these kinds of stories but I’m very particular. Some readers love an abundance of drama and angst. I usually prefer lighter fare with a minimum of angst. Of course, there are always exceptions that prove the rule. One of my favorite authors is Lorraine Heath and her stories are often littered with characters who have tangled and passion-filled histories together and a few bad decisions under their belts. However, Heath masterfully and almost inexplicably wraps things up and any angst is deliciously painful rather than tedious. If I can’t root for a couple to iron out their issues and get together, I give up on the story. In this article, I discuss some books with characters who have a past, but who don’t let their past determine their future. In SHE LOVES ME by Melissa Foster, Piper Dalton and Harley Dutch are BFFs who are thrown together when Harley is injured and Piper comes to look after him. Melissa Foster dispenses with typical gender…

Thanks for having me at Fresh Fiction! I’m delighted to be here and chat about one of the elements from my latest release, DEADLOCK (June 25)! What strikes me most about my hero and heroine is that they begin from a place of high-stakes mistrust. One wrong move might get either of them killed. What’s more tantalizing than a couple so overcome with need for each other that they throw all caution to the wind to be together? I love it. And so I present you, in no certain order, my Top 5 enemies-to-lovers romances. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas It’s hard to say too much about this one without spoilers, so consider this your warning! I was simply floored at how masterfully Maas took a character who seemed to be a villain from the previous book and turned him into a hero. Amazing. (A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES is required reading to get the full impact of this one, but it’s fabulous as well.) WALLBANGER by Alice Clayton When you can hear your neighbor’s, erm, very frequent nocturnal activities through the thin wall separating your bedrooms, how can you face him? This is…

Two of my favorite tropes are friends to lovers and enemies lovers. I always find it funny because they’re pretty much on the opposite sides of the spectrum, but I think the dynamics of both are super fun. I figured today I’d talk about my top favorite parts of enemies to lovers books, along with the allure of opposites attract, since my new book, The Wedding Deal, has both. Here’s a short synopsis of the book: After a former quarterback inherits the NFL’s most losing team and fires the majority of the staff, he has to work with the feisty, rule-following HR manager to put a new coaching team together before draft day–all while attending his brother’s destination wedding. Charlotte, the human resources manager, is all about the rules. She likes her I’s dotted and her T’s crossed. So when her brash new boss fires half the staff without doing all the due diligence first, she’s furious. Especially since it means she now has to work tirelessly to help him build a new team. But angry sparks can turn into hot ones, which brings me to what’s so fun about that dynamic. The fights. Having characters start out as so-called…