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…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?   You’ll never guess–it’s BEARS BEHAVING BADLY! Can you believe it? I’ll bet you had no idea, despite the title being plastered all over the promo materials. You must be so surprised! I’m surprised, and I wrote the thing. (Yeah, buckle in. I’m ridiculous.)  2–What is it about?  It’s about a foster care system for shapeshifting minors, the people who work there, and the vulnerable shifters in their charge. We know t here’s a dark web, a deep web, a super-duper secret web, a fifth column, a shadow government, black market cheese, and underground wrestling, so why not a foster care system set up for vulnerable and/or dangerous minors? And not just any minors: shapeshifters. And not just shapeshifters: traumatized shifters who would be incredibly dangerous to others even without the PTSD.    Like any underground organization, it runs parallel (but unnoticed) beside the foster care system for Stables (Shifter slang for ordinary bipeds like me and thee). And while weres only make up a small percentage of the population, that’s still a lot of orphans to keep track of. And because life isn’t complicated enough, while my characters are going about the business of saving vulnerable…

Throughout the month, we’ll be checking in with Marissa Backlin, co-owner of Love’s Sweet Arrow, a romance-focused independent bookstore in Tinley Park, IL. Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, sign up for their newsletter, and check out their Patreon. Their online store is still open! Up first, an interview with LSA co-owner Marissa Backlin and FF’s Editorial Manager, Danielle Dresser.  Danielle: Welcome to the Fresh Fiction blog, Marissa! We are so thrilled to learn more about Love’s Sweet Arrow. Where did the idea come from to open a romance-only bookstore in Chicagoland? Marissa: Roseann and I have always been big romance readers. I’ve been reading romance since I was sneaking it around 12 and Mom read it growing up too. I also ordered a few times from The Ripped Bodice once they opened and two Christmases ago, I got Mom the Lydia Bennett box! So two summers ago, we were just talking about how if we had an unlimited amount of money, opening a romance bookstore would be one of the things we would love to do. After a whole summer of daydreaming together about it, we decided to go for it! What are some of your…

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,…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Sarah! Please tell us about yourself and your new book, RUTHLESS. Hello!  Thanks for having me!!  I started off my career writing for television (and still do!), so my prose tends to be fast-paced and dialogue-heavy.  RUTHLESS is the third book in my EYE OF THE BEHOLDER trilogy, about a seemingly idyllic future society where good people are rewarded and bad ones punished… “good deeds” make you more beautiful, while “bad” ones lead to deformity and death.  By the time we get to the third book, our main character, Grace, has learned the truth about her world, and she’s on a mission to set things right.  Although, “setting things right” is more complicated than it seems, just like in real life – and that’s a lot of what this series is about, that nothing is black and white. RUTHLESS marks the end of your Eye of the Beholder trilogy. What have you loved the most about creating these books? Is it bittersweet for this series to come to an end? I’m really excited for this full trilogy to be out in the world!  Though RUTHLESS was the hardest book I’ve ever written, I’m really proud of…

Like every reader, there are some books that come along that I must read, and in turn, I must interview the author. The Keeper by debut author Jessica Moor was one of those books. Since my career in law enforcement began too many years ago for me to share, I’ve felt passionately about changing the way society views domestic violence and violence against women. I transferred into the Special Victims Unit on the police department to work for a specific sergeant, but when I got there, staying there to make a difference became my personal passion. When I was promoted, I spent time in patrol but went right back to the unit that had become my calling. Today, I still feel passionately about the subject, I am disheartened when we take steps backwards, and heartened when we smash that glass ceiling as The Keeper sets out to do. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Kym: Welcome to the Cozy Corner on Fresh Fiction, Jessica! Jessica: Thank you! I’m feeling distinctly cozy already! Congratulations on the release of your debut novel! In just a few sentences, tell us what THE KEEPER is about.  THE KEEPER is set in and around a shelter for women fleeing domestic…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Gretchen! Please tell us about yourself and your new novel, THE OPERATOR. The Operator is the story of Vivian Dalton, a nosy switchboard operator who eavesdrops on all the conversations of the residents in her small town.   Set in Wooster, Ohio in the 1950s, I read that this story is inspired by your own family’s history! Can you share the background and inspiration for THE OPERATOR? I’d been doing genealogy research on my mom’s side of the family, and combined a little of that with my grandmother’s occupation.       Vivian Dalton is one of the town’s switchboard operators and knows everything about everyone because she and the other operators secretly listen in on conversations. If you were in a similar occupation, would you listen in on conversations? Why or why not? I really don’t think I would. It’s so invasive. Vivian overhears a conversation that could be her downfall – she’d be humiliated in front of the entire town and she’s desperate to stop it from getting out. What do you think readers will love about Vivian? What do you think they will find frustrating about her? I know different readers will love & find frustrating…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Melody! Can you tell us about yourself and your new book, THE HAPPY CAMPER?         I’m a writer who loves camping. <grin> Also, I love restoration and décor. So anyway, a few years ago, I was a bit writing-weary when I happened to notice an old vintage trailer ‘for sale’ by the side of the road. The price was right and the 1963 camp trailer was cute…so I bought it and began to restore it. While restoring it, the idea for this book began to tickle my brain. Shortly afterward, I was writing THE HAPPY CAMPER.  Dillon Michaels makes a major life change by moving to her grandfather’s farm, and then into his old camper. What do you think readers will find relatable in Dillon’s choices to change her life? I think we’ve all hit crossroads in life–times when either circumstances or desires nudge us in a new direction. Both are the case for Dillon. She’s disenchanted with her demanding job, non-committal boyfriend, small shared apartment…and ripe for a change. She thinks Grandpa’s farm and his need for help is the answer, but when she arrives the situation has changed. Dillon has…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Reese! Please tell us a bit about yourself and your new book, SECRET HEIR SEDUCTION. Thank you so much for having here on Fresh Fiction. I’m a native Ohioan who has been living in Central North Carolina for the past decade. I write sexy, emotional romance served up with a side of family drama and surprising secrets.  SECRET HEIR SEDUCTION is my third contribution to the long-running Texas Cattleman’s Club series. In this story, a fashion mogul discovers his true paternity and newfound siblings, including the matchmaking sister determined to reunite him with his ex – a diamond heiress he split with five years ago. Audra Covington has always lived in the shadow of her parents’ fortune, but she finally has the opportunity to prove herself through her own in-demand jewelry line with high profile clientele. Audra’s drive to succeed on her own is inspiring! What did you love about creating Audra? I love that Audra has a strong sense of self and she’s determined to chart her own path. She is a confident entrepreneur who is making a name for herself and while she loves her parents very much, she’s over trying to please them….

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Kelly! Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your new book, UNDONE. Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I’m the author of ten novels. I write in a few genres – contemporary and historical fiction, as well as contemporary romance. UNDONE happens to be the third book in my Startup in the City series. It’s the story of Jake and Jess – long-time frenemies and some-times lovers, who reunite when they both find themselves on a wedding party… Jess Cohen can run a busy start-up without any issues but being a bridesmaid in her best friend’s wedding is the last thing she wants to do, especially when the groom’s brother just so happens to be the ex-boyfriend she’s never been able to forget… How does Jess’ past keep her from truly moving forward? What did you love about creating this multifaceted heroine? Jess has survived some incredibly difficult things, but make no mistake, she is strong as hell anyway. She’s had to build a wall between her past and her present in order to move on with her life, but her relationship with Jake makes her question whether that wall is working…