Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
JN Welsh | Exclusive Interview: IN RHYTHM
Author Guest / December 10, 2019

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, JN! Please tell us about yourself and your latest novel, IN RHYTHM. Hi! Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here! I’m a native New Yorker raised in the Bronx. I’m a wine and music lover, wanderlust-er like my characters, and when I’m not dancing (many times rocking out in my bedroom solo), you can find me spending time with friends and family or cheering for my favorite baseball team. I’m also a wellness warrior especially for writers and passionate about practicing mindfulness for mind, body, and spirit. My latest novel IN RHYTHM is the follow-up novel to IN TUNE and second book in my Back on Top Series. It’s a stand-alone novel that features Asha Kendall aka “Velvet,” a dance music DJ who is going after her goals with blinders on. She’s so focused that she never sees Dutch DJ Isaak “Zazzle” Van Sandt coming. The two have an immediate and intense connection but when Zazzle’s hard-partying gets out of control, Velvet presses pause. Their career paths are about to converge, hers on the way up and his on the way down. When their paths cross again, things get very interesting. Your Back…

Sarah Morgan | Exclusive Interview: A WEDDING IN DECEMBER + Giveaway!
Author Guest / December 6, 2019

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Sarah! Can you tell us a little bit about your latest release, A WEDDING IN DECEMBER? Thank you for inviting me back! Great to be here. A Wedding in December is the story of the White family, who come together in beautiful snowy Aspen, Colorado, to celebrate the wedding of youngest daughter Rosie.  On the surface it’s about the wedding (although whether or not the wedding actually happens, I’m not saying! No spoilers here for people who haven’t read the book), but really, it’s a family drama and also three romances in one book because as well as the bride-to-be Rosie, we follow her sister Katie, and her mother, Maggie. Maggie is very much the anchor of this story, which explores how the relationship between the different family members changes over time. It’s a fun, festive holiday story with plenty of drama. What a wonderful family romp to read this time of year! What inspired the White family and their various predicaments? During the holidays, families are often thrown together in a confined space with individuals they might not see too much of for the rest of the year. That’s a recipe for drama! And…

Cleo Coyle | Exclusive Interview: BREWED AWAKENING
Author Guest / December 2, 2019

By Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Teresa Cross *** First, I have to tell you how excited I am that I get to interview you. This is an amazing wish come true as you and Marc are my favorites of all authors. So, all questions can be answered by just one or both of you two! Your Coffeehouse Mysteries are my favorite cozy mysteries as I love coffee, I hang out at coffee shops and I have a daughter who is a barista. What inspired you to write this series with a coffee shop? Marc and I are honored to know how much you’ve enjoyed our work, Teresa, thank you! And please give your barista daughter a hug from us. One of the things we discovered while doing research for our Coffeehouse series was how passionate the people are who work in the coffee trade—from the farmers who grow it and the “coffee hunters” who source it, to the master roasters who create the blends and the baristas who serve it. They continually provide inspiration for our characters and storylines. As for the origin of our series, that reaches back to 1985, when I was working as a cub reporter for…

Nalini Singh | Exclusive Interview: A MADNESS OF SUNSHINE
Author Guest / December 2, 2019

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Nalini! Can you tell us a little bit about your latest novel, A MADNESS OF SUNSHINE?  A MADNESS OF SUNSHINE is my debut thriller. Set in an isolated town on New Zealand’s rugged and stunningly beautiful West Coast, it’s about all the different faces people wear, all the secrets we keep, and how well we ever know one another. The New Zealand landscape is an integral character in the book, a place that’ll take your breath away…and a place so wild and empty that bodies could disappear without a trace. A MADNESS OF SUNSHINE marks a change of genre for you! What inspired this change to write a thriller? Did you find anything surprisingly different than writing paranormal romance? I’ve always enjoyed mysteries and thrillers, and many of my paranormal romances have a mystery element or subplot. So it wasn’t a huge shift to write a pure mystery – it was more a case of having the right story and the right setting. Anahera Rawiri left her small New Zealand hometown of Golden Cove eight years ago, but returns to find things similar, but with some frustrating differences. What does her return home mean to Anahera?…

Natalie Walters | Exclusive Interview: DEADLY DECEIT
Author Guest / November 30, 2019

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Natalie! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your new book, DEADLY DECEIT?  Hi! I’m an Army wife, married to my GIJOE for 23 years. We have three kids who are all officially adults now and spreading their wings, which this mama-heart still finds hard to handle. We are currently stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, which is my husband’s home state and the first time in our 25 years in the Army where we’ve lived in the same state as family. Deadly Deceit brings readers back to Walton, Georgia and into the lives of Deputy Ryan Frost and reporter Vivian DeMarco. A year has passed and neither Vivian nor Ryan are sure they are where they’re supposed to be. The untimely death of Vivian’s boss puts her on the trail of a headline worthy story but someone called The Watcher, is determined to stop her. Ryan knows Vivian is as tenacious as they come but he can’t let her risk her life for a headline. Working together, Ryan and Vivian must overcome their pasts if they want to stop The Watcher and give themselves a chance at a future. The only reason journalist Vivian…

Lori Foster | Exclusive Interview: ALL FIRED UP
Author Guest / November 19, 2019

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Lori! Please tell us a little bit about the Road to Love series, and the latest book, ALL FIRED UP. Thank you for allowing me to visit.  The Road to Love series is about a courier service, Mustang Transport, with the task of moving some very unusual – and often dangerous – items. The business is run by brothers Brodie (DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION, book 1) and Jack (SLOW RIDE, book 2) with help from their mother, Rosalyn and a young lady they think of as a sister, Charlotte. In ALL FIRED UP, Mitch enters the scene. He’s an unknown half-brother to Brodie & Jack (thanks to their oft absentee father) and after a rough upbringing, he wants to meet his brothers, but he ends up meeting Charlotte first, and that throws off all his plans. Nothing is as he expected it to be, and everything is better than he’d ever dared to hope – except that a deadly problem from his past has followed him and now his new family is in danger. Mitch will do anything necessary to protect Charlotte, and the brothers he’s quickly learning to love. Charlotte Parish has been a part of…

Rosemarie Ross | Exclusive Interview: COBBLERED TO DEATH
Author Guest / November 18, 2019

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Rosemarie! Please tell us about yourself and your latest novel, COBBLERED TO DEATH. I’ve been married for 37 years. We have one son, one daughter-in-law and two granddarlings. I’ve been writing since 1991. I focused on short stories early in my career then graduated to books when I became an empty nester. COBBLERED TO DEATH is a food-themed cozy and my first foray into the mystery genre. The main character, Courtney Archer, is a cooking show star asked to co-host The American Baking Battle which is supposed to be a genteel competition like The Great British Baking Show. Behind the scenes, egos and tempers flare. When a contestant is bludgeoned to death with Courtney’s cast-iron fry pan of cherry cobbler, Courtney becomes the main suspect in the murder. To clear her name and find the real killer, Courtney sifts through clues all while smiling for the camera. Your lead character, Courtney Archer, is the star of her own show Cooking with the Farmer’s Daughter, as well as co-host of The American Baking Battle, a new cooking competition show. She has a lot on her plate, so to speak! Where did your inspiration come for this new series,…

Lauren Elliott | Exclusive Interview: MURDER IN THE FIRST EDITION
Author Guest / November 6, 2019

Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Debbie Wiley Hi Lauren! Thank you for joining us today at Fresh Fiction! I love cozy mysteries, especially ones centered around a bookstore so MURDER IN THE FIRST EDITION is a real treat for me to read. Can you tell our readers a little something about the storyline and the inspiration behind it? Hi, thank you for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be here. The inspiration behind my Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series came to me a number of years ago. I had a good friend who owned a small used bookshop and being the book lover I am. It became my second home.  Her shop was my vision of the perfect bookstore–old and rare books, a reading corner, charming knick-knacks, and a bay window display that she decorated to highlight the season and one that never failed to attract passersby.  When I had more time to devote to writing, my old reading friend, Agatha Christie emerged, and the first image that came to mind was my real-life friend Maggie and her bookshop. From there, Addie’s was born. Even though, Beyond the Page Books & Curios is an expanded version of my friends, it’s…

Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward | Exclusive Interview: DIRTY LETTERS
Author Guest / November 5, 2019

To start off, can you tell us a little about your book, DIRTY LETTERS?  Two childhood pen pals are reunited when Griffin has a bit too much to drink one night and writes to Luca, the girl who suddenly stopped writing him eight years earlier. When he realizes why she stopped writing, they rekindle their relationship from afar and resume writing back and forth, this time as adults. Of course, now their letters are a bit steamier. Things get complicated when Luca suggests they meet in person. What were your biggest inspirations for DIRTY LETTERS?  Vi: I actually had a penpal when I was in grade school, a lot like Luca.  So did my kids! Penelope: Thinking back to childhood and the letters my friends and I would write back before there wasn’t any internet certainly inspired parts of the book. Also, music from groups like ABBA, inspired other parts. Why will readers fall in love with Griffin?  Because he’s rough on the outside but an old softie on the inside. Because his love for Luca is unwavering and transcends time. How did you get to know Luca? Did she ever surprise you?  Luca was a fun character to write….

Talia Hibbert | Exclusive Interview: GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN
Author Guest / November 5, 2019

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Talia! Can you tell us a little bit about your new novel, GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN? Thanks for having me! And you may regret asking me that question because I could talk about it for days. But I’ll try to restrain myself. GET A LIFE, CHLOE BROWN is a sexy, sarcastic romantic comedy with a fierce, frosty, chronically ill heroine named Chloe and an artistic, kind-hearted, working-class hero named Red. When the story begins, superintendent Red is convinced his posh, uptight tenant Chloe hates him–but she’s actually just mega-awkward, attracted to him, and always in pain. After certain cat-related shenanigans, they make a deal that involves the two of them working through Chloe’s ‘Get a Life’ list together. And then. . . things happen. LOL! One thing I loved about Chloe Brown is that even though her chronic pain and illness from fibromyalgia has hindered her in some ways, she’s still confident, good at her job, has a witty sense of humor, and knows she wants to change her life. What do you think readers will find the most relatable about Chloe? As a chronic illness sufferer myself, it was really important to me…