Hi everyone, I’m A.J. Locke, author of the upcoming urban fantasy novel, MAGIC DARK, MAGIC DIVINE with Entangled Publishing. Today I thought I’d share a fun interview with my four main characters, Pennrae, Callan, Gideon, and Toji, as a way of introducing them so you can get to know what they’re like before you meet them on the page. The answers they give don’t just pull from the book either! You’ll learn tidbits about them here that don’t echo in the novel, so it’s a great bit of insight into who they are as well as what their relationships with each other are like. I hope you enjoy getting to know my crew a bit. Q1: Give one word to describe the others Penn: Oh, this should be good… Gideon: Unflattering descriptions will be heckled. Toji: Gideon is one of the most fiercely caring people I know. Penn is unfathomably protective of those she cares about. I don’t know Callan very well yet, but he has to be strong if Penn has him by her side. Callan: I definitely need my strength. She throws a mean punch… Penn: Watch it before one really comes your way. Gideon: Me next! Toji,…

Night swallowed the wood whole and completely. As I chewed my bread, I lay back on the blanket, looking for my star. I watched the sky for nearly an hour before she popped up over the tops of the trees. I smiled. The blanket shifted as the dog-sized horse stepped onto it. I glanced over, shocked to see a very solid animal beside me. His coat glimmered like the sky above, shimmering violet where the firelight touched fur. “You’re solid,” I murmured. I had an impulse to touch him, to test my words, but decided better of it. Ristriel seemed a mellow-minded being, but I didn’t want to test his temper. He smiled ever so faintly—at least, as much as a horse could. “Not for long. Not if we stay in this glade.” I sat up. “Why? Is it . . . enchanted?” The horse gave me a wry look. “No. Only open to the sky.” He tilted his muzzle upward. I tried to see what he saw, but there was nothing special in the heavens tonight except for my star, who twinkled merrily among her siblings. I wondered if she’d seen my tapestry. The first-quarter moon peeked over the tops of…

Danielle Jackson: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Roshani! We are happy to have you here! Can you give us your elevator pitch for ONCE MORE UPON A TIME?  Roshani Chokshi: ONCE MORE UPON A TIME is, perhaps, a very long epilogue to what I imagine must really happen after a happily ever after. ONCE MORE UPON A TIME was originally released as an Audible Original last summer and is now in print! Did you do anything different in your writing process when you knew it was going to be an audiobook first? What was the process like taking it into print?  Writing for something to be heard was fascinating. It makes you rethink the cadence of every sentence, the time spent on settings, the propulsion of the story, and the function of dialogue. A major thing I had to do was watch the verbs and adverbs surrounding the dialogue. Since someone would be narrating, they didn’t need me to provide tonal context…they would supply it via direction. When we got the news the story would go to print, what had been a process of subtraction meant quickly adding back in some of the tonal cues for readers. One of my favorite parts…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Isabel! It’s hard to believe BLOOD AND EMBER, the third book in your Stormbringer series, is already out. What have you loved about writing this series the most?  Getting to build my own world! Bits of it were tough–the maps especially, as I am not a person who’s good with space and distance. (I am a person who lives in Massachusetts and continually refers to “going up to New York City.”) But I got to think up holidays and histories and peoples, which was tons of fun. I also got to create a world with a benevolent goddess of death and vengeance, and not in a gross “scorned woman” way, which I am into. Olvir embarks on a harrowing journey to hopefully figure out the true nature of his powers, and his friend Vivian (a warrior in her own right!), is not going to let him go about this on his own. Of course, their friendship develops into something more. How did you balance their epic journey with their changing relationship?   The thing I’ve found about travel is that it gives you a lot of time and space to think–like, just being away from your normal surroundings can…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE CALYX CHARM 2–What is it about? It’s the third book in the Sacred Dark series, so it’s also about resurrection, second chances, and found families. This one in particular features star-crossed lovers, Violetta and Tibario, who come from feuding households. Tibario died during this feud, only to return to life as a blessed cat-soul. Violetta, a seer, has foretold the destruction of the world as they know it due to the escalation of their families’ battle. So when Tibario returns to her with an apocalypse hanging over them, they have a chance to start again and create a new future together.  3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I absolutely loved writing a setting in which trans people are part of the cultural background. I also love the fantasy drama of grandiose witches and primeval spirits, set around resurrection, dark sorcery, and thunderous prophecies. It’s meant a lot to me to tie all these together with flairs of swashbuckling romanticism. 4–How did Violetta surprise you?  It felt like Violetta was one surprise after another. She was a complicated character to write because her story is so personal, so…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE PROMISED QUEEN 2–What is it about? This is book three in the Forgotten Empires trilogy, which is about the marriage of state between two enemies – a rebel, ex-slave prince, and a queen trapped in her own diplomatic web. They learn to work together to face their common enemy, a tyrannical emperor who has terrorized them, their families, and their people. This book is the culmination of their unlikely love affair and their attempt to triumph in an unwinnable war. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  My queen, Lia, rules over the last good place left. It’s a tropical island called Calanthe where all pleasures are indulged, sanctuary is given to all, and no one judges anyone. I’ve heard some readers call it “Versailles in Hawaii.” It’s a beautiful place, full of flowers, gentle seas, birds, bees, wildlife, and peace. I love everything about it. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Lia has a lot of secrets – about who she really is, her magical gifts, who her mother was, and how she came to be born. All of that surprised me! 5–Why will readers love your…

It seems you played a few cards right, a familiar mental voice said as the butler opened the door to Branwyn’s room. I can’t enjoy a room like this as I once did, but it’s a much finer view than the inn. Yathana was lying across the foot of Branwyn’s bed, three feet of straight, razor-edged steel in a scabbard covered with midnight-blue silk, with thin golden chains connecting small amethysts and garnets. Her hilt appeared gold too—a thin layer of gilt did wonders—and the eye-sized fire opal in the center of her guard was now flanked by two chunks of amber on the quillons and another on the pommel. Seventeen years of partnership had given Yathana’s normal form time to sink very deeply into Branwyn’s consciousness, and even after two months of practice, the additions stood out whenever she had occasion to examine the soulsword. Adapting to the shifts in balance had come more easily, praise the Four. “It looks wonderful,” she said to the butler, though she really hadn’t even noticed the room save for marking a window opposite the door—real glass, not shuttered, and framed by heavy rose-pink curtains. “Thank you.” “The maids will have put your…

As both a reader and writer of romance, I have one major pet peeve: overbearing heroes. Sure, some “Alpha” males can’t seem to help themselves, but no means no, even if it’s something small like walking a lady home. I try not to write the kinds of heroes who don’t take no for an answer, especially when it’s something major. However, my gargoyles were created not only as full-grown men, but as protectors of an entire kingdom and all of the citizens within. So, it comes as no surprise to me when they have a hard time not protecting the person they’ve set their hearts on. In BORN OF THE FORBIDDEN, Adalstan has the misfortune of falling for a Kevan woman. Keva is a kingdom of female warriors akin to the Amazons. They certainly don’t need protection. In the following excerpt, both Adalstan and Brónach come to realize they have something to learn about each other. Excerpt: Adalstan landed well shy of the first houses marking the large border city of Angor. He set Brónach on her feet but didn’t move from her space. She gave him a wary glance before stepping back two paces away from him. They’d been…

We are thrilled to share the cover for Jeffe Kennedy’s new book, THE GOLDEN GRYPHON AND THE BEAR PRINCE, available on January 25th. It’s a brand new fantasy romance, the start of her highly anticipated Heirs of Magic series, and sounds absolutely enthralling! *** Follows The Long Night of the Crystalline Moon in the UNDER A WINTER SKY fantasy holiday anthology. A Legacy of Honor Crown Prince Astar has only ever wanted to do the right thing: be a credit to his late-father’s legacy, live up to his duties as heir to the High Throne of the Thirteen Kingdoms, and cleave to the principles of honor and integrity that give his life structure—and that contain the ferocious grizzly bear inside. Nowhere in those guiding principles is there room for the fierce-hearted, wildly free-spirited, and dizzyingly beautiful shapeshifter, Zephyr. Still, even though they’ve been friends most of their lives, Astar is able to keep Zephyr safely at arm’s length. He’s already received a list of potential princess brides who will make a suitable queen, and Zephyr is not on it. A Longtime Obsession Zeph has wanted the gorgeous, charming, and too-good-for-his-own-good Astar for as long as she can remember. Not that her…

Hi, I’m Nina Croft, writer of all sorts of romance. And I’m here to talk about my latest release, DECEPTION, book 2 in my Dark Desires Origins series, a mixture of science fiction, paranormal, and romance. The remnants of humanity have fled to the stars in search of a home. Now, after five hundred years, they’ve finally reached a system capable of supporting life. It’s time for a new start. * D – D is for Destiny, my heroine, the only person to be born on the journey from Earth and with a mysterious role to play in the survival of humanity. E – E is for Earth. Which is long gone and now the future of mankind lies in a galaxy far away. C – C is for Chosen Ones. The people who won the lottery and got a place on the fleet leaving the Earth. Except the lottery might have just been a little bit rigged. E – E is for Ever after. And that’s a long time if you’re a warlock, like Milo, my hero. P – P is for Prejudice. Milo has always dreamed of a world without prejudice, where the “monsters” no longer need to…