Time to start fresh. A brand-new year of possibilities. That got me thinking about New Year’s Resolutions. Some people are for them. Some people are against them. Where do you stand on the matter? I, for one, am for them. I like to reflect on the past year both personally and professionally. I like to think about goals I set the previous year and see if I met them. If I didn’t, then I reflect on why not and what I need to do to differently? Life is complex. It can get busy and crazy and a jumbled mess if we let it. Happiness is about balance, or so I’m learning 😉 I’m finding the older I get, the more balance I need to be happy. The older we get, the wiser we get. As cliched as it sounds, it’s true! I no longer need all the things I once thought I did to be happy and fulfilled. It’s taken me years to realize my success isn’t based on the accomplishments of anyone else. It’s based on my own goals and working hard to meet them. 2020 hit hard for us all. I never in my wildest dreams imagined we…

My husband and I have had plenty of ups and down, and we always try to put the pain, joy, and absurd humor of our daily lives into our novels. It’s one of the reasons readers tell us they’ve formed deep connections with our characters, especially our amateur sleuth, single mom and coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi, whose quirky adventures and complicated love life have helped us sell more than one million books in our Coffeehouse Mystery series. With Clare now on a path to be married to her longtime boyfriend, NYPD Detective Mike Quinn, my husband and I began our Brewed Awakening story development with a conversation over (no surprise) coffee. After everything Marc and I have gone through as a couple, we wondered: What if our years together were suddenly wiped from our memories? Would we be drawn to each other again? If so, how exactly does “like” deepen into something more? When does love begin? To tell this story, we agreed that Clare would have to suffer from a traumatic memory loss. Her damaged memory ends up wiping away years of experiences, including every single memory of Detective Mike Quinn, the man she’s grown to love over our…

Thanks so much for featuring us on Fresh Fiction! We love your blog and are so excited to have the opportunity to talk about our sweet YA romance, IN THE PENALTY BOX! Before we get started on our post, don’t forget to enter the giveaway! Details are at the bottom of the post. Below we’ve shared our top five movies for Brodie and Willow’s characters. Do you have a favorite movie? If so, leave it in a comment below! Brodie’s got quite a list, and as he and Willow get to know each other, he realizes they have a few in common! Which makes her all that more irresistible. 1–Fast and Furious 8: The Fate of the Furious. I mean a sub crashing through the ice? That’s just plain rad. 2–Young Blood: Best hockey movie ever…even if it’s from a hundred years ago. 3–The Avengers – all of them. No way can I choose just one. 4–The Terminator Series: Yep, even the non-Arnold ones. 5–Elf: Who wouldn’t like a movie that has the longest belch ever recorded? Willow loves streaming movies! After tearing her Achilles tendon while figure skating, Willow had loads of rehab time, which meant hours on end…

I think it’s safe to say that a swoon-worthy hero, the ever-elusive book boyfriend, is what makes a good book great.  As a reader, I’m always chasing this man. To me, he’s like the unicorn of the contemporary romance world. They come in many forms. We have the nice guys, alpaholes, daddies, and Dominants, mob bosses, to name just a few. What’s swoon-worthy for one reader might not cut it for another. For example, I tend to prefer the nice guy to the alphahole, but nice guys and alphaholes can share many things in common. I’ve written a three-book series. The heroes are all different, but they each possessive some of the same attributes that make me swoon. I’ve been reading romance way before I started writing, and it’s all about the hero for me. Yes, I love a strong, feisty heroine, but I read to find a book boyfriend, and now that I’m a writer, I can mold and shape my hero to meet my book boyfriend criteria. Here are the five things that make me fall in love with a fictional character, whether a nice guy or not. POSSESSIVENESS – A hero who knows what he wants and…

Staying home means more time to read. Right? To help pass the time between books, we asked six of our cozy mystery authors to share what they’re doing during their time at home! We hope you’ll cozy up at home with these first in the cozy mystery series: Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder by Amy Lillard, a Main Street Book Club Mystery Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker, a Seaside Cafe Mystery Death on Windmill Way by Carrie Doyle, a Hampton’s Murder Mystery Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns, an Italian Chef Mystery Dead in the Water by Denise Swanson, a Welcome Back to Scumble River mystery Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy, a Stationery Shop Mystery Keep reading to cozy up with our authors and check out the books over here! You’re trapped in a remote cabin with one character from your series for one week. Who would it be and why? Amy Lillard: Hands down-Fern. She might not have Helen’s cooking skills or Camille’s bottomless handbag or even Arlo’s practical side, but being stranded definitely wouldn’t be boring with Fern! Bree Baker: I would definitely spend the week with Everly Swan, the heroine of my Seaside Cafe Mysteries!…

Hi! MK here! I had so much fun writing Let Me Stay. I am so ready for it to be out in the world because I can’t wait for readers to read it. Let Me Stay loosely connects with my novellas Mobbed Up Love, Don’t You Know, and Don’t You See. I love writing mobster with a heart! Thanks for having me here, Fresh Fiction! My favorite neighbor in the 425 Madison building: Gwen from Must Love Coffee by Leigh Lennon; she is totally awesome! My favorite mode of transportation around NYC: The Subway for sure!  My favorite or must-see NYC landmark: Times Square! It has that “bright lights, big city” vibe that I love! My favorite thing about “city” life: The different types of food that are pretty available 24/7! My favorite thing about being a part of the 425 Madison world: I love being a part of this series because of the writer friends I’ve gained. I also love the atmosphere 425 Madison provides. So many different kinds of stories to be told there. — COMMENT TO WIN: What’s your favorite thing about where you live? Tell us in the comments and you’ll be entered to win a…

Hi everyone! I thought this week, I could talk about what I’ve been reading lately and why I think I am reading these things. Just like everyone else, I am struggling a lot with the social distancing and isolation as a result of the Corona Virus Pandemic. I moved out three years ago to my own place and I currently live alone with my two dogs (a big reason I picked the place I did – it allows up to two pets). Normally, that’s not so bad and I like having my own space, but it’s been difficult this past month. Also, my younger dog, Lady, has been having trouble too because she’s very social and misses my family too. We’ve had some recurrence of accidents and she is easily scared more than usual by things. If anyone else is dealing with this with their pets, one thing that has been helping immensely is having special body massage time and extra cuddles! I have always taken comfort in reading. When I was in junior high and struggling to make friends, I reread Anne of Green Gables and Tamora Pierce over and over, finding comfort in the found families and the…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Bookseller-Reader Match” where we introduce you to a bookstore as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Marissa of Love’s Sweet Arrow!  Writes/Sells: I’m Marissa, one of the co-owners of the romance bookstore Love’s Sweet Arrow, the second one in the country! Love’s Sweet Arrow opened last June in Tinley Park, so we are coming up on our first anniversary soon! Love’s Sweet Arrow focuses on having a diverse variety of romance in all subgenres, but also has fun t-shirts, tote bags, buttons, and stickers (some made by BestFriendKelly), soaps (by Perennial Soaps), and candles (NovellyYours, Big White Yeti, and Hearth and Hammer). About: I am 31 and I’ve been a bookstore owner for almost a year now. Before this, I was a special education kindergarten teacher in a local school for a few years and I’m currently a one-on-one paraprofessional in a kindergarten classroom in a different school, which means I’m home from that job too. Before that, I was actually involved in the performing arts and I have an undergraduate degree in music (vocal performance). I’ve got an interesting…

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…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-ReaderMatch” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present EVELYN SOLA! Writes: I focus on contemporary romance filled with love, laughs, and drama. My stories tend to be on the lighter side but will pull on your heartstrings. Flirtatious banter, interesting family dynamics, the push and pull between the two lovers are just a few of my trademarks. My debut novel is CRAVE (March, 2nd), a diverse romance about a man who had given up on love until he spots her from across the room. Unfortunately for him, things transpire that evening that sends his lady love running as far and as fast as she can. The chase is on after that! About: New author seeks lover of contemporary romance who appreciates heroines who aren’t afraid to speak up, and a hero who knows exactly what he wants and isn’t afraid to fight for it. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Knows that a hero who swears off love falls the fastest. Has a weakness for smart independent heroines….