Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Cindi Madsen | Top Five Movies to Cuddle Up with This Holiday Season
Author Guest / November 20, 2020

In THE MISTLETOE TRAP, Julie’s fairly certain she can convince her best friend Gavin to watch chick flicks with her. Convincing him to join her and his sister doing facemasks proves to be more of a challenge. So, she simply swipes some on his face and tells him he might as well let her do the rest. There are some movies that practically require fuzzy socks and a warm blanket. Here are my top five movies to cuddle up with this holiday season. 1–Just Friends – Ryan Reynolds, friends who start to fall, and a wild yet loveable Rockstar. This movie is full of lots of hijinks and laughter and is one of the movies I can’t wait to snuggle up next to my husband and watch. 2–The Holiday – This is one of those amazing movies with not just one romance, but two! And not to spoil it if you haven’t seen it, but just wait till you see Mr. Napkin Head. Talk about swoon (which is something I never thought I’d say about something involving napkins. LOL) 3–While You Were Sleeping – Not only does this movie have a lot of quotable lines, it’s one of Sandra Bullock’s…

E. Elizabeth Watson | Exclusive Excerpt: TWELFTH KNIGHT’S BRIDE
Author Guest / November 11, 2020

From Chapter Six of E. Elizabeth Watson’s Twelfth Knight’s Bride “Would it make any difference to ye now to ken that the mare ye ride is light of foot and won me a race in the Inverness games four seasons ago?” he diverted. She glanced at him. “She is quite spry for her age. What does that have to do with clan rivalries?” His semi-smile broadened, and he leaned down to her, lowering his voice as he wrapped his hands around his reins in preparation. “Absolutely nothing. I’m saying my horse could use a good jaunt, and since yer palfrey bears the record she does, how would ye like a wee competition? Up to the wood’s edge where it’s dense of trees and sparse of people?” Her eyes brightened, and a smile of her own danced upon her lips as she looked ahead of them to get bearings on the mark. Just as he suspected. The lass, bold of tongue, was also competitive. “I do believe I’m being challenged to a race by the enemy. More rivalry is what we need, then?”“Only a gentle bird frightened of losing would refuse,” he taunted, sitting upright again and staring down his nose…

Evelyn Sola | Top 5 Must Haves in a Second Chance Romance + Giveaway
Author Guest / November 11, 2020

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been reading romance novels for over thirty years, and there are some things that I absolutely must have. They can make the difference between an okay and a great read. Here’s my list. 1. That first meeting. To me, this is THE moment. The chemistry has to be just right. The attraction has to strong enough to set the page (or Kindle) on fire. Remember, this is a second chance, so something comes between them. I want to see what made them fall in love the first time. 2. Glimpses of the past. I’m not a fan of chapters upon chapters of flashbacks as a reader. I’d much rather see what the characters are up to now, but second chance romances need to give up glimpses of the past. We need to see what made the relationship so strong, and why we believe in this couple so much that we want them to get back together. 3. The breakup. The reason for the breakup has to not only be good, but believable! I’m not a fan of breakups happening over a misunderstanding. Romance novels are all about finding your soulmate. This person is…

Adriana Herrera | Exclusive Excerpt: AMERICAN CHRISTMAS
Author Guest / November 3, 2020

“Bébé, what are you doing?” I called from the bed as I looked at Yin fussing around in our little kitchen on the other side of our studio apartment. I bit back a smile when he whipped around toting two mugs in a candy cane motif. “I was trying to bring you some coffee with peppermint creamer, Mr. Sleepy Head.” The attempt at sounding stern was thwarted by the grin on his face. He closed the space between us in a few steps and handed me the steaming mug. I reached out for the drink knowing it would probably be too sweet. And that I would drink it anyway, because how could I not, when it was made for me with such love? It was still hard to believe sometimes that I had this life. I patted the spot on the bed next to me, as Yin blew on his own cup. “Come sit with me.” He held up a finger and looked down at his drink. “Let me wait until this cools down, because you know me, I’ll probably spill this all over the bed and then we’ll spend Christmas at the ER.” I had to bite back a…

Priscilla Oliveras | La Parranda & Other Holiday Traditions with Mi Familia
Author Guest / October 28, 2020

The Christmas holiday season has always been my favorite time of year. When my three girls were younger and still at home, we spent the month of December decorating outside and in, cutting out and frosting sugar cookies, designing and baking gingerbread houses-monuments-buildings from scratch, and sharing special Christmas Eve traditions together. One common thread throughout all those activities was the presence of music–carols playing in the background that enticed us to sing along as we enjoyed our activity. Even though my girls are adults now, I’m pleased to say that we still do the same. . . only, we try to cram it all into a few days or the week we have together when they visit. And yes, we definitely do our best to make the most of it. This year, with the pandemic, I’m not sure if we’ll all be together, but I can guarantee that our gingerbread building permits will meet the regulations and codes in our four different states, and come Christmas Eve, you’ll find us in a group Facetime or Zoom opening our pajamas and reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas aloud. Distance and differing time zones won’t stop us. In fact, one year,…

Makenna Lee | 20 Questions: A SHERIFF’S STAR
Author Guest / October 27, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  A SHERIFF’S STAR is my new release from Harlequin Special Edition. It is the first book in the Home to Oak Hollow series. 2–What is it about?  A SHERIFF’S STAR is the story of a single mother of a little girl with Down syndrome. Mother and daughter travel to Oak Hollow where Tess Harper will curate the town’s museum before moving to Houston for Hannah’s heart surgery. Upon arrival in the quaint Texas town, her four-year-old slips away for an unannounced game of hide-and-seek. Tess finds her in the arms of the handsome chief of police. Although tempted, she’s not here for romance, and he’s exactly the danger-seeking type she avoids. Staying away from him becomes impossible when he turns out to be her landlord and next-door neighbor. Hannah adores him and his grandmother, making separation difficult. Anson Curry’s alluring tenant is jumpy and standoffish, but he helps her move into the house he’d planned to fill with children. He’s vowed not to start a relationship unless it can be a forever thing, so getting close to another woman who’ll leave town is a chance he shouldn’t take, but her daughter, Hannah, keeps…

Carla de Guzman | 20 Questions: SWEET ON YOU
Author Guest / October 20, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Sweet on You 2–What is it about? It’s about a rivalry between a barista and a baker, set during the peak of the Christmas season on the Philippines. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Stubborn. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He’s charming, but not in the way that he thinks he is.  5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Sari would rather suffer alone than ask for help, but if she had to, she would turn to her friend Kira or her older sister, Sofie. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? My family and I spend Christmas in Lipa, so it feels special to write a book in that setting, in that time. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? Plotter, definitely!  8–What is an ideal writing day for you? Finishing a big scene or a chapter in a day, with a cup of iced coffee and maybe a sugar cookie. 9–Do you listen to music while you write, need total silence, or do you have the TV on? Depends on how annoyed…

Nancy Naigle | Exclusive Interview: A HEARTFELT CHRISTMAS PROMISE
Author Guest / October 2, 2020

Hi, Nancy! Welcome back to Fresh Fiction. Please tell us about yourself and your latest novel, A HEARTFELT CHRISTMAS PROMISE.   Hey there! It’s been a while since we’ve chatted. I’m so excited to be here to share a little about my newest book. Isn’t the cover adorable? I’m a dog lover so I’m crazy about this cover. I know people love reading on their ereaders, but I hope they’ll not only download the digital copy, but also splurge on the purchase of a copy of A Heartfelt Christmas Promise in trade paperback for their bookshelf and include it in their holiday decor. It’s such a fun cover, and so different from all of my other holiday books. PSSST- If you order a print copy and need an autographed bookplate. .  . email me for one with your full address I’d be happy to personalize them for you and your friends! What do you love about writing Christmas romance novels? What do you do to get in the holiday spirit while writing these books?   I love the chance to whisk my readers away from the day-to-day, and what better way to do it with the joy Christmas brings. The smell of…

Terry Spear | My Favorite Fall Tradition
Author Guest / October 1, 2020

I love fall, though in coastal Texas the fall isn’t as grand as it is in other areas of the States. Still, I photograph leaves that have turned wherever I can find them. And when I went to Omaha in October, I was able to photograph fall colors too. Even in Central Texas at the zoo, the colorful leaves reflected in the water in November. I can pull up pictures I’ve taken in Scotland in September and Minnesota in the fall too and enjoy them when I can’t see them here. I love the fall colors. They make me feel good when the heat can still hang around for quite a while where I live, and I’m looking so forward to getting some cool-downs at least at night and in the mornings. When we lived in Oklahoma, we used to drive along the Talimena National Scenic Byway in fall where the leaves were gorgeous. But when I lived in New Jersey, after having lived in Texas and Florida, I was astounded by the brilliance of the autumn foliage. I love to decorate with fall leaves and fall items–like a sign that says, “Fall in Love.” It has fall leaves on…

Kim Redford | My Favorite Fall Tradition
Author Guest / September 29, 2020

Fall in Texas is the perfect time of year to enjoy cooler weather. At Twin Oaks Ranch, that means more than fun campfires, cookouts, trail rides, and family get-togethers. It’s time to take stock of the ranch after summer growth in the pastures, as well as damage to trees and bushes by high winds and storms. This year there was quite a bit of clean-up on my agenda after a wild–weather-wise–spring and summer. What to do? Fortunately, my cowboy neighbors are always ready to lend a helping hand, so I called on them. As we worked on the ranch, I took photographs to show readers how art imitates life in my cowboy firefighter novels. Photo 1: Zander wears a harness that is a potential life-saver. If a line breaks, the harness will keep him from falling to the ground. He climbed up a shade elm that had been damaged by straight-line winds. He cut out the limbs, but he saved the trunk. We expect to see new tree growth appear in the spring. That will be a happy day for us all. Photo 2: Rod can wield a chainsaw with exact precision. In this case, thick blackberry vines had grown…