Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Jill Eileen Smith | Adam and Eve Before and After Their Fall Into Sin
Author Guest / February 16, 2023

1–What is the title of your latest release? DAUGHTER OF EDEN, EVE’S STORY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? From the moment of their creation, they had it all until the Unseen One told them they didn’t, and she believed him. If only she could go back and make a different choice. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The Bible made that choice for me since the story focuses on Adam and Eve before and after their fall into sin. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Definitely. I find Eve fascinating, and I would love to get to know her in a real-life way, not just in my imagination. One day, in heaven, I will. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Conflicted, Forgiving, Loving 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I came to better understand and appreciate the unseen realm. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I write, but I still do at least four rewrites of every book, sometimes more. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Chocolate 9–Describe your writing space/office! My official “office”…

Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan | Exclusive Excerpt: UNFAILING LOVE
Author Guest , Excerpt / June 3, 2022

“Yer gonna have ta calm down, Lillian. Yer scarin’ them kids.” Miss Tilly was beating eggs for the meringue topping on her strawberry pie for supper with Father. She paused only an instant to speak the words quietly, her eyes fixed on Lillian. “Am I? Scaring them?” “Yeah, I think ya are.” “Oh dear.” There’d been so much to worry about. Lillian had momentarily forgotten to try to appear confident for the sake of the children. Her heart had fluttered uncomfortably for much of Saturday afternoon and by now her stomach was churning. Her long-awaited reunion with Father was fast approaching. “I’ll try.” “With as many folks as are lookin’ north just now, I wouldn’t doubt but them kids’ll be home ’fore ya know it.” Lillian groaned. “I do hope you’re right.” In spite of the strain of it all, supper was being prepared. The table had been set. There was no way to know if Grace and Ben would arrive home before Father and Delyth appeared, but there was no way to postpone the meal. Lillian was suddenly aware that the children should have been her most important focus at the moment. “Would you mind, Miss Tilly, if I…

Elizabeth Camden | Author-Reader Match: WRITTEN ON THE WIND
Author Guest / May 27, 2022

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Elizabeth Camden! Writes: I write gilded age romance novels featuring smart characters and deeply romantic, emotionally turbulent love stories. I make my characters earn their happy ending, like in Written on the Wind where they must travel to the ends of the earth before accomplishing their goal. The novel features a Russian count whose long-distance friendship with an American heiress is the only lifeline he has left after the czar strips him of his lands, title, and fortune. He escapes into the Siberian wilderness with nothing but the clothes on his back and his determination to reach New York and Natalia …. where the real battle will begin.   About: I was a college professor and research librarian before making the shift to becoming a full-time writer. My time period is gilded-age America, and the backdrop for each novel is a real-life historical advancement like water purification and how it allowed for the development of modern cities, or the development of steel and its…

Ann H. Gabhart | Title Challenge: WHEN THE MEADOW BLOOMS
Author Guest / May 4, 2022

Hi, I’m Ann H. Gabhart. So fun to be here to share about my new book WHEN THE MEADOW BLOOMS. Doesn’t that title make you think of how flowers bring new hope each spring? The people in my story need that new hope. This title challenge turned out to be a true challenge, but a fun one as I came up with words to share about my characters and more about my story. So here goes. W – Ways. WHEN THE MEADOW BLOOMS is a story of ways to keep believing when hard things happen. As the story begins, Calla, fourteen, and her sister, Sienna, nine, are in an orphanage while their mother, Rose, is being treated for tuberculosis at a sanatorium. Calla never stops praying for a way for their family to be together again.  H – Home. Is there a word that brings more warm thoughts and memories to mind? When their mother became ill, Calla and Sienna had to go to the Home for Girls, a place that never felt like home at all. Will Meadowland be their dreamed for home? E – Efforts. Every time Sienna gets in trouble at the orphanage, Calla wants to find…

Belle Calhoune | 20 Questions: THEIR ALASKAN PAST
Author Guest / April 29, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? THEIR ALASKAN PAST   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Famous Dog Musher, Ace Reynolds, is at low point in his life after a serious crash in the Iditarod ends his career and injures his lead dog, Luna. When his former girlfriend, Veterinarian, Maya Roberts, asks Ace for help in leading a dog rescue, he’s forced to choose between his heart and his head.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I write a series set in Owl Creek, Alaska, so it was really easy. The book centers around an Iditarod sled dog racer, so an Alaskan setting was imperative.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. She’s a vet who wants to start a dog rescue. There’s nothing cooler than someone who is compassionate and caring about animals and loves to be surrounded by them.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Strong, Loyal, Proud   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Answer: I did a lot of research about dog sled racing and the Iditarod. I admire these athletes and their dogs who…

Lynette Eason | 20 Questions: LIFE FLIGHT
Author Guest / January 7, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? LIFE FLIGHT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? EMS helicopter pilot Penny Carlton is used to high stress situations, but being forced to land on a mountain in a raging storm with a critical patient–and a serial killer on the loose–tests her skills and her nerve to the limit. She survives with FBI Special Agent Holt Satterfield’s help. But she’s not out of the woods yet. In the ensuing days, Penny finds herself under attack. And when news reaches Holt that he may not have gotten his man after all, it will take all he and Penny have to catch a killer–before he catches one of them. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I love the mountains of North Carolina and spending time there as they’re only about an hour and a half from home. So, when I decided the first book would have a mountain top emergency helicopter landing and a serial killer on the loose, Asheville, NC seemed like a great place to put that. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. 5–What are three words that describe…

Jody Hedlund | 20 Questions: NEVER LEAVE ME
Author Guest / January 7, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? NEVER LEAVE ME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? In NEVER LEAVE ME, Harrison Burlington, a brilliant scientist, is left to pick up the pieces after his friends Marian and Arthur Creighton die from comas after supposedly traveling into the past to the Middle Ages. With his power and wealth, Harrison continues the search for more holy water, with the hope of saving the woman he secretly loves, Ellen Creighton, who is dying of a genetic disease. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It takes place in Canterbury, England, a place I’ve dreamed about visiting! 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes, because she’s such a positive and caring person, and we all need someone in our lives to remind us that the cup is always half full. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Aristocratic, Intelligent, Determined 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Miraculous healings that took place through the drinking of holy water. I’m not sure if such healings really occurred, but they are recorded all throughout Europe during different time periods. 7–Do you edit…

Susan May Warren | 20 Questions: SUNRISE
Author Guest / January 4, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? SUNRISE (Sky King Ranch book 1) 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? SUNRISE is the beginning of a new series…so let’s start with that:  The epic plot of the television series “24” find their way to Alaska and fall into the hands of three ex-military brothers. Small town Alaska. Bush pilots. Three ex-military heroes. The Kingston triplets have come home defeated, broken from war and feeling anything but heroic. But the sons of Sky King ranch have returned home just in time. Because the world is in danger, and these flyboys, rescuers and soldiers just might be the only ones who can save it. It’s a fight to save the people—and country—they love, and along the way, they’ll discover healing and become the heroes they are meant to be. SUNRISE: What if the woman who broke your heart was waiting for you back home…hoping for forgiveness? Can broken warrior find his way home to a happy ending? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Oh, I love Alaska. Next to Montana, it’s my go-to for the best place to set an epic romantic adventure. I’ve…

Betsy St. Amant | Title Challenge: TACOS FOR TWO
Author Guest / October 15, 2021

Tacos. Enough said, am I right? Attraction. This story is unique in that the characters are falling for each other both on AND off screen! Cilantro. Love it or hate it? Jude can’t get enough cilantro (like a true hero) while Rory wishes she could remove it permanently from Planet Earth. Whichever side of this battle you’re on, you’ll appreciate the war. Online romance. Think You’ve Got Mail, with a modern dating app twist. ::heart eyes:: Subterfuge. Sometimes secrets are meant to protect. Other times, they’re meant to harm. This novel offers plenty of both, not only between the hero and heroine, but from both the hero and heroine’s families as well… *  Friendship. Grady is one of my favorite characters in this novel – he serves as a friend/big brother figure to Rory, and I adore his personality! Everyone needs a Grady in their life. Origami. This unique paper-folding art plays a significant role in the story. (I personally do good to fold my dinner napkin into a square, but I digress) Running. Rory and Jude both jog as a personal stress reliever, and end up having an impromptu race at one point in the story that turns into…

Suzanne Woods Fisher | 20 Questions: A SEASON ON THE WIND
Author Guest / October 8, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? A SEASON ON THE WIND 2–What is it about? A rare bird ends up on an Amish farm and creates all kinds of interest…and trouble. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s set in Stoney Ridge, a fictitious town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Rolling green hills, horses and sheep grazing in the pastures, bright blue sky with puffy white clouds, large white farmhouses. What’s not to love? 4–How did your main character(s) surprise you?  Ben Zook left his Amish home to search the world for rare birds. He never expected or wanted to return to Stoney Ridge. But his nemesis bird, the one bird that kept eluding him, led him home again. 5–Why will readers relate to your characters?  They’re so flawed! One example is Ben Zook’s cousin Natalie, who keeps making the same poor choice and wonders why the outcome never changes. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)?  I’m an enthusiastic but amateur birder. Getting information correct about rare birds, those actually found in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, took careful research. And then…writing about a bird in such a way that…