1–What is the title of your latest release? WHERE THE ROAD BENDS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Norah King is weeks away from marrying a man who can save her family farm, when she discovers an injured man on her property. Nursing him back to health is the right thing to do, but will her altruistic act prove the thwarting of her own plans? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I went with Iowa for the specific reason of wanting to have some secondary characters from my past novels make cameos. It’s totally a stand-alone book, but fans of my previous books will have fun spotting these “easter eggs”. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? For some of my books the answer would be maybe, but for this book I for sure would. Norah is optimistic, hard working and has a depth to her that would make spending time with her rich and enjoyable. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Optimistic, resilient, lovable 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I spent a bit of time digging into contracts in the 1880’s and how…

Hi, Cynthia! It’s been a few years since your last blog appearance on Fresh Fiction—welcome back! Thanks for having me! At the beginning of FACING THE DAWN, your lead character, Mara, is feeling burnt out. Her husband is halfway across the world, her job is demanding and unfulfilling, and her kids are trying every ounce of her patience. Do you think readers will relate to some of Mara’s early struggles? What do you hope people can learn from Mara?  I believe a lot of readers will relate to at least some of what Mara is going through early in the book. Most of us experience a season or, for some, even seemingly a lifetime of unmet expectations and challenges, struggles that appear insurmountable, concerns that occupy too much of our time and energy, or even just mundane disappointments that keep life from looking like we thought it would. My hope is that readers will accompany Mara on her journey and identify with what loss and grief can do to us. What happens when we respond in unhealthy ways or resist the help we need? Where can we find glimmers of hope when we walk through a grief that just won’t go away?…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Under Scottish Stars, the third book in the MacDonald Family Trilogy. 2–What is it about?  Single mom Serena Stewart has focused on her kids to the exclusion of her career and her sanity. But when she returns to the Isle of Skye to help oversee her family’s guesthouse, her independent nature is challenged by the prickly and all-too-handsome hotel manager, Malcolm Blake. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  Dedicated. Whatever Serena turns her mind to, she does it wholeheartedly, whether it’s giving her children a good life after their father dies or making the family hotel into a success. 4–What makes your story relatable?  Those of us who have children can relate to the fact that they become the priority, even to the exclusion of the things we need for our own health and happiness. Even if you don’t have kids, it’s easy to relate to how life sometimes throws us curveballs and interferes with the futures we’ve envisioned for ourselves. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Serena’s aunt Muriel is the rock upon which the MacDonald family is built–she’s quirky, sassy, and always has…

For those of you who’ve been yearning to return to my little seaside Oregon town of Hope Harbor—the wait is over! If you haven’t visited, I hope you’ll stop by. Starfish Pier is Book 6, but every story stands alone. So please drop in! In my latest novel you’ll meet Holly Miller, who’s new in town. Moving to Hope Harbor was a big step for her for several reasons, but she’s settling in as a first-grade teacher. Life is good…but a little romance wouldn’t hurt. Enter Steven Roark, who’s left the military behind and now runs fishing charters. He’s in town on a mission—a personal one this time—but his take-charge manner isn’t helping him achieve his goal. And he definitely isn’t looking for romance. Funny how that works, though. Sometimes when you least expect it Ms. Right can show up—even if she’s nothing like the kind of woman you thought you’d fall for! So let’s see where this game takes us. S is for Starfish. Matchmakers don’t always have to be human. 🙂 T is for traumatic. Holly and Steven have both had their share of tough times. A is for antagonistic. Which captures the mood of their first meeting….

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 Pat Simmons!  Writes: Lean on Me is an inspirational romantic women’s fiction. A mouthful, but if you’re attracted to any or all of those genres, Lean on Me is a perfect match. A good story never ends. In this novel, I tackle the unpredictability in the life of a caregiver and despite all the obstacles in the path, love will always find shortcuts. About: I seldom get lonely because I know how to entertain myself with my one-woman comedy show. If we’re just meeting, a conversation starter would be about disclosing secrets uncovered in our family trees. You would have my undivided attention for hours that I might forget to eat, breathe and sleep. If you rather keep family secrets buried, a train, car or plane ride to a fabric store would win me over. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: · Hopeless romantic craving a steak dinner romance versus a picnic in the park love story · Someone who…