Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
A Virtual Smart Girl Summer Tour of the Mediterranean by Kristin Rockaway
Author Guest / August 23, 2022

One of my favorite parts of writing fiction is dreaming up the world my characters inhabit. I’ll often send them on adventures far and wide, whether it’s a bachelorette party in Las Vegas or a solo trip to Hong Kong. This gives them an opportunity to explore new terrain, take bold risks, and in so doing, learn a little (or a lot) about themselves. It also gives me an opportunity to do one of my favorite activities: research travel destinations. Sometimes I think if I wasn’t a writer, then I’d be a travel agent. I love learning about new-to-me locales and planning itineraries down to the hour. (I’m particularly fond of cruise travel, so much so that I recently started my own blog about it, Cruise Obsessed.) So naturally, it thrills me to act as a travel agent for my characters. My new book, Smart Girl Summer, features the most exciting virtual trip I’ve ever planned: a cruise across the Mediterranean. But not just any cruise. The main character, Abby Atkinson, sets sail on the superyacht of her billionaire boss, Richard Vale. She spends her summer as a traveling math tutor for Richard’s tween daughter, Bijou, but she also uses…

Kristin Rockaway | TOP 5 REASONS WHY I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT MY BFFS
Author Guest / July 29, 2019

As a romcom author, it goes without saying that there’s a fair bit of romance in my stories – like my next book, How to Hack a Heartbreak, which is all about the highs and lows of searching for love on the internet. In the story, the main character, Melanie Strickland, sets her sights on one guy in particular, Alex Hernandez. But her burgeoning love affair with Alex isn’t the only significant relationship in her life. Equally important (if not moreso) are the friendships Mel has with her three best girlfriends: Whitney, Dani, and Lia. As I was writing How to Hack a Heartbreak, I wanted to convey the power of women and the importance of female friendships. Because let’s face it, ladies: lovers often come and go, but your girlfriends will always be your true ride or dies. The girl gang in this book was partially inspired by my own best friends, who’ve been there for me through practically every momentous life event – from my high school graduation to my wedding day, from my son’s birth to my mother’s death. Sometimes I think they know me better than I know myself, and frankly, I’m not sure I’d be…