1–What is the title of your latest release? NOBODY’S HERO, a Cottonbloom novella, and part of the RESCUED anthology. All the stories feature rescue dogs! We are donating the first two days of profit to Roxanne St. Clair’s animal rescue charity. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? An ex-con tries to persuade an abandoned puppy and an innocent romance author he’s nobody’s hero. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? NOBODY’S HERO is part of my Cottonbloom series, so the quirky town is well established (at least in my imagination!) It’s divided by a river, half the town is in Mississippi and half in Louisiana. Hijinks and rivalries ensue. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Considering she is a romance writer as well… YES! 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Guarded, Dangerous, Horny (LOL) He did recently get out of jail… 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How many dogs out there need to be adopted from shelters! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I wait until I am totally done. If I don’t, then I’m not sure…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  A Highlander is Coming to Town 2–What is it about? Set in Highland, Georgia during Christmas, it features a Scottish lass who needs a Christmas miracle and a Southern gentleman who is doing his best to deliver one. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Secretive 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He is a truly nice guy. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? My hero turns to Anna and Iain (the h/H of A Highlander in a Pickup.) My heroine is caretaker for an elderly widow, Ms. Meadows. They become like family. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? Highland, Georgia reinvented itself as a Scottish village to survive and holds a Highland festival every summer and now a Burns Night party to celebrate Christmas. It’s a slice of Scotland in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was inspired by Helen, Georgia, a German-themed town that celebrates Octoberfest every year. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? A pantster who wishes I could plot. I’ve taken classes… read the how-to books… made…

From Chapter 3 of  AN EVERYDAY HERO  Greer pumped the brakes as she approached the narrow lane that led off the main road to Emmett Lawson’s cabin. A gate blocked the entrance and a fence stretched to either side. As if that wasn’t enough to deter visitors, a No Trespassing sign swung in the slight breeze from the rusty top rail of the gate. She tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel to the beat of the music on her radio, a catchy pop song with inane lyrics involving booty shaking. Without guilt, she could turn around and claim she couldn’t reach Emmett. Except Amelia’s offer of double hours was too much to resist. A summer stroll through the woods would net her at least an hour. She parked on the side of the two-lane country road, half blocking one lane. Not that she was worried about causing a traffic jam. She looked in either direction. Nothing but bees traveled across the road. Greer fanned herself with her straw cowboy hat and pulled at the lock and chain on the gate, hoping they were just for show, but the chain had been looped twice and the lock was heavy duty….

After yesterday’s delicious kickstart by Kendra Elliot, we’re so excited about today’s post from contemporary romance author, Laura Trentham because she has a delectable dessert recipe! The first book in her Highland, GA series, A HIGHLANDER WALKS INTO A BAR, will be in stores later this summer. Be sure to check out our other Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup posts all week! Day 1: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=10089 *** A Highlander Walks Into a Bar answers the age-old question: What would you do if your mother brought home a handsome six-foot tall Scotsman as a souvenir? (You thought I was going with, What does a Scotsman wear under his kilt, didn’t you? ☺) Our heroine, Isabel Buchanan, tries to her suspicions the man is planning to take advantage of her mother, because she has bigger problems. The annual Highland Festival is only three weeks away and she and her mother are in charge! Enter Alasdair Blackmoor, another handsome Scot who harbors his own suspicions about Isabel and her mother’s intentions with his uncle. Hilarity (and passion) ensues as Isabel and Alasdair spar and try to ferret out the truth. A Highlander Walks Into a Bar is a wild romp during a Georgia summer. I dare…

Welcome back to the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors will be on the blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and a recipe for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy this festive week. Today we’re featuring contemporary romance authors from St. Martin’s Press! Enjoy, and come back tomorrow for more fun! Missed our previous roundup post? Check it out here! Mystery Authors LAURA TRENTHAM, THE MILITARY WIFE   Harper Lee Wilcox (yes, named after the Harper Lee) is the widow of a decorated Navy SEAL and living with her mom and young son in her hometown of Kitty Hawk, NC. Bennett Caldwell is a former Navy SEAL that served with Harper’s husband, but now runs a survival school in Virginia Beach. Bennett got to know and love Harper through the emails and letters she sent her husband while they were deployed together. When he meets her face-to-face years later, he discovers the real woman is even stronger and more fascinating than the one he imagined. Standing between them is the memory of Noah, Harper’s dead husband and Bennett’s best friend. A common mission brings them together…

Today, Editorial Manager Danielle Dresser welcomes award-winning author Laura Trentham! The first book in her new Heart of a Hero series, THE MILITARY WIFE, is available now. One aspect that I found interesting in the military life you portrayed was how lonely it could be, but also at the same time, there’s a support network of people who will go above and beyond to be there when someone needs help. Can you talk a little bit about these “found” families, and how they formed among your characters? My best friend is a military wife, so I’ve had a front-row seat to the spouse experience for two decades. Military bases are their own communities and only the women (and men) who walk the experience can ever truly understand what it’s like to have a spouse deploy for months at a time, especially when you have kids. It really does take a village. In The Military Wife, the friendship between Harper and Allison is sisterly. Allison is Harper’s guide into a strange new world and gives her some good, but tough advice. Then, when Allison needs support, Harper is ready and willing to step up. I loved how their friendship weathered time…