Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Elysia Whisler | 20 Questions: RESCUE YOU
Author Guest / October 30, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? RESCUE YOU 2–What is it about? Two sisters who own a dog rescue, a war veteran who owns a gym, and a brood of loveable dogs–all broken and in need of saving—whose paths twine in their individual searches for growth, healing, and, ultimately, love. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Unbreakable. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? His vulnerability. He’s a tough guy, but ultimately Rhett realizes his greatest strength is in his vulnerability–he has to have the courage to let someone in, to surrender a little bit, in order to fully heal and grow. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Sisters Constance and Sunny have always relied on each other, and in this book their bond only grows. They also rely on long-time, childhood friend, Pete, who rehabilitates some of the rescue dogs into service dogs for veterans. Rhett, the hero, relies on his gym. Not necessarily the people, as he’s still learning to open himself up to others, but the gym itself, the outlet it provides him to channel his energy and passion into something that betters people’s lives. 6–What do you love about the…

Hannah Mary McKinnon | Exclusive Excerpt: SISTER DEAR
Author Guest / June 26, 2020

Chapter 1 The police didn’t believe me. A jury wouldn’t have, either, if I’d gone on trial, and most definitely not the judge. My attorney had more than a few reservations about my story. Ms. Allerton hadn’t said as much. She didn’t need to. I saw it in her eyes, could tell by the way she shuffled and reshuffled her papers, as if doing so might shake my lies clean off the pages, leaving only the truth behind in her inky, royal blue swirls. After our first meeting I’d concluded she must’ve known early on–before she shook my hand with her icy fingers–that I was a liar. Before she’d walked into the room in shiny, four-inch heels, she’d no doubt decided she’d heard my excuses, or a variation thereof, from countless clients already. I was yet another person claiming to be innocent. Another criminal who’d remained adamant they’d done nothing wrong, it wasn’t their fault, honest, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence to the contrary, a wall of impending doom surrounding me. And still, at the time I’d believed the only reason Ms. Allerton had taken on my case pro bono was because of the amount of publicity it gave…

Robyn Carr | 2019 Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Inductee; Exclusive Interview
Author Guest / November 7, 2019

Big congratulations are in order for bestselling author ROBYN CARR, who was inducted to the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame yesterday! She chatted with us about this honor and much more. . .  — Congratulations on this incredible honor, Robyn! How does it feel to be in the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame?  Robyn: It’s very humbling to think that I could be chosen from so many wonderful writers. Of course I’m honored and proud. Nevada has been my home for 20 years now. Of all the places and series you’ve created, which one do you sometimes wish actually existed? Just for fun, of course. . . Robyn: I, like my readers, wish I could at least visit Virgin River. The strength of that community is heartening and I believe the residents take comfort in knowing they’re never alone. And, though the town is fictional, that part of Northern California is not and its beauty is breathtaking. And it’s a rugged land that demands much of its residents; they have to be tough and determined, yet another reason being able to depend on your neighbors really counts. What’s the greatest piece of career advice you’ve received? And on the other side, what’s the…

Lizzy Barber | Exclusive Interview: A GIRL NAMED ANNA
Author Guest / September 6, 2019

by Teresa Cross I read that your novel, A GIRL NAMED ANNA (My Name is Anna in the UK), won the Daily Mail First Novel Competition in 2017. I can see why because I absolutely loved it! Can you share with us where your inspiration for this amazing novel came from? Thank you so much – that is such a pleasure to hear! The inspiration came from a number of different places. The idea of a child being taken from a theme park was an innate fear my mum had when I was growing up. We used to go to Disney World in Florida every year, and she had a superstition about me being snatched, based on an urban legend about children being taken from theme parks and having their shoes changed and hair cut off. Thankfully I managed to get through many a visit without this happening! I was also very interested in a rash of cases which seemed to come to light about young women who had been abducted when they were children and had been found, alive, kept captive for years. These women were all abducted when they were old enough to remember who they were – I wanted…

Emilie Richards | Exclusive Interview: A FAMILY OF STRANGERS
Author Guest / June 28, 2019

Two sisters, Ryan and Wendy, are at the core of this novel, and even though they don’t always see eye to eye, Ryan is ready to help Wendy when she needs help. How does their relationship fuel the plot of this suspenseful novel? Ryan, who is much younger than Wendy, has always been in awe of Wendy. They’ve never lived in the same house, because Wendy was on her way to college when Ryan was born, and afterward she was married and traveling with her new husband. Wendy was the beautiful, seemingly perfect stranger who was so beyond Ryan in everything she did or could do, that there was no hope to compete or to truly win her sister’s affection. Then, suddenly, as the book begins, Ryan is given the chance for both. I really love the title of this book: A FAMILY OF STRANGERS. It’s very captivating! What does feeling like a stranger in one’s own family do to the characters in your book? I originally titled this book The Perfect Daughter, and we all loved it. But suddenly there were dozens of books scheduled everywhere with “perfect” in the title. So when I started looking for a new…

Sheila Roberts | When the Going Gets Tough…
Author Guest / April 16, 2019

The not-so-tough go to the beach, which is exactly where my main character Celeste Jones in The Summer Retreat goes after her latest true love turns out not to be so true. This is another story set in my new fictional town of Moonlight Harbor, which I based loosely on the charming beach town of Ocean Shores, Washington. Ocean Shores offers visitors an impressive system of canals for kayaking and a funky downtown that is a mix of both new and vintage buildings, many leftover from the sixties when the town first came into being. You’ll find any number of shops, including one with a storefront shaped like a giant shark. Shoppers enter through the shark’s mouth. You can enjoy an ice cream cone at the ice cream parlor, then ride bumper cars or go-carts, play miniature golf or enjoy a full-sized golf course. Tennis and pickleball courts abound as well, and locals who join the community club (almost anyone who buys property there can join the club) can choose between two outdoor pools or one indoor pool for swimming. Then, of course, you have the beach and those gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. Beach fires, surfing, storm watching, beach combing,…

Laura Caldwell |A New Trilogy
Uncategorized / July 30, 2009

This summer, my publisher, MIRA, put out my new trilogy—Red Hot Lies, Red Blooded Murder, and Red, White & Dead—back to back to back. Meaning, the first one came out in June, the second in July and the third on August 1. It’s tricky enough to promote one book (in a market where book reviews and articles are declining), so we assumed it would be even trickier to try and promote three. Actually the opposite has been true. My publicist, Tom, is a former newspaper man with a southern drawl that drips over his always-kind words. When a magazine tells him, “Oh, sorry, we won’t be able to cover Red Hot Lies in our July magazine. We already put the issue to bed,” he says in that sweet voice, “Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ve got two more books in the series. I’ll send ‘em out to you.” Another amazing thing about a quick release trilogy is reader feedback. I get to hear what readers think about the love interests in the book. I get to find out whether they’re satisfied with the ending, what they’d like to see in the next book and the next. And I get to…