1–What is the title of your latest release? THE SHADOW CABINET (Her Majesty’s Royal Coven Book 2) 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A covert group of witches keep Britain safe from demonic forces, but the real threat comes from within the coven. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It was always going to be Hebden Bridge. It’s a real town in Yorkshire. It’s very picturesque and has a diverse queer community. It’s a bit Portland-ish? 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Book 2 sees the witch Ciara Kelly move into the spotlight right after killing her twin sister at the end of Book 1. Although she does some dreadful things, I actually adore Ciara. I hope readers come to understand why she is the way she is. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Misguided, vulnerable, and devious. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I thought a lot about misogyny while writing this book. Men barely featured in Book 1, but this second volume delves into how men feel about the existence of supremely powerful women. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SCARLET 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The French Revolution with the Scarlet Pimpernel – and vampires. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The theme of the book decided where it would take place – a story about the Scarlet Pimpernel and the French Revolution really needs to be set in France and England, unless there was a strong narrative reason for it to extend beyond there. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d hang out with her, but I’m not sure she’d hang out with me – I suspect she’d consider me lazy, self-indulgent, somewhat spoilt by my personal privileges, and not putting enough effort into my hobbies (knitting, quilting) to get really good at them. I mean, she wouldn’t be rude, but we just don’t have that much in common. (Though she might borrow any Gothic novels I have.) 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Determination. Ignorance. Growth. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned how difficult it is to keep modern similes and metaphors out of my language. I was writing from…

Q: What can you tell readers about your new book, SMOLDER? Will we see the wedding? For me, I’m less anxious about Anita’s wedding and more so about some character going all Maleficent and being miffed on an epic scale about not being invited or jockeying for position over table placement! A: No, the wedding has to wait. First, we need to deal with Anita’s family who hate that she’s marrying a vampire, a new hate group that is killing vampires across the country, and vampire politics that threaten everything that Jean-Claude, Anita, and everyone they love have built. I really want the wedding to go over well, so trying to clear out all the things that might disrupt it first.   Q: I’m always super excited for a new Anita book. Without giving too much away, Richard makes an appearance in SMOLDER. I realize how polarizing a character Richard is. My husband is, I think, in the minority because Richard was always one of his favorite characters. I think it’s because he loves relationships with a little angst, and he likes flawed characters who are often their own worst enemy. I never connected as well with Richard but found…

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 Sarah Hawley! Writes: I write fantasy romantic comedies featuring chaotic witches, brooding demons, and a mix of steam and magical hijinks. My debut romance, A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon, is about a magically-challenged witch named Mariel Spark who tries to summon flour for a spell and accidentally summons a demon for an unbreakable soul bargain instead. The demon, Ozroth the Ruthless, can’t leave her side until he gets her soul… but as he spends time with lively, kind Mariel, he decides he wants her heart, instead. About: Originally an archaeologist (I excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England), I now write steamy romance and fantasy novels. Passionate about: cheese, books, theatre, fictional villains, colorful socks, and weird trivia. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, I can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling my two cats.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Likes to laugh…

Chapter One   The most familiar eleven notes of Chopin’s Funeral March droned from the programmable doorbell’s hidden speakers. Kiley probably should have taken that as a sign. She was snuggling with Jack on the sofa, watching their favorite TV show, and making fun of the phony ghost hunters’ manufactured fear of static sounds on their digital recorders. She wasn’t sure how life could be as good as it currently was, but it was damn near perfect. Their ghost busting business was providing the whole gang a steady income, the house was amazing, Lady El was minding her own beeswax (mostly,) and she and Jack were damn near perfect. Hush, sister. You wanna jinx it?           The house ghost’s face superimposed itself over the TV show, translucent, like a reflection. Tonight, Lady El wore a gold turban, her lashes were a jungle, and her jowls were a little bit saggy. “Someone’s at the door,” Jack said. “Yeah, I guessed that by the doorbell. And who added the Funeral March to the repertoire?” That was me. Lady El, puffed her cigarette, and blew lavender-scented and non-carcinogenic (she promised) smoke at her. Kiley was usually the only one who could smell it,…

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 Paige Crutcher!   My ideal reader match for my latest book, THE LOST WITCH, must love… Irish mythology found family a cast of quirky but lovable characters complicated but swoony love and a dashing antagonist monsters and magic sisterhood and strong, empowered heroines witches, witches, witches   What to expect if we’re compatible: a love story between a mother and daughter a battle between covens and monsters born from mythology a sexy romance that outlasts time sisterhood that will do anything for one another, including save the world a lot of moody atmospheric settings THE LOST WITCH by Paige Crutcher In Paige Cruther’s The Lost Witch, a witch discovers that finding your way home is sometimes the most perilous journey of all. 1922. Brigid Heron is a powerful witch and healer in the seemingly lost, but charming small town of Evermore on a forgotten isle in Ireland. However, there is one thing that she longs for above all else: a child of her own. She is even…

To celebrate Lisa Edmonds‘ new book MORTAL HEART, we here at Fresh Fiction thought it would be a fun way for readers to get to know her characters better (from her many many fab books) to play a little game we call “The Character Most Likely”. If you’re new to her Alice Worth world – It’s a mix of magic and action-packed storytelling. Lisa is free to select her answers from any of her paranormal series.   Most likely to figure out a way to use an enemy’s strength against them? Definitely Alice! After a lifetime of fighting for survival, she instinctually evaluates everyone around her to figure out their strengths, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and motivations, because she knows she has to be prepared in case they turn against her.  Alice Worth series Most likely to be underestimated? Malcolm, Alice’s snarky ghost sidekick, always gets underestimated – even by Alice. People and supernatural beings tend to think just because he’s dead that he’ll be easy to defeat. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. And like Alice, he plays his cards very close to the vest, especially when it comes to his powers and abilities. He even surprises me sometimes, and…

Eco-horror meets paranormal romance in CALLED TO THE DEEP, the first book in a Maine-based duology that features a flesh-craving mermaid and her offshore fishing captain beau. Releases September 20, 2022 in paperback and digital formats.   When writing my debut novel CALLED TO THE DEEP, I took more of a biological approach to merfolk rather than a mythical one. Although not completely without supernatural features, many of their physiological traits were inspired by a speculative chat I had with Dr. Sean Todd, a marine biologist and professor at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. It was a fun thought experiment, one I’m grateful he graciously humored, because while I took a lot of artistic liberties, that conversation was invaluable for this book and its upcoming sequel. Fact Sheet: Speculative Merfolk Physiology & Behavior In the Gulf of Maine, merfolk compete with sharks for the apex predator title. They have webbed fingers, sharp teeth and claws for gripping, slashing, and holding onto prey. Possessing both mammalian and bony fish features, they are human presenting above the waist with a fish tail below. Their scales are both as smooth and sharp as a shark’s—when touched against the grain,…

Hi! I’m Sangu, the author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. This is a romantic contemporary fantasy about Mika, a lonely British witch, who becomes a magical tutor to three witch children and, in doing so, falls in love with a grumpy librarian, discovers a place she can finally call home, and finds a family. My title challenge was definitely a challenge (it’s a long title!) but I hope it gives you an idea of what you can expect from the book.   T is for tea, a very important part of Mika’s magical life (and everyday British life!) H is for home, the thing Mika’s been searching for all her life E is for enemies to lovers (sort of!)   V is for vexing, because that’s exactly what Jamie thinks Mika is E is for the electricity that crackles between Mika and Jamie R is for Ian’s rainbow scarf Y is for the yellow sunflowers growing in the garden   S is for sunshine witch E is for elderly gays C is for cozy, which is how I hope readers will feel as they read this book R is for Rosetta, the oldest of the three witch…

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 Bianca Marais!   Writes: In Bianca Marais’ THE WITCHES OF MOONSHYNE MANOR, picture Practical Magic meets a witchy ‘The Golden Girls’ in this rollicking story of six witches who are in their eighties, taking names, kicking butt. and bringing down the patriarchy (along with the help of a 15-year-old TikToker, Persephone) as they fight to save their beloved Moonshyne Manor and Distillery.   About: Bianca Marais likes long walks on the beach (while thinking about her next book), curling up next to a roaring fire that she has made (because she might have been an arsonist in a previous life), sipping crisp Chenin Blanc from South Africa (the country of her birth) and savoring romantic dinners (while wiping Muggle’s drool off her leg as her golden retriever mooches for food under the table). Bianca used to be much more adventurous in her younger years (throwing herself from airplanes, bungee jumping from cliffs, and white-water rafting on the Zambezi). But now she’s quite likely to…