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 CARLY PHILLIPS!   Writes: Carly Phillips writes sexy, stand-alone romances, usually about siblings with lots of family drama, fun and heat. Her heroes are alphas – they’ve been called alphalicious, in fact – and make the perfect book boyfriend. Her heroines are strong and smart with flaws and weaknesses we can all relate to. They are never too stupid to live, no matter what situation they find themselves in and in a Carly Phillips book you’ll always find steamy scenes and the happily-ever-after that is a must in romance. JUST ANOTHER SPARK is a stand-alone short story about my rockstar hero, Dash Kingston and his wife, Cassidy. Despite having told their story in JUST ONE SPARK, you can read their short, sexy story and still be able to follow characters and be tempted to go back and read the other books in the series!   About: Carly Phillips is a NY Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She has been writing…

Excerpt from GUARDING HER HEART by: Negeen Papehn   I’m yawning and rubbing my eyes as I head into the empty gym. The silence that meets me is a welcome sound. I’m not a morning person, and I prefer to push my limbs to their limit without anyone around to watch me. I throw my ear pods in and crank up the volume so it’s loud enough that I couldn’t think even if I wanted to. I lean over the treadmill, taking a second to stretch before I start the machine. It takes a few minutes until I’ve raised the speed high enough that the pounding of my feet against the belt is in perfect time to the music. I’m so lost in my sprinting that I almost trip when Travis’s unhappy face appears beside me. “Shit!” I stumble, my hand slamming on the red emergency button, slowing my treadmill to a stop. “You scared the crap out of me.” “Sorry,” he grunts. His face is twisted with frustration. “What are you doing here?” His question sounds more like an accusation. “Working out,” I answer, raising a brow. “Forget something?” He taps his foot, and the sound fills the gym….

1–What is the title of your latest release? HIS ROCK HARD RHYTHM 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Love, Orcs and Rock-and-Roll! Take a cocky lead singer of an Orc Rock band and throw him together with a witchy tour manager to make music and magic. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My co-writer, Josie, and I – we’ve been friends for literally decades and we knew we wanted to work on a project together. So in November 2021, we met up in Vegas for a week in an AirBnB and we adventured and plotted! 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Hell yeah! Once Alexis loosens up, she’s a good time. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Orc, rock star, cinnamon roll 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Josie Kell taught me how to tell the difference between ‘former’ and ‘latter’. Former is F-F-First and Latter is L-L-Last. It’s something I’ve always jumbled up, but now is locked into my brain! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Both! I am kind of chaotic, if I’m honest. I…

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 as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Cassandra Rose Clarke!   Writes: Dark paranormal romance with an edgy twist like in SINGING WITH THE DEVIL. Think demons-turned-rock stars playing in smoky dive bars and demon-hunters-turned-accountants getting drawn back in for one last demon hunt. Think forbidden romance blooming in the sultry swamps of Louisiana, evil cult leaders threatening to tear our lovers apart, and enough dark magic to stop the apocalypse.   About: I’m a life-long Texan currently living in Virginia, where I’m delighted to experience four distinct seasons for the first time (autumn really is as magical as everyone says). Non-writing interests include quilting and embroidery, watching more TV than I probably should, perfecting my lavender latte recipe, and attempting to land a flawless double pirouette as a second-chance adult ballet dancer. Somehow, I wound up with four cats.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: My ideal reader loves: Brooding monster boys Heroines learning to trust in their own abilities Spooky vibes Seriously…

1–What is the title of your latest release? FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? What if a rock star moved in next door? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I binged several seasons of “Virgin River” and fell in love with the fell of its Northern California small town. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes. She has a good heart and a solid sense of humor. I value those in people. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Grumpy, hot, and talented. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That you can get garlic fries in Northern California. I really want some. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit as I go. I don’t feel like I can build onto a story if I don’t have a strong foundation. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? I have a thing for onion rings at the moment. As you can tell from the book! 9–Describe your writing space/office! I have an office at home. It’s a mess right now. But it has furniture made from…

1–What is the title of your latest release? WINNING NIA 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? WINNING NIA is a steamy second chance rock star romance following a struggling music photographer and the guitarist who broke her heart ten years ago determined to win her back. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve never read a romance book set in Wales – they’re all either England or Scotland if not only the US – and being Welsh and living here, I wanted to read stories set here. Thus far all of my books are set in Wales and my cast of characters in my rock star books are all Welsh, making the most of Wales’s rich musical history. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Definitely. Nia’s ambitious and focused. She’s also a great, ride or die friend. I’d love to be able to surround myself with people like her. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Determined. Organized. Gregarious. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Lighthouses in the UK are remote operated. In the book there’s a storyline where they’re trying to raise money for…

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 as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Hanna Earnest! Writes: Romance with big feelings and big moments, like ALL THE BEST NIGHTS, which pits privacy against paparazzi as two musicians try to keep their contemporary marriage of convenience from the tabloids. Rock-star-with-writer’s-block Bran Kelly and pop-star-on-the-rise Nelle are tired of the cost of fame, so they elope to have a secret: something off the record, something just for them. But when real passions threaten the fake feud they devise to protect their pact, they have to decide if keeping their secret is worth staying apart. About: A South-Sider first and a Chicagoan second, my interests include: overhyping my ability to ice skate (and other seasonal activities), the table with the outlet at the coffee shop, and prescription sunglasses. I love to cook and not clean, spam the group chat with inspirational Real Housewife gifs and/or Walt Whitman quotes, and—while my dog is asleep and my daughter is occupied—write books I want to read. What I’m looking for in…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Negeen! We are so happy to have you here today. Please tell us about yourself and your new book, SET TO MUSIC.  Hi everyone! Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here. A little bit about me…I’m a born and raised Cali girl so I have no clue what real seasons are. I’m a wife and a mother of two rapidly growing boys, one who’s about to go into high school, and honestly, I have no idea how that even happened. I’m an Iranian daughter. If you haven’t read my books yet, you’ll understand what that means when you do. And I’m a dentist by day. I know, totally makes no sense alongside a romance writer, but hey, I like to be different.   There’s just something about a rock star romance! What drew you to writing about this fun romance trope?  I mean, rock stars, what’s not to love? But truth be told, Anthony was created out of my unhealthy obsession with Nicky Jam. I’m thoroughly obsessed with his music, even though I can only really understand half of what he’s singing. My Spanish can carry me in a conversation, but it’s no match…

I love a magical first meeting between a hero and heroine in romance, but there’s a lot to be said for a story with two main characters with a shared history together. I’m always intrigued by these kinds of stories but I’m very particular. Some readers love an abundance of drama and angst. I usually prefer lighter fare with a minimum of angst. Of course, there are always exceptions that prove the rule. One of my favorite authors is Lorraine Heath and her stories are often littered with characters who have tangled and passion-filled histories together and a few bad decisions under their belts. However, Heath masterfully and almost inexplicably wraps things up and any angst is deliciously painful rather than tedious. If I can’t root for a couple to iron out their issues and get together, I give up on the story. In this article, I discuss some books with characters who have a past, but who don’t let their past determine their future. In SHE LOVES ME by Melissa Foster, Piper Dalton and Harley Dutch are BFFs who are thrown together when Harley is injured and Piper comes to look after him. Melissa Foster dispenses with typical gender…