1–What is the title of your latest release? SOME KIND OF BLUNDERFUL 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A woman accidentally winds up on a series of increasingly bad dates with her dad’s young hot-shot boss/nemesis—and her dad absolutely cannot find out. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It’s set in a small town outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I wanted it to be set near a major basketball arena and in the American south, and I was craving a little of that Georgia charm! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Mia and I would marathon One Tree Hill or Two Broke Girls and knit blankets together, and then I’d help her decorate her classroom. It’d be among the greatest days of my life. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Crafty, independent, caring. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That if someone gives you the butterflies for long enough without kissing you, your smart watch will detect cardio. I researched this very important detail for the book. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I wait until I’m done…

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 Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka!   Writes: Romance! Contemporary realistic stories of love new and enduring.   About: Hopeless romantics? More like hopeful romantics. Believers in love at first sight and love at thousandth day together. Married co-writers ourselves, it’s no surprise we write stories of the unique joy of long-term love, of slow-burns, second chances and new opportunities to find connection where it wasn’t expected. Our characters are often people with history, who’ve shared friendship or hardship or other complications of life, whether as co-writers of romantic novels (like our characters in The Roughest Draft) or the central couple of our upcoming romance DO I KNOW YOU?, who are already married and looking for the lost spark in their relationship, which they find in an unconventional way—pretending they’re strangers meeting for the first time on their weeklong vacation. We’re avid travelers, if writing gorgeous settings counts. Catch us in the cliffs of Northern California, on the humid sunset shores of the Florida Keys,…

Tell me about Vanessa’s “Savvy, Sexy, Singles Club” in VANESSA JARED’S GOT A MAN. Vanessa Jared’s Got A Man is about a forty-something divorcee, Vanessa Jared, who’s trying to figure out what’s next in life after she’s put the trauma of an abusive and toxic relationship behind her.  She’s spent so long being defined as someone’s wife that her sole focus is figuring out who she is now and what she wants to do next.   From the book’s description, Vanessa seems like a strong woman who goes after what she wants. What attributes do you like adding to your female protagonists? And what makes a good male counterpart? I like writing about women who understand their value and move through the world with confidence. Vanessa is relearning her value as she heals from the emotional abuse her ex heaped on her. When we meet her, she’s figured out her worth, but just doesn’t know what the next step is in creating a meaningful life for herself.   How would you describe the dynamic between Vanessa and the sheriff hottie? Fiyah! Vanessa and Michael are instantly attracted to one another, even if neither of them wants to admit it. Beside…

1–What is the title of your latest release? LUCY ON THE WILD SIDE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Lucy Rourke has two great loves in her life: the gorilla troop she cares for as a primatologist and the laundry list of reality TV shows she watches to escape the fact that her actual love life doesn’t exist. And like a reality contestant gunning for the final rose, Lucy’s laser-focused on one thing: getting promoted to head keeper. So when a wildlife docuseries hosted by hotshot TV personality Kai Bridges chooses her zoo as its summer filming location, she sees an opportunity to showcase her beloved gorillas to the world and land a starring role in her department. When Kai and his film crew arrive, however, it’s obvious to Lucy that Kai cares more about sky-high ratings than the gorillas, and he considers her a camera-averse know-it-all whose wardrobe consists entirely of khaki. But she’s surprised to discover there’s more to him than his rugged good looks and cheesy catchphrases…and that maybe a promotion isn’t the only thing she wants. But when secrets from their pasts threaten to complicate everything, Lucy discovers that happiness and success aren’t the…

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 Megan Bannen! Writes: I enjoy crafting fantasy fiction with a love story at its center. My young adult tragedies have earned me a reputation as an author who is happy to rip out a reader’s heart and stomp all over it, but my adult debut, THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY, is a fantastical, joke-filled romantic comedy (that will also rip out readers’ hearts, but in a has-a-happy-ending kind of way). About: ​I’m a former children’s librarian with the ukulele chops to show for it (thanks, story time). I’ve taught college and secondary English at home and abroad, but my true love for storytelling comes from my theater nerd roots; I once won the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship, endowed by the actress who played Granny Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies. When I’m not writing RomComs with zombies in them (ZomRomComs?) I’m hanging out with my husband and our two teenage sons in the Kansas City area.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match:…

Your book BOOKED ON A FEELING has two of my favorite romance tropes – “hidden crush” and “friends-to-lovers”. Did you use them in this story because they’re favorites of yours too? What are some of your other favorite tropes? Least favorite? I don’t usually care for “enemies-to-lovers” only because some authors have things get to toxic before things get better. Yes! I seem to keep coming back to these tropes. I love the pining involved with a hidden crush trope, and the history and closeness between the characters in a friends-to-lovers trope. Reading and writing these tropes definitely make my toes curl. I love writing forced proximity and fake relationship tropes as well. The push and pull of the will-they-won’t-they dance is so yummy. I may on occasion steeple my fingers and laugh my evil laugh when writing those tropes. I actually love reading enemies-to-lovers romance, but I can’t write it. I feel so bad making my characters be mean to each other. It makes me nervous to even think about it.   Your female protagonist, Lizzie, is described as an “Overachiever”. Is she high-strung and anxious? Or more so just the type of person commits totally when she makes…

1–What is the title of your latest release? GOOD ON PAPER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? GOOD ON PAPER follows a struggling journalist who is desperate to save her career. So much so, that she signs up to do a web series chronicling her wedding to her Internet famous fiancé in Cancún. The problem? The shows videographer is her former childhood best friend and the one who broke her heart. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Part of the book takes place in the LA area (which is where I am originally from) and the second half takes place in Cancún, Mexico. Since I have Mexican heritage on my dad’s side, and Cancún would be a beautiful place for a televised wedding scenario, the second part of the book felt like a good fit there! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes! I’d love to have coffee with Jazmine, especially since our favorite coffee drinks are so similar. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Ambitious. Old school. Stubborn. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Writing these characters was such a great reminder that…

CHAPTER FIVE His smile flickered, fading off his face. My revelation seemed to displease him, but it was like I couldn’t shut up. “You’re that prince or duke or whatever.” “Not a prince. Or a duke. Just an earl.” That teasing lilt in his voice was gone, but I couldn’t focus on that. All I could think about was that this entire situation was completely impossible. How had I ended up at a party, one that I wasn’t even supposed to be at, with the very man Alice had hoped would be here? It was like she was reaching out with her puppet master hands, tugging at my strings, willing this entire encounter into being. For a second I wondered whether I was having some kind of guilt delusion, a wonderful fantasy that I’d conjured up to share with my sister, but it was very real. And he was looking at me like I was a ditzy airhead. Which might have been warranted, considering how I was gawking at him with my mouth hanging open. I snapped it shut. “My sister’s obsessed with you.” The words were out before I could snatch them back. “With me, specifically?” He edged back…

CHAPTER EIGHT   Sam   She takes him to In-N-Out, the two of them sitting outside on rubber-coated benches in the yellow light of the neon sign. The waffle weave digs into his ass. It’s a warm night, the smell of car exhaust and fryer oil hanging densely in the air. “Can I ask you something?” Fiona says, dragging a fry through a puddle of secret sauce. She ordered without looking at the menu, coming back to the table with a cardboard box full of cheeseburgers and fries; she also paid, which he appreciates, though he doesn’t say that out loud. “How do you even know all those people?” Sam takes a sip of his milkshake. “All those people, like, my friends?” “Sure.” Fiona looks dubious. “They’re industry people, mostly.” He shrugs. “Kimmeree does something with social media.” “Of course she does.” Sam frowns. The truth is they’re not actually his good friends, those guys back in the bar. Erin in particular hates that whole crowd; she heard who all was coming out tonight and bailed so hard and so fast Sam was surprised she didn’t pull a muscle. They’re a lot, he gets it. But he’s also not about…

1–What is the title of your latest release? OUT OF THE BLUE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  A curvaceous woman on a wellness journey falls for her personal trainer. But will her newfound courage allow her to face her biggest fear and seize the life she truly wants? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  OUT OF THE BLUE is the fourth book in my Perfect Fit series, and all of the titles in this series have taken place in the fictional town of Granite, Texas. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?  Absolutely! Preslee is a kind, genuine character who has real insecurities like the rest of us. She’s clumsy, playful, and has a funny—if not quirky—sense of humor. She would be so much fun to hang out with. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Kind, positive, and competitive. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?  While writing OUT OF THE BLUE, I learned that not everyone takes the same path on their wellness journey…and that there’s nothing wrong with sometimes paving your own road. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you…