HIDDEN COVE is the latest Solace Island novel by award-winning actress and novelist, Meg Tilly. Be sure to check out the Fresh Fiction Podcast for an exclusive interview with Meg, available TOMORROW! You can find the Fresh Fiction Podcast on Apple Podcasts or the podcatcher of your choice. Now, on with the excerpt!!  *** Gabe leaned against the boardwalk railing, tipped his head upward, and shut his eyes, enjoying the early-morning sunshine on his face. He could hear the seagulls behind him, wings flapping, and the occasional shrill caw. They were flying into the air with clams in their beaks, dropping them onto the rocks and then swooping down to eat the contents. Sometimes a wily seagull would lurk below and snatch the prize from the broken shell. Made him laugh. Reminded him of his dad. When they’d spoken this morning, his dad had sounded much improved, eager to pick Gabe’s brains about the place. “Take your time, boyo. No need to rush back. Enjoy all that the island has to offer. Beautiful women, hikes, biking, art galleries, artisan cheese makers, bakers, beautiful women . . .” His dad had repeated the last one with a laugh. “It’s all those damned yoga…

with Fresh Fiction Reviewer, Helen Williams Helen: How do you go about developing your characters? SUSAN: I first think about how I want the H/h to meet. It might be a completely dramatic thing, or it might be they already know each other. Then I think about what the 85% drama will be. Once I have those two things, I’m good to start writing. Their personalities come out as I write (and since I write series, I usually already know a lot about the Hero because he’s been in the other books before).  How long does it take you to get a storyline together? I never REALLY know what the storyline is until I’m writing. I know what the drama will be, but the rest kind of just comes as I’m writing.  In reading your stories I see a lot of issues that are relevant today. Do you go to any particular resources for background information (i.e. epilepsy, PTSD)? I don’t have a go-to source, but there have been times I’ve asked my readers for their input. For the book Rescuing Macie, the heroine suffers from anxiety. I asked my readers who suffer from this to share their thoughts if…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction! Please tell us a little bit about your new book, ONE DARK WISH, the second book in your Deadly Force Series.  ONE DARK WISH is both complicated and simple. At its core, it’s a basic love story about two people (Nate and Sarah) who should never have met and whose problematic lives mean they can never be together. The book also has an involved National Treasure-type plot where a group of dishonorably discharged ex-Green Berets, desperate to regain their honor, must stop a historian (the heroine Sarah Munro) from solving a 17th-century cipher. If Sarah solves it, one of their men will be killed. If she doesn’t, her father will die. Nate Walker, one of the ex-Green Berets who is struggling to keep his men together as a unit so they figure out how to fix their lives, is tasked with stopping Sarah. Except nothing can stop Sarah. While Nate and his men struggle to figure out this new civilian world they’re living in, why their enemy is throwing around old ciphers, and why they should even care (because it all seems ridiculous to these men of action), Sarah has uncovered a 17th century secret that may…

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 Lynn H. Blackburn! Writes: Lynn writes romantic suspense novels set in the south. Her latest, One Final Breath, is the final book in the Dive Team Investigations series. All of Lynn’s novels explore the intersection of faith and fear with relatable heroes and heroines who happen to have some of the most interesting, and dangerous, jobs out there. About: Lynn writes romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy–but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations–while she’s sitting at home safely and sound in her pajamas! When she’s not writing, Lynn loves to entertain friends and family with healthy doses of southern hospitality and that desire for connection and community is evident in the close relationships shared by the characters in her stories. What I’m looking for in my…

“I couldn’t put it down!”  Those words are some of the most satisfying comments an author can receive.  Nothing pleases me more than a note from someone grumbling about staying up late to finish one of my books. It’s music to my ears. There are lots of ways to earn those precious words.  Writing a fast-paced novel is one of them.  It is certainly my goal every time I start a new book. My latest, THE DECEPTION, was no different.  I knew I would be writing Hawk Maddox’s story.  Hawk had been on my mind since he first appeared in a previous novel, BEYOND DANGER.  I knew what he was like–strong, determined, tough as boot leather, and at six-foot-four, two-hundred-twenty pounds, a total beefcake hunk. He was also a bounty hunter, which made him an interesting character with an interesting job.  I always try to find the hero’s perfect match and Kate Gallagher was just right for Hawk.  Tall, blonde, and curvy, she loved country music and drinking tequila at the Sagebrush Saloon. But that was her secret side.  She also owned her own business consulting firm so she was smart and hard-working. I like to read books that draw…

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hard at work, plugging away on my romantic thriller series, the Final Hour. It’s nice to take a break to share some of my current favorites. Time to write: 1 a.m., yes, I know it’s crazy early. My kids are out of school and at home all day for the summer. They wake up at six in the morning, so my most productive hours are before they open their precious, little eyes and start making demands. The funny thing is, I don’t even set an alarm. My brain just wakes me up. Morning beverage: Black coffee. Fun thing to do with the kids: Dance party. We dress up in crazy outfits, take turns picking songs, and dance around the entire house. It’s a blast, I get to burn a few calories, and it’s free. Date with hubby: In the summer, the kids take a three-hour art class on Saturdays. That’s our time to grab lunch together, watch a movie, or take a walk in the park. Simple, kid-free time to connect. Snack: Gala apple with a tablespoon of cashew butter. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s satisfying, the perfect mix of…

I reread my books. There I said it. Yes, I have a TBR pile a mile high, but sometimes, I don’t want a new book to read. I want a book that will give me the emotional journey I need today. Sometimes, when I’m having a bad day and I need a pick-me-up, I know exactly which book will give me that. Sometimes I’m just tired and I need a story that won’t break my brain. Sometimes I just want to hang out with a story that’s more of an old friend than fiction. Here, in no particular order, are my top 5 favorite comfort reads: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh – I love the internal struggles of the characters. They rise above expectation (especially their own expectations of themselves) and their love is so frickin pure. Makes me cry every time and I’ve probably read it 50+ times. Written in Red by Anne Bishop – This story, and the whole series, has amazing worldbuilding. The main characters start out wanting more out of life but don’t know how to go about getting it. They have to make leaps of faith and trust to move forward. Trust is at…

In my next book, the romantic mystery Divorce is Murder, divorce lawyer Toby Wong is forced to move back to the small town she was happy to leave. I set the series in my own hometown – a place I love, yet left – on Canada’s gorgeous Vancouver Island. Writing about Toby got me thinking about why it’s good to leave – and come home.   1) You expand your worldview Every town and neighborhood has its own culture. By the time you hit adulthood, whether you fit in or not, you understand your hometown’s norms. Maybe you grew up somewhere super conservative, the kind of place where church is mandatory and couples marry young. Or maybe your parents’ friends were constantly organizing protest marches and writing letters to Amnesty International. Whatever your reality, to you, it was normal. Now move across the country – or better still around the world. You’ll soon see that your “normal” is someone else’s “certifiably crazy”. It’s mind-blowing how differently different people interpret things. Just yesterday, in Vietnam, where I live, I met a fisherman throwing styrofoam boxes and dirty diapers into the ocean. I told him off. He told me he was cleaning…

As I was finishing the last few pages of my upcoming novel, THE DECEPTION, Hawk Maddox and Kate Gallagher’s story, I got an interesting phone call.  I’m fortunate to be represented by a literary agency in New York as well as an agency in Hollywood. Since I love movies, I’ve always wanted to see one of my books made into a feature film.  The Hollywood agency phoned about my novel, BEYOND REASON.  The story is set in Texas and is an action-adventure that revolves around the rivalry between Carly Drake, who inherits her grandfather’s failing trucking firm, and powerful multimillionaire Lincoln Cain, her number one competitor. Worse yet, Carly needs Linc’s help to find the men who are willing to kill to keep her from making Drake Trucking successful again. Big money is involved.  And very big danger. The transaction involving the rights was exciting from beginning to end, with David Haring at TinRes Entertainment making the offer, several agents negotiating the terms, and me–thrilled to have a chance to see one of my books made into a film.  Most likely, the story will be a made-for-TV movie, but it is also optioned with the possibility of a major motion…

I am a huge movie fan, have been since I was little. That’s where I saw my first western, my first musical, my first romantic comedy, my first sci-fi, and my first drama. Then I went to college to be a screenwriter, and that didn’t quite work out like I planned. But I have to say, I love writing romance novels even more! And movies provide inspiration in my writing. It primes the pump, so to speak. So now for my favorite movies…. THE PRINCESS BRIDE – Oh how I love this movie. The love story, the snarkiness, the delicious comedy, and the ridiculousness of it all. Buttercup is a strong woman who knows what she wants, Westley, and manages to keep her strength despite life’s challenges. At its core, it’s well-written, well-acted, and a brilliant script. It’s about our choices in life and how they shape our future. Definitely not inconceivable. STEEL MAGNOLIAS – I wish I could see the play but I have seen the movie many times. Living in North Carolina the last 22 years has given me the perspective of what being a southern woman means. Steel Magnolias is about women, their friendships, their fortitude and…