Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Annabeth Albert | 20 Questions: UP IN SMOKE
Author Guest / April 26, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? UP IN SMOKE, Hotshots #4 2–What is it about? UP IN SMOKE is a stand-alone romance between a freewheeling smoke jumper and an aspiring country singer who are forced to work together for the best interest of a tiny baby. It’s a MM romance—think Three Men and a Baby meets Backdraft with lots of fun, feels, sexy times, and heart, and a big fluffy happy ending. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love central Oregon. I love all of my state, but central Oregon is very special to me. I love the mountains, the lakes, the iconic scenery, the quirky small towns, the neat little businesses and places to eat, and more. I loved setting the book in an area that I love so much. 4–How did Brandt surprise you?  I expected Brandt to really resist parenthood, but he surprised me by being way more ready to accept responsibility than I would have thought. And he fell in love with the baby—and Shane—far faster than I expected too! 5–Why will readers love Shane?  Who doesn’t love a good-looking man in jeans who can sing like a dream?…

C. Chilove | 20 Questions: WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS
Author Guest / April 19, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS 2–What is it about? As Commander of the most Elite Black Ops forces in the world, Brenden avoids emotional entanglements until he meets Dr. Paige Jasper. Paige becomes the complication Brenden wasn’t trained to handle… and his secrets could be the death of her. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The setting is real and rooted in the Tampa Bay Area, which is where MacDill AFB is located. The university depicted in the story was also inspired by the University of Tampa. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  She’s an artist that creates by drawing and painting. This surprised me as my artistic medium is Dance, and I cannot draw anything but a stick figure and they are usually ugly, lol. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  Brenden is strong, courageous, and chivalry does still exist with him despite the hard edge. The vulnerability he displays will keep readers cheering for him as he fights to claim their love. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)?  I did a ton of interviews with active and inactive military…

Terri Reed | Baked Alaska for ALASKAN RESCUE
Author Guest / April 12, 2021

For the release of my latest book, ALASKAN RESCUE, I decided to make a Baked Alaska in celebration. I’ve never made a Baked Alaska, so I went on a search for a recipe I suited to my inexperience. One of the many aspects of writing that I enjoy is research. Even researching how to make a dessert. I found many recipes and videos showing a variety of ways, shapes, and flavors to make Baked Alaska. And I found the history of Baked Alaska fascinating. The dessert is shrouded in mystery, which seems a fitting way to celebrate the release of the new romantic suspense series, Alaska K-9 Unit: A wedding party goes missing while on a hike and the tour guide is found murdered. Who is the killer? Where is the bride, the maid of honor, the groom, and his best man? It’s up to the elite Alaskan State Troopers and their canines to solve the crime. I read one account that says the name, Baked Alaska, was coined at Antoine’s, a restaurant in New Orleans by chef Antoine Alciatore in 1867 to honor the acquisition of Alaska. Yet, another chef is credited with inventing the dessert. In 1867 Charles…

Elizabeth Goddard | Author-Reader Match: PRESENT DANGER
Author Guest / April 5, 2021

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 Elizabeth Goddard! Writes: My romantic suspense style of writing includes fast-paced action and a whole lot of adventure. I love to transport my readers to stunning landscapes, which, by the way, make for great adventures. My newest book, PRESENT DANGER, is the first book in my new action-adventure series, Rocky Mountain Courage. Terra Connors is a U.S. Forest Service Special Agent who joins up with her old flame, FBI agent-turned-county-detective, Jack Tanner, to find a killer. Terra is dead set on proving she has the same steel, the same mettle, as her hero mother who died on a SAR mission. And Jack? He just wants to protect Terra from the rising danger because, if he fails this time, it’ll cost much more than their hearts in this tale of deceit made of hidden crimes, open threats, and long-buried family secrets. About: Adventurous, artsy, fun-loving hopeless romantic author desperately seeking readers who want heroes who are real men with honor and courage, and…

Carol Ericson | Exclusive Excerpt: THE SETUP
Author Guest / March 29, 2021

Jake propped up the wall outside Captain Castillo’s office in the Northeast Division with one shoulder. Castillo hated tardiness almost as much as he hated the press. Jake hadn’t bothered knocking on the office door because he could hear Castillo’s voice on the other side. He’d end the phone call at precisely three thirty and open that door, expecting Jake to be standing right where he was. And if he weren’t there? He didn’t know. He’d never tempted fate like that. He had to play by certain rules so that he could break others. The low drone of Castillo’s voice stopped, and Jake stood at attention. The door swung open, framing Castillo, navy suit slightly rumpled, salt-and-pepper hair already escaping from the pomade Castillo slathered on his head. The captain nodded once. “McAllister.” Jake followed the captain into the room, taking the lone chair on the other side of the functional desk, and dove right in. “I’m assuming this is about the two murders.” “It is. We’ve identified the second victim, Kelsey Lindquist.” Castillo shoved a picture of a pretty blonde across his desk. “No connection to Marissa Perez that we can see. They didn’t know each other, live in…

Chantal Fernando | Exclusive Excerpt: CUSTOM MADE
Author Guest / March 26, 2021

A song by the Weeknd plays over the speakers, and it instantly makes me think of my ex-boyfriend, and what feels like another life ago for me. I wasn’t always the person I am now, and I think it’s important for me to acknowledge that. It’s taken a lot to get me here, to be so strong, and when I think of the old me and the decisions I have made, it makes me cringe. But I guess we all aren’t born strong–it’s something we are made into. “Orion Stenton called up wanting a few custom bikes,” Bronte says to me as she approaches. “He’s dropped over two hundred thousand dollars so far. He must be loaded.” We buy the motorcycles, cus­tom them and sell them as one package. It can end up being pretty pricey. “Name doesn’t sound familiar,” I mutter, turning to Chains. “Who is this guy?” “Orion Stenton owns half of the city,” Chains ex­plains, stretching his neck from side to side. “Old family money, not all of it clean. Orion is the oldest out of four, and from what I’ve heard handles most of the businesses they own.” “He’s friends with the club?” I ask. Chains…

Catherine Bybee | Exclusive Excerpt: CHANGING THE RULES
Author Guest / March 19, 2021

The announcer started the final countdown, and a buzz went up among the hovering guests. Claire smiled at people as they stepped in front of her, but then looked around them to lay eyes on one of three extremely pricey items up for auction. Items that were small enough for someone to walk away with. A man stood in front of the pair of diamond earrings. The woman with him smiled as he wrote his name slowly. Next was a sapphire-and-diamond tennis bracelet where a lone woman was also writing her name. Then there was a Victorian brooch that was previously owned by some famous woman Claire didn’t know. The starting bid was twenty thousand dollars. But at last look, the bid was nearly double that. It, too, was where it needed to be. “Three, two, one. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to step away from the auction to enjoy the rest of the evening.” With the final direction from the announcer, she heard the first chords of a guitar strummed from the stage. The band hired for the evening welcomed everyone. The coordinators for the event started to push in as the guests dispersed. Her gaze ignored…

Lisa Renee Jones | Exclusive Excerpt: THE POET
Author Guest / March 1, 2021

My cell phone rings and I tear my gaze from the darkness to eye Chuck’s number on caller ID. “What do you have for me?” “I emailed you an encrypted file that has a lot of random data you should find helpful. As a point of interest though, I cross-referenced a connection between Roberts and the victim and found nothing.” Nothing means nothing with Chuck. He’s that thorough. “I went further than requested,” he continues, driving home that thought. “I cross-referenced his family, his ex-wife, his cases, looking for anything that matched up to the Summer case. There’s nothing there.” “There was a ‘professor’ noted in the file. Do you have anything on him?” “Yes, I saw that and checked it out, but there’s no one that I can connect to Summer or Roberts who fits that title. Not obviously at least. It could be a nickname.” A nickname’s an interesting premise, I think, but we need to rule out the real deal at this point. “Look up professors with a literature and/or poetry connection. I’m sure you noticed, but we don’t have much of a description.” “Right. I have the description in the file, which is pretty nondescript and…

Lynn H. Blackburn | Author-Reader Match: UNKNOWN THREAT
Author Guest / March 1, 2021

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: Inspirational romantic suspense with southern sass. My stories tilt slightly toward the romance side of the romance + suspense equation and always include a supporting cast of characters who keep things entertaining even when the bullets start flying. And the bullets fly—a lot—in UNKNOWN THREAT, the first book in the Defend and Protect series. About: Coffee-drinking, chocolate-eating, sleep-deprived author looking for readers willing to lose sleep over stories that put savvy heroines and bold heroes in intense situations which could end in death but don’t because the happily ever after is never doubt. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: You want stories about intense situations that you personally never want to experience in real life. You appreciate the word y’ You like it when characters wrestle with their faith. You frequently wish the characters in a novel were real people so you could hang out with them. You love a kissing scene (or two or…

Patricia Bradley | 20 Questions: OBSESSION
Author Guest / February 1, 2021

1–What is the title of your latest release? OBSESSION, Natchez Trace Park Rangers Book 2 2–What is it about? Natchez Trace Ranger and historian Emma Winters hoped never to see Sam Ryker again after she broke off her engagement to him. But when shots are fired at her at a historical landmark just off the Natchez Trace, she’s forced to work alongside Sam as the Natchez Trace law enforcement district ranger in the ensuing investigation. To complicate matters, Emma has acquired a delusional secret admirer who is determined to have her as his own. Sam is merely an obstruction, one which must be removed. Sam knows that he has failed Emma in the past and he doesn’t intend to let her down again. Especially since her life is on the line. As the threads of the investigation cross and tangle with their own personal history, Sam and Emma have a chance to discover the truth, not only about the victim but about what went wrong in their relationship 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I fell in love with Natchez and Mount Locust the first time I traveled to Natchez on the Natchez Trace. It is…