1–What is the title of your latest release? A TWISTED LOVE STORY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Wes and Ivy have been in a tumultuous, on-and-off relationship for ten years. Other people often get pulled into their drama…sometimes with deadly results. Now a detective is looking into their past and they need to do something they’ve never been able to do: Stay together. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Every story has a certain feel to it, and that’s how I decide where it will take place. I’m originally from California, and that is where it felt like this book needed to be. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? In this case, there are two protagonists: Wes and Ivy. I would hang out with both…but probably not for long! 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Wes and Ivy are dramatic, impulsive, and irresistible (to each other!) 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? This book is really a combination of genres; it has elements of both rom-coms and thrillers. It was interesting, and sometimes frustrating, to try and incorporate elements of both. 7–Do you…

How would you describe your book SLEEPING DOGS LIE to readers who may be unfamiliar with your books? As a cozy mystery fan, a lot of times the cover design will give me a clue to whether a book is a fun cozy mystery or more on the suspense or thriller end of the spectrum. Your cover suggests that it’s not a cozy, but the description can be taken a few different ways. It’s not a cozy mystery, I’d describe it as a mystery-thriller. There is definitely a mystery element to the story, but I think it ultimately lands more on the thriller end of that spectrum.   Is this book part of a larger series, or a standalone story? This is a standalone story.   When I’m debating about picking up a mystery, I often want to know a little bit more about the protagonist. What can you tell me about the protagonist in SLEEPING DOGS LIE? Shelby is a twenty-something dog walker in an upscale Bay Area neighborhood. She takes her job seriously and has a genuine love for dogs. When she finds one of her clients dead, she immediately calls the police and becomes quite involved with…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Samantha! Please tell us about yourself and your new book, HE STARTED IT. Thank you so much! My new book, HE STARTED IT, is about three siblings (and two spouses) who have to go on a road trip in order to get an inheritance from their grandfather. Along the way, they have to deal with old grudges, family secrets, and a lot of scores to settle. This is a family road trip novel gone wrong–three siblings with strained relationships have to travel across the country per their grandfather’s will in order to receive a hefty inheritance. The route they are taking is the same road trip they took years ago with their grandfather, and they each have their own reasons for despising that trip. What is it about familial relationships, particularly sibling relationships, that you find fascinating? Sibling relationships are really complicated. If they grow up in the same house, they have a shared history during their formative years–something that can’t be repeated later in life. Siblings know your past, and you know theirs. And typically, they know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. Better than anyone else, in my experience. That makes siblings a…