Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Terry Spear | My Favorite Fall Tradition
Author Guest / October 1, 2020

I love fall, though in coastal Texas the fall isn’t as grand as it is in other areas of the States. Still, I photograph leaves that have turned wherever I can find them. And when I went to Omaha in October, I was able to photograph fall colors too. Even in Central Texas at the zoo, the colorful leaves reflected in the water in November. I can pull up pictures I’ve taken in Scotland in September and Minnesota in the fall too and enjoy them when I can’t see them here. I love the fall colors. They make me feel good when the heat can still hang around for quite a while where I live, and I’m looking so forward to getting some cool-downs at least at night and in the mornings. When we lived in Oklahoma, we used to drive along the Talimena National Scenic Byway in fall where the leaves were gorgeous. But when I lived in New Jersey, after having lived in Texas and Florida, I was astounded by the brilliance of the autumn foliage. I love to decorate with fall leaves and fall items–like a sign that says, “Fall in Love.” It has fall leaves on…

Maria Vale | Title Challenge: SEASON OF THE WOLF + Exclusive Excerpt!
Author Guest / August 27, 2020

S: Summer E: Evie A: Alpha S: Sweetgrass O: Opening up to N: Nature * O: Orrrroooo! F: Forever Wolf * T: Tenderness H: Home E: Endures * W: Wildness O: Our L: Love is F: Fierce — Read on for an exclusive excerpt from SEASON OF THE WOLF: Pups spend their first years wild. Then comes the dreaded Year of First Shoes when they have to begin to learn how to be in skin. The First Shoes are supposed to wait for the adult wolves to come before they get into the water, but they are too anxious. . . Something splashes, followed by excited yips and yells made by children who aren’t used to the form until one of the older ones calls out: “Tasha felled!” Leonora starts to run, hampered by sandals. I run, too, hampered by the jostling of injured ribs, but Constantine races past me, wolf-fast on two legs. The children huddle to the side of the dock as his feet pound down the dock and he launches himself far out into the water, cutting through it like an otter. At the edge of the dock, I lie down, my arms in the water where…

Terry Spear | 20 Questions: NIGHT OF THE BILLIONAIRE WOLF
Author Guest / May 28, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release? Night of the Billionaire Wolf  2–What is it about?  Lexi Summerfield built her business from the ground up. But with great wealth comes great responsibility, and some drawbacks Lexi could not have anticipated. Lexi never knows who she can trust. Even on vacation, Lexi has a hard time relaxing. And for good reason—the paparazzi are dogging her, and so is someone else with evil intent. Then Lexi meets bodyguard and gray wolf shifter Ryder Gallagher, who’s also vacationing at Redwood National Park. When the two run into each other on the hiking trails, and then serendipitously rescue two bear cubs, Lexi feels safe for the first time in she can’t remember when. But secrets have a way of surfacing. With the danger around Lexi escalating, Ryder will do whatever it takes to stay by her side… 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Dedicated 4–What makes your hero irresistible? Sexy, protective, eager to help. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Family and Friends 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  When I was a kid, I remember the wonder of the redwoods. I’m from…

MaryJanice Davidson | Exclusive Interview: BEARS BEHAVING BADLY
Author Guest / April 2, 2020

1–What’s the name of your latest release?   You’ll never guess–it’s BEARS BEHAVING BADLY! Can you believe it? I’ll bet you had no idea, despite the title being plastered all over the promo materials. You must be so surprised! I’m surprised, and I wrote the thing. (Yeah, buckle in. I’m ridiculous.)  2–What is it about?  It’s about a foster care system for shapeshifting minors, the people who work there, and the vulnerable shifters in their charge. We know t here’s a dark web, a deep web, a super-duper secret web, a fifth column, a shadow government, black market cheese, and underground wrestling, so why not a foster care system set up for vulnerable and/or dangerous minors? And not just any minors: shapeshifters. And not just shapeshifters: traumatized shifters who would be incredibly dangerous to others even without the PTSD.    Like any underground organization, it runs parallel (but unnoticed) beside the foster care system for Stables (Shifter slang for ordinary bipeds like me and thee). And while weres only make up a small percentage of the population, that’s still a lot of orphans to keep track of. And because life isn’t complicated enough, while my characters are going about the business of saving vulnerable…

Charlie Adhara | Romance Tropes, Book Recs, and More
Author Guest / March 12, 2020

Thank you for having me here to talk tropes, recs and my latest release, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, fourth of the Big Bad Wolf series! One of the joys of writing a series is being able to put my characters through more than a couple of my favorite tropes. Hoo boy, have I taken advantage of that! When grumpy, human agent Cooper Dayton is unexpectedly partnered with werewolf Oliver Park to investigate a series of mysterious deaths in the first book, The Wolf at the Door, the guys are mutually suspicious to say the least (that must be why they can’t take their eyes off one another. . .right. . .?). It’s a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers story to its core. But throughout the series Cooper and Park have gone on to meet the family, return to the hometown, and uncover a secret, dark past before getting to this latest release. In Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, I was able to do my own personal take on two of my favorite tropes: Trapped by a Storm and the Fake Relationship. How do you manage to put a real, established couple through the fake relationship trope? By sending them undercover to a couple’s…

Terry Spear | Exclusive Excerpt: YOU HAD ME AT WOLF + Giveaway!
Author Guest / February 27, 2020

Blake suspected Clay was going to be trouble no matter what they did. Give him a room. Don’t give him a room. But Blake liked that Nicole was willing to allow the guy the opportunity to remain there and do his investigation. Hopefully, Clay would stay out of Nicole’s way. Blake knew Nicole would love to complete the task, and he and his brother and sisters would do anything they could to aid her in finishing it. He thought the world of her for being good-natured enough to be okay with Clay solving the case so she could spend more time with Blake. Besides, staying with her while the guy was here was definitely a good thing. At least he hoped so. He remembered going on a trip with his siblings to Grand Cayman Island once, and Roxie talking to a middle-age couple about why they were there. Was it a honeymoon? Anniversary? She learned the couple had dumped their spouses and were doing a trial vacation in paradise. They were each paying their own way, but this was like a honeymoon before the marriage, if it went that far. Blake wasn’t surprised Roxie would talk to the woman. She…

Kait Ballenger | Exclusive Excerpt: WICKED COWBOY WOLF + Giveaway!
Author Guest / January 30, 2020

“I may look like a monster, but I’m not going to hurt you.” Her reluctance offended him more than he cared to admit. His reputation painted him in a grim light–and for good reason–and he knew that side of his face was hideous, deformed, but he’d just risked his life for her, saved her. . . and with them alone in his room like this, the thought of when he’d kissed her inside that godforsaken closet haunted him. He’d kissed her so thoroughly that the feel of her against him was forever seared into him. And then he’d told her it meant nothing to him. What a load of horseshit. “It’s not that. I was afraid I’ll hurt you.” She reached for him again. This time, she didn’t shy away. With gentle movements, she cupped his cheek and used a handkerchief to wipe away the fresh blood. Her touch was gentle, tender. Some of the nerve endings on that side were damaged, making it less sensitive, yet he was aware of her every movement. Rogue could count the number of times someone had touched him there on less than one hand. The stroking movements of her palm and handkerchief as…

Kait Ballenger | Cowboys & Wolves: Why This is the Mashup You’ve Been Waiting For + a GIVEAWAY!
Author Guest / June 20, 2019

Let’s get real for a second: paranormal romance readers are looking for something unique. We all love classic paranormal tropes, but in recent years, the true treasures among the genre have taken those classic elements and turned them on their head. Likewise, if you’re a western romance reader, you’re looking for the sexy tried and true cowboys you love but with an extra special, fresh twist. So what if I told you that you could have the best of both worlds? –Cue collective gasps! Paranormal romance with a western twist is exactly what you’ll find in Cowboy in Wolf’s Clothing, my newest release and the second installment in dark and dangerous Seven Range Shifter series, where the heroes are cowboys by day, wolf shifters by night. Now I’m not really one to sing my own praises, but since I’m here to convince you that cowboy + wolves is the mashup you’ve been waiting for, here are three reasons why I love writing the Seven Range Shifters. All the sexy alpha male angst, none of the alpha-hole bull… We’ve all read it—the alpha-male wolf shifter who is just a little too…alpha. And while I love a sexy alpha male shifter as…