Hi, Nancy! Welcome back to Fresh Fiction. Please tell us about yourself and your latest novel, A HEARTFELT CHRISTMAS PROMISE.   Hey there! It’s been a while since we’ve chatted. I’m so excited to be here to share a little about my newest book. Isn’t the cover adorable? I’m a dog lover so I’m crazy about this cover. I know people love reading on their ereaders, but I hope they’ll not only download the digital copy, but also splurge on the purchase of a copy of A Heartfelt Christmas Promise in trade paperback for their bookshelf and include it in their holiday decor. It’s such a fun cover, and so different from all of my other holiday books. PSSST- If you order a print copy and need an autographed bookplate. .  . email me for one with your full address I’d be happy to personalize them for you and your friends! What do you love about writing Christmas romance novels? What do you do to get in the holiday spirit while writing these books?   I love the chance to whisk my readers away from the day-to-day, and what better way to do it with the joy Christmas brings. The smell of…

In my Forgotten Empires trilogy, the heroine—Queen Euthalia of Calanthe—uses the dreamthink. Because she’s magically sensitive, messages come to her in nightmares, when her mind is vulnerable. The world is a chaotic, broken, and wounded place—and it cries to her for help. When she wakes from these terrible dreams, she pretends to be asleep still, just to calm herself so she can face a day of politics. In some ways, she isn’t entirely faking it. She wakes, then goes into another stage of sleep: the dreamthink. Lia, who lives in a world that celebrates science and knowledge, but is not technologically advanced, has given this state it’s own name. It feels to her like a kind of light dreaming, where she can also guide where her mind goes. Those of you familiar with meditation or sleep stages, might recognize this as a trance state. Or it could be a Stage 1 sleep with theta waves (which are also present during meditation) or Stage 2 with sleep spindles in the brain activity. Magical or not, those are states of mind we all experience at some time or another. I know I do! I made up the term “dreamthink” for myself. (Even…

1–What’s the name of your latest release? When You Wish Upon a Rogue  2–What is it about? It’s a romantic twist on the myth of Persephone and Hades. Sophie, who has a green thumb, accidentally trespasses on one of Reese’s properties. When she sees how sleep-deprived the earl is, she brews him a medicinal cup of tea…and it works. They strike a bargain: she can use his property in exchange for spending one night a week with him. The attraction between them is undeniable, but Sophie is promised to another, and Reese has lots of demons of his own. They’ll have to risk everything for a shot at their happy-ever-after. 3–What word best describes your heroine? Selfless. Sophie has such a pure heart. 4–What makes your hero irresistible? He’s so tormented—and refuses to admit it. The only person he has a soft spot for is Sophie. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help? Sophie turns to her best friends (the other heroines of the Debutante Diaries series), Fiona and Lily. Sadly, Reese is pretty much alone in the world…so he turns to Sophie. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book? Some…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Emily! Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your new book, Eternity Springs: Tucker. I’m a native Texan and spend most of my time at our home in the Texas Hill Country. When I decided to do a trilogy set within the Eternity Springs world but in a locale outside of Colorado, Texas was a perfect fit. Gillian Thacker owns a bridal salon but hasn’t had the best luck when it comes to her own dating life. I love that contradiction – someone who works in the wedding business but isn’t really ready to settle down herself. What do you think readers will find relatable in Gillian? Gillian is a strong, capable person, but when she is thrown a big life curve, it takes her a little while to recover. I believe life is like that. It can knock you down, and we don’t all climb back on our feet at the same pace. I try to write my characters realistic. They’re not perfect, but they’re real. After a career in the Army, Tucker McBride is trying to navigate civilian life, and the last thing he wants is a boring desk job. So…

While HANDLE WITH CARE is a rom-com, Lincoln’s brother Armstrong’s crazy antics certainly make sure of that! – it also deals with some deeply rooted family issues for both Lincoln and Wren. How did you strike a balance between the serious storylines that bring our hero and heroine closer together with the laugh out loud funny situations?  Armstrong is quite literally my favorite villain to write! He’s so horrible and having him schooled by Wren, or his brother always makes me smile. I tend to insert humor to temper the more serious moments. I love the lightness of a rom-com, but I also want the story to have depth and the characters to grow throughout the story. Facing family challenges helps both Lincoln and Wren grow, on their own and together as a couple. Lincoln Moorehead has been off the grid for a while and isn’t exactly thrilled to be the new CEO of his family’s media business in New York City. This also means he has to actually interact with his family. What did this strained family dynamic add to the overall story and Lincoln’s story arc in particular?  Lincoln has done everything he can to separate himself from…

Thanks for stopping by Fresh Fiction! Can you tell us about your new series, Devil You Know, and the first book, How to Love a Duke in Ten Days? Thank you so much for having me! In the Devil You Know Series, I wanted to celebrate those fierce female friendships that so many of us rely on. Alexandra Lane, Cecelia Teague, and Francesca Cavendish meet at a boarding school and realize they’re girls who want to enjoy all of the pleasures that men are allowed and women are denied. They form the Red Rogues Society, a club where they sneak away and wear trousers, drink port, smoke cigars, and read newspapers. Their bond is secured by a secret, and they vow they’ll do anything for their life-long sisterhood, including never marry. In HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS, Lady Alexandra Lane has lived with a painful secret for a decade. She’s paid a villain to keep that secret safe, and now her money has run out. When she is offered salvation in the form of a marriage of convenience to a scarred, reclusive Duke, she realizes they’ll both have to learn how to trust before they can ever…

With a cozy mystery, the setting is important. And if a writer is really lucky, that backdrop becomes a character in its own right. With Coral Cay, I created my Florida dream town.  A comfortable village that’s big enough to support a downtown populated with shops, a local grocer and a bookstore. And small enough that the denizens know each other on sight. It also has a bit of a glamorous reputation. The resort area on the far side of the island is a playground for the rich and famous. The beautiful beaches and quaint village attract a flood of tourists every year. And, rumor has it, the island was originally discovered by pirates. In Coral Cay, I wanted a place that was all the best parts of the state – the things I love. Deserted beaches. Afternoon cloudbursts that last all of fifteen minutes. Warm sand. Sunshine all year round. Cooling sea breezes smelling of salt. And brightly colored flowers everywhere. And hopefully, some interesting people, too. A few readers have commented on the eccentric characters who inhabit Coral Cay. But really, they’re just like the people who live in your own neighborhood. In a book, though, you get…

Caroline had faced many challenges in her life. She’d tackled some serious life-and-death trials. She’d persevered. She’d emerged if not victorious, then at least still standing. So why was she trembling in fear at this relatively minor task laid before her? It’s ridiculous. It made no sense whatsoever. “Are you ready?” Jackson asked. No! her inner self screamed. “Sure,” she said, lifting her chin. The music started. He emerged from behind the stage onto the empty dance floor at the Last Chance Hall. It is my last chance, Caroline thought. My last chance to bolt for the door. As a native Texan, it had been her biggest secret, her greatest shame. She didn’t know how to two-step. She’d never learned. She’d listened to pop music in high school and college. Robert introduced her to classical music, but he didn’t like to dance. So, she’d never learned. That, apparently, was about to change. Keen-eyed Jackson had noticed that she always made excuses not to dance at the Last Chance and called her on it. When she finally fessed up to her lack of skill, he’d declared himself her teacher. She wanted to learn. She did. So why was she so embarrassed…

The third book in my Sometimes in Love series, ONCE UPON A BAD BOY, is a second chance romance. Bo and Sadie, the hero and heroine, are childhood sweethearts who break apart as teens, but fate brings them together again eleven years later. I dedicated this story to my husband. It’s an appropriate choice, since our marriage is the result of a second chance romance. Well, since we broke up twice, it’s technically a third chance romance. But what’s that saying about the third time being the charm? When I met my husband when we were teenagers, like Bo, he was kind of a bad boy himself. A bit of a rebel who had long hair down to his waist and drove a brazen bright yellow car that he would park at wild angles in the back of the mall where we both worked. That lot was always almost empty, he wasn’t a jerk, he just liked to push the envelope on the rules, see what he could get away with. A trait (thank you, karma) our youngest daughter has inherited. Our oldest daughter is sixteen, the same age I was when I began dating my husband. I admit, the…

After yesterday’s delicious kickstart by Kendra Elliot, we’re so excited about today’s post from contemporary romance author, Laura Trentham because she has a delectable dessert recipe! The first book in her Highland, GA series, A HIGHLANDER WALKS INTO A BAR, will be in stores later this summer. Be sure to check out our other Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup posts all week! Day 1: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=10089 *** A Highlander Walks Into a Bar answers the age-old question: What would you do if your mother brought home a handsome six-foot tall Scotsman as a souvenir? (You thought I was going with, What does a Scotsman wear under his kilt, didn’t you? ☺) Our heroine, Isabel Buchanan, tries to her suspicions the man is planning to take advantage of her mother, because she has bigger problems. The annual Highland Festival is only three weeks away and she and her mother are in charge! Enter Alasdair Blackmoor, another handsome Scot who harbors his own suspicions about Isabel and her mother’s intentions with his uncle. Hilarity (and passion) ensues as Isabel and Alasdair spar and try to ferret out the truth. A Highlander Walks Into a Bar is a wild romp during a Georgia summer. I dare…