1–What is the title of your latest release? CONFESSIONS OF A CANINE DRAMA QUEEN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Two people get a second chance at love with the world’s worst matchmaker—a dramatic Husky named Molly. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The whole series is set in New York, but for the third book I needed to have the characters thrown together in a space where they couldn’t escape each other… enter a dog talent competition at an adult camping retreat! 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Absolutely. August is totally the kind of woman I love to have as a friend. She’s independent, forthright, ambitious, and kind. She’s the kind of friend who will tell you the truth even if it’s hard and be there with tissues and ice cream to help you get through it. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Ambitious, Independent, Strong. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That dog grooming can be a really tough job! I watched a ton of dog grooming videos to understand the process and considerations for the scenes where August is on…

Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Stefanie! Please tell us a bit about yourself and your new book, FOREVER STARTS NOW.  Stefanie: Thanks for having me! I’m Stefanie London, Aussie gal living in Canada. I’m the USA Today bestseller of more than thirty contemporary romances and romantic comedies that meet at the corner of sweet and sexy. Outside writing, I love to read, knit, bake and play video games. My latest release, FOREVER STARTS NOW, is a fake relationship romance between an Aussie hero searching for his father, and a prickly diner owner whose life has stagnated after divorce. At the heart of it, this story is about understanding who you are and being authentically yourself. There are also very strong themes of family and belonging. Both Monroe and Ethan have had their lives shaken up by devastating news, and we meet them in the aftermath of trying to figure out where they’re headed. It’s funny and heartfelt and you might tear up a little. There’s a steamy kiss in a haunted house, a wacky town mascot and a quirky cast of characters to fall in love with. I hope you’ll check it out! Forever Falls, the fictional small town at the heart of your novel, sounds charming,…

“I did not call you a sex robot.” The woman behind the counter flushed almost the exact same color as the pink polo top displaying a cutesy lip-print logo. She was gorgeous. Tumbling blond hair swept up into a bouncy ponytail, wide green eyes staring at him unflinchingly, and full lips all competed for his attention. There was something arresting about her, something strong and willful and so electric it grabbed Ronan Walsh by the balls. Add to all that a full figure with the kind of curves that could make a grown man weep, and he was momentarily robbed of his resolve to not to even think about women for the next twelve months. “She totally called him a sex robot.” One of the younger women at a nearby table snickered and ducked her head behind a coffee cup big enough to caffeinate an entire college faculty. “How embarrassing.” “Can I help you with a drink?” The woman asked, trying to act like she wasn’t ruffled. As she came closer, Ronan caught the name Audrey printed neatly on a white badge. “Maybe a croissant or a bagel?” “A coffee, black, in whatever is your biggest cup.” He tore his…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Her Aussie Holiday 2–What is it about?  Her Aussie Holiday is about a house-swap that gives an American woman more than she bargained for! Wanting to escape a failed relationship, her parents public divorce and career dissatisfaction, Cora Cabot decides to swap houses with her Aussie BFF. Only, when she arrives in Patterson’s Bluff, her friend’s older brother is camped out in the house and . . . well, hilarity and trouble ensue. At the heart of it, this story is about following your dreams, taking risks and learning to believe in yourself. It’s emotional, has loads of comic relief (including a potty-mouthed cockatoo named Joe) and definitely delivers a feel-good happily ever after. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Resilient! Cora is the kind of woman who gets knocked down but keeps getting back up again. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Everything! Seriously, Trent is one of those heroes who has it all. Hot, blue-collar body, charming smile, sense of humour and a big golden heart that he wears on display at all times. Oh, and a delicious Aussie accent. Who says you can’t have it all? 5–Who are the people your…

Growing up my favourite Disney movie was The Little Mermaid. I wanted to have Ariel’s signature red hair, and I loved shiny things like she did. I was fascinating with anything “underwater” like reefs and sharks and colourful fish. Basically, I knew if Ariel was a real person, we would totally be BFFs. I was also a huge fan of all the 90’s Disney movies: Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King… it was a good era for Disney. As I grew older, I assumed that fairy tales would lose their shine. After all, I knew what the real world was like and fairy tales were far from realistic…right? Well, maybe not. If you look past the themes of fairy tales to the message behind it, there’s something that still deeply resonates with me as an adult. Take Beauty and the Beast, for example. Belle had standards, she isn’t going to settle by living someone else’s dream. She most certainly wasn’t going to change all that because the people in her town thought she was an odd duck. As an odd duck with big dreams myself, I appreciated that. What about The Lion King where we learn about loyalty…

I am SUPER excited for The Chai Factor by Farah Heron, which is out in June 2019. It’s everything I love in a romance: a heroine who makes her own rules, a ton of “opposites attract” tension and a fun situation that brings the characters together. This fun story also touches on some serious and important topics, like dating someone of a different culture and how opening minds will open hearts.  This is an #ownvoices romance and Farah’s debut is at the top of my ‘to read’ list for 2019! Summary: Thirty-year-old engineer Amira Khan has set one rule for herself: no dating until her grad-school thesis is done. Nothing can distract her from completing a paper that is so good her boss will give her the promotion she deserves when she returns to work in the city. Amira leaves campus early, planning to work in the quiet basement apartment of her family’s house. But she arrives home to find that her grandmother has rented the basement to . . . a barbershop quartet. Seriously? The living situation is awkward: Amira needs silence; the quartet needs to rehearse for a competition; and Duncan, the small-town baritone with the flannel shirts,…

Not all bad boys are created equal. The Bad Bachelors app is currently helping with women of New York sort the good from the bad, and the bad from the terrible. It’s a fine line. Personally, I love a little bad sprinkled in with the good. So, I’m here to talk about my three favorite categories of bad boys. The Suit One of my personal favorites. A guy who’s smart, in control, looks incredible and has big dreams and goals. What can I say, ambition is a turn on! The key thing to look out for is how he treats those who work closely with him—if he’s cruel and manipulative, then he’s veered into alphahole territory and you should steer clear. But if he shows kindness (especially if he thinks no one is watching) then you have yourself a winner. Take Reed McMahon, for example. Sure, everyone thinks he’s a womanizer and a player, but he cares about his executive assistant so much he agrees to do some pro bono work for her grandson’s favorite library. And he hates libraries! He’s an alpha Suit with a heart of gold. The Wild Boy These are the guys you mother probably warned…

While writing my latest release, THE RULES ACCORDING TO GRACIE, I was looking for a fun date idea that would help my characters get out of their comfort zones…well, get the heroine out of her comfort zone anyway. Gracie Greene takes all her first dates to the same restaurant. While the dates don’t ever go well, her friendship with the owner of the restaurant (and her bad date saviour!) leads to something special. It got me thinking about dating. Now, it’s been a long time since I dated as my husband and I met at the slightly crazy tender age of nineteen. Now, I enjoy a nice meal and a glass of wine as much as the next person, but restaurant dates are kind of boring in the beginning, are they not? There are a few elements to a great date. You need an activity that will allow you to talk and connect, something that will help the conversation along if it slows down (first dates can be so awkward!) and you want something that will make a great memory if you move onto date number two and beyond. If you’re looking for something to spice up date night then…