Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Samantha Downing Interview – Thrillers and Horror in Fiction
Author Guest , Interviews / March 23, 2022

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…

Alexa Aston | 20 Questions: LEAVE YESTERDAY BEHIND
Author Guest / March 8, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? LEAVE YESTERDAY BEHIND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A popular actress at a turning point in her career. A professional athlete forging a new path as a fiction writer. And a serial killer interested in seeing both of them dead . . . 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My heroine is an actress who shoots her TV show in New York City. I wanted a bulk of the action to take place far away from that world, especially since she has gone through a traumatic experience and needs time to heal. I decided to take her back to her childhood home of Aurora, a small town just outside of New Orleans. She would feel safe there, staying with her great-aunt and being around friends she trusts. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? AB-solutely! Callie is fun, feisty, and loyal. She would always tell me the truth and have my back. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? I would say HOT, HOT, HOT—but I’m sure you want something a little more descriptive than that! Let’s go with…

Wendy Corsi Staub Interview – Maintaining Suspense in a Thriller
Author Guest , Interviews / February 28, 2022

I admit that I usually go for cozy mysteries rather psychological thriller – when it comes to books. But your latest book, THE OTHER FAMILY, sounds like some of my favorite horror films. What draws you to writing thrillers? I’m a Type A personality, so I think it’s likely about control. Psychological suspense novels are driven by fear of the unknown–for the characters, and for readers. But as the author, I know what’s going to happen–I’m the one who’s making it happen. In real life, there are so few things we can control, and there’s always going to be a measure of uncertainty and fear–unnerving for someone who likes to be in charge. In my fictional world, I truly am! The book description for THE OTHER FAMILY describes a sinister “watcher”. In some suspense or thrillers, the perspective alternates between a few of the main characters, along with an unknown killer playing the role of voyeur. Does your book jump perspectives as well? Or do your characters just get an eerie feeling of being watched, without confirming it for the readers throughout the story? My novel unfolds from three perspectives. Nora Howell is a mother of two who’s recently moved…

Lynn H. Blackburn | 20 Questions: MALICIOUS INTENT
Author Guest / February 28, 2022

1–What is the title of your latest release? MALICIOUS INTENT   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company’s cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by government, medical, and advocacy groups and everyone hopes the device will be a success. Well, almost everyone. Someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch, but to what purpose—and how far will they go to get what they want? Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can’t believe he’s finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he’s found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy’s life’s work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The entire series takes place in Raleigh, NC. I wanted it to be in North Carolina, not far from a fictional town I created in my previous series, and in a location where there is a Secret…

Jennifer Vido | Jen’s Jewels Interview: THE CAGE by Bonnie Kistler
Author Guest , Interviews , Jen's Jewels / February 25, 2022

Jennifer Vido: What inspired your gripping new release, THE CAGE?  Bonnie Kistler: The opening scene in the elevator came from my years of practicing law in big firms in high-rise buildings. I spent countless hours riding up and down in these “cages,” and the situation often struck me as fraught with peril. Imagine getting trapped in a disabled elevator. Then imagine getting trapped with someone who might wish you harm. That’s where we find Shay Lambert and Lucy Carter-Jones when The Cage begins. The larger themes of the novel were inspired by the fall-out from the Great Recession of 2008. I knew so many bright young professionals who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Once you lose your place on the ladder of success, it’s hard to ever get back on the right rung. That’s Shay’s back story. The third big “light bulb” moment came when a big news story broke: a prominent man was arrested for frequenting a massage parlor/brothel in Florida. The women involved appeared to have been trafficked, and that got me thinking about the exploitation of workers at all levels of the labor spectrum. What’s the office culture like at the fashion conglomerate…

David Putnam Interview – Building a Strong Suspense Series
Author Guest , Interviews / February 21, 2022

I see that your new book, THE SINISTER, is the ninth book in the series. Can it be read as a standalone story for readers who may be new to the series? THE SINISTER can most definitely be read as a standalone. I wrote this purposely to work as a standalone. I quickly and economically give the reader the information they need to understand the back story.   How would you describe your main character, Bruno Johnson, to readers? Bruno Johnson is an ex-cop, ex-con who rescues children from toxic homes in South Central Los Angeles. He couldn’t do it as a cop because of all the rules and policies so now he goes outside the law to rescue the children.   From the book description, it says that family plays a big part in THE SINISTER. Does having the main character deal with family issues increase the anxiety or sense of danger? Bruno Johnson is a real person with real problems. He rescues children and women from hostile environments and the story—each novel–always overlaps into his family. He keeps the children he rescues which means his family continues to grow. With a bigger family comes more problems. I’m very…

Debbie Wiley | Reading Slumps are the WORST
Author Guest / January 20, 2022

by Debbie Wiley Books have been part of my life for as long as I remember. Even before I could fully read on my own, I remember my grandmother reading to me and listening to books on record albums, following along with the words in the accompanying book. Everyone knows the last two years have been tough, but for this reader, it’s been worsened by a reading slump. Instead of turning to books for comfort, I’ve watched a lot of mindless television, much to the chagrin of my husband. Fortunately, a few recent reads have really jumped out at me and tugged me into the storylines, snapping that reading slump into tiny pieces! One of the tricks often cited to break a reading slump is to reread old favorites. My twist on this is to read authors I’ve loved over the years. CURSE OF SALEM by Kay Hooper perfectly fit the bill! Not only have I loved Kay Hooper’s books dating back to the 1980s when she wrote category romances, but I’ve also faithfully followed her Bishop Special Crimes Unit series, devouring them as soon as I could get my hands on each new installment. CURSE OF SALEM returns to the town…

Otho Eskin | Exclusive Excerpt: HEAD SHOT
Author Guest / December 13, 2021

The wood panel explodes above my head, and I drop to the ground and lie pressed against the wet stone steps, sucking in oxygen, my heart pounding, my arteries pumped with adrenaline. I want to scramble to my feet and make a run for it, but I force myself to stay motionless. Here, I’m hidden by the yew trees and shrubs in my front yard. Standing, I’m an easy target. My face is a few inches from my copy of The Washington Post in its plastic wrapper to protect it from the rain. Another giveaway I hadn’t yet returned home from police headquarters. I must do something about that problem in the future. Assuming I have a future. I’d parked my car in front of my house rather than in my garage, where it would normally be tucked away. It’s a 1964, fire-engine-red Corvette convertible. That might as well be a billboard advertisement: This is where Marko Zorn lives. Come and get me. I’m an idiot. This is a quiet neighborhood of single-family homes, most built in the 1920s, with large yards and wide front porches where people once sat and drank iced tea on warm days. It’s a typical…

Stephanie Kane | OBJECT LESSONS + Giveaway!
Author Guest / October 15, 2021

OBJECT LESSONS was inspired by an eccentric Chicago heiress named Frances Glessner Lee. In the 1940’s, Lee designed 18 miniature models of crime scenes to train police investigators. Built to the scale of one inch to one foot, and complete with tiny victims, Lee’s dioramas are enigmas begging to be solved. Here are Lily Sparks’ favorites: 1: Three-Room Dwelling: Robert and Kate Judson, and their baby Linda Mae, are shot to death in their tidy little house. Their phone is off the hook, the table’s set for breakfast, the murder weapon—a rifle—is on the kitchen floor, and both doors are locked from inside. 2: Attic: Miss Jessie Comptom, a spinster, hangs from a rafter in her attic. Old letters and other relics of her past are scattered beneath her. One shoe dangles from her foot; its mate is on the stairs. 3: Dark Bathroom: Maggie Wilson lies face-up in a bathtub in a rooming house. Fully clothed, she appears to have fallen in backward. She had two male visitors that night, and there’s a liquor bottle on the floor. 4: Kitchen: Mrs. Robin Barnes lies on her kitchen floor. The stove’s gas jets are open, and her face has a rosy…

Debbie Wiley | Missing Persons
Author Guest / October 14, 2021

Missing persons stories appear in the news all too frequently, capturing the attention of the nation with a multitude of questions. Where did the person go? Is the person safe? What happened and why? Whether it’s the manhunt for Brian Laundrie amid the swirling questions of his fiancée’s death or the past well-publicized kidnappings of Patty Hearst and Elizabeth Smart, or the still-unsolved disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, cases involving missing persons have seemingly always captured the attention of the nation as we anxiously await and hope for positive news. Lately, my local news has dealt with the tragic endings for Gabby Petito and Mia Marcano, both young women who lost their lives all too soon. Readers are often drawn to the theme of missing persons, as evidenced by the abundance of books with a missing person as the core theme. GONE GIRL was recently one of the bestselling books of the decade, featuring the missing person theme. Let’s delve into a few other books featuring this same theme. LAST SEEN ALONE by Laura Griffin starts out with an abandoned car and a pool of blood. The car, registered to Vanessa Adams, offers little clues and Vanessa isn’t anywhere to be…