Sara Reyes | Anniversaries of Books, Authors and Web Sites...

In August Fresh Fiction will celebrate its 5th anniversary. In the Internet world it's a real milestone, as it is for a small business. Most go within a year, 18 months at the outside. But against all odds, Fresh Fiction has managed to stick, thrive and grow. We have a team of addicted book lovers to thank and the resilience of people who well, for lack of a better description, love to read! And love all things about reading: the books, the authors, fellow readers, expressing opinions and always thirsting for more.

So this month -- August -- we'll be exploring all the parts that make up Fresh Fiction and create our book world. From the publishers to the authors to the books to the reviewers to booksellers and all things associated with our love of books and reading. I hope you'll join us several times this month and let us know what YOU think.

We'll also be celebrating with special blog posts, contests and give-a ways. So be sure to stop by and enter.

First up is my little story, or the founding of Fresh Fiction.

Well, curl up my friends and listen to the tale...ah, you see, I'm not really a writer and decided not to even try to be one about 15 years ago. It was a nice idea but I didn't suit the rigors of lonely writing, because to be honest, I'm really a reader. I've got to read and I don't want to dissect a book to see what makes it work. It's why I can't be an art critic either, I either know I like it or I don't. Ditto with books, I either love them or hate them. I can passionately discuss books until people's eyes turn blank or glazed but writing one is beyond me.

But I'm also really curious. When I find a book I like or an author that intrigues me I want to know ALL about them: their other books, who they are, what they are writing. I want to get a sense of understanding. And unfortunately most author or publisher web sites are either impossible to find or once found do NOT contain the information I crave.

So after talking to some fellow readers I came up with a plan. A site listing all the books as they come out, searchable by author or book with summaries, biographies and excerpts if possible. Tanzey Cutter said can we do reviews too? And how about a little column about books and authors? Candace Havens wanted to show how books and film mix together (she's a big time entertainment reporter). Shanna Swendson said, "I go to lots of conferences, can I write about those?" And not just romance, but other genres we're reading like thrillers, mysteries, fantasy. Just not "Oprah" books. And from that meeting in a line waiting for a signing to open, Fresh Fiction was born.

So fast forward five years, we've added more excerpts, more reviewers, lots more columnists, over 30,000 authors with their book lists, contests and tidbits here and there to entice. So for a labor of necessity ... to get more information about books ... I think we're doing what we set out to accomplish.

So, please tell us what you think, why do you come to FreshFiction.com? What else would you like to see?

Until next time...

Get out there and READ a book...

Sara Reyes

DFW Tea Readers Group

Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas November 13-15, 2009!

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Lisa Dale | What Inspires You?

Many people ask me where I get my ideas for my books. Sometimes, there’s no other answer except that inspiration falls into my lap like a star falls from the sky.

For example, on the night that I got “the call” from my agent that my first book, SIMPLE WISHES, would be published, I couldn’t fall asleep. I sat on the couch in my little apartment, and since there was nothing to do, I just turned on the television and vegged out until the wee hours.

As I was watching the Discovery channel, a show came on about meteorite hunters—folks who collect and then sell meteorites. It was like I got struck by lightning. I knew then and there that the hero in my next book would be a hunter of meteorites. I’ve always had a thing for nerd guys.

The end result was that in my new book, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, which comes out in late October, the hero is a sexy, science geek type. The book is about two sisters who own a wildflower farm in Vermont. Lana Biel longs to leave Vermont so she can travel and see the world. And her sister Karin wants nothing more than to put down roots and conceive the child she and her husband just can’t seem to have. When a lighthearted fling with a mountain biker leaves Lana expecting, she finds herself tumbling headlong into motherhood while her sister Karin can only look on.

Click here to read the rest of Lisa's blog, leave a comment or enter her blog give-away.

Laura Caldwell |A New Trilogy

This summer, my publisher, MIRA, put out my new trilogy—Red Hot Lies, Red Blooded Murder, and Red, White & Dead—back to back to back. Meaning, the first one came out in June, the second in July and the third on August 1.

It’s tricky enough to promote one book (in a market where book reviews and articles are declining), so we assumed it would be even trickier to try and promote three. Actually the opposite has been true. My publicist, Tom, is a former newspaper man with a southern drawl that drips over his always-kind words. When a magazine tells him, “Oh, sorry, we won’t be able to cover Red Hot Lies in our July magazine. We already put the issue to bed,” he says in that sweet voice, “Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ve got two more books in the series. I’ll send ‘em out to you.”

Another amazing thing about a quick release trilogy is reader feedback. I get to hear what readers think about the love interests in the book. I get to find out whether they’re satisfied with the ending, what they’d like to see in the next book and the next. And I get to hear if they enjoyed Izzy, my main character, a sassy, redheaded Chicago lawyer. It’s those comments I always cross my fingers for when I read them. I know writers aren’t supposed to do this, but Izzy is rather like me. Don’t get me wrong –her story isn’t. My fiancé’ didn’t disappear weeks before my wedding. I haven’t moonlighted as a private detective. I haven’t sat in the anchor desk of a network news program or been chased by Mafioso. But characteristically, Izzy is a taller, cooler, smarter, younger, prettier me. She’s sort of a superhero version of me, I guess, because she doesn’t get as cranky as I do, she’s much more patient, and although she always talks about sleep she seems to need rather little.

Click here to read the rest of Laura's blog and leave a comment.

Daniel Silva signing THE DEFECTOR

Daniel Silva signing THE DEFECTOR
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

Photo collection from the Daniel Silva signing in Dallas. Check them out and watch for a special contest in August to win the copy of THE DEFECTOR Daniel signed to a "Fresh Fiction Fan!"

Robyn DeHart | What’s in a love scene?

In its various forms, love scenes are probably one of the most discussed topics at romance writers’ conferences. Love scenes are an integral part of romance writing yet for some writers the thought of writing one can strike the same amount of fear as the dreaded synopsis. I can't tell you there is no reason to be afraid, sex, unlike synopses, can actually have fearful roots. But I can tell you that there was a time when I found writing love scenes to be rather uncomfortable, yet now they tend to be one of my favorite scenes to write.

My journey through them isn't important, and frankly I'm not sure why everything has changed, so I can't offer you a step-by-step guide. I can tell you that the first one I wrote (many years ago now), I just typed as fast as I could to get through it as quickly as possible. When I re-read it, it was riddled with clichés and purple prose and had zero emotion. Needless to say it needed a lot of work.

The first step to writing love scenes (okay, so I lied, apparently I am giving you a step-by-step guide) is to ignore those around you. If you sit down to write a love scene and immediately you worry about your cousin or your mother or your in-laws, then it will paralyze you. As a romance writer, we have a built-in readership, it's not our job to recruit new readers, though pulling people over to the dark side is always fun. But our readership is already used to graphic love scenes, they will not be embarrassed by what you have to offer them, so you shouldn't be embarrassed.

Click here to read the rest of Robyn's blog, leave a comment or enter her blog contest.

Hank Phillippi Ryan | A Mother-Daughter Love Story--EVENTUALLY.

Do you get along with your mothers? Do you get along with your daughters? I know you’re speaking the same language—but how well do you understand each other?

I know I’m all grown up—I’m a veteran TV reporter with 26 Emmys--but there’s still part of me that turns into a little girl when I’m around Mom. And I want to please her. But it’s not always easy.

When she first started reading FACE TIME, the newest Charlotte McNally Mystery? She was not pleased. At all.

She called me—I’m in Boston and she’s home in the Midwest. I could tell, instantly, it was not going to be a fun conversation. You have to imagine the "Mom" tone. Perhaps, you've heard it. Maybe you've used it a time or two yourself.

Turns out, Mom was unhappy with FACE TIME. Very, very unhappy.

To be sure: Mom is terrific. She’s just over 80, and is absolutely beautiful. An artist, a reader, a wonderful intellect. (She doesn’t have a computer, so she’s not reading this.) I’m her oldest daughter, and any psychologist will tell you that can cause some friction.

So anyway. Why was Mom mad? She thinks I’ve “used her for art.”

It’s true: Charlie McNally’s mother in FACE TIME is a bit—persnickety. She’s opinionated. She thinks, for instance, that Charlotte might want to give up her very successful 20-year TV career to marry some tycoon and become a trophy wife. No matter that Charlie is happy with the personal life (pretty happy, at least, for a 46-year-old single woman who is married to her job) and happy with her professional life (pretty happy, at least, even though she’s fearful she’s going to be replaced by someone younger).

Mom also thinks Charlotte (she refuses to call her Charlie, saying, “nicknames are for stuffed animals and men who play sports”) might want to visit the plastic surgeon for some face time of her own.

Now Mrs. McNally is not, I repeat, not, my mother. But in these days of controversy over whether books that are purported to be memoirs are actually true—I find myself fighting to convince her that my book is truly fiction.

It’s ALL MADE UP, I tell her. Yes, Charlie has a Mom, and I have a Mom. But I’m not Charlie and she’s not you.

Silence on the other end of the phone.

Uh, oh, now you MUST read the rest!!!! click here to continue

Susan Crandall | For the Love of a Small Town

As some of you may already know, I live in the same small Indiana town in which I was born and grew up. Sound like a Mellencamp song? Well, he’s from Indiana, too. I even remember when he was Johnny Cougar. But I digress.

It isn’t that I’ve never lived anywhere else. For several years I lived in the Chicago area. But my heart brought me back to Noblesville. This is where I wanted to raise my family. However, while I was away fighting the traffic and the crowds of the city, something happened to the town I left behind. It inched closer to being a suburb.

There is still enough farmland in my county to produce a great county 4-H fair. It’s one of the few things that have remained constant throughout my life here. Unfortunately, I missed seeing the baby chicks and ducks and pigmy goats this year because I was out of town. I’ll have to wait an entire year before I can experience it again.

I’ve mourned the loss of my small town, but tonight I caught a glimpse of how it used to be.

Tonight there was a street dance on the square – a modern version of those my great grandmother used to attend back in the day. The smell of roasting ears of corn and grilled pork chops floated on the air. Balloons bobbed on strings clutched by the small hands of children carted in strollers and wagons. Feet tapped even for those people not actually dancing. There was even a gathering of classic cars. Hey, I remember when lots of those cars were just cars … nothing classic about them. We even own one now, a 1969 Firebird 400 Convertible (clearly this vintage was prior to my getting a driver’s license). It’s a beauty. Again, I digress.


Hooked? Read the rest...

Sandi Shilhanek | I Wonder Whatever Happened to...

The other day I found myself thinking about people I’ve known in my life and haven’t seen for awhile. I got to wondering what they were doing now, and how their lives have changed, and whether or not we would still enjoy spending time together.

Taking that thought and extending it to the books I’ve read over the years I’m wondering what might have happened to the Mackenzie family from Linda Howard, or the MacGregor Family from Nora Roberts. Both these families have older generations who if they were to be continued today would have to have died off. How would we as readers feel about losing a beloved character? Probably not very happy, which is why we don’t have updates, but like finding out a once dear friend has passed away wouldn’t we grieve and move on in order to find out what newer generations of these families are doing?

I know I’ve mentioned two much loved families, but who are some characters that made an impression on you that you would like to see today and see if as your life has changed, and their lives have changed would you still love them?

Until next week happy page turning!

Sandi Shilhanek
DFW Tea Readers
Readers 'n 'ritas... celebrating literary obsessions