New Books - NewInBooks

Interview with Kevin Corbin, Author of Weeping Willow

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Weeping Willow?

What inspired me to write Weeping Willow is my love of history. I enjoy all historical time periods, especially because of the fascinating settings they can offer. In Weeping Willow, I went with 1950s America because I wanted a setting that lent itself to an outlaw tale. The technology was just enough where a moderate amount of movement could occur (i.e., cars with decent speed,) but not so much that catching the bad guys would be easy (i.e., modern investigative abilities.)

If you woke up in the world of Weeping Willow, what is the first thing you would do?

I would purchase an era-appropriate automobile and cruise around. As stated above, I adore period pieces, and it would be amazing to cruise through the south and take it all in. Not only that, I would venture across the United States and absorb the breathtaking display of 1950s retro Americana.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

Many books attempt to imitate Downton Abby without success. This one doesn’t quite succeed, but it comes close. The time period might be more advanced, but the familiar concepts are there—glorious estate, wealthy family with deep roots, social tensions between the family and the commoners, global unrest as the backdrop. The cast of characters is multi-dimensional, the tension is constant, and the setting is astoundingly accurate. It doesn’t quite capture the genre-defining masterpiece that is Downton Abby, but fans of such work would appreciate the noteworthy attempt.

Where did you write Weeping Willow?

Weeping Willow was written in my bedroom. In effect, this is how I spent the entirety of the Covid lockdown. The idea, outline, first draft, and revisions all occurred while I was home on work restrictions. And writing the book was the perfect escape because it transported me out of the current reality (at least for the mornings and afternoons) and into a fictional place of cops and robbers and classic cars.

Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in?

The 5,000-meter run. As an avid runner who enjoys shorter distances at speed, I would love to compete in this event. I would surely come in dead last, but it would be fun!

Kevin Corbin is the author of the new book Weeping Willow

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Interview with Tracey Jerald, Author of Perfect Composition

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Perfect Composition?

Two things sparked the initial idea. The first is I was a musician growing up. I played four instruments up to the time where I sustained an injury to my wrist while I was in college. It was such a pleasure to make music, I started from a young childhood and had the pleasure of touring Europe playing the cello. I parlayed that into becoming a rights and clearances paralegal for a worldwide internet company later in life. With both experiences, I know there is so much more that occurs behind the scenes than what the public sees. There are high flying emotions that affect every aspect of an artist.

If you woke up in the world of Perfect Composition, what is the first thing you would do?

Immediately race to work at the law firm that represents the hero of the story, Beckett Miller, because I'd be super late! I loved that job.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

You are both the first and last line of defense between you and a nebulous world of darkness. Trust your instincts and let me give you some insight on how. For the record, the book was Hackable: How to do Application Security Right by Ted Harrington

Where did you write Perfect Composition?

I wrote Perfect Composition in my home office and my couch. The main thing I needed while writing were my headphones and lots of music. After all, how can you write about a sexy rockstar and not have music?

Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in?

It's funny you ask this particular question because I actually was a competitive swimmer. Trust me, I have the shoulders to prove it! Before life happened, I predominately swam the distance butterfly and freestyle events, so I'd hope to compete in the 200m butterfly, the 800m freestyle, and the new 1500m freestyle that Katie Ledecky crushed.

Tracey Jerald is the author of the new book Perfect Composition

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Interview with Jim Lively, Author of Surreal Absurdity

What's the story behind the story?

The story was influenced by my real-life experiences and some of the characters I encountered as an attorney transitioning into life as an artist/author.

What inspired you to write Surreal Absurdity?

While Surreal Absurdity is a stand-alone novel, it is a sequel to my earlier novel Aberrant Behavior. Several of the characters of the earlier novel resurface in Surreal Absurdity.

If you woke up in the world of Surreal Absurdity, what is the first thing you would do?

If I woke up as Charles Pierce in the world of Surreal Absurdity, the first thing that I would do is hire a bodyguard.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

The last book that I read was Long Range by C.J. Box. The lead character, Joe Pickett is a rugged game warden whose jurisdiction is located in Wyoming. He is recruited to assist in the investigation of the killing of a judge's wife. The killer used a high-powered long-range rifle. His long-time friend is arrested for the crime by an inept sheriff. Joe is determined to find the real killer. Box does an outstanding job developing believable characters.

Where did you write Surreal Absurdity?

I wrote Surreal Absurdity in my small study in Richardson, Texas.

Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in?

As a former avid runner, I would compete in the marathon.

Jim Lively is the author of the new book Surreal Absurdity

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Interview with Prescott Lane, Author of The Right Side of Wrong

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Right Side of Wrong?

Sometimes inspiration for a story is clear. Someone says something and boom, it hits you. That didn’t happen with this book. This one just walloped me over the head. One minute I’m working on one book and the next, Paige and Slade have taken control of my mind. I had to stop the book I was working on and write their story. For me, writing has to be that way. It’s not something I can control. When I try, the story doesn’t feel right. As soon as I let go, the words, the characters come freely.

If you woke up in the world of The Right Side of Wrong, what is the first thing you would do?

Well, I guess that depends on what page I woke up on. LOL! But I think the first thing I’d do is hug Paige and Slade. They both could use a good, long hug.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

So blurbs are the worst. I find them incredibly difficult to write. It’s hard to capture the essence of a story in a couple of lines. I’m required to do it for my books, but I’m not about to try to do it for someone else’s work.

Where did you write The Right Side of Wrong?

I almost always write my books in bed, and my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is almost always right beside me.

Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in?

First off, I’m not very sporty. But I do love to watch the Olympics. I would probably want to compete in tennis because my hubs and my daughter both play.

Prescott Lane is the author of the new book The Right Side of Wrong

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Interview with Stephanie Kreml, Author of Truth Unveiled

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Truth Unveiled?

I’ve always loved a good mystery or thriller, especially those with a stunning twist. And I wanted to bring to light the struggles of everyday physicians. In the way that John Grisham shows a different side of the legal profession, I aim to show a different side of medicine, where doctors are the underdogs.

It may be hard to believe, but I originally intended to write a cozy mystery. However, as the story unfolded on the page, I couldn’t avoid more serious issues with overlying themes around the aggression women face.

Of course, I relished creating the reveals in Truth Unveiled and planting the seeds along the way to ensure a satisfying read. I hope to continue growing as a writer so I can keep providing readers the savory endings found in the books I enjoy.

If you woke up in the world of Truth Unveiled, what is the first thing you would do?

The world of Truth Unveiled is the world we already live in, and Samantha Jenkins is the version of me who has the courage to dig deeper and affect the injustices she sees. As the series progresses, Sam will ask the questions we all have, and in seeking out those answers, she will put herself in harm's way. She will learn that motivations are not always as they seem and that her perceptions of the people and the institutions she’s trusted may be distorted. It’s going to be a fun ride, and Sam has the skills and the verve to make an impact.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Connelly’s Fair Warning, and I strive to achieve his level of craft someday. So here’s my blurb:

When investigative journalist Jack McAvoy is accused of murder, he discovers that genetic information collected by an ancestry website allows a serial killer to take advantage of weaknesses unknown to his victims. Michael Connelly brilliantly weaves the promise of genetic technology with the darkest of human nature in this fast-paced thriller.

Where did you write Truth Unveiled?

I wrote Truth Unveiled a spare bedroom we turned into an office during the pandemic. My desk faces a window overlooking our backyard, allowing me to reconnect with the nature surrounding our home. While I write, I catch glimpses of wildlife, including rabbits and foxes, cardinals, and eagles. And the most precious thing I’ve witnessed was a doe with her twin fawns, frolicking and chasing each other across our yard on a spring morning.

Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in?

I’m definitely not an athlete—I was one of the kids who participated in math and science contests rather than sports competitions. But I do remember watching Mary Lou Retton during the 1984 Olympics and trying to perform my own floor exercise in my grandmother’s living room.

This year, I applaud Simone Biles for her courage to put herself first, knowing that if she had continued in the gymnastics competition when she wasn’t ready, she could have suffered a devastating injury. But it was also a selfless act, allowing other team members to rise to the occasion and continue the US dominance in the sport. I’m amazed by these women, and I’m thankful that the environment is changing so that women—and really anyone—can put their mental health first.

Stephanie Kreml is the author of the new book Truth Unveiled

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Interview with S. D. Unwin, Author of One Second Per Second

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write One Second Per Second?

As a once theoretical physicist, Time both intrigues and mystifies me. It was Professor Einstein himself who came up with our modern understanding of time, yet many physicists nowadays think that maybe he got it wrong because he couldn’t explain the one most basic thing about time—something every one of us knows. It’s that we have the sensation of time, like a river, flowing by. Einstein’s theories never came to grips with that very obvious truth. So what might a time travel story look like if you begin with a different idea of what time really is? What if a small team of regular, insecure, imperfect humans were forced to cope with the colossal idea that time is not what they had thought? That’s what my novel is about, with star-crossed, time-straddled lovers, time vandals bent on taking advantage of ruined histories, and even a few talentless winemakers in the mix.

If you woke up in the world of One Second Per Second, what is the first thing you would do?

I’d cope poorly with the crushing news that most of the physics I’d put so much effort into learning was wrong. But I think I’d soon get over it, awash with the exhilarating time travel possibilities. Sad to say, I might be tempted to become one of the villains that my protagonists try so hard to contain, changing this piece of history and that just to see what difference it makes. But actually, scientists love to discover there’s a problem with their long-held theories because it opens up new vistas of understanding. In my book, I tried to make my science weird but credible.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

I’ve often thought that it’d be easier to write the blurb for someone else’s book than for my own because I wouldn’t be so torn about which aspects of the story to include. It turns out I was wrong. The book I just read was Utopia Avenue, the story of the rise to stardom of a 1960s pop group. But the band has its demons, and this being the work of David Mitchell, those demons are not metaphorical. Anyway, I hope this vibrant and seductive account of the book won’t have too many authors coming to me to write their blurb.

Where did you write One Second Per Second?

I’d love to claim that I was a Hemmingway who could type with one hand while landing a thrashing spearfish with the other; but an office, a computer, and a castored chair make up my mundane workplace. I know that some people are energized in their writing by the hustle and bustle of a coffee shop or of a bar, but for me, writing is a quiet and solitary business.

Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in?

A world in which I qualified for the Olympics would be one of such extreme fantasy that Tolkien himself would have thought it an imagining too far. (Speaking of Tolkien, I’m not related to his publisher in case anyone was wondering.) In the ancient Greek games, there was a competition for playwrights, so maybe a time-hop would serve me well here. I’d prefer my odds against Sophocles himself than against any athlete.

S. D. Unwin is the author of the new book One Second Per Second

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Interview with Melissa Bobe, Author of Electric Trees

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Electric Trees?

One day, I fell down a Wikipedia hole and learned about something called electric treeing. There’s a heavy-duty scientific definition of this, and I’m not a scientist, so bear with me! Very basically, electric trees form when there’s a tiny fault in a piece of insulation, and that fault allows electricity to spike into the insulation, and the shape it forms looks like a tree. This might not sound so remarkable, but if you look at images of this, they’re really striking. And I sort of got fixated on this phenomenon of what are pretty much electrical accidents within manmade insulation creating a figure that is beautiful to behold, and the fact that it looked exactly like something quintessentially natural and organic just drew me in deeper.

Meanwhile, I also had been accumulating stories that I’d been sending out to different markets for a while, and several were getting really interesting rejections. Usually, it’s just, “Yeah, sorry, not for us,” but I was receiving more details from the editors, which is always something a writer should pay attention to because feedback on your work is invaluable, but also because why a story is rejected can tell you something about the story itself. And I was hearing things like half of an editorial team absolutely loved a story, and the other half didn’t even know what to make of it.

I think being polarizing can sometimes be a good thing, and in this case, it seemed that I would need a home for all of my misfit narrative children so more people could read them and have conflicted feelings about them. Electric Trees became a space for stories that would look like faults or accidents to some readers, and like beautiful, organic entities to others. I wanted to highlight things we often think of as oppositional to one another. On the one hand: electricity, starkness, boldness, light, neon, edge; on the other: nature, water, mythologies, hauntings, the dark. And there were themes that emerged that I hadn’t even planned on, which inevitably happens whenever I sit down to write. It’s not a collection for the faint of heart (though parts of it are heartwarming enough), but my hope is that, after finishing the book, no one will feel they’re standing in quite the same place they were when they started reading.

If you woke up in the world of Electric Trees, what is the first thing you would do?

Electric Trees has several worlds, so first I’d pick the ideal one to wake up in. I never understand people who say they’d like to visit really bleak fantastic worlds—why would you want to struggle? I’d probably choose “Fins,” the very first story in the collection. When I was little, I was always disappointed when I’d sat in a bath for what felt like ages and was all pruned up, but no mermaid tail ever seemed to be forming. I’d definitely love to enter a world where I’d have a chance at that tail.

If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say?

A snowy white lion that may or may not be imaginary helps a child learn to make new friends. I’m a children’s librarian, and if you guessed that this was a picture book, you’d be right! The book is The Snow Lion by Jim Helmore and Richard Jones, and it’s a darling story that my toddlers and their grown-ups loved during my last storytime.

Where did you write Electric Trees?

I do my best work at home. I’ve created a pretty perfect (if slightly cluttered) workspace for my writing, and aside from some intermittent meowing, it’s relatively quiet and I can focus. But I also did a lot of writing on lunch breaks at work, which isn’t always easy because I’m generally pretty social and when people see you on lunch, they want to chat with you. There was considerable writing done in the backseat of my car as a result.

Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in?

I would compete in whatever sport you can do while being afraid of the ball and incapable of catching it! Joking aside, I’d probably choose something along the lines of martial arts or gymnastics. I don’t do either in real life, but I practice ballet daily and I guess that would be a transferable skillset. (I’m still afraid of the ball, though.)

Melissa Bobe is the author of the new book Electric Trees

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New Mystery and Thriller Books to Read | August 3

Hold on to the edge of your seat as we hunt for clues and solve the case with these exciting new mystery and thriller books for the week! There are so many bestselling authors with new novels for you to dive into this week including Kevin Corbin, Jim Lively, Stephanie Kreml, and many more. Enjoy your new mystery, thriller, and suspense novels. Happy reading!

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New Romance Books to Read | August 3

Looking to fall in love with some new romance reads? You’ll adore these exciting new novels! This week you can get your hands on books by bestselling authors Gail Haris, Tracey Jerald, Monica Murphy, Prescott Lane, and more. Enjoy your new romance books and happy reading!

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New Books to Read in Literary Fiction | August 3

Literary fiction readers are in for a treat. This week’s latest releases list is full of intriguing reads you won’t want to miss! The new releases list includes so many bestselling authors like Melissa Bobe, Dolly Alderton, Juan Gabriel Vasquez, and many more. Enjoy your new literary fiction books. Happy reading!