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Fantasy Book Recommendations | October 2021

Check out this week's fantasy book recommendations. From merfolk to wizards, we've got you covered with these new fantasy adventures to read this week! Check out your new favorite books from bestselling authors Theophilus Monroe, Andrew Rylands, P. J. Flie, Emily R. King, Michael Wisehart, and D.K. Holmberg. Enjoy your new fantasy books!

Wyrmrider Box Set (Books 1-4)

by Theophilus Monroe

Release Date: September 30, 2021

Four books combined into one new box set by bestselling author Theophilus Monroe...You mess with this southern belle... and she'll ring yours all the way to dinner. Joni Campbell was raised on faith, family, and chicken fried steak. But when she falls under a dragon's curse she has only one option. She must seek her ancestors in the merkingdom of Fomoria. But is she the one who needs saving, or do they need her, curse and all, if they hope to save their world?

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The Forgotten God

by Andrew Rylands

Release Date: September 29, 2021

The captivating first book in the Reawakening contemporary fantasy series that's perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.....Delphi, Greece. A magically trapped god. A stolen lover. And a mystical war on the verge of exploding. Apollo wants to forget his past as an Olympian god. Trapped in a feline body with magically repressed memories should get him what he wants… But when humans kidnap his lover from their temple grounds, he sets out on a journey to Athens to track her down, determined to rescue her from a horrible fate. However, little does he know that he’s on a collision course with two immortal-led gangs and another deity seeking an artefact that might resurrect the gods’ ancient power. Now, he’s in a race to find his girl—but can he save her without bringing down the entire pantheon in the process?

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Unbonded (First of the Blade Book 1)

by D.K. Holmberg

Release Date: October 8, 2021

Bestselling Author D.K. Holmberg brings us a brand new fantasy series...Trained to destroy sorcery from a young age, Imogen Inaratha left that life behind, having come to see magic differently. When her brother asks for help, she embarks on a dangerous journey—and must face a part of her past she wanted to forget. An encounter with one of the mythical Porapeth changes the course of the journey. Protecting him forces her to face dark magical creatures and a powerful sorcerer determined to destroy the Porapeth in his quest for even more power. To succeed, she must learn the truth of the blade she’d long thought she’d mastered. She must truly become the First of the Blade.

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Crown of Cinders (Wings of Fury Book 2)

by Emily R. King

Release Date: October 5, 2021

Going to battle against a Titan in the war of all wars, one woman is making history in an epic novel of ancient Greece by Emily R. King, author of the Hundredth Queen series...Althea Lambros is growing into her power, wrestling with a burdensome heritage, and unwilling to concede to Cronus, the redoubtable God of Gods. For that, Cronus is making good on his promise. Calling upon the elder Titans, he’s bringing down his wrath on the world. With the help of her friend Theo, Althea takes cover with her sisters, Bronte and Cleora. But they can’t hide forever. To mastermind the downfall of the evil king, Althea must recruit allies of her own before the aggrieved mortals surrender the sisters to Cronus in exchange for peace. Is Althea formidable enough to win?

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The Four-Part Key (The Aldoran Chronicles Book 3)

by Michael Wisehart

Release Date: October 5, 2021

The third book in this award-winning epic fantasy saga continues where the second left off...An ancient proverb holds the key to restoring the long-awaited wizard fortress of Aero’se. Sitting in the front room of his family’s cottage, Ty listens intently as Nyalis conveys the urgency of his upcoming quest. Having agreed to search out the four missing pieces of an age-old relic, Ty soon discovers how unprepared he is for a mission of this importance. Meanwhile, in Easthaven, Adarra makes a shocking discovery. Not only were the Tallosians who attacked her home part of Mangora’s scheme, but it seems they are also part of a much larger invasion—an invasion Easthaven isn’t prepared to withstand. Follow along on their adventures and more today!

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A Guardian Rises

by P. J. Flie

Release Date: October 12th, 2021

The first book in the new Legacy of Seven series by P.J. Flie...Zairoc, a dark wizard, Sir Francis, a benevolent wizard, Trick Mark, captain of the guard, and the construction robot CD-45. Their destinies will collide at the city of Bastion. But concealed from everyone, a young woman holds the key to each of their fates. Ondreeal has lived her whole life on the farm with her callous adoptive father. She longs to see the world and witness for herself the magical wonders that fill it—and she’ll soon get her wish, thrust into an adventure that carries her to heights she never dreamed possible, and to the depths of despair and loneliness. Ondreeal can never become the hero the world wants her to be. But will she become the hero it needs?

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Interview with Christian Blaha, Author of The Black Sofa

What is the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Black Sofa?

This story was developed by Christian Blaha in Austria after thinking about it for a number of years. The story came to Christian after watching numerous horror American horror and ghost story films while in Austria. When Christian came to America he sought out a screenwriter to help develop and write the story as a screenplay - this is how he met Steven Sommers. Now, after creating the blueprint of the story, Christian and Steven have translated this suspenseful story into a novel.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Black Sofa, what would they be?

For Sara, it would be Stand Back by Stevie Nicks, for Herzog, it would be Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath, for Simon, it would be Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf and for Sebastian, it would be Sharp-Dressed Man by ZZ Top.

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

The last book I read was Ready Player Two by Ernie Cline. It would say: The sequel to Ready Player One gives the reader a very similar quest ala the first book but this time delves into the fact that our hero - Wade Watts - is now a billionaire. It lacks the charm and very fun 80's flashbacks and homages. This book leans too much into the nostalgia zone and gives us a huge helping of John Hughes as our characters mostly go in and out of his "Universe" that was present in all of his 80's films. A fun misfire, but a misfire, nonetheless.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre is non-fictional political books such as Rage and Peril by Bob Woodward and Landslide by Michael Wolff. I do not write in this genre as I mostly dabble in fiction.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write The Black Sofa?

No quirky writing habits except we usually wrote the book at our Beerjet USA showroom in Downtown Los Angeles and mainly late into the night (to the chagrin of our significant others). We also drank a lot of beer during the many writing sessions we had late in the wee hours of the morning!

What's the best advice you've ever received?

The best advice is to never give up on a piece of writing. Even if it sucks, there is always areas you can rewrite, reconfigure or reorganize. Also, always be ready for criticism of your work from other people. Seeing a book or screenplay through someone else's eyes with a fresh perspective allows your reader to see the flaws in the story or script and make necessary changes.

Christian Blaha is the author of the new book The Black Sofa

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Interview with Olivia Lara, Author of The Meeting Point

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Meeting Point?

Surprisingly maybe, it is inspired by a true story. A few years ago, one of my friends lost her cell phone on her way to work. She ended up calling her number, and after several attempts, a man answered and told her he found the phone on the commuter train. They set a place and time to meet…for her to recover the phone. She was single and yes, I secretly hoped they’d click and more will come from this. What a story that would be, I thought. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for my friend…but that doesn’t mean it’s not meant to be for Maya Maas, the protagonist in The Meeting Point, right?

What's your favorite scene from your new release, The Meeting Point?

The Meeting Point, written during the lockdown, was my escape book, and I hope it will be an escape for readers too. It includes many of the things I love: a beautiful, dreamy place—which also happens to be my favorite on the West Coast—a BIG, unconventional love story, a bit of mystery, a bit of adventure, lovely friendships, smiles and laughs. There are so many scenes in it that I love, it’s hard to pick one, but I’ll try. The initial text exchange between Maya and the rideshare driver, as they get to know each other, is definitely one my favorites. The quirky and endearing ’questions’ game, the way he becomes her guide in this new, foreign place, and how all this Maya’s worst day turns into…the best!

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

An immortal woman who is cursed never to be remembered by anyone finally meets a man who…remembers her.

What romantic couple from literature makes you swoon?

Oh, that’s a tough one. I adore so many fictional couples. From the classics, Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy, and Jane & Mr. Rochester, while from fantasy, it would have to be Clare & Henry from The Time Traveler’s Wife and Buttercup & Westley from The Princess Bride.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love reading any book that has a love story in it, so whether that falls under romance, fantasy, women’s fiction etc., I’m all in. I also read quite a lot of thrillers (psychological, domestic) and oftentimes I find myself absorbed by a non-fiction book (whether it’s a biography or true crime).

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write The Meeting Point?

I can edit anywhere, but when it comes to writing, I must be outside (yes to fresh air, no to walls), without people around to distract me (cats and dogs are OK though) and close to a coffee machine. So, that means, it’s either my back yard or my front porch. Rain or shine, I’m there (thankfully, we live in California, so winters are not that harsh, but it still gets chilly, so I bundle up). Oh, and besides coffee, I need to have a playlist I create especially for that particular story, that I listen to on repeat until I finish the first few drafts.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

"Never give up!"

Or perhaps it was: "Read! Read all the time and everything you can get your hands on. Fiction, non-fiction, it doesn’t matter, as long as it holds your interest, and even better if it’s something you wouldn’t normally pick up."

Olivia Lara is the author of the new book The Meeting Point

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Interview with Thomas Scott, Author of Wayward Strangers

What's the story behind the story?

Wayward Strangers is fiction, but it comes from fact, specifically a young man from my own distant past, and what life was like for him during the time just before and during World War 2. Wayward Strangers is a story of courage, heroism, love, and one man's relentless will to do whatever it takes to survive.

What inspired you to write Wayward Strangers?

Wayward Strangers started out as a short story I published some time ago (under a different title) and I always felt that there was much more about Jack Bellows that needed to be explored. The result is this novel, one that looks at the challenges Jack faces as he moves into adulthood during one of our country's most perilous times. It's historical literary fiction, layered with suspense, action, and a climactic ending I think readers will really enjoy. It is also the first book of the Jack Bellows trilogy, and if that isn't enough, readers will discover in future books that Jack Bellows and Virgil Jones (from my Virgil Jones Mystery Thriller & Suspense series) are tightly connected.

If Wayward Strangers is turned into a movie, who would you pick to play Jack Bellows?

I think I'd have to go with Ellar Coltrane. He's already done some fantastic work, and he has a very unique look, almost as if he was born in the era of when the book takes place. He'd be a perfect fit.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

James Lee Burke's Another Kind of Eden, along with George Saunders' book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain.

What book should be required reading for all humans?

Come of Age - A Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble by Stephen Jenkinson, along with his other book, entitled, Die Wise. Also, Be Here Now by Ram Dass.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

The magical, mysterious process that happens when my characters speak to me and lead me through the story I'm writing. I never outline in advance. I sit in the chair and write what I'm told to write by the characters in the novels. It's really very odd and beautiful all at the same time.

What's your least favorite thing about it?

The obligations and commitments that go along with the process. It's a business, and you have to wear more than one hat every day. If I could just write and ignore everything else, I think I'd have the best job in the world. Except there are accountants, and advisors, and managers, and publicity and marketing people to deal with…and because I'm a big part of that over-arching process, it takes a great deal of my time. That said, I'm also among the fortunate few who actually make their living by writing, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. But still...

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Don't quit...ever. That, along with something my father-in-law once said to me. We were working on a project together, and he said, "If you're going to do something, you may as well go ahead and do it right." So I never quit, and I always try my best to do it right.

Thomas Scott is the author of the new book Wayward Strangers

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Interview with Theophilus Monroe, Author of Wyrmrider Boxed Set (The Fomorian Wyrmriders)

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Fomorian Wyrmriders?

I originally created Joni while writing Druid’s Dance. She was supposed to be a competing love interest. A transfer student with a background in Druidry that would compete for Elijah’s heart. As I created her backstory, though, and eventually packaged it into a book (which I now give away for free to members of my Legacy Club—pick it up at theophilusmonroe.com) her unique background and spunky personality really won readers over. She might be one of my most popular characters. After she leaves Elijah and their son, Merlin (yes, that Merlin) in the second book of Bard’s Tale to seek her Fomorian ancestors there was a whole story, there, begging to be told. The Fomorian Wyrmriders is that story! But no worries. If you haven’t read the previous series this is fresh—you’ll get enough backstory sprinkled in to follow her journey without a problem. This is Joni’s story. Her adventure.

I’ve also loved dragon rider stories for a while. I read Anne McAffery’s The Dragonriders of Pern years ago and also loved Christopher Paolini’s Eragon. I’ve been eager to write a dragon rider story for some time. At the same time, I wanted to do something different. A mermaid dragon rider? So far as I know it hasn’t been done before. The idea was unique and intriguing enough—combining the mystique of an underwater magical world with the thrill of a dragon rider adventure—that as I wrote these books the stories just told themselves!

If The Fomorian Wyrmriders is turned into a movie, who would you pick to play Joni?

I think Chloe Grace Moretz might make a great Joni. She’s spunky. She’s great at playing characters with attitude. She also has a knack for action but has good comedic timing. I think she’d make a great Joni!

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I like to read as many Indie authors as possible. A friend of mine, Nazri Noor, recently released a M/M romance called A Touch of Fever that I’m eager to devour. In terms of trad-pub authors, I’m still eager to pick up the latest addition to Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive and the most recent addition to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files.

What book should be required reading for all humans?

I’m a big fan of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. If you enjoy vampire stories, so far as I’m concerned, her books are the gold standard. I’m also a big fan of T.H. White’s Once and Future King. If you can imagine combining vampires with Arthurian legend you might have an idea of what the “universe” that my books are set in is like.

What's your favorite thing about writing? What's your least favorite thing about it?

I love getting to know my characters. I know this sounds a little strange to people who might not write, but I really get to know my characters as I tell their stories. The stories, then, are really born from character development. Joni wasn’t a heroine I originally envisioned as little more than a supporting-cast member. As I wrote her story though and got to know her better, I couldn’t help but write more books featuring her unique, Southern, attitude and unwavering determination.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Believe in yourself and your abilities. Pursue your passion. Ignore the haters. These things all go hand-in-hand. It’s why I’m able to write as many books as I do as quickly as I do. There will always be critics. But I focus on the readers who love my books and give them more of what they enjoy.

Theophilus Monroe is the author of the new book Wyrmrider Boxed Set (The Fomorian Wyrmriders)

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Interview with William J. Cook, Author of Before Our House Fell Into The Ocean

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Before Our House Fell Into The Ocean?

Writing this book has been one of the ways I’ve been coping with the death of my older son two years ago. Grief has been my daily companion, and I’ve wanted to learn from it without wallowing in it. I’m pleased that the book has turned out to be, in the words of The US Review of Books, “a life-affirming collection.”

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Before Our House Fell Into The Ocean, what would they be?

For young Sonny in the story Widowmaker, it would be I’m So Excited by the Pointer Sisters. For Gary in Gargoyle, it would be Creep by Radiohead. For John Frost in The Chess Player, it would be Bad Guy by Billie Eilish. Joey in Coffee would be right at home with Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon or perhaps Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane. Jimmy in The Girl on the Boardwalk would be singing Scott McKenzie’s San Francisco. Charley Whitehorse in the story Paper would insist upon Best Day of My Life by American Authors. Truth be told, there are a dozen stories in the book, with several dozen characters, so this is just a sampling.

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

A blurb for the last book I’ve read would be for Disaster Inc. by Caimh McDonnell: Overweight, underpaid, and often intoxicated Irish detective Bunny McGarry is up to his eyeballs in alligators when he secretly comes to the United States to find a missing woman. Before he knows it, he is rescued by a dominatrix plying her trade to pay her way through law school, befriended by a dwarf who may or may not have stolen his wallet and cell phone, and targeted by the most vicious female assassin in recent memory. Disaster Inc. is a laugh-out-loud, page-turning thriller not to be missed.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre would be mystery/thrillers with a decidedly comic and quirky bent. Books by Caimh McDonnell, Joe Barrett, and Carl Hiaasen are at the top of my list. I’m also very happy with the debut novel by indie author Wesley S. Lewis.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write Before Our House Fell Into The Ocean?

I do all my writing at my desk by the window in our dining area. On the desk is a sign that reads “WINE! BECAUSE NO GREAT STORY EVER STARTED WITH SOMEONE EATING A SALAD.” There’s also a candle labeled “Man Cave,” a Sigmund Freud action figure, and two Star Trek communicators, one from the original show and one from The Next Generation. Two coffee mugs also decorate the space, one featuring the B-24 Bomber my father flew during World War II, and the other displaying the logo of the Northwest Independent Writers Association.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”

William J. Cook is the author of the new book Before Our House Fell into the Ocean

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Interview with Michael Alan Peck, Author of The Margins (The Commons Book 2)

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Commons?

I’d long wanted to create an entire world where all kinds of fantastic stories could take place and all varieties of characters could interact with one another. The initial idea was for it to take place on a computer network whose inhabitants didn’t know they were living on a network. I started developing it as fiction in the late ‘90s, when I was living in New York and taking classes at the Gotham Writers Workshop. I then moved to L.A. in 2000 to try to break into TV and screenwriting, and I began putting together an outline for a feature screenplay.

You can probably guess what happened next. The Matrix came out. So the computer-network idea was dead, and I had to come up with something else. I moved it to the afterlife, and wrote a spec-screenplay version of The Journeyman. My agent loved it, and that got me a manager. They both sent it around town, and though I had a bunch of meetings with producers who liked the idea, nothing came of it. It was eventually optioned to a friend of mine and his partner, but they weren’t able to get anything going, either.

After a couple more moves, my wife and I were having dinner and wine in our Chicago apartment when she challenged me to turn The Journeyman into a book. So I began expanding the story. Annie and Zach, who only appeared at the beginning and end of the original script, became major characters. I named the world The Commons. And I signed up for classes at StoryStudio to see if I had any business doing this fiction thing.

One week in class, I was handing out copies of my latest chapter so that everyone else could read it and give me feedback. When I placed it on the table in front of a classmate, she said, “All right! More Journeyman!” I knew I had something. After that, I figured I just needed to find more of her, and I’d have myself an audience.

If The Margins is turned into a movie, who would you pick to play Ray-Anne Blair?

I’d love to see what currently little-known or unknown actresses out there could carry off the right combo of vulnerability and toughness to play Rain (Ray-Anne is her birth name, but she only goes by it in the Living World, when she doesn’t remember who she is.) If I had to choose a known face and name and could reach back in time, though, I think a Hackers- or Girl Interrupted-era Angelina Jolie channeling her Lara Croft toughness could nail it. Others have suggested a Firefly-era Summer Glau.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I’ve been in a pattern of shifting between mysteries and classic lit lately, the former covered by another entry in Craig Johnson’s Longmire books and the first of the Nero Wolfe mysteries. I’m also planning on digging into Charles Dickens’s Hard Times at some point. That last one’s got a history behind it. When I was a senior in high school, my English teacher assigned it, and I informed her that she could just make her life easier and give me a zero on everything related to it because I hated Dickens, was tired of being assigned Dickens books, and was letting her know upfront that I had no plans to read it so we would both know where we stood. Luckily, I loved the next assignment, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and knocked it out of the park on all of the essays and tests. So I balanced out to a C between the two, though my mother insisted that teacher should have failed me for my defiance and all-around terrible attitude.

The best part is that years later, I started reading Dickens and other classic authors I wouldn’t have looked at when I was a teen, and I love most of that fare. But I don’t think I would’ve been able to get near it when I was too young to appreciate it.

What book should be required reading for all humans?

In keeping with the answer to the last question, I’ll say Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. I think just about everyone can benefit from the heart-rending story of how evening the score can bring about as much injustice as the system that was deservedly brought down. Once you unleash righteous anger, that anger can stick around long after the righteousness is no longer in evidence.

And of course, I’m going to violate the rules and throw in two other favorites: Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. You can learn a lot about wonderful writing from the great westerns and works of magical realism.

What's your favorite thing about writing? What's your least favorite thing about it?

My favorite is releasing something I’ve worked on for a long, long time out into the world and seeing it resonate with a readership. I’ll never, ever tire of that. My least favorite thing is all of the hours devoted to projects that mean stealing time from the people and events you love, when there’s a summer breeze and voices wandering in through the window to remind you of what you’re missing outside.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

I’ll combine two pieces of advice into one, and neither of them were directed at me personally: Anne Lamott counsels all writers not to be afraid of writing “shitty first drafts,” and Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s father used to tell them to just keep pedaling no matter what setbacks they faced. I think that if you can internalize both those things, nothing can hold you back as a writer.

Michael Alan Peck is the author of the new book The Margins (The Commons Book 2)

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Interview with S.E. Reynolds, Author of Enigma Rose

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Enigma Rose?

I met someone who experienced something we all unfortunately do at some point in our life, the death of a loved one. But when this person described the day the loved one died, the details of it all left me feeling unsettled like something didn't add up. The words the person used to describe the last moments seemed scripted and sterile. The vibe this person set off literally made me shudder. It stuck with me for a couple of years and then one day, I was running outside, and the memory of that conversation came flooding back. As soon as I got home, I wrote down my idea, which became the premise of my book.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Enigma Rose, what would they be?

Joshua - Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunny Man
Virginia - Misery Business by Paramore
Stacie - Fairy Tale Lover by UTFO
Rose - Wuthering Heights by Pat Benatar

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

Perfection is an illusion that can only be seen from a distance; just a few steps closer and its inner ugliness is exposed. Everything is nothing in this page turning, dirty little secret read by...

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I love character-rich, psychological suspense novels like Enigma Rose. I like crime fiction, but I find it is more like playing the game of clue than really getting underneath the criminal and victim's psyche. Books like Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, and The Wife Between Us are big influences.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write Enigma Rose?

I wrote Enigma Rose at my breakfast table. It is near a big window. I like to peer through it when I need to think through a scene. It allows me to escape my reality and current surroundings as I drift into my fictional world, helping me to envision what happens next. I can't eat a big meal and write. I need little or no food but a heavy pour of black coffee in my Edgar Allan Poe mug. And right next to the mug, I have a red solo cup full of ice water.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

It's just you and the page. The waste paper basket is your friend. It was invented for you by God.

S.E. Reynolds is the author of the new book Enigma Rose

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Interview with Tracey Jerald, Author of Free to Wish (Amaryllis Series Book 8)

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Free to Wish?

I was inspired by a contest. Free to Wish started off as a short story in the 1,001 Dark Nights Short Story Anthology earlier this year. I was excited to build upon the story once I had the characters in my head. Plus it gave me the opportunity to revisit the Amaryllis universe--something I'd been twitching to do.

What's your favorite scene from your new release, Free to Wish?

Absolutely, without question, the bar scene! Finn gets completely snockered in front of Jenna. I had a blast writing it.

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

Bringing accessibility into every aspect of the workplace is a critical component of being not just a success as an individual contributor, but as a leader.

What romantic couple from literature makes you swoon? Which one is over-hyped?

There are some who wouldn't categorize it as romance, but I read it at a time in my life where the emotional kick was ridiculously overpowering and likely influenced my need to write about "real" inside my romances. Tennessee Williams--A Streetcar Named Desire-- Blanche, Stella, and Stanley. I'm not certain that there is one that's over-hyped when we're talking about classics. They're declared that for a reason.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

In form or fashion, romance has always been my favorite genre to read. And it is absolutely my favorite genre to write.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write Free to Wish?

One of my quirkiest habits is I can write while walking. So part of Wish was written on my iPhone walking my dog during lunch. Listen, it's crazy but you have to get your word count in when you can.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

"Structure your attitude for the career you want, not for the job you have today." My father gave me that advice not long before he died.

Tracey Jerald is the author of the new book Free to Wish (Amaryllis Series Book 8)

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Interview with Kris Jayne, Author of Cross My Heart (Lone Star Crossed Saga Book 1)

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Cross My Heart?

I’m a big fan of old-school soap operas, and I loved the idea of the fun, wild family drama and money and romance all rolled into one. Cross My Heart started out as book five in my previous series with a hero who finds out he’s the secret heir to an oil billionaire’s fortune.

As I started trying to connect the book into the world of my first series, it didn’t work. The landscape and backstory expanded beyond what I could fit into my previous series. I gave Carter Cross, my hero, siblings and newfound cousins. The heroine’s story arc kept getting deeper because Nisha Donovan starts off as a woman who is up to no good. She’s a tabloid reporter digging up dirt on Carter’s family and lying about it.

I realized what I had wasn't book five, but book one in a soapy family saga entirely about the billionaire’s grandchildren—half from his family with his wife and half from the children of the son he never knew.

From there, I knew one of the families—the Crosses—would be black and the other family—the Stars—would be white. I wanted to create a multiracial world from the start, which I didn’t do in my previous series because it began with a book I was going to submit to a traditional category romance publisher.

I fell in love with the idea of creating romances for the grandchildren woven into the unfolding secrets of their parents and grandparents. I wanted to create the kind of series that needs a family tree.

What's your favorite scene from your new release, Cross My Heart?

If I had to choose one (and the other scenes won’t get their feelings hurt), I’d pick a scene in the last third of the book where Carter and Nisha connect after a crisis.

Carter’s father died when he was seven, and he’s the oldest. He feels responsible for his brother and sister. Nisha is the younger sibling, but she’s the responsible one. She’s had to raise herself in many ways, and now she’s taking care of her teenage niece. Neither one gives themselves room for crying or falling apart.

Carter gives Nisha something super sweet that shows he listens and that he’s learning to forgive her for what she does in the first half of the book. They have a moment that allows her to accept his forgiveness and give in to her attraction. The sweet leads to heat, which is my favorite thing. I also like the last scene of the book, which is naughty and fun. That’s all I’ll say

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

It’s hard enough to write blurbs for my own books. But I can write a logline for the last book I read: A billionaire London playboy convinces a financially struggling interior designer to be his fake date at her ex-boyfriend’s wedding to her (now) ex-best friend in Scotland. Romantic hijinks and spicy sex ensue.

I hadn’t read any Louise Bay books before Mr. Mayfair, and I really enjoyed it.

What romantic couple from literature makes you swoon? Which one is over-hyped?

This is where I incur waves of wrath. I’m not a Jane Austen fan. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are by far the most over-hyped romantic couple. Maybe ever. I’ll stop before I get thrashed.

As far as a couple that makes me swoon, there are so many. One couple that stands out is in Stacy Reid’s Accidentally Compromising the Duke. I loved Edmond and Adeline’s journey.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

These days, I read mostly steamy historical romance and cozy mystery even though I write steamy contemporary romance. I find it hard to read my own genre when I’m writing, and I’m nearly always working on my next book. I have an idea for a cozy mystery series that I’ll start in the next year or two, so I may read less cozy mystery and more contemporary.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write Cross My Heart?

Like everyone, I’ve been stuck at home for most of the last two years. I usually travel several times per year for my other freelance writing work and meeting with writing friends at retreats or conferences. I got very sick of my house.

So I bought a giant tent and set it up in my backyard. Until it got too hot to be outside all day, which it definitely does in the summer in Texas, I would head to the backyard and write in my tent. Now that it’s fall, I’m doing that again. I love it. There’s nothing out there but my writing and a tumbler of tea or coffee. I’ll even sleep outside. There’s something about being in the fresh air that helps you follow the sun—getting to bed early and waking up to chirping birds. I feel more rested when I do that

What's the best advice you've ever received?

I don’t think this counts as advice, but I saw a saying from George Bernard Shaw, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” That has stuck with me ever since. I love the idea that you can reinvent yourself and live different lives. We’re not locked into one way of being because of our circumstances or personality traits. We can evolve. Also, I think as authors, we do some of that through our writing.