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 Scott Semegran, Rhys Bowen, Yangsze Choo, Christopher Castellani and many more. Enjoy your new literary fiction books. Happy reading!
Set off on an adventure to new worlds this week! This selection of new science fiction and fantasy books will surely please! Science Fiction fans should be excited about the latest from bestselling authors CH Gideon, NM Tatum, Tom Baker, and more. If Fantasy is what your library needs, you’ll be able to pick up the latest from Dima Zales, Charlie Jane Anders,Elizabeth Hunter, and more. Enjoy your new science fiction and fantasy books. Happy reading!
Are you an avid reader of Young Adult books? This week you are in luck! With all of these new novels, you’re bound to find a new favorite book to add to your reading list. This week includes new novels from bestselling authors Susan Dennard, C.J. Redwine, Emily Barr, and many more. Enjoy your new young adult books. Happy reading!
Looking for some new biography and memoir books for your library? There are so many new releases this week that you’re bound to find a new favorite. You can pick up new novels from Gary Sinise, Dave Cullen, Judy Coleman, and more. Enjoy your new biography and memoir books. Happy reading!
What can you tell us about your new release Alluring Attraction?
I first had the idea for Alluring Attraction all the way back in 2009, so it has been a long labor of love to get it ready for the world. It’s the first book in a three-part series. After a chance encounter, Ryder discovers that his rival at college, Hunter, is working at a high-class brothel. Hunter seduces Ryder that night, causing their relationship to begin growing into something more with each repeated visit. Even as Hunter starts to develop very real feelings for Ryder, he can’t help but be drawn to a new employee at the brothel, Cesare.
As a voracious reader, I wanted to see something different from the standard formula of going from tentative friends, to sex, to falling in love. At the same time, I wanted it to be more than just a simple one-night stand that expands into a relationship. Starting with the sex lets them learn about each other through that physical connection, which allows them to become friends in a way that wasn’t possible before. Of course, it’s always going to end with a HEA, because that’s what makes it worth it.
Sometimes sex scenes in romance novels can feel gratuitous and like they don’t actually matter, but I like introducing a psychological nuance to those couplings that brings depth to every encounter. It’s never “just” about the sex in my work. You can see their relationship evolving through every time they’re together, which gives it far more meaning.
Setting it in a brothel creates plenty of opportunities for those steamy moments of passion. At its heart, the story is about Hunter and Ryder’s developing relationship as they grow closer in spite of the difficulties stemming from Hunter having to work in such a place. Cesare’s role in Hunter and Ryder’s romance will continue to be developed in the future volumes.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
As I mentioned, I have always been an avid reader, starting from my earliest childhood. I loved being able to visit worlds that weren’t my own and experience things that were beyond me. As I grew up, I began wishing for stories that didn’t exist yet. When I was ten, I realized if I wanted to read those stories, I’d just have to write them for myself, so that’s exactly what I did.
I got my start in fanfiction, but quickly turned to original fiction. I have entire worlds in my mind that I can’t wait to share with everyone, so that’s a real driving force behind my writing.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
This is always such a difficult question, because it’s impossible to narrow down a lifetime of loving books to just five. Limiting myself to the gay romance genre, I would say the top five best books I’ve read recently are (in no particular order):
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Even though a séance would be necessary, I would want to interview Shakespeare as my first guest—but not for the typical reason to speak to the mind of a great master. No, I would want to have the pleasure of talking with him about his most creative and favorite insults. I’d love to find out the stories behind some of the gems he came up with, not to mention see if he had any updated “modern” ones for the current era. My top three personal favorites are:
If I were to ask something more serious, I’d love to talk to him about the last play, because it’s not part of the established canon of his masterpieces. Most people have never even heard of it, and it’s generally not considered one of his better works. I’ve always found comfort in the fact that even someone as great as Shakespeare had some flops. So I’d really like to hear his perspective on that as someone who has met with such resounding success.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I’d have to say it’s a toss-up between three things for me. One of my favorite things about writing is when I first get approached by a “plot bunny,” which I affectionally refer to as “plunnies.” They emerge from the shadows and start whispering what ifs in the back of my brain, trying to seduce me into letting them run wild with the new story idea. Feeling those whispers coalescing into something more substantial is a fascinating process. It can also be exceedingly frustrating, because I have so many ideas, but not nearly enough time to get them all out at once, so sometimes they do have to live in my mind for a pathetically long time before I can give them the proper time and attention they deserve. But my plunnies are nothing if not tenacious.
Along with that, I love building universes with interconnected characters and stories. Watching all of those connections forming is so much fun. No detail is ever wasted in one of my works, so I love scattering these tiny little details that you don’t think very much of on first read, but then you later discover it actually was a major plot point down the road. I think it adds a lot of reread value as well.
The other part about writing is the relief I get from finally getting the ideas out of my head and onto the page. When you live with so many characters inside you, it can get really crowded up there, so it feels extra good when you can finally let them go free in the world.
What is a typical day like for you?
I’m a PhD graduate student in the middle of my comprehensive exams while also teaching undergraduate classes at my university, plus I work for a law firm. Needless to say, my life is busy. If I’m not in class, then I’m teaching one, or doing my readings for my upcoming exams in preparation for writing them in order to advance to the next level of my degree progress. My law work takes up most of my preciously scarce free time.
I do my best to squirrel away as much time to write as I feasibly can, but it never feels like enough. These days, I mostly get to write on my flights to and from Japan, Oregon, and New Jersey, or when things are slow at the firm and I can use that time to write. I’d love to live a life where all I had to do was write, but I’m not quite there yet, sadly.
Despite the insanity of my schedule, I was blessed with a year while I was studying abroad in Japan where I had ample time to write due to my schedule being unusually clear. I would have class on Monday, then Tuesday through Sunday were days dedicated to writing, unless I had a play to attend or more law work. I managed to crank out almost 900,000 words in that time frame, so it gave me a great head start on positioning myself to start publishing. Because of that, I’m able to edit the work from that time and publish three books a year, while I still work on new stuff in stolen moments.
I can only imagine what I’d be capable of if I was able to dedicate all of my time to writing…
What scene in Alluring Attraction was your favorite to write?
When I first started working on Alluring Attraction back in 2009, Cesare didn’t exist in the story yet. As I expanded it into a second book (Developing Desires), he made himself known, then was responsible for the third book (Embracing Euphoria) coming into existence and going in a direction I hadn’t originally anticipated.
That meant I had to go back to the first book and weave him into the story. Getting to add new scenes with him was a fun challenge. It gave me the chance to write his two-part interview, which really establishes his character as being a force to be reckoned with. He is all things sensual and charming, so any time he pops up, you know things are going to get sexy real quick. I love Cesare and Hunter’s banter, so getting the chance to really flesh things out more between them made me really happy, especially since it sets up Developing Desires and Embracing Euphoria nicely.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I make it a rule to never judge anyone. No matter what, I like to be a safe space for people, who can take comfort in knowing that they can trust me with anything. I’m glad that I can be that steady rock for my friends, who can support them through everything. If something I went through in life helps someone else out, then it was worth going through, even if it was hell at the time. I just like making things easier for people, because life is hard enough as it is. We could all use a little help sometimes.
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What can you tell us about your new release Tempting Tricks?
It’s a little darker than people might know me for. I really love that I went in a different direction with this one, and I think that people will love Trick’s and Belle’s journey.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I’ve always loved writing and storytelling. I started writing in my teens, but never really had the courage to pursue writing as a career. It wasn’t until I discovered and fell in love with Coleen Hoover’s words and eventually learned of her start in the book world that I realized that it might be a possibility for me to do the same. She was also a mom, and a wife and even though it was hard, one day she sat down and started writing…That inspired me.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
1. Ride the Wind by Lucia St.Clair Robson.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.
3. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.
4. The Green Mile by Stephen King.
5. Roots by Alex Haley.
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Stephen King, because he’s like a God to most writers. My first, (because I would ask a ton), question would be: When was the first time you truly felt like an ‘author’ and not just someone writing down a bunch of words?
What's your favorite thing about writing?
I love world building and having the characters in my head come alive on paper. Telling their story and sharing it with the world is my very favorite thing.
What is a typical day like for you?
I usually start the day with some coffee, and sending my boys off to school. Then I spend a few hours doing social media and all bookish things. I’ll take a break mid-day, then try and write for about 3-4 hours. I spend the late afternoon and early evening with my family. After everyone is settled again for the night, I usually do a little more social media and write for another hour or two. I stay busy!
What scene in Tempting Tricks was your favorite to write?
I always love starting a book, and with this book in particular, the first chapter was the darkest I’ve ever written. It definitely sets the tone for the whole book. It was really fun to immerse myself into the darkness of this character’s soul.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I am a big believer in kindness. I will never do anything to anyone, that I don’t want to happen to myself, or my loved ones.
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What can you tell us about your new release Lifelines?
Lifelines is the first book of the Angels of Mercy series and starts out on the most dangerous day of the year… July first, the day the new interns begin to work at hospitals, knowing nothing more than they did when they graduated from med school but now, suddenly with real lives at stake, resting on their skills and decisions.
As a pediatric ER physician, I used not only real-life medicine throughout the story, but also called upon my own experiences, including the emotional rollercoaster that is life in the ER.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I’ve been a storyteller all my life—used to get me into trouble all the time when I was young. I wrote my first novel (a YA fantasy) when I was 15 and two science fiction novels while in medical school.
Writing is my way of making sense of the chaos surrounding us. And I never needed it more than during my pediatric internship when one of my fellow interns was brutally murdered. The escapism of SF/F was no longer enough for me.
After his death, I needed to understand good and evil, needed justice, needed an outlet for my grief and bewilderment. And so, I wrote my first thriller and discovered the healing power of exploring not just the black and white of good/evil or justice/injustice, but more importantly the gray areas between—those areas where faith and humanity are truly put to the test.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Thanks for giving me five! Usually when I’m asked this question it’s only one or three—even five isn’t enough for someone like me who reads constantly. Whenever I answer this question I treat “best” as meaning books I’d sell my soul to have written—and usually the answers are never the same.
I’d have to include Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes—I first read it as a kid and still re-read it almost every year. Bradbury taught me the magic of individual words used to seduce a reader to enter a strange new world; the way he combines poetry with the prosaic still amazes me.
Mark Helprin’s Winter’s Tale makes the list for the same reasons. It’s the first novel I devoured as a reader then went back and tried to analyze as a writer. Also on the list is Bill Waterson’s Calvin and Hobbes—yes, they aren’t novels, but they pack a hefty amount of world building and vision (not to mention emotional themes and humor) in only a few words!
I’m always discovering new authors whose voice I admire. Three of my current favs are Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series, Laini Taylor’s Strange, the Dreamer, and Katherine Arden’s masterful Winternight trilogy.
Okay, that’s more than five, but math was never my thing!
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Shakespeare! (okay, we’d need a TARDIS to make that happen) I’d want to know who his Dark Lady was (the muse he dedicates many of his plays to) and how he developed his techniques of audience manipulation—because, let’s face it that’s what good storytelling is all about, whether it’s a thirty second Super Bowl commercial or a thousand page saga, we’re in the business of convincing the audience to suspend their belief in reality and join us in a new world we’ve created for them.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
My favorite thing about writing is that act of creation, taking the voices in my head and being able to bring them to life on the page.
But my favorite thing about being a writer is definitely the reaction of my readers to my stories. Being able to touch so many lives (I’ve sold almost three million books) is both humbling and awe-inspiring. I get readers writing to tell me that for the first time they spent a night free from cancer pain because they were so immersed in one of my stories. Or readers of the Hart and Drake series (which deals with an ER doctor who leaves a violent marriage) who write to thank me for giving them the courage to get help and escape their own abusive relationships.
People always ask me if I miss medicine and saving lives…I do, but I’ve come to realize that through my writing I have the chance to impact more lives than I ever could as a doctor.
What is a typical day like for you?
Being a writer is a lot like my former career as an ER doctor—no two days are the same! Only with writing, instead of being at the beck and call of a cell phone, trauma radio, or schedule, I get to set my own pace for each day. I love that freedom!
What scene in Lifelines was your favorite to write?
It’s a short scene, but pivotal in terms of building the main character’s authority and emotional stakes. In it, Lydia, my main character, has been suspended from her position as an ER attending physician after being accused of causing a patient’s death. But she has a ridealong with an EMS squad scheduled and is the kind of person (a lot like me and many ER docs, lol!) who simply can’t sit at home doing nothing, so she goes out with the squad as an observer, despite being forbidden from any hands-on patient care.
This scene was a ton of fun because I used a lot of my own experiences working with first responders—from the banter to the actual trauma run, a multi-vehicle pile-up on a freeway where Lydia chooses to risk her career in order to save a life.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
For my writing life it’s simple: No Rules, Just Write! I’ve published forty-four books and no two have been written in the same way—in fact, ISOLATION, the finale of the Angels of Mercy series (LIFELINES is book one), was written scene-by-scene backwards!
I knew who lived and who died at the end and so worked back from there. It was sooooo much fun to write that way, like skipping along a highwire without a safety net. Drove my editor crazy, but I think it allowed the book to both surprise and delight readers who’d invested so much of their time and hearts with the women of Angels of Mercy.
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What can you tell us about your new release To Squeeze a Prairie Dog?
To Squeeze a Prairie Dog is about a young man from a small town who joins a data entry unit of a state government agency. His unit becomes his makeshift, dysfunctional family and their lives are revealed to the reader. When his supervisor accidentally discovers a technological solution (after a drunken lunch outing) which could save the State of Texas millions of dollars, the crotchety governor and a curious reporter enter their lives and threaten to ruin everything. It’s a satirical look at working-class folks colliding with political ambition and the power of friendship. I wanted to write a novel that was quirky without being snarky and also uplifting without being saccharine. It was a huge challenge for me. I’m pleased with how it turned out.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I was inspired to write after studying literature in college. It seemed, after I graduated, to be the logical thing for me to do after spending four years dissecting and analyzing great works of literature. With an English degree, my parents assumed I would teach. I didn’t want to teach; I wanted to write. So, I started writing literally the week after graduating from college. That was over twenty-five years ago. I have published five novels, two fiction compilations, a compilation of comic strips, short stories in literary journals, and hundreds of comic strips in newspapers.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
Aargh! I’ve read a lot of books, so that is a tough one. Here’s a list in no order of importance with a sixth-place runner-up. 1) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry 2) The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3) Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon 4) South of No North by Charles Bukowski 5) Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut 6) Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
I would want two guests on my literary talk show: one famous writer and one indie / self-published writer. I would love to find the common ground between the writers and foster support in the writer community. I know this idea resides deep in “Nerd Alert” territory, but I don’t care. I love to talk to other writers about writing.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
My favorite thing is the writing process itself, working out the bits and notes from months of brainstorming into an actual story. When it all comes together, the completed project is very satisfying to me.
What fictional literary world would you most like to visit?
I read two books recently that share the same historical era: the comic book industry in New York during the 1940s. One is biographical—Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel—and the other is fictitious—The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. If you love Golden Age comic books (Superman, Batman, etc.), then you will love both of these books. This is the “literary” world I would like to visit. I know it is a real place and time, but since Chabon wrote a historical fiction novel, then I will declare it a literary world. These comic book writers and artists created very influential work, but many of them were screwed by corporate interests that are still being plundered to this day. I find it fascinating.
What scene in To Squeeze a Prairie Dog was your favorite to write?
I don’t have one favorite scene, although I would say that I enjoyed writing the various chapters showing the home lives of the different employees in Unit 3. I wanted to reveal their individual, personal struggles and how it motivated them to form their pact to share the cost-savings prize.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
As for a philosophy I live by: I really try to enjoy the moment I’m in, whether I’m writing or spending time with my wife, family, and friends.
My motto: Write or die.
My favorite quote: "The mind of man is capable of anything—because everything is in it, all the past as well as the future." — Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness.
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What can you tell us about your new release,Love Me Tender?
Love Me Tender is part of the Ryker Falls series. All books are stand-alone, and can be read in any order. This story is about a hero and heroine, Jack and Rory, one raised in poverty, the other with money, but who are both running from their pasts. It’s about family, connections, small town values, and realizing that you don’t have to go it alone. It has intrigue, scandal, and some sensual moments. But of course a HEA!
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I started reading romance novels at a young age, but it wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I actually started writing. The inspiration came when I was living in London, I love it there. I worked in a job that had a lot of down time, so I just started typing some words one day, and that was that. I was hooked.
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
These Old Shades By Georgette Heyer
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati
Angels Fall by Norah Roberts
Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens
Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?
Diana Gabaldon. I’d want to ask her about the research she did for Outlander. How she came up with the concept for the story, and about her writing processes.
What's your favorite thing about writing?
Escaping into another world. You can shut everything out, and go someplace different. I love it!
What is a typical day like for you?
I usually do some kind of exercise in the morning, even if it’s just stretching. Then I have a quick check of my emails, to make sure there is nothing urgent, then I write. I have a timer set on 30 minutes, and I do this until I’ve reached my word count which is usually between 3,000 and 5,000 words a day. If I can’t reach that in the morning, I will finish it in the evening. In between the writing sessions I get up and walk about, do housework, drink coffee (of course), look at my social media accounts, and do admin.
What scene in Love Me Tender was your favorite to write?
I enjoyed the beginning of chapter 5. This is the scene where Rory, who is universally disliked by most people in the town due to her father’s actions, realizes she’s not alone, even if she doesn’t show it.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Carpe diem “seize the day”, every day is opportunity for those that wish to take it.
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What can you tell us about your new release, Along Came Baby?
Along Came Baby is about the everyday woman that has a job she’s not really passionate about meeting a man that makes her question why she’s sticking to the status quo. He’s a sexy musician who is going for his dreams and her lust and love of him convinces her to let go.
What or who inspired you to become an author?
I have always loved writing since I was a little girl and I have always loved writing romance books. One day I decided to try writing my own romance book and the rest is history!
What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?
The following five books have always stuck with me.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Homecoming by Cynthia Voight
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
Sloth by Ella James
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
What's your favorite thing about writing?
Creating new characters in your head and having them become real in your life as you write the book. Its like making a new friend.
What scene in Along Came Baby was your favorite to write?
My favorite scene in Along Came Baby to write was the first meeting between Lila and Carter. I love writing first meeting scenes between the main characters because I love seeing the initial spark.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
I live my life by the motto, “treat others as you would want to be treated.” It really helps me make decisions when facing trying times with other people.
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