Under the Princess Crown: Zoe Forward & her new book Playing the Witch's Game #ParanormalRomance #newbook #MFRWorg

Zoe Forward is a hopeless romantic who can’t decide between paranormal and contemporary romance. So, she writes both. When she’s not typing at her laptop, she’s a small animal veterinarian caring for a wide range of furry creatures.

Speed Round:

Favorite movie: Toss up between: 12 Angry Men and Pirates of the Caribbean
Favorite book: I need a genre, please! I love so many.
Last book read: Adult book - Mercury Striking by Rebecca Zanetti;  Kids book- Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick
Favorite color: green
Stilettos or flipflops: flipflops
Coffee or tea: coffee
Ebook or paperback: ebook
Pencil or pen: pen

Favorite song: Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede

Streak or not: not

Favorite dessert: anything chocolate

Champagne or gin: champagne

Paranormal or Historical: Paranormal

Ginger or Mary Ann: Mary Ann

Favorite TV show: Top Chef

Hot or cold: hot

POV: third person

I'd die if I don't have: my family

Under the Princess Crown: Jennie Marts & her new book Romancing the Ranger #ContemporaryRomance #newbook #MFRWorg

USA TODAY Best-selling author Jennie Marts writes for Entangled Publishing and is addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes, or friends. Her books include the contemporary western romance Hearts of Montana series, the romantic comedy/cozy mysteries of The Page Turners series, the hunky hockey-playing men in the Bannister family in the Bannister Brothers Books, and the small town romantic comedies in the Cotton Creek Romances.  Visit her at www.jenniemarts.com and sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest news and releases.

Speed Round:

Favorite movie: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Favorite book: Harry Potter
Last book read: Girl On A Train
Favorite color: pink
Stilettos or flipflops: flip-flops
Coffee or tea: coffee
Ebook or paperback: paperback

Revisiting a #classicbook - LITTLE WOMEN #MFRWorg #RssosSisters #amreading #familyvalues

I’ve belonged to a book club for eleven or twelve-ish years now. We read new and old tomes. So at a recent meeting, one friend suggested we read Little Women.

I’d read Little Women many, many years ago. I would have rather read Alice in Wonderland because a recent article came to me about how Alice is the book most people say they’ve read, but haven’t and I hadn't. The others were up for Little Women. 

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I had a hard time starting the book. The first thing I noticed is the writing is very different. The point of view changes constantly, even has a narrator. Pops in and out of internal point of view. Uses “commanded she,” “demanded she,” etc. instead of what has been drilled in my head-“she said,” “he asked.” There’s a whole lot of narration not attributed to a character.

Yet...

@sloanebcollins I Spy... #PlottingPrincesses #spies #undercover #amwriting #amreading #MFRWorg

Spies. Espionage. CIA. Covert ops. MI6. 

I love anything to do with spies in movies and books.  I honestly think I fell in love with that type of stuff when I first read Helen MacInnes umpteen years ago.

Or, it could be because my five times great-grandfather was a spy in the Civil War.  My aunt and cousins have done extensive research into our undercover relative. The most astonishing fact is that while he is from my mother’s side of the family, his name and my dad’s are actually the same.  I’ve searched the internet and books about the Civil War for mention of him…but as any good spy would tell you, there are not a lot of stories about him.  Rumor has it he was a very short man, and once when he was in the North on a mission, he had to hide under a lady’s hoop skirts so the Yankees wouldn’t catch him.

Oh, the things I could do in a book based on his escapades! And one of these days, I’ll write it.

Michelle Miles: Worldbuilding with Maps

I posted on Facebook a while back about how much I love maps. Not only are they great for research purposes, but I also love to stare at them for hours on end and imagine all the possibilities. I’ve been a map nerd pretty much all my life.

On a recent bookstore visit, I purchased a couple of maps for my current WIP, which is set in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. I find I’m particularly fond of Knopf Mapguides with the fold out maps because you get a really good bird’s eye view of the city itself. Plus they have it sectioned off by areas so it makes it super handy when working in a small grid like I am. AND it’s small enough to fit into my purse so I carry it everywhere.

The really cool thing about the Knopf Mapguides is it lists “best of” places from restaurants to hotels to entertainment, as well as transportation for the city. There’s even an index of streets, monuments and places to visit in the back.