Author Interview: ‘The Wanton Witch & the Werewolf’ by Quinn C. Chonk

About the Book:

The traveling witch Orrla Larimar bucks tradition wherever she goes. Queer, covenless, and curvy, she flies throughout the floating Aer Isles to peddle alchemic wares and have fun along the way. She’s returning to the remote Hillside’s Rest for the annual Nighteye Festival.

Local werewolf Dagwood Dolfsooki aims to show the good witch a good time–but is honestly surprised when she invites him to participate in some more intimate magic. But the festival itself doesn’t quite go as planned. Chaos interrupts the evening revelry. The visiting witch is spurred into action. After draining herself of arcane energy, Orrla’s wants become needs; luckily, Dag is just the werewolf more than willing to put his various full-moon-given gifts to good use.

The Wanton Witch & the Werewolf is a 19k word novella featuring cozy, slice-of-life fantasy; steamy scenes of sensual spice; and developed characters living in a complex world. This tale is a friendly adult MF monster romance between a queer woman witch and a trans man werewolf–and is the first episodic story in the Aetherial Afterglow series.

Add to Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon – UK / US

Excerpt:

“Full name?” Orrla asked. Her hand was poised with a pen over sale paperwork.

  “Dagwood Dolfsooki.” 

  “Ohhhh, you’re Dolfsooki!” Orrla said. Dag quirked his head curiously. The witch smirked and added, “I heard you’ve been looking forward to seeing me all year.” 

  Even though Dag’s skin had been darkened by working outdoors, a blush was still faintly visible on his angular cheeks. “Well, that’s deeply embarrassing. I swear a man can’t tell anything to anyone in confidence in this town.” 

  Orrla tucked a fallen piece of her teal hair back behind her pierced ear. She continued to complete the delivery log. She was about to continue her flirtatious teasing until her traitorous stomach growled loudly yet again. It was her turn to blush. 

  The interruption to Orrla’s playful banter allowed Dag a moment to collect himself. “After I get that elixir sorted, how about we get something to eat? As a local, I promise to steer you away from the slop ‘n straight to the good shit.” Orrla wordlessly passed the log to Dag for his signature. He extended a dexterous forefinger with a sharply manicured nail, opened a small cut on his left arm, and signed the spellbound paper in blood. The nonchalance with which he conducted himself smacked of a rather attractive confidence that quickened Orrla’s heart. 

Author Interview:

1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?

I’m Quinn Cray Chonk, a queer, non-binary local New Englander happily handfasted to a spouse with two cats. As a young millennial nerd, I have a variety of interests and passions, many intersecting between genre fiction, gaming, occult practices, and academia. My neurodivergent brain seems to take turns hyperfocusing on different subjects or creative projects as the seasons cycle through the year!

I’ve been writing stories since I was able to put coherent sentences onto penciled paper. Storytelling is in my bones; I’ve put many years of practice and study (including a B.A. in Writing & M.A. in English with Creative focus) into honing the skill of crafting a story with the written word. Not everyone needs to engage with higher education to become a writer, but my particular flavor of ADHD mostly thrived in the academic world. I mention it only because I’m proud of the accomplishment, especially the graduate degree–it was somehow done during the height of the initial COVID-19 pandemic. (Truly a surreal experience!)

 
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?

Not morning. I’m flexible as long as it’s well after the sun has risen. Afternoon, evening, and night are generally when my words flow better. As for place? I try to be an opportunistic writer, so I do my best to not be too picky. A messy home office; the local library; a small tea-serving cafe…all those are S tier places to write as long as the brain is willing. I’ll usually be wielding my laptop but I also love brainstorming or drafting with a pen in my journal. (For my fellow pen/notebook enjoyers, my favorite combo is: Precise V5 RT Pilot Ballpoint Pen and Dotted A5 Medium Leuchtturm 1917 notebook. I am #notsponsored–I’m just one specific nerdy writer.) 

3: Where do your ideas come from?

My ideas are usually synthesized from the soup of inspiration that simmers in my head. Inspiration itself can be sparked from other creative works–not just novels, but also video games, comics, podcasts, films, performances, etcetera–as well as learning new things about science, technology, religion, or language. Personal life experiences get stirred into this metaphorical soup pot, and the amalgamation of ingredients spawns my ideas.
 Ideas from immaterial mental soup. Yeah.
 …and also thinking about what monsters are sexy.

4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?

I’d say a bit of both. For my romantasy erotica, I usually have a core idea for a story around a couple, triad, or other polyamorous configuration. I have a sense of setting, main character(s), and maybe one specific spicy scene in mind. A lot of the joy of writing, for me, then comes with the discovery once I start writing that full first draft in earnest. I have these little goal posts, but the shape of the plot, voices of the characters, and texture of the world can all still surprise me! The freedom of the first draft can lead to a lot of interesting places.

5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?

My debut novella, “The Wanton Witch & the Werewolf,” is a fantasy romance erotica tale part of my episodic “Aetherial Afterglow” series all centered on the same genre in the fantastical setting of the stratospheric Aer Isles.

Of course, I didn’t get into specifically writing romantasy erotica during those days of semester deadlines and workshops. My interest in that genre grew over the past couple years since completing my graduate degree. Like many, I dipped my toe into the scene through the creative fandom catharsis of fanfiction. (Though I will “bravely” admit I have some deeply cringe old works-in-progress from well over a decade ago that now act as a bit of real world foreshadowing for my present erotica writing career…) Eventually, I realized how many interesting, beautiful character moments happen when earnestly engaging in scenes of intimacy. Yes, there’s absolutely a simple pleasure to be had writing or reading smut; but there are also fascinating, complex emotions and character dynamics that play out in a mature, sensual encounter. Relegating all romance to a fade-to-black ethos continues to shunt sexuality into a puritanical fence that leaves sexual intimacy to flounder in a shallow place.

Besides all that pseudo-intellectual soap-boxing, I find personal catharsis in writing erotica. I’m a human being that finds intimacy easy but sex difficult. A private smorgasbord of mental and physical disorders complicates the sexual side of my pansexual personhood. Being able to write a character like the witch Orrla Larimar who is fat, femme, and casually confident in her various sexual escapades is truly freeing! Whenever I’ve read erotica in the past, I’ve often been wanting greater diversity of bodies, queer identities, and explicit consent. I’ve set out as a writer to create what I would love to find as a reader–hoping, of course, that will resonate with other readers like me!

6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?

Based on the explicit nature of erotica–even a fantasy monster romance–I don’t feel particularly comfortable play-casting any sort of actor for the characters in my novella. However, shoutout to actor Doug Jones for bringing the absolute sauce to inhuman characters in TV and cinema, makin’ folks salivate for monsters and aliens~

7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?

I enjoy reading! The aforementioned ADHD makes the process of reading rather slow, however. I’m always blown away by how fast other people can read! That’s not me. Some favorite authors include N.K. Jemisin, Mary Oliver, Chuck Tingle, Philip Pullman, Clio Evans, and Louise Erdrich.

8: What book/s are you reading at present?

There are three books I’m working through right now: the poetry book Hybrida by Tina Chang; Little Slice of Hell by Clio Evans; and Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction edited by Grace L. Dillon. 

9: What is your favourite book and why?

Every reader’s (and writer’s) most feared question! The audacity of picking only one! What metric do I even use? What had the “most impact” on me? What book have I reread the most? (Nix that one, I don’t really reread things since there’s always so much more to read and each book takes me quite some time.) The first book that springs to mind when prompted with this question? …well, that one could work: it has to be The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. It’s devastating and beautiful and engrossing and electric. The entire Broken Earth trilogy is genre fiction par excellence. The fascinating and complex storytelling of the first one stands out; however, I will not be spoiling anything here. All I can say is that anyone who loves diving into dynamic worlds with deeply human characters and compelling prose should do themselves a favor and read The Fifth Season. 

10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?

Start writing! Type on your laptop or desktop; make scribbles on napkins; fill a cheap composite notebook. You are a writer if you write.

I pursued the study of creative writing academically. It is by no means a requisite! However, it can be very helpful in a variety of ways. Learning the craft from experienced professors who are, themselves, published writers, is valuable. Perhaps even more valuable is the networking of meeting peers and guest writers through the academic community. I’m lucky to have had an overall very positive experience with workshopping. It is much more difficult to find productive, generative, and skilled workshop environments outside of higher education–but it absolutely is possible! Check your local libraries for any writing workshops or meet-ups near you.

Writing can be a lonely business. Finding other writers and being in community with them will help tremendously, both with your craft and your wellbeing. But before all that, you need to start writing! 

11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?  

My personal website, quinncchonk.com, is a great place to follow me for future projects and occasional blog posts. Adding yourself to the free private mailing list will ensure you get notified when my next project is published!

For socials specifically, I’m @queercraftchonk on Twitter/X and @queercraftingchonk.kind.social on Mastodon. Those of the Tumblr persuasion can also find me there with the Queercrafting Chonk handle. (A wee seed has been planted in the TikTok space with the same username, but stay patiently tuned for any content there.)

quinncchonk.com
https://twitter.com/queercraftchonk
https://kind.social/@QueercraftingChonk
https://queercraftingchonk.tumblr.com

About the Author:

Quinn C. Chonk is a queer fantasy erotica author who celebrates diverse bodies, craves enthusiastic consent, and revels in the realms of love. They hold two degrees in writing with a focus on fiction; venturing into the ~saucier~ side of things came after the final graduation in ‘21. Quinn lives with their spouse and two cats in the northeast U.S. celebrating the Celtic Wheel of the Year, season after season. When not writing, they’re likely gaming with a cup of tea, reading fiction in cozy spaces, or exploring the local cuisine scene with loved ones.

Author Interview: ‘You Cannot Mess This Up’ by Amy Weinland Daughters

About the Book:

It’s 2014 and Amy Daughters is a forty-six-year old stay-at-home mom living in Dayton, Ohio. She returns to her hometown of Houston over the Thanksgiving holiday to discuss her parents’ estate—and finds herself hurled back in time. Suddenly, it’s 1978, and she is forced to spend thirty-six hours in her childhood home with her nuclear family, including her ten-year old self. Over the next day and a half she reconsiders every feeling she’s ever had, discusses current events with dead people, gets overserved at a party with her parents’ friends, and is treated to lunch at the Bonanza Sirloin Pit. Besides noticing that everyone is smoking cigarettes, she’s still jealous of her sister, and there is a serious lack of tampons in the house, Amy also begins to appreciate that memories are malleable, wholly dependent on who is doing the remembering. In viewing her parents as peers and her siblings as detached children, she redefines her difficult relationships with her family members and, ultimately, realizes that her life story matters and is profoundly significant—not so much to everyone else, perhaps, but certainly to her. Amy’s guide said her trip back in time wouldn’t change anything in the future, but by the time her thirty-six hours are up, she’s convinced that she’ll never be the same again.

Add to Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon – UK / US

Author Interview:

1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you into writing?

I have an undergraduate degree in Business Management but have always written on the side. In 2002, my husband’s job afforded us the opportunity to move from the USA to the UK for three years. As I didn’t have a work visa, I, along with taking history classes at the local university, began to write in earnest. It was more of a way to fill my time than an attempt to switch careers. Eventually, I came to understand that I could get paid to write as a freelancer. That led to a contract to write about American college football and then to the two books. 

2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?

Mornings are my most productive writing time. I do the bulk of my writing in my home office, which feels more like a safe/sacred space to me than any other place I inhabit. 

3: Where do your ideas come from?

My best ideas come via two regular activities: walking and driving. I walk every day for several miles and am always taking notes on my iPhone about stuff I could write about or stuff I am writing about. The same applies to driving, which of the two is more fruitful for ideas. Sometimes I just go out and drive around with no destination in mind to stir the tanks in my brain. I listen to music in both cases, which I believe helps the process along. 

4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?

For both books, I had an ending in my head before I began writing. What I haven’t ever done is formally outline a major project, even though in some of my shorter work I’ve typed out subtitles and then written using that framework. 

5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?

My first book is a fictional account of me time traveling back to my own childhood. It was an idea that I had kicked around in my head for several years before sitting down to write it. My second book is a non-fiction work that chronicles an uncharted/unintentional yet life-changing letter-writing journey I went on from 2014-17.

The common threads that tie the two titles together are: (1). They are memoirs. Where the second is more clear-cut – an account of real-life events – the first is like a burrito, a real story wrapped in a fictional tortilla of time travel and (2). They both have an element of humor. 

6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your current book?

For You Cannot Mess This Up, I would have Melissa McCarthy play Big Amy and Violet McGraw play Little Amy. 

7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?

I am an avid reader but have found that when I’m working on a major writing project that I tend to be a less focused/engaged reader. I struggle with comparing what I’m writing with the beautiful, well-crafted words that I’m reading.

Among my favorite authors are David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Maraniss, Kate Quinn, Ken Follett, and Kate Morton.

8: What book/s are you reading at present?

I am currently reading Homecoming by Kate Morton and A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan. 

9: What is your favourite book and why?

My all-time favorite books are The Raven by Marquis James, Truman and Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough, Paul Brown by Andrew O’Toole, and When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss. All are non-fiction, biographies that read deliciously like fiction.

10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?

Just start writing and don’t stop. While it’s good to listen and learn about other writer’s processes, it’s more important to stick with what feels right to you – it’s an art not a science. The number one thing is to take yourself seriously as a writer, regardless of what you assume anyone else is thinking about your work. 

11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?

My website is www.AmyDaughters.com and you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/amyweinlanddaughtersauthor and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/smokinhotamys.

About the Author:

A native Houstonian and a 1991 graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer, focusing mostly on college football, for the past decade. You Cannot Mess This Up is her first published book, meaning she can no longer claim to be “the author of unpublished books.” Amy lives in Centerville, Ohio―a suburb of Dayton―where she is a regular on the ribbon dancing circuit. She is married to Willie (a computer person) and the proud mother of two sons, Will (21) and Matthew (13).

Author Interview: ‘The Assays of Ata’ by K.I.S.

About the Book:

Bitch.

Bastard.

Orphan.

Ata had become inured to these epithets – her self-directed labels cut much deeper:
Spy.

Liar.

Traitor.

Their accuracy rent to the bone… But all people had their roles to play and hers was one of secrecy and survival-driven destruction.

For the greater good.

Follow Ata’s travails through royal intrigues, violent invasions, and hard-forged alliances as she fights alongside friend and foe for the survival of the continent of Áitarbith. She questions old relationships and forges new ones whilst navigating treacherous courts and brutal battle landscapes, possibly finding love along the way.

In the face of an implacably ruthless enemy, as well as uncertainty as to who can be trusted, the final outcome of this struggle is anything but certain.

This is Book 1 of a trilogy titled The Chronicles of Áitarbith.

Add to Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon – UK / US

‘A gripping, well-paced first installment with a resourceful female lead.‘ Kirkus Review

Full review: www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kis/the-assays-of-ata-the-chronicles-of-aitarbith

Author Interview:

1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?

I’m a former high school English teacher and an avid knitter and crocheter. Sometimes I sketch. But my great passion in life is reading. Like many other readers, I also enjoyed creating my own stories as a child, teen, and young adult (the first one I remember actually writing down fully, as opposed to play-acting it out with my sister, was around the age of eight). But alas, also similar to other reader-writers, by the end of my undergrad studies I realized that I wasn’t a particularly good writer because I never finished any of my writing projects. So, I dutifully accepted that I was a reader, not a writer – and I was fine with that. Even now, I consider myself a more invested reader, but (for once), when the writing frenzy took a hold of me this time, it didn’t abandon me by chapter three, and I still seem to be enthused by this writing project. Enough to continue, anyway. My long-winded answer (I am notorious in my family for being the long-story-not-so-short waffler) is that I have always been a writer, just never a) a writer of a complete text, or b) a published one. I am very proud that this is about to change.

2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?

I will probably horrify multiple people with this –it’s apparently unhealthy re circadian rhythms – but my bed, and in the wee hours of the morning. I have a very bad habit of swapping my day and night sleeping schedule, staying up until the sun rises, and then sleeping past noon. Also, I am told my posture will suffer immensely from my bed-typing setup, but I find it comfortable and conducive to writing. I tend to get most of my brainwaves (at least, I hope they’re that) when I’m lying in bed and waiting to fall asleep. When I was teaching and couldn’t stay up the entire night writing, I would keep a journal on my bedside table and jot down ideas for writing projects; I call it ‘The Book of Unfinished Things’. 

3: Where do your ideas come from?

No one place or process, I think, informs my ideas. Some I get from reading, others from life (and observing people around me), still others just from the tangled mess that is my subconscious. It’s a mishmash, really, when it comes to the origin of my stories. My main inspiration has to be the fantastical elements in our humdrum lives; there are these hints at magic in many things, but especially in nature (though the bugs are a magic I would happily do without). Like if we look at something at an angle and squint, then it might reveal its true nature, or we just catch a glimpse of it from the corner of our eyes. It might sound like a bit of frou-frou mysticism, I suppose, but I stand by the idea that the world is more magical than mundane. The same goes for people; even the simplest of utterances or gestures hint to a plethora of internal worlds. We get to try and map them from small clues in our interactions.

4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?

Yes; I am definitely the kind of author that does a thorough outline of the plot and characters beforehand, the “main strokes” of a composition, as it were. But, once I do start writing, the text sort of takes over and, though it goes in the general direction I have assigned it, it also meanders a bit within those parameters. Doodling between the broad strokes. I like to keep track of what’s happening, though, so when an unplanned character just invents themself, I add them to my running list of characters, as well as a short description of them. I do the same with places, because I didn’t start with a map from the get-go, having had a general idea of the geographic placement of towns and regions in my head, but about halfway through, I put pen to paper and used my poor cartography skills (along with the list of place names I’d been keeping) to create something more structured and accessible (for myself and the reader) to orient ourselves (pun intended).

5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?

Fantasy (for now, anyway), with a bit of romance in there too. For once I can give a short and sweet answer: my favourite reading genre is fantasy because escapism has always been the primary aim of (fun) reading for me. They say you should ‘write what you know’, and though I don’t claim to be any great shakes at fantasy writing, I definitely know it is the genre that I have read the most and am most passionate about.

6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?

This is a tricky question, because I have this weird reservation about even imagining my writing being made into a film (even hypothetically). It’s not that I’m ultra-possessive of the concepts and characters, but more that… I’m wary of how the film version (again, even an imaginary one) would fall short of my expectations? (I’ve been burned one too many times with that in the real world – I won’t mention names). 

I do sometimes envision my characters as existing actors, though never the main ones, oddly. So, the characters in Assays that were the most vivid for me were Ians and Danai; the former I imagine looking very similar to British actor Tom Courtenay, who plays a fuddy-duddy retired singer in the film Quartet (2012), with the witty Billy Connolly as his foil; I imagine Ians to be a bit of a combination of the two characters in that film. Danai, on the other hand, I imagine as a dark and austere Ian McKellan. Oh, and King Addai I imagine looking somewhat like actor Rufus Sewell, while Queen Nelni is a dead ringer for Michelle Pfeiffer in Stardust (2007) (and also channelling those vain, power-hungry vibes, naturally). All the others? I’ll leave that up to the readers to imagine.

7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?

Ha! I’ve half-answered this already, so this will (blessedly) be a shorter answer. Fantasy and Sci-Fi (and all the in-betweeners, like Steampunk and Paranormal): Robin Hobb, Christopher Paolini, Mary E. Pearson, Kate Stradling, Mark Lawrence, William Ritter, Jonathan L. Howard, T.A. White, Brandon Sanderson… The list goes on. I should mention I also like a well-written romance now and then; my tastes are a bit eclectic within that broad genre framework, so two (quite disparate, yet equally talented) authors that I enjoy reading are Mhairi McFarlane and Alice Coldbreath.

8: What book/s are you reading at present?

Every now and then I venture out of my comfort zone of ‘fun’ reading (i.e., of the fantastical variety) and read something weightier, so I’ve started The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Though I’ve seen rave reviews over the years, and it’s been circling the book club circuits for as long, I never got around to reading it due to the heavy subject matter. However, I’ve decided the time is nigh and I’m engrossed thus far. I just know I’m going to cry soon! (I’m a big crier – books, films, series… you name it, I’ll probably cry at some point during)

9: What is your favourite book and why?

Again: tricky question. That’s like asking which one of my former students was my favourite; there are many that I could call my favourite for various reasons – usually because of their diverse characteristics. I tend to have a ‘favourite’ in each genre, so for Fantasy it’s currently Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson (although, as a whole, The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb is my favourite series). Both authors construct these amazing fantasy realms and craft characters you care about, despite their flaws and blunders. They stay with you long after you’ve closed the book itself, like a cerebral ear-worm that won’t stop playing over and over. 

In Romance, it’s Mhairi McFarlane’s Here’s Looking at You because her light touch with humour while dealing with deep-seated human struggles appeals to me personally. Lastly, for Historical Fiction it’s been River God by Wilbur Smith since I read it the first time when I was thirteen – the epic scale of the story as well as the implication that it has some historic veracity makes it powerfully gripping (especially if you’re a sucker for anything related to Ancient Egypt, as I have been since I was eleven).

10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?

Each person should find the approach that works best for them, and a perceived ‘lack of success’ isn’t a summary end to your writing ambitions. Sometimes it’s better to shelve a project and move on to the next; at others, maybe pushing through would be best, because just finishing something (whether it’s good or bad) is the achievement. Every person’s process differs, and it’s their task to ferret out what works for them. If it takes years, then so be it. For me, personally, I really struggle with finalising – I will edit, and polish, and rewrite, and repeat, ad infinitum, because the project becomes this huge thing in my mind that needs just a little more tweaking before it’s good enough to be considered finished. Though it can be seen as being thorough, what it actually is, is an avoidance of completion. Knowing this, I have to force myself to just go: “It’s good enough now”; not an easy task, but I’m getting better at it incrementally. Each person has their ‘thing’ that they struggle with (and that consequently inhibits their writing), but if they try different approaches and attempt to be self-aware, then they can identify and address it, making their writing a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.

11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?

There are quite a few (though, more isn’t always better, but here goes):

Twitter: @sara_skulks

Insta: master_of_noniin

Own Website

TikTok: k.i.s.the_pro(crastinator)

Goodreads 

About the Author:

Procrastinator.

Putterer.

Escapist.

Despite growing up in sunny South Africa within walking distance of the wide, sandy beach, K.I.S. was forever carrying a book around and hiding out of sight somewhere, getting lost in the drama on the page. To this day, her idea of perfection is a cup of tea, a comfortable armchair, and a good book (not breaking the bookish, nerdy stereotype at all). To complete this cosy picture, she is also an avid knitter and crocheter, with a definite penchant for cats.

Her first, full-length story was about two ducks that go on a farmyard adventure, bashed out on her mother’s old typewriter at the ripe old age of seven. An English teacher by trade, K.I.S. always envisioned herself as a writer but never got around to actually completing a story after her epic poultry caper… Until now. 

Her greatest ambition, like Jo March, is to move beyond the (admittedly ever-supportive) readership of her sisters and family, and share her tales with others.

Release Blitz: ‘Mr Wicked’ by Marni Mann

Mr. Wicked by Marni Mann is now live! 

An alpha billionaire dedicated to no-strings pleasure. A woman committed to changing his wicked mind. Together they ignite a steaming-hot romance by the USA Today bestselling author of Mr. Hook-up.

Grayson Tanner has had better days. Coming off the successful international launch of Hooked, the hook-up app he cofounded with his two best friends, and a night with one of the sexiest women he’s ever met, he’s now in a PR nightmare. A video of him has gone viral—a toast to the indulgence of bachelorhood. It’s a bad look for the creator of the app’s marriage arm. As memberships plummet amid a media firestorm, his PR firm has a new narrative to quell the flames: Grayson has to get married. Fast.

Hello, Jovana Winters—social media influencer and Grayson’s former one-night stand. The one-night stand he has yet to move on from mentally. Their immediate connection is undeniable. In front of the camera, they’re charismatic and passionate, and social media is calling them the It couple. But off camera, Grayson doesn’t trust women or believe in commitment.

Jovana is the opposite, a believer in love who knows what she wants. Now she’s on a mission to turn this fake marriage into the real deal, even though she’s hiding the biggest secret of them all.

But with a man like Mr. Wicked, it won’t come easy.

Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://geni.us/MrWicked

Audio Narrated by: Andi Arndt & Ryan West

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3ukrNmv

Meet Marni

USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts sexy, titillating stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives with her husband in Sarasota, Florida. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, boating, or devouring fabulous books. Want to get in touch?

Connect with Marni

Facebook: http://bit.ly/MarniMannFB

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1597153177180837/

Instagram: http://bit.ly/MarniMannIG

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/MarniMannPin

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IsSRWC

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/MarniMannBB

Website: http://marnismann.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5400988.Marni_Mann

Verve Romance: https://ververomance.com/app/marnimann

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marnimann

Sign up for her newsletter: http://marnismann.com/newsletter/

Author Interview: ‘Back to You… – The astonishing fate of John Fisher’ by Richard Plourde

About the Book:

One day, without warning, John Fisher turns his back on his past, on his name, on his father.

Thirteen years of unhappiness and a bout with leukemia later, John becomes convinced that the answer to his life’s woes lies in the mysterious female bone marrow donor who gave him a second chance at life.

Forced to face the demons of his past, John embarks on the journey of a lifetime, back to where it all began.


Back to You… is the English translation of the best-selling novel Revenir… by Canadian author Richard Plourde. The novel was a finalist for the coveted France-Acadie Literary Prize.

ABOUT Revenir…

A real gem! Christine Michaud, Le Lundi

The first amongst the favourites is Revenir…, L’Acadie Nouvelle

I think there is some Musso or Levy in Richard Plourde. Les lectures de Babouilla

Add to Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon – UK / US

Author Interview:

1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?

I’m a soon-to-be retired Canadian optometrist with a passion for crafting captivating stories. I started writing on my mother’s typewriter when I was about 12. I wrote a few paragraphs of stories I would never finish, but, still, I was hooked. Fast forward to my university days when my English teacher proposed I write a short story as a semester project instead of the usual book review. I  nervously accepted. The story I wrote got me an A+ and gave me the confidence to continue writing.

2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?

I like to write in the early hours of morning when all is calm and quiet. My favorite place to write is on my front porch in the summer and in by the fireplace in the colder months. Paradoxically, I also love to write in busy and noisy cafés sipping a cappuccino.

3: Where do your ideas come from?

Mainly through observation and personal life events. For instance, my son’s battle with leukemia and his life-saving bone marrow transplant served as inspiration for my recent novel Back to You… – The astonishing fate of John Fisher. I crafted a love story around the question : What if the anonymous female donor was the love of my protagonist’s life?

4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?

In as much as I love writing, I find it very hard and time consuming. That is why I always make a plan. To keep this in order, I use an Excel spreadsheet for the chapters and another one for the time line. This is a lengthy process, but I find it saves time in the long run.

5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?

My books are a cross between contemporary fiction and contemporary romance. As with movies, I love stories with flawed characters that transform as the story develops and I absolutely love feel-good endings.

6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?

A dream cast would be Emma Watson as Emma,  Penn Badgley as John and Jack Black as Daniel.

7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?

Oddly enough, I don’t read a lot. I wished I had the time to read more. I tend to use my spare time to write. My favorite authors are Marc Levy and Mitch Albom.

8: What book/s are you reading at present?

It’s a French book called Rivières aux cartouches by Sebastien Berube. This guy is a genius storyteller.

9: What is your favourite book and why?

If Only it Were True by Marc Levy. I love it because it’s a feel-good, page-turner, romantic comedy with an unexpected twist. It’s THE book that inspired me to write my first novel.

10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?

Write! Open a blank page in your word-processing software and write! Don’t listen to that little voice in your head that tells you that what you’re writing is not good enough. Just write. Let it flow. You can always edit later.

11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?

You can follow me on :

Facebook: www.facebook.com/richardplourdeauteur

Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/Richard_Plourde

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/5018270.Richard_Plourde

About the Author:

Bestselling author Richard Plourde is a retired Atlantic Canadian optometrist with a genuine passion for writing captivating stories. His two novels, originally published in French, were both critically acclaimed and were finalists for the coveted France-Acadie literary prize.

Richard also published a children’s novel that was selected as a one of the top children’s book of the year by the consumer guide “Protégez-vous”.

Two of his books have been translated and published in English.

Father of two accomplished young adults and two beloved cats, he lives in a lovely town nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains in New Brunswick.

Richard is currently working on his fourth novel and is also writing the screenplay for his first book.