Shail Rajan's Blog, page 4

Writing with an English Accent (3 Minutes with Author Gabi Coatsworth)

Would you take dating advice from the ghost of your deceased husband? That's the question the main character in A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO STARTING OVER must answer for herself. In this week's episode of 3 Minutes with the Author, I had a lovely chat with award-winning British-born writer and blogger Gabi Coatsworth about her writing process, what makes her humour quirkier than most, and how she handles unexpected ghosts popping into her plot lines.

On a side note, I'm a lover of all accents, and I often find myself inadvertently

attempting to emulate them. I was just a tad bit worried I'd inadvertently slip into my very bad British accent while chatting with Gabi! WATCH NOW.

About A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO STARTING OVER

It's time for widow Molly Stevenson to stand on her own two feet. With blind dates, a needy ghost, and her small‑town bookstore in trouble, she's going to need all her inner strength to prevent another unhappy ending.

Forty‑something Molly can't bear to remove her wedding band. Still grieving the death of her beloved husband, the last thing she needs is her sleazy landlord raising the rent to drive her bookshop out of business. Now, this mild‑mannered indie bookstore owner must find the inner strength to turn the page to a brand‑new chapter.

So she's relieved when the ghost of her husband arrives claiming he's there to help. But is he?

With a little nudge from beyond the grave, Molly hatches a plan to revitalize her boutique and keep the doors open. But with everyone, including her spectral spouse, insisting she start dating again, Molly isn't sure what's worse-the dates she meets online or the love of her life trying to find her a new man-who's not quite as good as him. How will she find the courage to fight for herself?

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 Up next, my interview with screenwriter and debut novelist Marion McNabb.

Don't Forget Your Glasses! (3 Minutes with Author Joanna Monahan)

Would you believe that I "met" this week's guest Joanna Monahan for the first time almost three years ago? I was running a giveaway on social media, and she happened to be the randomly selected winner! At the time, I didn't even know she was a writer. Since then, she's published her debut novel - one of my favorite reads - SOMETHING BETTER, and is working on her sophomore novel Welcome to Blooms. It was such a pleasure to reconnect with Joanna on this week's episode of 3 Minutes with the Author to get her practical advice for debut writers and pop a trick question on her!

Join Joanna and I as we talk about her writing process and her latest release. Plus, find out how good her memory is! WATCH NOW.

About SOMETHING BETTER

It was only a high school reunion. What was the worst that could happen?

Corinne Fuller has regrets. Facing a stagnant marriage and an impending empty nest, she spends her days living halfway between fantasy and reality, imagining herself as the heroine in a true-love-lost fairytale. When she reluctantly agrees to accompany her best friend on a trip to their hometown, an unexpected encounter with ex-boyfriend Nick offers a tempting glimpse of what might have been (and, as Nick makes clear, what could possibly still be).

Back home, Corinne’s world is in tumult. Are the problems she’s having with her husband signs she made the wrong choice? Meanwhile, her daughter begins a serious relationship with the (literal) boy next door, and Corinne can’t help being nostalgic for the excitement and romance of first love.

Corinne must choose between pursuing “what if?” or embracing “what is” in this coming-of-(middle)-age tale of love, family, and the dangers of attending your high school reunion.

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 Up next, my interview with award-winning, British-born writer and blogger Gabi Coatsworth.

It All Started with a Smith Corona Typewriter (3 Minutes with Author Rachel Dacus)

My interview with this week's guest gave me goosebumps! What an absolute pleasure it was to speak with poet and author Rachel Dacus about the trip that inspired her to write time travel novels, who gave her her first Smith Corona Portable typewriter, and her latest release RETURN TO LERICI, the second book in The Invisibles Series.

Join Rachel and I as we talk about her writing process and her latest release. WATCH NOW.

About RETURN TO LERICI

Elinor Greene has been through a divorce, a stalled career, an explosion that nearly killed her. But after all that, life in her cottage in Italy has brought her gifts: a garden where she plants vegetables for the wonderful Tonio’s culinary delights. Seizing her second chance at love, they plan for a small wedding, but family drama decides to descend on them instead.

Elinor’s once-estranged sister, Saffron, is coming with her family to support their mother, Betsy, who is arriving to look for better medical resources in her battle with cancer. It looks like their garden nuptials will have to go on hold.

After a decade of estrangement, the sisters agree to support their ailing mother, and they also want to stop her from her current obsession: searching for their late father’s illegitimate son, adopted away at birth, a lost brother they only know from old adoption papers as “Baby Boy”.

Elinor insists they consider there could be serious risks. What if their half-brother is a thief or a murderer? While the family argues, “Baby Boy” finds them and comes into their midst in disguise as a handyman. Daniel has fled from his crew of scam artists, stealing their money to go to Italy seeking the lost family he knows to be rich.

But his shady past is catching up. His pursuers find him and might harm them all. How can he endanger the family he’s becoming desperate to join?

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 Up next, my interview with Joanna Monahan who writes "women's fiction with a Gen X flair."

You Heard It Here First! (3 Minutes with Author C. D'Angelo)

I am so excited to bring you the very latest in book news with this week's episode of 3 Minutes with the Author! My guest C. D'Angelo dropped a major announcement about her upcoming project(s)! C. writes "relatable stories of the Italian-American culture bursting with quirky characters but realistic stories and lots of food, armchair travel, and a lot of good family values! If that sounds like you cup of caffè, check out her most recent release THE VISITOR.

Join C. and I as we talk about her writing process, her latest release and her big book news. WATCH NOW.

About THE VISITOR

Fiercely independent Mary Pontrelli is blindsided when the New Orleans building housing her New Age store and upstairs apartment is listed for sale. Worse yet, a developer wants to destroy it and her high school ex-boyfriend—ahem, nemesis—is leading their charge. But this budding sweet spot for that weasel from the past can’t happen since traitors never change.

The best chance Mary has to save her cherished French Quarter building is to join forces with the other business owners whose livelihoods are also at risk. Too bad she avoids teamwork at all costs. Thankfully, a mystical new customer who shares Mary’s lost Italian heritage may be able to help alter her stubborn patterns. And, learning about the city’s history and her own Sicilian roots from the shopper may prove beyond merely engaging.

Even so, acquiring trust in strangers and accepting assistance requires more bravery than any societal expectation she’s challenged in her life. But if she doesn’t depend on her community and learn forgiveness, she may lose her career, home, and deeper relationships. No eccentric spirituality or heritage lessons can fix this…right?

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Up next, my interview with poet and author of women's fiction and time travel novels Rachel Dacus.

Grandma Robbed a Train (3 Minutes with Author Kimberly Nixon)

When author Kimberly Nixon found the conviction papers corroborating the family rumor that her grandmother had robbed a train back in 1930s Tennessee, she knew she had found the perfect subject for her Rock Bottom series. In ROCK BOTTOM RISING, book two in the series, she continues the story of her Grandmother Ruby's road to redemption.

Join Kimberly and I as we talk about her love for the family story, her writing process and her latest release. WATCH NOW.

About ROCK BOTTOM RISING

Ruby has no money, not a single friend, and a shocking 1925 felony conviction for larceny. Though she encounters betrayal, she embarks on a journey to re-enter her children’s lives that will test the core of her being as obstacles chip away at everything but her resilient spirit.

Deceived by men, caught between survival, career opportunities, and providing for her children, Ruby’s enduring love and determination to rise above her mistakes resonates with anyone who has yearned for a second chance. Threads of life in Tennessee during the 1930s and 1940s—the Great Depression, WWII, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and Manhattan projects—add to her odyssey.

Set in rural Tennessee, one woman’s journey from despair to redemption unfolds as a single mother, showing Ruby’s grit in tumultuous times. Based on the true story of the author’s grandmother, this biographical historical fiction novel shows us the enduring power of a mother’s love, personal sacrifice, and difficult choices.

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Up next, my interview with award winning author C. D'Angelo.

Fierce, Feisty Women (3 Minutes with Author Kerry Chaput)

If you're a fan of historical fiction or thinking about trying it on for size, be sure to check out my interview with the award-winning Kerry Chaput who writes the genre with "a lot of action adventure...[and] fierce, feisty women who are out to change the world." DAUGHTER OF SNOW AND SECRETS, the third and final installment in her Defying the Crown series released today and can be found everywhere books are sold.

Join Kerry and I as we talk about the research required to write historical fiction, her writing process and her latest release. WATCH NOW.

About DAUGHTER OF SNOW AND SECRETS

1681. Isabelle lives safely in Geneva but travels to the French countryside along secret Huguenot trails to rescue Protestants from the king's vicious dragonnade program. She protects her family from the dangers of battling the Royal Army, but her wild daughter Elizabeth has other ideas. Eager to prove herself, Elizabeth attempts a solo rescue that goes horribly wrong. Isabelle comes out of hiding and travels to Paris while all of France wants her dead.

On a dangerous mission to Versailles, old enemies threaten to tear her family apart. She must rely on surprising allies and the daughter she's fought to protect to keep them alive and rescue every Protestant in France.

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Up next, my interview with historical fiction author Kimberly Nixon.

Fighting Like Cats & Dogs (3 Minutes with Author Annie M. Ballard)

In the fourth and final installment of the Sisters of Stella Mare series by Annie M. Ballard, the four grown Madison girls are fighting like cats and dogs. Or, as my latest guest on 3 Minutes with the Author, describes it, "fighting like teenagers." In THE HELPING HEART, the constantly bickering siblings decide that getting out in nature may be the only way to mend their relationship. They plan an epic hike along the Fundy Footpath and learn, once again, how to be sisters.

Join Annie and I as we talk about her writing process and her latest release. WATCH NOW.

About THE HELPING HEART

Recovering sisterly connection will take a gargantuan effort, so Helen proposes an epic hike: backpacking along the mythic Bay of Fundy. The four siblings set out to navigate the physical and emotional challenges of the trip, determined to make it work in spite of each other. Or maybe everyone is seeking something.

Gorgeous wilderness, spectacular heights, sea and cliffs and wildlife are nothing compared to the collision of demons from the past and fears for the future. With only each other to count on, and relationships already fraying, anything could happen. And, of course, it does.

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Up next, my interview with historical fiction author Kerry Chaput.

A First Course & A Chance Encounter (3 Minutes with Author Jenn Bouchard)

This week on 3 Minutes with the Author, I chat with coastal women's fiction author Jenn Bouchard about everything from her award-winning book FIRST COURSE and an exciting announcement about her next release to her chance encounter in a bathroom with a NY Time Bestselling author!

Join Jenn and I as we talk about her writing process and her latest release. WATCH NOW.

About FIRST COURSE

When four life-altering catastrophes hit in just one day—including the loss of her parents in a tragic plane crash—twenty-four-year-old Janie Whitman retreats to her family’s summer house in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Here she tries to provide stability for her older sister Alyssa and two young nieces by cooking them amazing food.

Through a mix-up with the alumni office at her parents’ alma mater, Janie meets a young high school guidance counselor named Rocky at a volunteer event, and their fast-tracked romance helps Janie to see possibilities beyond the life she had known just a few weeks prior. But with her ex-boyfriend (and former boss) making overtures beyond her wildest dreams, as well as Alyssa’s estranged husband willing to do whatever it takes to win her back, the Whitman sisters are faced with big decisions.

Despite the obstacles in their way, when Janie and Alyssa are tasked with establishing a lasting memorial for their parents, they just might find the second acts they are seeking.

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Up next, my interview with psychotherapist turned author, Annie M. Ballard about her new release The Helping Heart (Book 4 in the Sisters of Stella Mare series).

Writing in Situ (3 Minutes with Author Karen Martin)

It's amazing how much you can learn about someone with one quick chat! This week on 3 Minutes with the Author, I got to visit with Australian author and playwright Karen Martin about her new book DANCING THE LABYRINTH. Karen wrote the book in situ in Crete, Greece, not only because she'd always dreamed of traveling to Greece, but because she recently learned that she has aphantasia which makes it difficult for her to visualize any type of image in their head.

Join Karen and I as we talk about her fascinating writing process and her latest release. WATCH NOW.

About DANCING THE LABYRINTH

Cressida is young. Pregnant. Alone. Her life takes a turn when she stumbles into a cave full of paintings from an ancient matriachal society. She befriends Angela and together they work on deciphering the meaning behind the images. Dancing the Labyrinth, part of the Women Unveiled series, is a dual-time novel steeped in Greek mythology. It's a tale of a young woman's quest for understanding, blending the echoes of the past with the promise of a brighter, more empowered future.

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Up next, my interview with Award-Winning Coastal Women's Fiction & Romantic Comedy author Jenn Bouchard!

An Unlikely Friendship (3 Minutes with Author Julee Balko)

This week on 3 Minutes with the Author, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Julee Balko about her new book THE ME LIST. She was a hoot and a holler to talk to, and if I was handing out awards for best answers to the "this or that" section of this interview series, it would go to Julee! Her response to whether she preferred series or standalones was perfect!

About THE ME LIST

The Me List is a touching tale about the complexity of friendship, the importance of reserving judgment, and the rocky path that life takes as we get older. Full of snark and heart as it brings to life an unlikely friendship between neighbors, The Me List asks: can a list change a life?

Join Julee and I for our quick chat about her writing and her latest release. WATCH NOW.

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Up next, my interview with Australian author Karen Martin!