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NEWS

Jacob Tierney (Letterkenny, Shoresey) is adapting Rachel Reid’s HEATED RIVALRY queer hockey romance novel for TV.

WHAT IS THIS FEELING? by Robby Weber was included in a pride round up in People.

TEN INCARNATIONS OF REBELLION by Vaishnavi Patel made Crime Reads’  Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2025 list and The Washington Post’s “Journey to other realities in June’s best speculative fiction books“ list. Kirkus also gave it a starred review.

MISDIRECTED by Lucy Parker was chosen as one of Audible’s Top 25 Audiobooks of the Year so far.

FRIENDS TO LOVERS by Sally Blakely was included in The Washington Post’s roundup of “8 Books to Read this Summer.”

16 romance novels to read this summer according to the Los Angeles Times included THE SEA WITCH by Eva Leigh. The book also made Paste Magazine’s “Most Anticipated Romantasy Books of Summer 2025” list.

The Toronto Star’s bestsellers for May included DEATH AT A HIGHLAND WEDDING by Kelley Armstrong.

Screen Rant’s “10 Fantasy Books That Were Great Right From The Opening Scene” list included THE FIFTH SEASON by N.K. Jemisin.

Terri-Lynne DeFino answered all of Club Calvi's questions about her latest book DIDN'T YOU USE TO BE QUEENIE BE? on CBS.

A SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES by Laurel Greer will be on the shelves in Walmart.

AUTHOR TIP OF THE MONTH #1

Kelley Armstrong is the #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of over 50 novels spanning mystery, fantasy, horror, and romance. Her latest novel is WRITING MR. WRONG. 

WRITING MR. WRONG by Kelley Armstrong

Go in Late, Get out Early

Many years ago, I took courses in screenwriting to see what they could add to my fiction writing. Here’s one useful screenwriting trick for pacing, which can be used either in the drafting or the editing process.

Find the latest possible moment you can enter your scenes and the earliest moment you can leave them. For example, if your detective is heading out to interview a witness, you might naturally start with them getting into their car. But unless something important happens on the way, that can all be skipped. You might then think to start it when they knock on the witness’s door, but again, that can be easily covered in a line or two of narrative summary, getting us to the “meat” of the scene: the interview.

Likewise, the natural inclination might be to end the scene with your detective saying their goodbyes and leaving. That’s more “business” the reader doesn’t need to see—trust them to know your detective said thanks… unless that’s not their style ;) You might instead choose to end your scene as the interview concludes. A better place to cut it, though, is when the witness answers the crucial question. If you’re showing this interview on the page, your witness is giving at least one bit of critical evidence. Once they drop the biggest bomb, cut. Anything else can be tied up in a line of narrative, either here or when opening the next scene.

Take a look at your scenes, cut the tips and tails, and you’ll pick up the pace.

NEW CLIENTS ON THE BLOCK

STRAND

Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 60+ books, mostly horror/comedy, but with occasional detours into other genres. He’s an active member of the Writers Guild of America East, and lives in Duluth, Minnesota with horror author Bridgett Nelson, an extremely large cat named Chaos, and a ball python named Indie Hellspawn McFangy Serenity Strand. 


Stefan Petrucha

Stefan Petrucha

Stefan Petrucha is an American writer of comics and young adult fiction. He has written graphic novels in the X-Files and Nancy Drew series, as well as science fiction and horror. For 13 years, from 1994 to 2007, Petrucha wrote stories for Disney comic books.

NEW RELEASES

CHECKERED HEARTS by AG Starling

CHECKERED HEARTS by AG Starling

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

Things heat up both on and off the track in this enemies-to-lovers romance set in the high-octane world of Formula One racing.


Rocco Vittori is desperate for a win. With nearly as many pileups on the track as in his personal life, his formerly illustrious F1 career is in a total spinout. But a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the lead driver on the new Maverick racing team could be the answer to all his problems. He’s willing to go full throttle every second of the day to prove he deserves it more than anyone. Unfortunately, someone else on the team has her sights set on the same job, and she’s determined to drive Rocco crazy.

HOMEMAKER by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare

HOMEMAKER by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare

AMAZON - B&N

When a former friend and devoted mother vanishes, a confident homemaker turned amateur sleuth follows an unexpected trail of scandals and secrets to find her.

Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.


WRITING MR. WRONG by Kelley Armstrong

WRITING MR. WRONG by Kelley Armstrong

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

Debut author Gemma Stanton knows romance readers love a bad boy—and she has the perfect prototype for her novel: Mason Moretti. High school hockey god-turned-pro player, Mason was Gemma's first crush, but she couldn't forget the sting of his very public rejection. So, she casts him as a hot-headed Highlander in her spicy new historical romance. She never expected readers would find out on live TV when a morning show host invites Mason for a surprise on-air reunion...

As an aging hockey player with a rep for being ruthless on the ice—and roguish off of it—Mason has an image problem. So, when his meet-cute with Gemma goes viral, Mason proposes they build on the momentum with a few fake dates to boost her book sales...and his sagging profile. But when the fictional flirting gets a little too real, Mason realizes Gemma actually makes him want to become a better man—someone worthy of her trust and her love.

THE SECRET LIBRARY OF HANNA REEVES by Christine Nolfi

THE SECRET LIBRARY OF HANNA REEVES by Christine Nolfi

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

Cautious Claire Shelton, employee at a Maine antique shop, is surprised when she’s recruited to catalog the treasures of reclusive Hanna Reeves, sole descendant of the state’s most colorful shipbuilders and industrialists. Hanna’s retreat from society years ago is just one of many mysteries behind the walls of Rose Hill, her fabled estate.

Settling into Rose Hill’s carriage house, Claire finds Hanna, nearing eighty, to be a still-formidable woman. She’s demanding, judgmental, and protective of a mansion that is a veritable shrine to her ancestors. Then, diving into her work, Claire discovers a hidden library that is the stuff of legend among locals. An avid booklover, Claire is in heaven. More enthralling are Hanna’s leather-bound family journals that open Claire up to the past—and soon forge a rich and unexpected bond between two very different women.

IF I TOLD YOU, I'D HAVE TO KISS YOU by Mae Marvel

IF I TOLD YOU, I'D HAVE TO KISS YOU by Mae Marvel

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Mr. and Mrs. Smith meets The Pairing in this heart-racing romance of secrets, spies, and steam.

A few rules for the international superspy:
(1) Never blow your cover.
(2) Never accept the first plan.
(3) Never fall for anyone at the agency. Especially if she’s your ex-girlfriend.

Yardley Whitmer, code name “the Unicorn,” can do no wrong. She’s honed her spycraft and become an instant legend in the field. If only breaking up with her girlfriend were as easy as rappelling off the Eiffel Tower. Living a full-time cover story has slowly eroded her relationship until there’s nothing left but lies.

I THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH AN ALIEN by Ann Aguirre

I THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH AN ALIEN by Ann Aguirre

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

He's stranded. He's desperate. He's not looking for love.

Alien Tamzir Jaarn, a.k.a. Seeker, is paying the price for risking an illicit holiday on an interdicted planet. His ride off-world never showed, and he's been stranded on Earth for nearly a year. His gear is breaking down, food is becoming a problem, and if his camouflage unit fritzes, he'll wind up in a government lab.

But he's met some cool humans online, and they've invited him to the biggest space-themed convention around. Why not make memories with them while he figures out how to get home? 

EXPOSING LETHAL SECRETS by Deena Alexander

EXPOSING LETHAL SECRETS by Deena Alexander

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

This bodyguard and his K-9 will do anything to uncover the truth.

Stumbling upon a burning car and rescuing an injured woman wasn’t on bodyguard Caleb Miller’s vacation itinerary—nor were the gunmen who open fire on them. But Olivia Delaney has no memory of who she is or how she got there, only that she is under threat. Vowing to protect the woman in danger, Caleb and his K-9 go on the run with Olivia. As they work to stay a step ahead of her pursuers, they must untangle her past together…before her family’s deadly schemes bury them both.

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