Immersing your reader in the full experience of your story is dependent on grounding them in the world. Really lean into the five senses. For instance, I write summer romances—many of them in a small beach town—so there are scents like ocean salt and coconut and sunscreen and verbena. I focus on the things the characters see and touch—swaying palms, grains of sand, dripping hydrangeas. I also love to write about food, so adding in some summer staples like fresh-squeezed citrus juice and popsicles and ice cream. And then there are the things they hear: gulls, the crashing waves, laughter or music. My newest book was a departure—still summer, but this time in New York City, trading palm trees for skyscrapers, and seagulls for honking taxi cabs. Establishing a living, breathing setting is not only fun as a writer, but crucial to the emotional journey readers embark on when picking up your book.

When the audience can completely lose themselves in the world of the characters—when a reader snowed-in wearing mittens and drinking black tea can forget it’s cold and feel like they’re in the sand with peach ice cream—it makes for the most gratifying reading experience!

SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA by TJ Klune

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A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

Arthur Parnassus lives a good life built on the ashes of a bad one.

He’s the headmaster of a strange orphanage on a distant and peculiar island, and he hopes to soon be the adoptive father to the six dangerous and magical children who live there.

Arthur works hard and loves with his whole heart so none of the children ever feel the neglect and pain that he once felt as an orphan on that very same island so long ago. He is not alone: joining him is the love of his life, Linus Baker, a former caseworker in the Department In Charge of Magical Youth. And there's the island's sprite, Zoe Chapelwhite, and her girlfriend, Mayor Helen Webb. Together, they will do anything to protect the children.

DEATH IS MY RIDE OR DIE by Katarina E. Tonks

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When all hell breaks loose, you might as well join the party.

Faith Williams has managed to escape the clutches of Death and the gates of hell. But when she discovers she is the only one who can read the Book of the Dead, she realizes why her soul is so valuable to the forces of evil. Suddenly, someone Faith loves is stolen from her, bringing her back to the Devil’s door.

To stop a common enemy, Faith is forced to team up with her irresistible but villainous “friend,” Death. Fighting alongside the enemy quickly becomes a dangerous game of saving the mortal realm while fighting forbidden feelings for each other.

WHAT IS THIS FEELING? by Robby Weber

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This joyful romp from Robby Weber, perfect for fans of Jason June and Morgan Matson, follows a boy who will do anything to win his drama club's scavenger hunt in New York City, even if it means teaming up with a tech crew loner…and discovering unexpected sparks between them.

Theater star Teddy McGuire is ready for all his dreams to come true. He and his best friend, Annie, have been counting down the days to the end-of-the-year drama club trip to New York City. To make it even more magical, if they can win the annual scavenger hunt, they’ll get a chance to meet their popstar idol, Benji Keaton.

But the universe has other plans: when Annie can’t go on the trip, Teddy is forced to room with tech crew loner Sebastian, who has no interest in the scavenger hunt—or Teddy—and seems to have a secret agenda of his own.

TARGETED WITH A COLTON by Beth Cornelison

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Learning the woman he loved and lost is in danger…a former Marine will sacrifice everything to protect her.

Harlow Jones never expected to see her ex-boyfriend Wade Colton again after he left her to join the Marines. She’s moved on with her life and started a successful business, not knowing anything about Wade’s tragic reason for leaving his career behind. But when she begins receiving dangerous threats from an unknown number, she ends up back in her hometown and in Wade's arms. As the danger increases, Wade promises to keep her safe. Can the former lovers move on from their past heartache? And can Wade protect Harlow from the danger that's following her?

VANISHED IN TEXAS by Karen Whiddon

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She needs his help to find their missing loved ones.

Willow Allen wants to surprise her grandmother Isla with a visit to her small Texas town, but it’s Willow who ends up surprised: Isla is nowhere to be found. Nor is Carl, the man Isla has been dating. To find them—and other seniors who mysteriously have gone missing—Willow joins forces with Carl’s rancher son Rey Johnson. All they have in common is the instant attraction they feel. But they know that ultimately Willa must return to the California life she loves and Rey will stay true to Texas, so they need to resist. Neither foresees the danger that could unite them.