Debra Payne
I always lived in small towns. I was born in Bolivar, New York, but have lived in Kalkaska County, Michigan, most of my life. I was once a reporter and editor of the weekly newspaper and spent most of my work life at the local school district. Since retirement, I have worked part-time at the public library. I find joy and inspiration in nature, reading, writing, painting, birding, and spending time with loved ones. The Burden of Sparrows is my first novel.
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Leona Francombe
Leona Francombe is an author, pianist and composer living in Belgium. Her novels include: The Heron Legacy (Merle Books Brussels, 2024); The Universe in 3/4 Time: A Novel of Old Europe (Merle Books Brussels, 2021, shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize); The Sage of Waterloo (W.W. Norton, 2015); Madame Ernestine und die Entdeckung der Liebe (Random House Germany, 2014). She is also the author of many short stories and essays. Her work is inspired by, among other things: European history and atmosphere, music, ancient mysteries, Nature, and the otherworldly. The Heron Legacy came to life after the discovery of a medieval ruin in a remote part of the Ardennes forest. An encounter with an abandoned piano on a Brussels street one win
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Eileen Goudge
I began writing at the age of eight and wrote my way through the lean years before I found success as New York Times' bestselling author with my first novel GARDEN OF LIES. To date I have published 19 novels and a cookbook. Every life experience I've weathered has found its way into my novels in one form or another: bad exes, births, deaths, divorces, romances, and even true crime. My heroines are like me: tough cookies who don't crumble.
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My latest novel, Book One of my Gold Creek series, ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW, is the story of a woman fleeing her abusive ex who finds refuge in a small California mountain town, where she's befriended by a group of women who call themselves The Tattooed Ladies and reinvents herself as a police sketch artist. -
Susan Walter
The winner of the (not terribly) prestigious WIFTS screenwriting award for “All I Wish,” the film she wrote and directed starring Sharon Stone, Susan Walter is excited to add “novelist” to an eclectic resume that includes “failed concert violinist,” “unwatchable TV news reporter,” and “dazed mother to two teenage girls.” A native of Boston, she suppresses her irresistible accent to avoid stink eye from sports fans across Los Angeles, where she now resides. She has an AB in government from Harvard, which she has so far failed to put to good use, and enjoys skiing, lazy bike rides, and wicked strong coffee. Susan’s first two novels, “Good as Dead” and “Over Her Dead Body,” were Amazon First Reads editors’ picks. “Lie by the Pool,” a novel of
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Charles Martin
Charles Martin is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. He and his wife, Christy, live in Jacksonville, FL. Learn more at charlesmartinbooks.com; Instagram: @storiedcareer; X: @storiedcareer; Facebook: @Author.Charles.Martin
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Catherine Mann
USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann has written women's fiction, romance, and romantic suspense for Lake Union, Harlequin, HQN, Berkley, Tule, and Sourcebooks, with titles released in more than 30 countries. Catherine’s novels have won numerous awards, including a RITA Award, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award, and the Bookseller’s Best Award.
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A South Carolinian at heart, after years of moving around the country Catherine has settled back in her home state with her Harley-riding husband. Empty nesters, they have a blended family of nine children, nine grandchildren, two dogs, and three feral cats, who all provide endless inspiration for new novels. For more information, visit: http://catherinemann.com -
Holly Kennedy
Under "recent updates" below I've listed some of my favorite books and gave them each 5 bright stars because I admired them so much.
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Catherine Ryan Hyde
Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than 50 published and forthcoming books.
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She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.
Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.
Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eig -
Marshall Fine
Marshall Fine is an author, journalist, critic, historian, and filmmaker.
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His first novel, "The Autumn of Ruth Winters," will be published by Lake Union Press in November 2024.
His second novel, "Clara’s Girl," was recently purchased by Lake Union Press, to be published in the fall of 2025.
Fine is the author of three biographies: "Bloody Sam: The Life and Films of Sam Peckinpah" (1991); "Harvey Keitel: The Art of Darkness" (1998); and "Accidental Genius: How John Cassavetes Invented the American Independent Film" (2006).
Fine started writing rock criticism for the Minneapolis Star at the age of 18, beginning a journalism career that covered a half-century. He spent 25 years as film critic and entertainment writer for Gannett Newspapers and an -
Julianne MacLean
Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.
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MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. Mac -
Rhys Bowen
I'm a New York Times bestselling mystery author, winner of both Agatha and Anthony awards for my Molly Murphy mysteries, set in 1902 New York City.
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I have recently published four internationally bestselling WWII novels, one of them a #1 Kindle bestseller, and the Tuscan Child selling almost a million copies to date. In Farleigh Field won three major awards and was nominated for an Edgar. My other stand-alone novels are The Victory Garden, about land girls in WWI and Above the Bay of Angels, featuring a young woman who becomes chef for Queen Victoria.
April 2021 will mark the publication of THE VENICE SKETCHBOOK--another sweeping historical novel of love, loss and intrigue.
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Jennifer Banash
Jennifer Banash was born and raised in New York City. She now lives in Southern California with her beagle, Sigmund, and her vast collection of designer shoes.
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Barbara O'Neal
Barbara O'Neal is the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling writer of women's fiction. She lives in Colorado with her partner, a British endurance athlete.
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Kate Hewitt
Kate is the USA Today-bsetselling author of many books of both historical and contemporary fiction. Under the name Katharine Swartz, she is the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell.
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She likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.
Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and two Golden Retrievers. -
Amanda James
Amanda James (aka Mandy) was born in Sheffield and now lives in Cornwall with her husband and a cat. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, singing, and spending lots of time with her grandchildren. She also admits to spending far too much time chatting on Twitter and Facebook! Amanda feels most at home walking on the beach and making plots up in her head. A fair amount of these have made it onto paper, and been turned into books.
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Lucille Guarino
A bestselling and award-winning author for fiction-drama, Lucille Guarino has enjoyed writing since her youth. Her novel, Elizabeth’s Mountain, has received praise and recognition from Kirkus Reviews, BookViral, The Book Commentary, BookFest and others, and was a 2024 Finalist for the Hawthorne Prize from the American Writing Awards and Kindle Book Award. Also, the recipient of the 2024 Millennium Book Award and the 2025 Independent Press Award. Her novels have garnered reviews such as “compelling,” “captivating,” “enchanting,” and “effortlessly transporting.” Her newest, evocative novel, Lunch Tales: Suellen, embraces powerful issues that snag the lives of contemporary women by addressing Suellen's world of work, love, and a life-changing
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Christine Nolfi
Christine Nolfi is the award-winning and bestselling author of seventeen novels. Look for her 2025 release, The Secret Library of Hanna Reeves.
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Other works include her 2024 release A Heart Like Home; A Brighter Flame, selected by She Reads as a best book club pick and The Passing Storm, cited by Publishers Weekly as “Tautly plotted, expertly characterized, and genuinely riveting” and gold medal winner in general fiction, International Book Awards.
Earlier works include The Road She Left Behind, a top book club pick by Working Mother and Parade magazines; the award-winning Sweet Lake Series: Sweet Lake, The Comfort of Secrets, and The Season of Silver Linings; Second Chance Grill, highly recommended by The Midwest Book Review and Treasure Me, -
Diane Hawley Nagatomo
Diane Hawley Nagatomo was born in the UK and lived in Nebraska, Spain, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and California before coming to Japan in 1979. She is a semi-retired professor from Ochanomizu University and has written extensively on issues concerning gender, culture, and education. When not teaching or writing, she and her Japanese husband of more than 40 years spend time with their six grandchildren. The Butterfly Café, published in July 2023, was her first work of fiction. Her second work of fiction was "Finding Naomi," and her third, "The Making of Us" will be published in September 2025.
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Diane is also on Goodreads under the name of Diane Nagatomo. Check over there to see her bookshelves, reviews, and reading challenges. -
Jean Grainger
Jean Grainger was born in Cork, Ireland. She has been a tour guide of her beloved home country, a teacher, a university lecturer and a playwright. She began writing fiction at the suggestion of her clients on tours, many of whom were sure all the stories she told them would make for a great book. Her first book, The Tour, has become a Number 1 bestseller on Amazon. It tells the story of a disparate group of American visitors to Ireland, who, along with their Irish tour guide have a life changing experience in the magical Emerald Isle.
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Her second book, So Much Owed, is a family saga set during the Second World War. The story centres on the Buckley family of West Cork and how their lives are pulled in different directions as they become embro -
Barbara Davis
Author of The Secrets She Carried, The Wishing Tide, Summer at Hideaway Key, Love, Alice. (Penguin/Berkley) When Never Comes (Lake Union) The Last of the Moon Girls (Lake Union) The Keeper of Happy Endings (Lake Union) The Echo of Old Books (Lake Union) Every Precious and Fragile Thing (Lake Union)
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Brooke Harris
Also writes as Laura Anthony - The Women on Platform Two out now!!
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Melissa Payne
Melissa Payne is the bestselling author of five novels, including The Wild Road Home and A Light in the Forest. After an early career raising money for nonprofit organizations, Melissa began dreaming about becoming a published author and wrote her first novel. Her stories feature small mountain towns with characters searching for redemption, love, and second chances. They have been three-time Colorado Book Award finalists and Colorado Authors League 2020 and 2023 winners for mainstream fiction. Her upcoming novel, In the Beautiful Dark, will be released April 22, 2025. Melissa lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children, a friendly mutt, a very loud cat, and the occasional bear. For more information, vi
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Michelle Shocklee
Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW, a 2025 Christy Award Finalist; APPALACHIAN SONG, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction; and UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy Award & Selah Award finalist.
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As a woman of mixed heritage--her father's family is Hispanic and her mother's roots go back to Germany--she has always celebrated diversity and feels it's important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction.
With both her sons grown and happily married, Michelle and her husband make their home in Tennessee.
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Lauren Parvizi
Lauren Parvizi is the author of Trust Me on This and La Vie, According to Rose, winner of the 2024 Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award in the Debut category. She worked for more than a decade as a digital editor and content writer, and earned an MFA from San Francisco State University. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and sons.
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Donna Jones Alward
Since 2006, New York Times bestseller Donna Jones Alward has enchanted readers with stories of happy endings and homecomings that have won several awards and been translated into over a dozen languages. She’s worked as an administrative assistant, teaching assistant, in retail and as a stay-at-home-mom, but always knew her degree in English Literature would pay off, as she is now happy to be a full-time writer. Her new historical fiction tales blend her love of history with characters who step beyond their biggest fears to claim the lives they desire.
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Donna currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and two cats. You can often find her near the water, either kayaking on the lake or walking the sandy beaches to refill her creati