From the time I picked up my first romance novel back in high school (a very long time ago, LOL), I have known what I wanted to do: write romance novels. There simply wasn’t any other idea in my head, even as I explored various career paths. Those career paths were frequently dictated by whatever book I was reading: a paralegal (thanks to a romance by Kristen James), a coroner (because of the Kay Scarpetty books by Patricia Cornwell), an anthropologist (after reading one of Nora Roberts’s early Silhouettes). It took me far longer than it probably should have to realize that, as a writer, I could be any and all of those things for as long as it took me to write a book. And so…

Here I am. A good number of years later, with more than sixty books under my writing
belt. The majority of those are with Harlequin (my dream from that first day), but most
recently, I was given the opportunity to, in the words of my former editor, “write whatever
I wanted.” I cannot tell you the freedom and excitement hearing (or rather reading)
those words evoked. No restrictions, no guidelines, just write what your heart and soul
wants. Thus, the Circle of the Red Lily series was born.

I’m a lifelong obsessive with all things movies and Hollywood. I grew up on Saturday
morning Shirley Temple, Abbot & Costello, and Bogart movies. My all-time favorite movie (okay, I have a lot) is The Adventures of Robin Hood staring Errol Flynn (closely followed by Singin’ in the Rain). There’s something magical about those old classics, a time gone by even as they created and built the art form we enjoy today. Everything about that time, the studio system, the movie stars and glamour, the bright spinning lights of premiere night, is utterly fascinating to me. So I knew, when I was asked to write something that matters to me, Hollywood would have to play a part.

The initial idea was simple. What would happen if a photographer came across lost film,
developed it, and discovered that they were photographs that would call into question a
notorious murder case and conviction.

Riley Temple became that photographer, a paparazzo with a heart and a woman with
little faith in the justice system. Her roots run deep in Hollywood thanks to her late grandfather, a studio portrait photographer in the Golden Age of Hollywood and her Great Aunt Moxie, a character inspired by the one and only Shirley Temple (if Shirley had a bit of a spicy edge to her). Together they own Temple House, an apartment

building in the heart of Los Angeles that once served as housing for the stable of actresses, dancers and performers going back as far as the 1930s. When those pictures Riley discovered suddenly put her and her circle of friends in danger, she finds herself coming face to face with the absolute worst hero possible: a cop. Don’t you love it when they’re both utterly wrong—and right—for one another? Together they discover that the photographs unlock the truth of a secret society that has been hovering in the shadows of Hollywood for decades. A society that will do anything to remain hidden. Including kill.

Framed, Vanished, and Unearthed are the first three books in my five-book Circle of the Red
Lily series. I LOVE writing books featuring a close-knit community and Riley’s four friends, all of whom live in Temple House, are along for the ride of their lives with each of them getting their own happily ever after (after some dangerous shenanigans). And how do we know they’ll get their HEAs? Because I write romance! How they get there, however? Now that’s going to be the biggest mystery of them all.

I am so thrilled that this series has a home with Tule now and I’m even more excited to
be celebrating these first releases with them. How appropriate that these are the books
that finally helped me find my voice.

Welcome to the Circle of the Red Lily. I hope you all will enjoy my ode to Old Hollywood,
a time gone by, and that all important happily ever after.

About the Author

Anna J. Stewart is a National and USA Today bestselling author of more than sixty emotionally layered romances, ranging from sweet to suspenseful.

A Maggie and Holt Medallion winner, Anna’s work has also been recognized as a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards and one of her novels, Recipe for Redemption, was optioned for a TV movie.

At the heart of every story Anna tells is family—the kind you’re born into, and the kind you fight for. Her characters wrestle with real struggles, deep wounds, and the kind of love that changes everything.

When she’s not writing or working with editing and book coaching clients, Anna can be found in her kitchen chasing comfort through baking, or deep in a TV binge that often includes The Great British Bake-Off, Supernatural, and anything Starfleet-approved. She shares her space—and negotiates for desk rights—with two cats, Rosie and Sherlock, who are equal parts muse and menace.

New month, new mysteries! Whether you’re looking for a mystery with political intrigue, procedural  mystery, or a Nun in Seattle, we’ve got the perfect read.

GIVEAWAY: Because who doesn’t love FREE books?

We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the March mystery releases.

Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of the month.

Good luck and happy reading!

Something Prowling in Paradise Park

by Kris Bock

Three cases. One body. Zero chance of staying out of trouble.

Kate Tessler may have thought her days of chasing danger were over. But the former war correspondent’s “retirement” in sunny Paradise, Arizona, is anything but quiet. With her eccentric circle of friends and colleagues, Kate has built a new life—full of mysteries, mayhem, and the occasional stakeout—as she works towards earning her PI license.

After wrapping her last case, Kate wonders what’s next when three cases—all brought by friends—fall into her lap. Squatters in a snowbird’s house, local pedigree dogs disappearing, and smash and grab burglaries at local pot shops. Kate juggles the cases with help from her usual cast of amateur crime solvers, including the teen sons of Paradise’s mayor. As she digs, Kate suspects at least two cases are connected.

But things turn deadly when a late-night stakeout leads Kate and one teen sidekick, interested in investigative work, straight to a body. Was it a gruesome accident—or something far more sinister?

With humor and high stakes, The Accidental Detective mysteries prove that danger and friendship don’t retire quietly.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Gone in Three Seconds

by Jim De La Vega

A human time bomb has three minutes. Cassidy Chord has even less.

A terrified woman bursts into a Los Angeles ER with a fresh tattoo she swears she didn’t get. The numbers on her skin count down.

00:03 — BOOM.

The explosion kills the victim and a nurse. Hours later, a businessman in the LAX baggage claim detonates the same way.

Former Blackhawk pilot, now forensic psychologist Dr. Cassidy Chord survived the blast that destroyed her leg, but nothing’s prepared her to pit wits against a foe turning random civilians into walking weapons. The terrorist has stalked and studied Cassidy, engaging her in his sick game — leaving her gifts, clues, and disappearing pictures and emails that turn her from FBI consultant to suspect.

As attacks escalate across Los Angeles, Cassidy goes rogue because anyone can be next. Anywhere. Anytime. If you’re marked, you’re already gone.

Tick. Tick. Tick. BOOM.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Fatal Silence

by Carol Light

Lexie Gilroy thought running the family construction office for a week would be routine—until thieves rumble off with their brand-new bulldozer before sunrise. She knows one of the criminals. He once saved her life. Now she wants answers, and she’s not waiting for the police to hand them over.

Reporter Jack Huddleston is chasing redemption, and Southern Pines board member Cal Kinney has his own suspicions about missing money. They, too, would rather keep the law at arm’s length while they get their facts straight.

And Crossroads police chief Tim Birch has a big problem of his own. The FBI has informed him of a link between their quiet town, a truck driver stabbed in a bar fight, and an international theft ring.

Secrets here run deeper than anyone guessed. And in Crossroads, loyalty can be the most dangerous weapon of all. If Lexie, Tim, and two unlikely allies don’t trust the right people—and the wrong ones at the right time—they’ll be the next names added to a killer’s list.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Dead Man’s Duty

by Fran Thomas Jr.

When the truth is buried deep, digging can be deadly.

Investigative reporter Shannon Winters is stuck covering lifestyle fluff—until a desperate Black grandmother begs her to uncover the truth behind her grandson’s death in prison. Officially ruled a suicide, the young inmate’s death hides something far darker: a cover-up pointing to retaliation by someone with far-reaching power.

Shannon’s pursuit unravels a network of corruption, trafficking, and international crime. When trained killers come for her, she survives only because of the intervention of Noah Winston—a man believed to be dead, now living under an assumed name and working sanctioned (and unsanctioned) black ops missions against the cartels.

Noah knows helping Shannon could blow his cover and possibly land him behind bars. She knows trusting him could put her investigation—and her life—in greater danger. But as the conspiracy tightens its grip, both face the same reality: walking away means letting the truth die with them.

To expose the killers, they’ll have to stay one step ahead … or become the next bodies to disappear.

Enjoy an Excerpt →

Framed

by Anna J. Stewart

When photographer Riley Temple develops a roll of film and uncovers an image of a murdered woman, she becomes the target of a deadly Hollywood conspiracy. The deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that someone powerful wants her silenced.

Her only ally is LAPD Detective Quinn Burton, a man whose loyalty to his family and the force is as unshakable as his attraction to Riley. Their partnership sparks an undeniable chemistry, but their investigation threatens to expose his father—the city’s police commissioner—as part of a secret society thriller that rules Los Angeles’s elite.

As Riley and Quinn race to uncover the truth, danger closes in. Caught between duty and desire, they’ll have to trust each other to survive. But in this world of love, lies, and corruption, trust could be the most dangerous choice of all.