Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, freelance journalist, and Russian supper club performer. Her bestselling thrillers have been published in dozens of languages worldwide and were nominated for a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense and a Thriller Award. Michelle has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in the foster care system, specializing in work with LGBTQ+ Transitional Age Youth. A graduate of Wesleyan University, she is pursuing a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University Los Angeles. A native Rhode Islander (sort of), she is currently a reluctant Angeleno, where she lives with her family and way too many pets.

Slaying You, May 13, 2025

Grace and Amber’s first encounter was anything but ordinary—they bonded over being stalked by the same psychopath. After narrowly escaping that ordeal they went their separate ways, determined to get back to their lives.

Surprise: neither of them is very good at being “normal.” Despite their best efforts, they both feel an irresistible pull toward the dark side.

So when they reunite for a Vegas wedding and discover that an even more dangerous killer is targeting their friends, it’s time to get the gang back together. Grace and Amber have outrun a murderer before… but can they do it again?

Michelle’s favorite snack is Takis Fuego, usually paired with June Shine Tequila Margarita, a kombucha drink with a kick!

Brendan Slocumb is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in music education, concentrations on Violin and Viola. For the past two decades, he has been a public and private school music educator from kindergarten through twelfth grade, teaching general music, orchestra and guitar ensembles. Brendan is a Nobel Teacher of distinction and serves as an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

When Brendan was nine, he started playing violin through a public school music program. His violin opened the door to opportunity, and he ran through it. Since then, Brendan has performed with the Washington Metropolitan Symphony, the McLean Symphony, the Prince George’s Philharmonic, and the Alexandria Symphony. He has served as the concertmaster for the NOVA-Annandale Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs chamber music with members of the Alexandria Chamber Music Society. Brendan believes that everyone can learn to appreciate and love music, and that it can be a new way of communicating, building bonds, and connecting with people who may look, sound, or speak differently.

The Dark Maestro, May 13, 2025

Curtis Wilson is a cello prodigy, growing up in the Southeast D.C. projects with a drug dealer for a father. But through determination and talent, and the loving support of his father’s girlfriend Larissa, Curtis claws his way out of his challenging circumstances and rises to unimagined heights in the classical music world—even soloing with the New York Philharmonic.

And then, suddenly, his life disintegrates. His father, Zippy, turns state evidence, implicating his old bosses to the FBI. Now the family—Curtis included—must enter the witness protection program if they want to survive. This means Curtis must give up the very thing he loves most: sharing his extraordinary musical talents with the world. When Zippy’s bosses prove too elusive for law enforcement to convict them, Curtis, Zippy, and Larissa realize that their only chance of survival is to take on the cartel themselves.

As you can see from his photo, Brendan’s favorite thing to drink is orange juice, whether or not paired with peanut M&Ms!

Tori Eldridge is the bestselling author of the Lily Wong mystery thriller series as well as a two-time Anthony Award nominee, Lefty and Macavity Awards finalist, and winner of the 2021 Crimson Scribe Award for Best Book of the Year. Before writing, Tori performed as an actress, singer, dancer on Broadway, television, and film. Born and raised in Honolulu—of Hawaiian, Chinese, Norwegian descent—Tori graduated from Punahou School with classmate Barack Obama. After living in NYC and Los Angeles she now lives and writes from Portland, Oregon. Her deep interest in world culture has prompted her to visit nine countries, including Brazil, China, and Japan. Tori holds a 5th degree black belt in To-Shin Do ninja martial arts and has taught classes and seminars across the U.S.

Kaua’i Storm, May 20, 2025

After ten years as a national park ranger in Oregon, Makalani Pahukula is back on Kaua‘i for her grandmother’s birthday. She finds a bickering family and the disconcerting news that her cousins―a failed college football player and a rebellious teenage girl―have gone missing. Makalani hopes they just ran off, but when hunters find a dead body in the Keālia Forest Reserve, Makalani fears something ominous is at play, and the search for her cousins grows more desperate. Although her help may not be welcomed by family and locals, Makalani is determined to solve a mystery that poses a greater risk than anyone imagines.

The investigation will open her heart, reawaken her love for the land she calls home, and strengthen her bond with her family. Because no matter how long she’s been away, for Makalani, Hawai‘i is in her blood.

Tori’s faves are makalani and tree-ripened papaya and kakimochi (Japanese rice crackers) as a snack, paired with makalani and guava juice, sparkling water and a squeeze of lime.

Rick Copp—aka Lee Hollis—was two years out of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts when he was tapped at 24 years old to become a staff writer on the enormously popular NBC sitcom The Golden Girls in 1988. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for a boy from Bar Harbor, Maine, who grew up dreaming of living underneath the famous Hollywood sign, a dream that became a reality soon after his arrival in Los Angeles. He spent the next five years writing for a number of series including the critically acclaimed and commercially successful hits NBC’s Wings, FOX’s Flying Blind and HBO’s Dream On. And that was only the beginning.

In 2001, Rick decided to fulfill another goal and write a mystery novel. He had been playing around with a character named Jarrod Jarvis, a former child star turned PI. In 2010, when Rick’s sister Holly Simason won an award for her cooking column in their hometown’s local paper he saw an opportunity. He writes mysteries. She writes recipes. Why not combine the two for a new book series? And the Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery series was born. The brother and sister writing team have collaborated on fourteen books and counting.

My Father Always Finds Corpses, May 27, 2025

You never forget your first corpse. For former child star Jarrod Jarvis, that discovery was twenty-plus years ago, and a lot has happened since he solved a string of real-life Hollywood murders. Now Jarrod lives in Palm Springs where he writes and directs local theatre, while quietly grieving the loss of his partner, police detective Charlie. But when his daughter Liv is accused of the murder of her problematic filmmaker boyfriend Zel, Jarrod rushes to Liv’s aid. Turns out, many people had motive to finish Zel off—including a Russian film professor, a former First Lady, and a sexy Secret Service agent. Together, Liv and Jarrod comb for clues across the sun-drenched Coachella valley, growing close again. But while there’s nothing like murder to bring a family together, this father-daughter reunion may be short-lived as long as a killer is on the loose…

Rick’s favorite snack and drink is red wine!