What inspired you to write your latest book?
Dream Big is the final book in The Sabela Series. It was such a joy to write, but being the last book in the series, it was also bittersweet. I wanted to give the series an unforgettable ending, and what better way to do that but put myself in the book and meet the characters I had created? I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off, but it came together flawlessly. In the book I am living my big dream while telling my characters to follow theirs. It was an amazing experience to write the book.

Have any of your readers’ reactions to this book surprised you?
The reaction from readers has been fantastic and thought the ending to the series was amazing and perfect. The book takes place on Catalina Island, a beautiful place that we have visited every year for the past 25 years. Many readers have said they like visit the island after reading the book.

What are you looking forward to in 2024?
I have recently started writing a new book and look forward to see how it unfolds. It’s always a joy to meet new characters and have them tell me their stories. I’m also super excited to be a part of the LA Book Festival in April. This is the largest book festival on the West Coast, and I’m excited to be one of the exhibitors.

What inspired your book?
Actually, I stumbled into it. A few years ago, I started re-evaluating my life. I had been a stay-at-home mother to five children for almost two decades after leaving my corporate job to raise my family. At that point, it hit me. My children would soon be leaving for college. So I started “journaling” my feelings on a laptop. That lasted about a week before I noticed I wasn’t writing about my feelings or goals—I was creating a character that would become my protagonist, Penny Crenshaw. A few months later, in church of all places, my minister mentioned a song title by Bob Dylan, Tangled Up in Blue. At that very moment, I knew I had a story that would become Where the Grass Grows Blue.

Do you have a favorite place to write and do you need total silence to focus?
I wrote my first book when I was still juggling a busy home, so I wrote whenever I had the chance. In the beginning, it was usually after dinner, when the kids were busy with homework, but I’ve been known to pull out my laptop at basketball, lacrosse, and soccer games when there was a break. Having a house full of active children who played multiple sports, I took every “free” opportunity I could get. But the majority of my writing time takes place in my family room in a chair that my husband hates, with my little writing buddy, Harley, my seven pound shih tzu who is secretly plotting my demise, next to me.

Are you working on any new projects?
I’m finishing my upmarket fiction novel, set in the South, of course, that focuses on a tight-knit group of women whose lives are shattered by the shocking death of their beloved friend, Ellen, who has died unexpectedly and under mysterious circumstances. But before they can even process their grief, they stumble across a web of secrets and lies, unraveling Ellen’s perfect life. Now they must rely on each other to find out who the real Ellen Foster was, while grappling with the idea that they never really knew her at all. I’ve also plotted out books three and four.

What was the inspiration for your latest book? This book is actually a re-release of a book that came out for the first time in 2005. I was very inspired by the thought of having inherited a shop in a state you’d never been to and that town is not the most welcoming. Throw in a murder and I was ready to roll! I love Ivy so much because she doesn’t back down no matter what.

Which of your characters do you most identify with? I have several series out and honestly I identify with pieces of every single main character and their companions. All the heroines definitely reflect parts of me at the time I was writing them. I think I’m probably more like Tallie in the Tallie Graver series than any other character though I don’t have her backstory. She’s sassy, she’s fun, and she’s a force to be reckoned with. I can be all those things and also goofy sometimes.

 What’s next for your books? Ah, next 🙂 Well, I’m writing the last book in the Magically Suspicious Mysteries called Fiddle Me This, then I’m writing the next Tallie Graver, then the last Whit and Whiskers. I also have an idea for a diner mystery series, so stay tuned!

When and why did you start writing? I started when I was a 12th grader. I’m now almost forty and still writing. I loved the ability to create my own worlds and endings that made me happy. In writing, I could lose myself and my troubles! 

What’s next for your writing career? I currently have two books in my Angela Wilkins series and am busy working on the third book.

If you could meet any of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Honestly, the main character tempts and frightens me all at the same time. If I had to pick, it would be the main male character, Johnny. He loves his job and his family. He’s devoted and charming, all the things I love in people! 

What genre do you write? I write historical fiction based on the history and culture of people who lived in the smoky mountains before their homes and farms became part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is fascinating to be able to visit an old cabin or church while vacationing in the park, yet also be able to go back in time to imagine what life would be like with no one else around, no running water, having to hunt, fish, trap, or grow all your own food, and create an entire community and way of life. There are many lessons from the simple life, even in our modern hustle bustle world.

What inspires your stories? My father’s side of our family is from North Carolina, and we’ve been visiting the Smoky Mountains my entire life. I’ve always felt the magic of these mountains, walking through the preserved cabins and fields of Cades Cove and other such places in the national park. As I stepped into a cabin, gazed at the long dormant hearth, I wondered how the people really lived, how they raised children, created an entire community, lived off the land, handled sickness, despair, and celebrations. And I wanted to bring their stories to life. My mission is always to honor and preserve their unique history.

If you could write from any place and time, where and when would that be? I am loving the early 1800s time period of my books. I love the moment the people set foot on the land, staked their claims, and began building cabins, corn cribs, barns, churches, schools, general stores, etc. I find that fascinating: starting from nothing and creating an entire community that was prosperous and functioning. I also love the self-sufficiency, freedom, and American spirit woven through their lives. I think I’ve found my happy place in my writing, and I can’t wait to write more!

What inspired your new release, Canary Nights? Being raised in the “Secret City” of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Did any of the characters surprise you during the writing process? Yes, I wasn’t sure at the beginning who would end up being the hero.

What comes next for Ashley Cobb Post? Writing another romantic suspense story, “Repressing The Flames” to be published in 2025. The locations are Charleston and Cape Cod.

How long have you been writing? I have been writing my entire life. My first official manuscript was my first book report in the 6th grade. I had trouble learning to read as a child. The thought of an actual book report was terrifying. So, I picked a book out of the library that hadn’t been checked out in decades and made up the whole plot, characters, setting, secondary characters. I’ve been making up books ever since.

What inspired the book you’re promoting? Puzzled Pieces was inspired by my previous job of driving a school bus. I started driving a bus after my husband was laid off. We needed health insurance. It turns out, I loved driving the bus. I did it for three years. The kids were amazing and kept me on my toes. 

Where do you write, i.e. an office, outdoors, a coffee shop? I write in my home office. I try to write at coffee shops, but I don’t drink coffee and I spend all my time there eavesdropping on the conversations around me.

What genre do you write? 
While I consider myself first and foremost a literary fiction writer, I have gravitated into the horror, weird fiction, and magical realism genre. I still stick true to my form which is the short story, but I have discovered ways to expand my short story world by writing linked narratives connected by characters, town, and theme. This method has been used by such authors as Elizabeth Strout and Alice Munroe and is typically referred to as a composite novel or a short story cycle.

What was the inspiration for your novel, The Bystanders? 
I lived in rural Missouri for seven years amongst horse farms and farmers. The town of Lawrenceton, Missouri, and the surrounding area inspired the story. 

What are you working on now? 
I am currently working on a novel called One Man’s Graveyard is Another Man’s Worth-Mart (think Grady’ Hendrix’s Horrorstor, but cheekier) and a speculative memoir, called The Dandy Chronicles.

How long have you been writing? 
I first wanted to write a novel once I began working at the Department of Justice in 2001. The DOJ hired me the night before the September 11 attacks, and I started my job immediately thereafter at the Main Justice Department in Washington, D.C. 

What inspired the book you’re currently promoting? 
My inspiration for writing Scavenger Hunt was the hidden eighth floor of the Main Justice Building in Washington, D.C. Main Justice is the headquarters for many of the top U.S. lawyers, including the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Solicitor General. The elevators at Main Justice, however, only reach the seventh floor. But there are eight sets of windows.

That seemed strange to me back in 2001, when I started work there, so I conducted research on the building and unearthed no clues. Coming up short, I sought out a man who’d worked at Main Justice for several decades—a silver-haired institutionalist—and he told me that, before they built the FBI building (across the street), the eighth floor had served as the old FBI ballistics lab. He said there was a secret staircase that led to the eighth floor, which was now more of a utility floor.

Mesmerized by this news, I grabbed a custodian with access to the staircase, a flashlight, and a notepad and ventured to the hidden floor. Many of the notes I doodled on that notepad are now in Chapter Two of Scavenger Hunt.

Who are the authors who most influenced your work? 
Robert Ludlum, John le Carré, Tom Clancy, and Brian Hosp. Hosp, who endorsed Scavenger Hunt, writes clever crime novels that take place in Boston but that sell best in London (perhaps because they are heady like Sherlock Holmes). I also really enjoy non-horror thrillers by Stephen King (best character developer in the business) and earlier novels by Brad Meltzer.

Where do you write, i.e. an office, outdoors, a coffee shop? 
My primary writing spot–where my Stephen King muse visits me–is my library desk at home. I also write on airplanes and hotels when traveling. 

If you could visit one place to research a book where would it be?
I think the hidden eighth floor of the Main Justice Department was the best. Having done that already, though, I would say the Forbidden City in Beijing.

What is your genre? My genre is romantic fiction, and RomCom.

What is your latest release and what inspired you? With my latest release, A Redhead in Tottenham, I am a supporter of the Tottenham Hotspur Club in the English Premier League. I mixed that passion with one of my favorite movies, Heaven Can Wait, and came up with a story about a pro soccer player in the MLS who is mistakenly brought to Heaven, then comes back to life as the loathed owner of the Tottenham Club. There he meets a female soccer player who plays for the Tottenham womens team, which kicks off an enemies to lovers story.

Do you have a book video or trailer for your latest release? Check out this TikTok promotional video.

How long have you been writing? I have been writing as long as I can remember. Even in Third grade, I remember the teacher asked us to write a story, so I wrote a story about what was going on in the classroom. I got serious about writing in the early 2000’s, and finally put it all together in 2019 with my first book.

Who are some of your favorite writers? I am a huge fan of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The reason why is because they wrote about life, and the way the world rolls out for everyone. My favorite books are The Old Man and the Sea and The Great Gatsby. 

In the Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway wrote about how we all grow old, and lose the greatness we had in our youth. But for one day, the man was able to recapture those days and relive them, for only a short time. I think that story resonates in all of us since as we age, we lose some of the greatness we once possessed. However, there are times when we all can have one day in the sun.

In The Great Gatsby, there is a similar theme about how sometimes in life, we look back because we want to recapture our youth, and the things in it. But sometimes, they are behind us for a reason, and in Gatsby’s case he ignores this, and in the end, his dream eludes him. But the last page of the story, Fitzgerald writes that we all are not going to live forever, but what’s important is that we keep moving forward, and live life to the fullest and the best we can before it’s over.

Where do you prefer to write? I have a writing room, which I call The Hemingway Room. I have all my books and bookcases in there, and also framed pictures of Hemingway for inspiration. I also find that when I have to take the car in for service, or drop the kids off for a practice or an event, I get a lot of writing done then. Nothing like being at Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks or Barnes and Noble to get the creative juices flowing!

What is your dream location for researching a book? If I could pick one place to research a book, it would have to be Paris, since that was where Hemingway got going as a writer. In fact, with my next release, one of the themes is the main character wants to go to Paris to find the missing Hemingway manuscripts, which were lost when his wife, Hadley, packed them all up to bring to him in Switzerland. They were stolen and have never been found. That would be quite a find if someone ever found what was in the suitcase, so I would love to go to Paris for real to see all the places he visited and wrote in.