January 2010 On Sale: December 29, 2009 360 pages ISBN: 0843963603 EAN: 9780843963601 Mass Market Paperback $7.99 Add to Wish List Romance Paranormal Buy at Amazon.com What, you’ve never dated a man with rotting flesh before? My Zombie Valentine by Lisa Cach, Katie MacAlister, Marianne Mancusi, Angie Fox Tired of vampires and werewolves? This quartet of comedic zombie romances by bestselling authors will drive you mindless with hilarity! FOUR WOMEN ARE ABOUT TO DIG UP THE TRUTH Tired of boyfriends who drain you dry? Sick of guys who stay out all night howling at the moon? You can do better. Some men want you not only for your body, but your brains. Especially your brains. It’s true! There are men out there who care, early-rising, down-to-earth, indefatigable men who’ll follow you for miles. They’ll take the time to surprise you, over and over. One sniff of that perfume, and you’ll have to use a shotgun to fight them off. And then, once you get together, all they want is to share a nice meal. And another. And another. Romeo and Juliet, eat your hearts out. Will the zombies win? Previous Picks

Thanks so much to everyone at Fresh Fiction for inviting me to blog today! Romantic suspense has been a favorite genre of mine for about a decade—basically ever since I discovered it. I grew up reading contemporary romance but once I discovered this genre (namely Linda Howard), I was officially hooked and devoured everything RS I could find. There’s just something exciting about running from bad guys, dodging bullets and trying to hunt a serial killer while trying to stay alive. Of course this is only exciting in fiction. I wouldn’t want to deal with what most of my heroines do. In DANGEROUS SECRETS, my recent release from Carina Press, my heroine makes one decision that changes her life. In the beginning of the story, Izzy (my heroine), sees a young woman being assaulted outside of the bar where she works and instead of letting the hero handle it, she scares the would-be attacker off. This one act is such a small thing but it puts her on the radar of a psycho. From that point forward, her entire life changes. Years ago I made a decision that changed my life. At the time I didn’t know it but this…

January 2011 On Sale: December 21, 2010 Featuring: Elyse Ulrich; Patrick 162 pages ISBN: 0061935018 EAN: 9780061935015 Paperback $7.99 Add to Wish List Young Adult Buy at Amazon.com She’s in love, Cupid! Rhymes With Cupid by Anna Humphrey Love happens when you least expect it… Goodman’s Gifts & Stationery Store February 14 Cashier: Elyse 3 boxes of heart-shaped chocolate . . . $12.00 Chocolate is the only good thing about this nauseating holiday. 4 containers of candy hearts . . . $5.00 Ever since my ex cheated on me, I’ve sworn off love. Too bad my new neighbor Patrick didn’t get the memo. 1 Valentine’s Day card . . . $4.50 I’m not interested. Although, he is pretty cute. And sweet. And funny. 1 singing Cupid doll (promotional item) . . . $0.00 Stupid Cupid! Point your arrows at someone else. . . . Subtotal . . . $21.50 It’s going to be a complicated Valentine’s Day. Rhymes with Cupid is a sweet, funny love story about a girl who finds romance despite her best efforts not to. All that Elyse Ulrich wants is to get through Valentine’s Day as painlessly as possible. Working at Goodman’s Gifts & Stationery is…

It doesn’t take much research to prove that the “bad boy” is one of the most popular hero types in romance fiction.  For the Regency, the operative term is “rake” or “rogue;” enter that word as a title name on Amazon, and you currently get 1816 books with “Rake” in the title, 9087 with “Rogue.” Whether he comes kitted out as an ancient Roman gladiator or medieval knight, an arrogant Regency rake or Victorian duke, a contemporary cop, private eye, billionaire businessman or a futuristic shape-changing warrior or vampire, it’s clear most romance readers love the the alpha male Bad Boy.  But what is it that we find so appealing? Maybe it’s the idea of all that hot, exciting, masculine energy, teasing and tantalizing you.  Maybe it’s the challenge of trying to tame him, or the heady thrill of believing you may be the only woman who can do so.  Maybe it’s the thought of all that barely-controlled sexual energy pulsing just under the surface, knowing it can sweep you to ecstasy at his whim, maybe at yours.  Maybe hooking up with someone who doesn’t play by the rules and gets away with it calls to the rebel in us…

Hamish Macbeth #25 January 2010 On Sale: January 12, 2010 Featuring: Josie McSween; Hamish Macbeth 256 pages ISBN: 0446547387 EAN: 9780446547383 Paperback (reprint) $6.99 Add to Wish List Mystery Private Eye Buy at Amazon.com Exploding Valentine parcel sets the scene for a murder Death Of A Valentine by M. C. Beaton Hamish suspects love is blind, deaf and deadly. Amazing news has spread across the Scottish countryside. The most famous of highland bachelors, police sergeant Hamish Macbeth, may actually marry at last. The entire village of Lochdubh adores Macbeth’s bride-to-be. Josie McSween is Hamish’s new constable, and she is a pretty little thing, with glossy brown hair and big brown eyes. The local folk think that Josie is quite a catch, but Hamish couldn’t be more miserable. The wedding wouldn’t be happening if it weren’t for the murder of a beautiful woman in a nearby village. After the gorgeous woman receives a deadly Valentine’s Day gift, Hamish and Josie take on the case. However, they soon discover that the list of the victim’s admirers is endless. The case confirms Hamish’s belief that love is extremely dangerous, but he still can’t avoid the events that lead up to his celebrated engagement….

I have a story to tell you about having a dream and not giving up, no matter how many times you get knocked down. Most of you know me as a historical romance writer.  Over the past 11 years, I’ve written 15 historicals for three different publishers, so I think it’s safe to say I’ve been branded as a certain kind of writer. Occasionally, however, a writer needs to step out of the box, and it can be both exciting and nerve-wracking to venture into risky, untried territory.  I know this for a fact, because I have just released my first women’s fiction mainstream contemporary novel, THE COLOR OF HEAVEN – and let me tell you, it was a good lesson about perseverance, because I had a very hard time selling it. I first came up with the concept for the book six years ago, because I’ve always been fascinated by near-death experiences and the question about what lies on the other side of this life. My interest in the subject grew after a serious car accident at the age of twenty-five.  Somehow, miraculously, I survived a horrendous wreck and walked away without a scratch. I’m still not sure why…

February 2005 Featuring: Kate Hamilton; Rob Sutter 352 pages ISBN: 0060009268 EAN: 9780060009267 Paperback $6.99 Add to Wish List Contemporary, Romance Buy at Amazon.com Best romantic comedies week, with a Valentine twist The Trouble With Valentine’s Day by Rachel Gibson Kate Hamilton should know. Dumped by her boyfriend, stressed out by her job, she’s returned to Gospel, Idaho, for some rest and small-town fun. But when her first attempted seduction of a hunky stranger is completely rejected, she wonders what else could go wrong? Well, for starters, she quickly realizes that the Mountain Momma Crafters’ original poetry readings is about as good as it gets on a Friday night. Then she comes face-to-face with Rob Sutter, former ice hockey madman, owner of Sutter Sports–and the hunky stranger who told her to get lost. Rob’s been more than burned by love–but then he and Kate find themselves in an ultra-compromising position in the M & S Market after hours, giving the phrase “clean-up in aisle five” a whole new meaning, and causing a whole lot of gossip in Gospel… Cleverly written, fun-filled romantic escape. Excerpt Just like the first time she’d seen him, she wondered if thinking about the man had…

They’re everywhere and on everything—great debates and moral dilemmas.  I expected to run into a few when I tackled human trafficking in DEADLY TIES, and I did.  But I also ran into one I didn’t expect. Writers love it when that happens—when they get surprised, I mean.  But it’s hard to love a surprise that kicks you in the gut, and this unexpected surprise did.  And it didn’t mess around.  It kicked hard. You see, Lisa, the heroine, knows a domineering, controlling husband is holding her mother, Annie, virtual prisoner.  But her mother won’t leave.  She’s refused to leave for years.  Annie holds with the strict view that when you marry, for better or worse, it’s for life.  She’s far from alone; it’s a valid position many women hold. But there’s the other side of this, too.  The opposing view that says there should be no moral dilemma or great debate in leaving a man who is a control freak and guilty of emotional abuse.  I personally fall on this side of the scale.  To me, a loving and imperfect father wouldn’t want his child abused or living in an abusive environment.  If a loving imperfect father wouldn’t want that,…

In my latest novel, I delve into what it means to be a mother and all its manifestations ~ good, bad, attentive, indifferent. These Things Hidden is the story of an infant who left at an Iowa Safe Haven site and the women who pass in and out his life. It is the story of four women’s undeniable love for one little boy who was abandoned at a fire station as an infant. The individual manner and at times questionable means the women display this love will cause the reader to reflect upon their own loved ones and to the lengths they would go to ensure their safety and happiness and begs the question –  What does it mean to be a good mother? I love reading novels about motherhood. Amy Tan’s THE JOY LUCK Club introduced me to a new and wondrous culture where past and present is intertwined to tell an age old story of wanting what’s best for our children and wanting to make our parents proud. Of course there is benevolent Marmee from LITTLE WOMEN and patient Caroline Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder who made us believe that…

January 2011 On Sale: December 28, 2010 Featuring: Susan Allison 320 pages ISBN: 031254748X EAN: 9780312547486 Paperback $7.99 Add to Wish List Romance Buy at Amazon.com Heart-touching, Lifetime movie source The Lost Valentine by James Michael Pratt Movie Tie-In Edition EXPERIENCE THE LOVE STORY AMERICA IS TAKING TO HEART with The Lost Valentine—now the basis for a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie! News reporter Susan Allison is looking for the perfect story about true love, though she doubts where such a thing really exists. Neil Thomas, Jr. wants the world to know about his parents’ bittersweet love story: On February 14, 1944, Caroline Thomas said good-bye to her beloved husband, a Navy pilot sent to the Pacific. For fifty years, she waited for him—until a miracle happened, and she received his lost valentine… In the present day, when Susan and Neil meet, can the story of Neil’s parents bring them together in a love as powerful as she dreams of and he remembers? Previous Picks