Today, I’d like to talk a little bit about my favorite romantic heroes. I read my first romance novel when I was ten years old. I was a very precocious reader, blasting through everything of interest in my library’s children’s section in record time. After finishing Little House, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and Trixie Belden series, I took a 90′ turn into the adult stacks, and never looked back. (There was no such thing as YA back in the day!) Over six thousand books later, over half of them romance novels, there are some romantic heroes that have a permanent place in my mind and heart. Though I won’t even TRY to select a favorite Argeneau, Troubleshooter, Carpathian, Bridgerton, Rohan, or Black Dagger Brother, following are some of my all-time favorite romance heroes. In no particular order (until we reach the Top 3): Morgan Trayhern (Return of a Hero by Lindsay McKenna) — McKenna excels at writing military heroes, and in this, the final book of her late ‘80’s Silhouette Special Edition “Love and Glory” series, self-sacrificing Marine captain Morgan Trayhern is one of her most riveting. Dmitri (Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh) — In this, the fifth book…

I love my job. Writing is a pleasure. Signing books and meeting readers is a rush. But the best part of writing contemporary Western romance is the research. Last summer, preparing to write COWBOY CRAZY took me behind the chutes at Cheyenne Frontier Days to watch cowboys in action, riding some of the rip-snortingest broncs and bulls in rodeo. Donning my Western shirt, boots and cowboy hat—requirements for everyone with a press pass—I looked forward to a lot of joking, a little joshing, and a fair amount of cussing. But what I got was real insight into the true nature of my favorite sport. In romance novels, cowboys usually symbolize freedom. They’re the epitome of wild, unrestrained energy and devil-may-care attitude. But in reality, the bronc rider, bull rider, or roper is as well-trained and disciplined as any other athlete. If you think the cowboy just gets on the horse and hangs on, think again. For starters, it takes a half-dozen cowboys to get each rider mounted. They cluster around the chute, calming the horse, offering advice, and helping the rider get situated in the saddle. The contestant spends a fair amount of time adjusting his position, adjusting his hold…

When I was a child, “home for the summer” meant that respite from school – June right on through to the week after Labor Day, that golden time of endless fun in the sun. Summer meant later lights out at night, reading in the shade of the back yard trees, and chasing fireflies at night with my friends in the neighborhood. There were the annual trips to visit my mother’s aunt in North Weymouth, Massachusetts, where a year’s worth of paper dolls awaited, saved for me by Great–Aunt Bess from the Boston Globe. There were long hot days at the New Jersey shore – running on sizzling feet into the cold water of the ocean – trips to amusement parks where I’d watch my older brother test his skill shooting with an air gun at moving targets, visits from relatives, and lazy days when there was nothing more to do than watch the clouds go by. When I was in college, “home for the summer” meant catching up with my friends from high school, revisiting old hangouts and renewing old friendships. There were summer jobs and trips to the beach, and reading something other than textbooks. For the characters in…