I’m not proud to admit that my mantra for 2012 seemed to be “I’m such a bitch.” I can blame my stress on everything from my hectic writing schedule to my ever expanding buttocks and active children. But let’s face it, I have nothing to complain about—well, except for that buttocks part. Whether it’s keeping the house clean or running the Iditarod, it’s my belief that every woman struggles with balance in her life.  Sometimes, for me anyway, getting groceries is as arduous as running the Boston marathon, but I know it has to be done. Last year I found myself saying no to a lot of events simply because I was tired mentally and physically. But all that is going to change. 2013 is my Year of Yes. Like I said, I have nothing to complain about. I have four books releasing this year and I’ve recently landed two four-book series contracts. Yay me! Woe to my expanding waistline and family time. That means a lot of hours in front of the computer, but if I don’t get this balancing act down soon my family is going to go on strike. Oh, and let me add that they are…

I get a buzz writing about characters I call a “blank canvas”. Not knowing much about their own history, they’re free to invent themselves as Adam – a baby found at sea amid the wreckage of a ship – does in BIRTHRIGHT. He’s not my first blank canvas character. In MAN WITHOUT A PAST, the hero was found at a bus stop, his family unknown. My CODE OF THE OUTBACK romantic suspense series dealt with three brothers fostered by one couple. The worldwide success of family history TV shows tells us how universal is the desire to know ourselves, and to make up what we don’t know. My fascination with family history began with my own parents who cut all ties with their past after emigrating to Australia when I was seven. Much as I wish I were an alien, and friends have their suspicions LOL, I know I’m basically from English stock with some Celtic mysticism thrown in. But growing up without any close relatives made me wonder about people like Adam, and anyone who is adopted or lost to family in some way. Adam is a sexy-as-sin genius (more wishful thinking, Valerie?) so he isn’t given to fantasizing….

Genies #1 January 2011 On Sale: January 1, 2011 Featuring: Matt Ewing; Eden 416 pages ISBN: 1402241895 EAN: 9781402241895 Mass Market Paperback $7.99 Add to Wish List Romance Contemporary, Romance ParanormalBuy at Amazon.com Fresh Fiction Reviewers Favorites of 2012 I Dream of Genies by Judi Fennell Is it possible her wish really can come true? He needs to change his luck, and fast! Matt Ewing would gladly hunt down a fortune in lucky pennies if he thought it would help save his business. But for all his hoping, Matt’s clueless when his long awaited lucky charm falls in his lap in the form of a beguiling genie. He just can’t believe that this beautiful woman could be the answer to his prayers… She’s been bottled up for far too long! Spending 2,000 years in a bottle would make any woman go a little stir crazy. So when Matt releases Eden from her luxurious captivity, she’s thrilled to repay him by giving him the magical boost he needs… But for all her good intentions, Eden’s magical prowess is a little rusty and her magical mistakes become more than embarrassing. And though Eden knows falling in love will end her magic and…

I think it’s safe to say that most writers fall for their hero. Makes sense, right? When we write, we tend to play up the things we find dreamy and scrumptious and channel it into our guy. Gunner was an especially manly hero to work with. So, let me set us this excerpt (which I love)… At this point, Jen’s trying to get over Gunner, but he seems to keep cropping up wherever she is – in a non-stalker-like way, though! Poor Gunner is just as frustrated by circumstances; he’s just pretty good at repressing his feelings. But this excerpt is one that shows how fragile his control is when it comes to Jen, and how truly powerful he is. Excerpt: Nothing else to say? I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. I was hurt, breathless, and sad. At least now I know where I stand. No hope, no illusions. “Let’s get back to work.” “Work,” I murmured, trying not to lose it. I had to do something. My nerves were humming with energy and frustration. Since what I wanted to do—kiss him, throw him on the mat, and make him forgive me—wasn’t an option, I’d have to…

Seriously, Twilight is the only canon out there which provides fodder for fanfic? What HAVE I been missing? Here is news about the latest fanfic reworked into erotic fiction. THE OFFICE, no, not the office on television in its last season, but what looks like an erotic twist on a Harlequin Presents: young intern / assistant clashes with her boss. It’s tried and true for Harlequin so probably will be a smashing success for Gallery Books as well. read more on Hollywood Reporter An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the…

August 2012 On Sale: August 7, 2012 Featuring: Olivia MacKenzie; Grayson Kincaid 368 pages ISBN: 0525952861 EAN: 9780525952862 Kindle: B007FEFIHO Hardcover / e-Book $26.95 Add to Wish List Romance SuspenseBuy at Amazon.com Fresh Fiction Reviewer’s Best Reads of 2012 Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood In the new contemporary romance from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood, a detective and a lawyer are falling in love— and making a federal case out of it. When FBI agent Grayson Kincaid first encounters Olivia MacKenzie, she makes quite an impression. The beautiful, tough, young attorney has stumbled into the middle of an FBI sting operation and has reduced it to chaos. Months of surveillance and careful planning down the drain, Kincaid’s partner is furious and lets Olivia know that she’s ticked off the wrong guy. After all, he’s FBI. Olivia isn’t intimidated by his partner’s bullying because she’s something even scarier . . . she’s IRS. And working for the IRS isn’t for the faint of heart. She’s on the trail of an elaborate Ponzi scheme, one that threatens to ruin the lives of naive and unsuspecting victims, and one she has personal reasons to be angry about. But after she…

Thanks so much to Fresh Fiction for hosting me here today! So, a Greek god, a vampire, and an Army Special Forces veteran walk into a bar… Oh, wait. This isn’t a joke. And it’s not a bar. It’s my writing schedule for the next three months! *grins* After a rush of releases over the past year, I have the biggest gap between book releases I’ve had so far in my career. And that’s a good thing, because I need all the time to write that I can get! So, today, I thought I’d give you a quick introduction to a few of my upcoming books and a juicy excerpt from one! Read on… SOUTH OF SURRENDER, fantasy romance, Hearts of the Anemoi #3, to release May 28, 2013 Hero: Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer Heroine: Laney Summerlyn, freelance writer and horse farm owner Tagline: She’s the only one who can see through his golden boy façade to the broken god within… Why I’m loving writing this book: The plot has challenged me more than anything else I’ve written. The hero is absolutely delicious on the inside and the out. And the heroine, who is…

I’m so excited about my new release, A SEAL’s Seduction!  It has a hot Navy SEAL, a sexy subliminal scientist and an intense hostage rescue all wrapped together in one sensual story. I’m probably an oddity as a writer.  I don’t re-read my books once they are in print.  In part, it’s because I’ve already spent months with them. Writing.  Re-writing.  Revising. Editing. Editing again.  Summarizing.  Summarizing the summary.  And then reviewing to put together promo stuff, like this blog post.  So, that part is burnout.  I’m pretty much done with the story by the time it’s out. Part of it is control craziness.  I’ve got a few minor control issues *g * So once that book is out, if I’m reading it, it’s been a few months since I last worked on it.  So as I read, I tend to see all sorts of things I’d want to change.   Phrases.  Different angles I could have layered.  Tweaks and minor adjustments.  But I can’t do anything about them.  Which leads to that craziness I mentioned. But, every once in awhile, I have a book that I cannot wait to read again.  One that stays in my mind, even as I’m…

With the start of 2013 comes what I think may be my best book yet. Once in a while I find a story where the characters take off and write the book. With a young lawyer who thinks someone is trying to kill him and another couple building love from a childhood friendship, CHANCE OF A LIFETIME won’t let you put it down. In this visit to Harmony, you’ll see people from the town that you’ve met in other books, but the plot begins with a quiet librarian, Emily and her former childhood friend, Tannon Parker. While he’s grown cold and hard over the years, she’s become afraid of the world. He comes to the library every Friday night because he knows she’s afraid of the dark and though they barely speak as he walks her out, he thinks his heart only beats when she’s near. For Tannon and Emily this may be their last CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. With Emily forming a writing club to draw people into the library and a kid named Beau Yates about to hit it big as a singer, you’ll feel like you’ve lived in Harmony forever and love all the folks. So, come…

April 2012 On Sale: April 17, 2012 496 pages ISBN: 0399159126 EAN: 9780399159121 Kindle: B0074VTHBQ Hardcover / e-Book $27.95 Add to Wish List Romance Contemporary Buy at Amazon.com Top Pick by Fresh Fiction Reviewers The Witness by Nora Roberts Daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man’s seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever. Twelve years later, the woman known as Abigail Lowery lives on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she designs sophisticated security systems—and supplements her own security with a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. But Abigail’s reserve only intrigues police chief Brooks Gleason. Her logical mind, her secretive nature, and her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something—and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed. With a quirky, unforgettable heroine and a pulse-pounding plotline, Nora Roberts presents a riveting new read that cements her place as today’s most reliably entertaining thriller author—and will leave…