Lindsay McKenna, author of DOWN RANGE, sat down with our Janene Putman recently to discuss her newest release, what it’s like creating sexy military men, and pulling stories from her friend Michael Jaco. Trained to kill, but built for love… Captain Morgan Boland is at the top of her game, as is her former lover, Navy SEAL Jake Ramsey. Then a military computer selects them to partner in a special op. The mission can’t be compromised by their personal history—and they have truckloads of it. But the Afghan assignment might provide the discipline they need to finally get it together—outside the bedroom, that is. A lot has happened over the two years since they last went their separate ways. And there’s way more to Morgan than Jake has ever given her credit for….

It’s safe to say that most if not all of my traditions revolve around my family and food. My earliest memories are of sitting in the kitchen at my grandmother’s house with my mom and her talking, laughing and eating. I like to linger at the kitchen table when I have friends and family over. There is something that just feels so right about it. I can still remember the sadness and sense of loss I felt the year my grandmother died. My mom and sisters and I helped pack up her house and we were drawn to the kitchen and her pots and pans and her cookbooks. We split the cookbooks up and I found that the cookbooks were a link to her. She’d written all sort of notes on recipes and left her own variations on pieces of paper in the books. Whenever I use one of her recipes I feel like she’s right there in the kitchen with us, giving us kisses and telling us how wonderful we are. One of those recipes is a traditional Italian Christmas cookie. They are called struffoli. They are little bits of fried dough coated in honey and sprinkles. Now my…

After publishing 43 adult contemporary romances in 10 years, the question I’ve been asked most often recently is ‘why have you ventured into the world of young adult fiction?’ One word: Twilight. I’m a voracious reader, so when the Twilight phenomenon hit a few years ago, I was curious. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I hadn’t read YA in years…yet there was something about those sparkly vamps that got me hooked all over again. For twelve months after the Twilight series, I rarely read anything other than YA. And for a reader who normally wouldn’t pick up a paranormal book, I couldn’t get enough! I devoured series by Richelle Mead, Melissa Marr, P.C. Cast, Cassandra Clare and more, and discovered fabulous authors like Jeri Smith-Ready and Amber Kizer. I became absolutely addicted to YA novels, to the point where I had to write my own! The first line for SCION OF THE SUN popped into my head when I was drifting off to sleep one day. “I always thought cults were for crazies. Until I joined one.” From there, I developed the Solar Snatcher series, which kicks off with 16 year-old Holly Burton entering C.U.L.T.,…