Years ago, I saw a standup comedian on cable wondering how the author of Deliverance, James Dickey, came up with his idea of a male friends’ weekend in the wilds of Georgia. For those who’ve read the book or seen the movie, you know that not everyone on that trip had a pig-squealing good time. In fact, their bro-bonding weekend turned into an absolute nightmare. But how did Dickey get there? It was, as the comedian pointed out, not your everyday way to go when you put a bunch of dudes in a bad situation. Now, at some point over the years, Dickey may have explained his thought process in an interview or at a speaking engagement, but I know nothing about the man. But it doesn’t matter because for every author out there I’m sure there’s a different answer for how authors get from an idea to a fleshed-out book. Some authors get stuff from headlines (which is one I’ve used), some write from personal experiences (my life is way too boring to even consider this as a viable option), some have “muses” (my personal neurosis won’t let me have a muse. It’s too close to a mild form…

Blue Heron April 2014 On Sale: March 25, 2014 Featuring: Colleen O’Rourke; Lucas Campbell 384 pages ISBN: 0373778589 EAN: 9780373778584 Kindle: B00GPDYMAA Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List Romance ContemporaryBuy at Amazon.com #RomanceWednesday Get the Best Waiting On You by Kristan Higgins Is your first love worth a second chance? Colleen O’Rourke is in love with love…just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell broke her heart…an experience Colleen doesn’t want to have again, thanks. Since then, she’s been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends. But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who’s ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they’ve got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she’s ever loved. This Charming,…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, just about everyone loves holidays and just about everyone loves love. It’s why grocery stores have started putting up tents in their parking lot once a year. They make it easy to drive through on February 14, pay triple what we’d normally pay for a bouquet of flowers—and somehow feel good about it. When I started thinking of new story ideas at the end of last year, every plot that came to mind seemed to revolve around a holiday. And that’s how my new series, Holiday Hearts, was born. It became a game to me to match fun characters and happily-ever-after plots to some of my own favorite holidays. In fact, before I knew it, I was up to a release schedule of six Holiday Hearts stories this year! New Year’s Eve Holiday Hearts #1.0 February 2014 The Cupid Caper Holiday Hearts #2.0 March 2014 I know as a reader I love holiday stories. I think it’s because there’s a universality there. We all have our own holiday connections and experiences and it draws us into the world of the characters as they celebrate as well. Creating the Holiday Hearts series…

There comes a point in most every movie when a scene flashes across the wall before me, and I know. I know that this is the scene people will remember. The one they’ll talk about and tell their friends they have to see. I had that feeling while watching the latest Disney Pixar film Frozen. If you’ve seen it, I bet you know exactly what scene I’m going to say. That’s right. It’s the scene in which Elsa lets loose. When she’s left the castle and the fear and censure behind, and creates her beautiful ice palace. In case you haven’t seen the film, here’s the clip Everything went right in that scene. The music, of course. Idina Menzel singing the Oscar winning Let It Go is already enough to make that scene better than any movie you’ll see this year. But the renderings by the artists are also perfection. The way Elsa moves. How she transforms and comes alive. The viewer feels everything Elsa is feeling. That streak of rebelliousness mixed with the joy of independence and embracing who and what she is. Perfection. And I would wager that the artists knew the moment the scene was finished (if…

Let’s talk movies. I have yet to run across someone who doesn’t like them. Personally, they’re one of my favorite hobbies. I enjoy a variety of genres, though Chick Flicks, Dramas and Sci-Fi are my top three. They need to have a believable happy-ever-after though. Real life has enough tragedy. A get-away to the mountains for a weekend to watch movies and eat delicious things is definitely on my to-do list. As a writer, movies can inspire a story for me, as was the case with my debut, HER MAN FROM SHILO. I watched a rerun of The Thorn Birds and it left me wanting a hero and heroine who had known each other since they were young but ended up enjoying a happy marriage rather than the emotional trauma that was the story of Megan and Ralph’s lives. A movie sparked an idea for the story I’m working on right now as well. However, HER KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR came to life after I read a book. I decided I wanted to write something that had the Hero and Heroine running from a common enemy. As I was pondering different scenarios for this, trying to find something I felt…

January 2014 On Sale: January 7, 2014 320 pages ISBN: 0451239504 EAN: 9780451239501 Kindle: B00DGZIB2A Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish ListMystery Cozy, Mystery Pet LoversBuy at Amazon.com #SuspenseMonday grab a cozy! Paws For Murder by Annie Knox Izzy McHale wants her new Trendy Tails Pet Boutique in Merryville, Minnesota, to be the height of canine couture and feline fashions. But at the store’s opening, it turns out it’s a human who’s dressed to kill… Izzy’s own beloved pets are dressed to the nines for the grand opening of Trendy Tails. Feisty feline Jinx is large and in charge, and happy mutt Packer is lapping up the attention. Izzy and her best friend Rena have their hands full meeting Merryville’s menagerie and serving tasty pupcakes and kitty canapes from their “barkery.” The last thing they need is the town’s local activist, Sherry Harper, scaring off customers and getting tongues wagging by picketing the event. The two manage to stop Sherry’s protest in its tracks, but the trouble for Trendy Tails is just beginning. Sherry is found murdered in back of the shop, and Rena is immediately named as the lead suspect. Now Izzy and her furry friends have a new…

Howdy Folks, Let’s kick this cowboy hunting party off with a bang! I just can’t believe I finally get to share sassy, pistol-packing deputy sheriff Laney Briggs and tight-jeans wearing Texas Ranger Gunner Wilson with y’all. It has been a long road, but well worth it. I mean, I would be crazy to say I didn’t enjoy writing about sexy, tight-assed jean wearing cowboys. And to throw in a sassy, pistol-packing deputy into the bunch…well yeah, I’m in total bliss. Okay, I know why y’all are really here… did I hear someone say, “COWBOYS!” I’m sorry, I can’t hear ya? Tell me. How many of you enjoy a good-timing cowboy or two? I know I do. Maybe it’s the narrow-hip swagger. Nah? It has to be the drawl. Although that deep, southern twang can be deadly to quite a few ladies’ panties. Just the thought of that smooth, velvety voice whispering in your ear can make you go weak at the knees. Good grief, we got off track real fast. Fan me please. Okay, some of y’all might’ve heard about a new cowboy strutting into town, and yeah the rumors are true…he’s lethal. Ready to kick up your boots, grab…

VILE is available in paperback and ebook exclusively at Amazon Deputy Chief Jess Harris knows her time is running out. Somehow she must protect the people she loves and any more innocent victims from the serial killer obsessed with her. Is sacrificing herself the only way to stop this evil? A child is abandoned on a downtown Birmingham street.The little blond-haired, brown-eyed girl could be Jess’s child. A note is attached to her pink dress: Take me to Deputy Chief Jess Harris. Can Jess and her major crimes team find the little girl’s mother before it’s too late? The search for the truth leads Jess to a farm outside a small Alabama town where someone has been planting bodies for decades. Has Jess discovered a serial killer even more prolific than Eric Spears? Even more terrifying, is this killer somehow connected to Jess? Don’t miss the latest installment of this thrilling series! The early reviewers are saying: “The series is outstanding and my husband and I are eagerly waiting for the next book!” “First I have to say is that if you haven’t read this series, you need to get your hands on them now.” “The drama and wickedness just…

Okay. Here’s a question for you. It’s one women ask each other all the time, but I’m not sure how often the answers we give can be taken at face value. Maybe that’s because it’s a very personal question, and we reserve the right to keep the whole truth to ourselves. (So don’t answer unless you really want to.) Or maybe it’s because our thoughts and feelings on subjects as tricky as this one are more complicated than we realize sometimes, even in the privacy of our own minds. But here it is: what is most important to you in a relationship? If you had to choose between two extremes, would you go with unflagging trust and reliability, or—I’m gonna say it—really great, commitment-free sex? Josie, the main character of my novel IN THE DARK, starts the story thinking that is roughly the question facing her. Of course there’s a lot more to each of the guys in question than a short phrase can capture—we’re all more complicated than that. But those are their most salient characteristics in Josie’s eyes, and in their interactions with her. So which way does she lean? At first, she tries really hard not to…

January 2014 On Sale: January 1, 2014 352 pages ISBN: 1433681781 EAN: 9781433681783 Kindle: B00H4EIL88 Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish ListInspirational Fiction Historical, HistoricalBuy at Amazon.com #inspirationalFriday – if you loved THE MONUMENTS MEN, try this one! Shadowed By Grace by Cara C. Putman A Story of Monuments Men Shadowed by Grace is a dramatic story inspired by the Monuments Men of World War II by acclaimed author Cara C. Putman. Desperate to save her dying mother, Rachel accepts her newspaper’s assignment to travel to Italy to capture images dangerously close to the front lines of WWII. Her real motive – to find the father she never knew — an artist she hopes can offer the comfort and support both she and her mother need to survive. It’s an unlikely situation for love and faith to flourish, but soon Rachel not only finds herself, but also her long-lost earthly father, and ultimately, the man her Heavenly father created to cherish and provide for her. A fascinating story of courage, art and romance involving the Monuments Men and their mission in WWI Previous Picks