Dear friends and readers — I wanted to share some important news with you in hopes that it will make a difference in your life or the lives of those you love. I have breast cancer. I went in for my routine mammogram in early April and was called back for a diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy. They knew just from the imaging that it was cancer. The biopsy confirmed their diagnosis, revealing that I have invasive ductal carcinoma. Fortunately for me, we appear to have caught this relatively early. The tumor is relatively small — 2 cm — and the ultrasound showed clear lymph nodes. The tumor is made up of the most treatable form of breast cancer, which helps, too. My blood work came back normal, as well. Still, we won’t know whether the cancer has spread until after my surgery on June 5. I have opted for a bilateral mastectomy — the removal of both breasts — because I want to do all I can to minimize my chances for a recurrence of this disease. I’m sharing this story for one important reason: Getting a mammogram saved my life. I don’t know any woman who enjoys getting a…

1. Double—and triple—check your overnight accommodations. I learned this the hard way. When the heat is low, crashing at some dive off the interstate is okay. But when the bad guys are hot on your ass, you need something a little more low key. I crashed in an abandoned pet store one night last May, too tired to check the place out properly. Apparently there was a huge chunk of wall missing. I woke up to an unhappy forest dweller in my face—more specifically, a skunk. Let me tell you, keeping it lo-pro while smelling like skunk isn’t easy to do… 2. Always be prepared to bail. This should go without saying, as any situation could turn critical in the blink of an eye. But what about simple things like sleep—or taking a shower? My best advice to those on the lam would be to make sure your wardrobe consists of simple, easy clothing. Don’t even think about those cute wrap around tops or that killer pair of lace up boots… Fashion is going to have to take a back seat to practicality here. And for the love of God, don’t sleep naked. The last thing you want is to…

I should probably sub-title this post ‘My Favorite Heroine(s)’, but then I might leave one off the list and she might leave the pages of her books to haunt me through the night… There have been several heroines I’ve identified with over my lifetime, but two that are very special to me — that I sometimes still feel are part of me. This first is Laura Ingalls Wilder. When I was little I loved those books. I didn’t have sisters, I wasn’t the middle child, but I did grow up on a farm in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of animals and lots of places to explore. Our local PBS station was re-running all of the Little House episodes the summer I turned 9 and I was in heaven. For an hour every day I got to watch Laura get into all kinds of trouble — and I quickly realized she had some good ideas. Nothing to do on a hot day? Why not wander down to the creek (we had 3 of them) and fish? Too rainy to go outside? Why not explore a haunted house (or my basement) to see what I could find? Not too…

I must admit, I sure would. I absolutely hate taking my car in for repair—I freely admit I’m not the most knowledgeable about what goes on underneath the engine, but even if I was an expert on a car’s inner workings, I know I’d be made to feel lacking when facing what has got to be one of the last male bastions out there—at least in my town. The garage. In fact, it was my experience of taking my car in for a service at my local garage that gave me the idea of UNDER THE HOOD –a garage owned by three women mechanics. I hung around, waiting to hand over the keys, just inside a workshop papered with calendars of half-naked women, while a group of guys drank coffee and talked, perfectly well aware of me but taking their time. Because I was female. When they finally came to consult, before I’d opened my mouth, they just didn’t take me seriously. I imagined how different it could be. How great it could be to ask questions of the mechanics, without feeling like a complete idiot. A few months later, I had the idea to create a garage in my…

Do you have moments that remain in your memory, and you’re not sure why? I’m not talking about the birth of your child, or wedding day, I’m talking about a seemingly insignificant conversation, or a person you met once and then never saw again. Or a random moment that you witnessed, and though you didn’t know the participants it stayed with you, even haunted you. Do you have moments that remain in your memory, and you’re not sure why? I’m not talking about the birth of your child, or wedding day. I’m talking about a seemingly insignificant conversation, or a person you met once and then never saw again. Or a random moment that you witnessed, and though you didn’t know the participants, it stayed with you, even haunted you. Those are the things that this writer draws on. The most common question writers get asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?” The standard answer is from everywhere, and that is so true. I’m inspired by things I read, see, and wonder. Newspaper articles. Random comments by friends. Song titles. Everything. But sometimes… sometimes… I dig back into my memory file, the one that sits on the hard drive…

Who here knows a man like this? There were men Ryder had slept with and never thought much about again. Then, there was a handful whose memory always put her in a good mood, like a cool beer on a warm night. Standing before her was the one man who’d bypassed the pleasant-buzz setting and had zoomed straight into the hardcore, make-your-panties-wet, two-shots-of-Tequila-too-many danger zone. Oh my God, we should all know a guy like that. Seriously. Luckily—or unluckily depending on your viewpoint—Allegra “Ryder” Flacon knows just that guy and she’s done everything she can to ditch him. But where’s the fun in that? For a romance reader (and writer) there’s no fun at all. So of course, the one guy to get past her mile-high defenses is the one man she can’t avoid. And as for Devin Harris? Well, there’s nothing more he loves than a challenge and Ryder Falcon is “a walking stop sign.” I love writing the alpha vs alpha love stories. The kind where the hero falls in love despite the heroines curves, edges and perfect imperfections (to steal a killer line from John Legend). And the heroine falls for him right back. It’s the pledge…

“Romance and suspense are evenly matched in this powerful series launch from bestseller Martin.”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY “Kat Martin is a fast gun when it comes to storytelling.”—Linda Lael Miller Zebra On Sale: May 27, 2014 400 pages ISBN: 1420133829 EAN: 9781420133820 Alaska – Where the men are as bold and untamed as America’s last wilderness It’s been three years since Lane Bishop tragically lost her fiancé, and she’s finally ready to risk her heart on someone else. The hot look in Dylan Brodie’s eyes says he’s going to be that man. But when Lane flies to the remote 1930’s fishing lodge to help him renovate, she discovers a little girl who won’t speak, eerie legends and strange sounds in the night. And when she investigates the history of the lodge, she uncovers a legacy of injustice and murder. As danger stalks his daughter and the woman he is coming to love, Dylan must risk everything to uncover the shocking truth. In the eagerly awaited new installment of her red-hot “Against” series, New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin combines the best of strong alpha males, gripping romantic tension and pulse-pounding suspense as she takes readers to Alaska, where the men are…

Fresh Pick for Sunday, June 1st, 2014 is FROM THE CHARRED REMAINS by Susanna Calkins #ReviewersFavorite Minotaur Books May 2014 On Sale: April 22, 2014 352 pages ISBN: 1250007887 EAN: 9781250007889 Kindle: B00G1F5L66 Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List Mystery Historical Buy A Copy Amazon.com Kindle BN.com Powell’s Books Indiebound From The Charred Remains by Susanna Calkins It’s 1666 and the Great Fire has just decimated an already plague-ridden London. Lady’s maid Lucy Campion, along with pretty much everyone else left standing, is doing her part to help the city clean up and recover. But their efforts come to a standstill when a couple of local boys stumble across a dead body that should have been burned up in the fire but miraculously remained intact—the body of a man who died not from the plague or the fire, but from the knife plunged into his chest. film streaming vf Searching for a purpose now that there’s no lady in the magistrate’s household for her to wait on, Lucy has apprenticed herself to a printmaker. But she can’t help but use her free time to help the local constable, and she quickly finds herself embroiled in the murder investigation. It…