I have a friend who used to cut right to the chase whenever we saw each other after a long absence.  “New?” she’d say instead of “Hey, how are you, what’s new?”  Put on the spot, my mind always went blank.  “Not much.  You?” Things constantly happen, there’s always something new to share, yet we often don’t think our “stuff” is interesting enough—well, at least that’s how I feel—to tell the other person about.  My friend, Linda, must have thought I was the most boring person on the planet, when I was actually being humble. And considerate. On the other extreme—raise a hand if this rings a bell—how many have friends who think every little detail of their lives is worth sharing?  Admit it, you’ve made excuses to avoid them.  Ever seen someone like that in a store and pretended you didn’t notice them?  Who’s willing to admit that?  I’ll go first – YES. Is it human nature, or am I just weird? (Fingers crossed I’m not the only person in the world who does this.) When Fresh Fiction offered me the guest blog spot for today, I jumped at the chance, because there does happen to be something “new”…

YAY! It’s time to celebrate! The second book in my New Jersey Ice Cats series, A PERFECT TRADE, is out! As regular visitors to my blog posts here know, this is Tru and Jenny’s story. Readers first met this couple in A PERFECT DISTRACTION and it was clear from their first interaction, that there was a problem between them. Here is a brief reminder. In this scene, Maggie meets Jenny for the first time at an Ice Cats’ team dinner:   “Hello, gentlemen.” A throaty voice curled around them, like the tendrils of smoke from a vamp’s cigarette in a film noir. Maggie recognized the blonde—Jenny, queen of the puck bunnies. The players welcomed her with enthusiasm as she walked around the table greeting them. “Ice Man. Chance. Blade.” Each name was accompanied by a touch, a brush against a shoulder, a tap on the arm. “Mad Dog.” Vlad grinned as she reached him. “Remember me, Jenny?” “Detroit. The natural hat trick.” Her eyes twinkled. “You scored the overtime winner with fourteen seconds left.” “A memorable night.” From the Russian’s tone, he didn’t mean the goal. Jenny laughed. She trailed a French-tipped finger along his shoulder, then moved on. “Juergen Ingemar….

Let’s start with the basics. Kathy Lyons has a new book out! It’s hot contemporary, and it’s about… A. Her fantasies about her older brother’s best friend. B. Her fantasies. She doesn’t have an older brother. C. Jade Lee’s older brother’s best friend. D. Even Jade doesn’t have an older brother. E. A woman who has loved a good person since they were kids and now has two weeks to find out if their attraction is real. Answer: E, though almost all the others are true. I don’t have a brother, but I have wondered about what he’d be like. And even more important, what his best friend would be like. (And in case you wondered, Jade Lee is my historical name. Yes, I’ve a split personality). True or False? 1. In her fantasies, Kathy’s brother looks and acts like Dr. Simon Tam from Firefly. A hottie who gives up everything to save his sister from evil baddies. Answer: False. Anyone that hot is not related to me. 2. Her brother’s best friend is just like Jay Chou, aka Kato from The Green Hornet movie. Answer: True. In my fantasies, my brother has a zillion hot best friends. 3. The…