Over the weekend, The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes raked in a staggering 73 million dollars. The majority of the audience was over the age of 25. Part of this could be the nostalgic appeal of the series. The Planet of the Apes first appeared in print in 1963 and film in 1968. The audience consists of people who can remember seeing the original movie on the big screen or on TV when they were growing up. Another part of the appeal could be that the filmmakers stayed true to the themes and tones of a movie series that has spanned generations and has quite the cult following. When The Planet of the Apes was first written, the young adult genre was just gaining a foothold in the market. Novels published for young adults were still a relatively new and risky venture. Over the years, the young adult novel has evolved and grown into a large and profitable market with a readership that’s willing to wait in line for hours for a new release. There’s nothing like the excitement of getting the newest book in a long await series, and right now it’s dystopian series readers want. Here…

When I was eight years old, I fell hard and fast for Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block. I wallpapered my bedroom with his face, slept on a pillow with his likeness, and even owned a doll—complete with unfortunate rat-tail. Many summer days were spent daydreaming that the group’s tour bus would randomly break down in front of my house, forcing them to stop inside to make a call, and he’d see my prepubescent self and fall madly in love. Any surprise I became a fiction writer?? No surprise, that dream didn’t quite pan out. One dream that did was that I became a published author. I began the journey with my young adult time-travel series and then last summer, I decided to enter the exciting world of adult romance. My debut, TASTE THE HEAT, introduced readers to the world of Magnolia Springs, a fictional small town based on the real ones I grew up in around New Orleans. That hero was a widowed father fire captain and he instantly stole my heart. Next up was a crooning restaurant owner/tatted up math nerd, and once again, my heart was a goner. When it came time to write book…

One of the dynamics we’re told characterized Regency society was that the young ladies desperately hoped for a handsome swain to be smitten with them, and propose marriage. Marriage was the great prize, so worthy in itself, that a husband’s specific characteristics were details in comparison. To be without a fellow was a sad, sad fate, so any proposal of marriage was a form of salvation. Ha. In my recent release THE CAPTIVE, Gilly, Countess of Greendale, has had the benefit of a proposal, and it was by all lights, a “good” match. She married an earl, became the lady of grand manor, and hostess over many a glittering affair. Widowhood befalls her, and she finally, finally can order her life as she pleases. She does NOT please to remarry. Husbands are a burden, at best, and for eight years, Gilly endured a husband who fell far short of “best.” All the bended knee and moonlit waltzes in the world won’t make any hay with her. Christian has also been married, and has a child in need of a mother. When it occurs to him that Gilly could fulfill that role well, he naturally assumes becoming a duchess will be…