In Texas, BBQ is a part of life. And it certainly is for the characters that reside in Hannington, the small Central Texas town where DECONSTRUCTING LILA is set. The best moments of life for some of the characters take place in an outdoor patio—mandatory for BBQ dining—and love altering discussions are had over a cold beer. So lemme take a minute to brief you on the background and importance of our BBQ. Ya know, just so y’all will be educated and stuff. So grab a schooner, pour a Shiner Bock and settle in. Texas BBQ is old. Like, really old. Some of the first joints to open in Texas were Elgin’s Southside Market in 1886 and Lockhart’s Kreuz Market in 1900. Both of which are still open today, in Elgin and Lockhart respectively. They represent the best of Texas BBQ traditions: brisket. Here in Texas, we don’t fuss over molasses sauces or vinegar based drizzles, or pulled pork or ribs even. It’s all about the brisket! Yes, it’s all about the beef. And the German meat market style that is uniquely Texas. How is that, you ask? German style BBQ in the Lone Star state? Well, it’s from the…

Dear Reader, Having just put my grandson on a plane back to Florida, I’m thinking how lucky I am to live in a place with such great opportunities for adventure. We had a blast! From the challenging white water of the Cache la Poudre River to the wave pool at Water World, Denver Broncos football, bowling, games, movies, and an American Idol Concert, it was a crazy, hectic, amazing week. I’ve been traveling a lot this summer, so the release of UNFORGETTABLE has been delayed, but it will be available soon. I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s (finally!) online. Meanwhile, my novels I PROMISE and HEARTBEAT are now available both in ebook form and as audio books from Recorded Books. New Hawk’s Way reissue . . . HAWK’S WAY GROOMS—which contains two books, THE VIRGIN GROOM and THE SUBSTITUTE GROOM—is available in paperback this month. The latter title contains the sexiest scene I’ve ever written! Read More… For those of you anxiously waiting for Josie’s story, BLACKTHORNE’S BRIDE, I’m writing as fast as I can. I appreciate your patience! I know school starts soon, so enjoy the rest of your summer! Take care and happy reading, Joan…

I don’t know about you but it’s been a long, hot summer in the Flynn household with three kids running around like banshees. I love the little monsters, but boy do they keep me running! 🙂 They’re all excited for the first day of school—the soon-to-be sixth grader already has her first-day outfit picked out—and we recently made the traditional run to Target to buy all of the school supplies. We stuck to the list (plastic folders with brads in red, yellow and blue = check!) and our cart filled up faster than a jaguar on espresso. By the time all was said and done, we walked out of the store with a bazillion bags and a big hole in my wallet where there used to be money. I know all of you parents out there know exactly what I’m talking about. That got me thinking. I grew up with a single mom and without a money tree spouting dollar bills. So I broke out my Google Fu skills and found several charities that help kids who can’t afford school supplies. One of them, the Kids in Need Foundation, has a four star ranking from Charity Navigator and gives nearly…

So, rather than do a regular post to celebrate the release of my latest Brazen novel, DIRTY DEAL, I decided to do something a little different. I called in my best friend since birthdom, author Mike Wood, to ask me questions so you could get to know the real me. He agreed, if I agreed to answer every question as written, no edits allowed. Here are the results (and a picture of us back in the day. I’m the cute one in the pink, Mikey is the one on the left that looks like a monkey). MW: This is awesome. Okay, so Question #1: Remember that time when we were like nine and you threw a padlock at my head when we were playing Happy Days because I wouldn’t call you Pinky Tuscadero? CB: Uh, yes. I have a vague recollection of said event. What about it? MW: Nothing. I just wanted to make sure the readers know the type of person they’re dealing with. Next question: Mad Men or Good Wife? CB: Game of Thrones. MW: As a child, you used to “borrow” your mom’s books and read the dirty parts. Since your books are MOSTLY dirty parts, how…

I’m so happy to be here today at Fresh Fiction, the eighth stop on the MY HIGHLAND SPY Teaser Tour! MY HIGHLAND SPY is the first book in my new Highland Spies series, and I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. We left off yesterday where Laird Ruairi Sutherland met his new English governess. Let’s see what Ravenna thinks of this Highland laird. Excerpt Eight: Chapter Two With all her might, Ravenna held back a groan. The laird didn’t speak a word of English. How would she be able to figure out if the man conspired against the Crown if she didn’t understand a word of Gaelic? Praise the saints. This was nothing short of a disaster. She was stuck in the Highlands with a widowed laird and his son. She didn’t like this at all. As she stood in the great hall trying to suppress the urge to flee, Ravenna noticed tapestries hung on the walls that depicted swords, shields, and men in the throes of battle. Laird Sutherland certainly had an odd way of making his guests feel at home. Perhaps that was his intention. A stone fireplace dominated the far wall, and…