I don’t remember my first time in the ocean, but I do remember the last time. It was just over a week ago during a weekend getaway with my hubby. You know how when you’re young, you’re gung-ho to race into the water? Who cares how cold it is? Yeah, that wasn’t me this time. I had to get acclimated to the chilly temperature before I moved anywhere. After my DH and I sat back down in our beach chairs, my gaze was stuck on the cutest little guy. He was probably three or four-years-old and stood carefully at the edge of the water holding his dad’s hand. His bright blue board shorts practically reached his ankles, and I had the strong feeling it wasn’t the temperature keeping him from moving deeper into the sea, but trepidation. I know the feeling. You do, too, right? Fear is something we all face at one time or another. I think it’s especially potent when we’re about to embark on something new or different. And okay, for some of you it might also be when you see that big, black ugly spider. No worries! Call me and I’ll come get it for you!…

Adi Alsaid, author of the new contemporary YA novel LET’S GET LOST is touring the web with “Seize the Tuesday” posts to celebrate the publication of his novel. Each piece will focus on a different, fun example of how Adi was able to “Seize the Tuesday” in his own life and how that can inspire others to make a change in their lives too! Seize the Tuesday not only gives readers a glimpse into Adi’s life, but also introduces readers to one of the key themes in LET’S GET LOST of “seizing the Tuesday” – of seizing a moment that can change your life forever. About LET’S GET LOST Five strangers. Countless adventures.One epic way to get lost. Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most. There’s HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend,…

As a mom, my life is ruled by lists. For me, there’s no other way. I’m trying to remember when my little list habit had its genesis. I believe it was back when I forgot a minor deadline, a doctor appointment, and a present for a birthday party…all in the same week. I’ve learned a lot about lists along the way. Here are five things I’ve learned about lists for life and writing: Break the goals into steps and make them reachable. I’ve made impossible lists before and found it really difficult to stay motivated with “organize shoebox full of loose photos” and “finish writing book” on my list. It’s so much better to see “spend 15 minutes sorting loose photos by event” and “write two pages today,” instead. Block out distractions. When we’re focused on knocking items off our lists, distractions really stand in our way. For writers (and, well, probably most everyone else), distractions might be the allure of the internet. They might also be our kids, television, or our attempts to multi-task. I’ve found that I tend to finish tasks a lot quicker if I eliminate distractions. This might mean disconnecting from Wi-Fi or asking my kids…

I have a standing ban on my books with my Mom. Why? My mom is a devout Christian and while I still consider myself a person of faith, I know that the things I write about and that she’s not cool with. Also, dude… She’s my mom. She’d wash my mouth out with soap at most of my books and well, lets face it, she’d seriously consider scrubbing my brain as well. Because, well… I’m not exactly what you’d call a good girl. Sure, you might not know it from the look of me. I’m very big on manners and being polite and being responsible and other junk like that. But secretly (sorta), I have other interests. I love a good rowdy tale. I grew up with chain smoking, hard-talking, rough-walking women. Strong women who also happened to enjoy being women. And I often wondered why I didn’t see them in my books very often. I don’t relate well to the innocent Mary-Sues who never see a good murder coming. And I can’t stand a useless heroine who throws herself in front of an enemy gun just for the heck of it. I love a good adventure, a heart pumping…

I was about 10 years old when I first plotted my sister’s death. She had eaten the tips of my chocolate bunny ears following the Easter Bunny’s visit and I was enraged. I was beyond consolation. I needed was revenge. And so, I lay in my bed and plotted out how I would destroy her. If memory serves, it was brilliant. So brilliant, in fact, I told my sister all about it the next day. That’s right. I told her how she would meet her untimely demise. Not nearly so impressed, she said, “You’re sick and I’m telling.” But to my delight, my mom was just as impressed as me. She did take a moment to tell me that my chocolate bunny was just chocolate and that I shouldn’t … blah, blah … the point here is that my mother agreed with me that my plans to annihilate my sister were both methodical and genius. At age 12, we lived in Moscow, Russia and there was no television. I was missing all the good stuff (like the Dukes of Hazzard), so it was up to me to make up stories during our hour-long bus rides to the Anglo-American school. Too…

Many years ago, I lived alone, a great distance from any family. I had a few friends, but no one I could really count on. Being lonely, I sought comfort and solace on the Internet. There, I discovered the world of online role playing. I created a variety of characters that frolicked through AOL chat rooms. Two of those characters quickly became my favorites. The first transformed into Selah Clairet, whose story has yet to be told. The second developed into Raven Criswell. Her story will be released in November in the book, HERALDS OF THE CROWN: FUSION. I had to change a great deal about the characters and their stories, but much of Raven’s has stayed true to the original. After I wrote FUSION, I knew there was more to it. I wanted to explore the backstory of the characters I had created. Where did they come from? Who were their parents? Why were they important? This is how HERALDS OF THE CROWN: POISON was born. I traveled back in the timeline to learn the origin stories of the characters. My villain gained depth and strength. My FUSION hero now had a motive behind his actions. And I had a story arc…

Welcome to August! This month I’m featuring Paige Shelton and her brand new book, IF CATFISH HAD NINE LIVES. It’s the fourth book in the Country Cooking Mystery series and does not disappoint! Paige sat down with me to do a little Q&A. Enjoy! 1. Do you believe in ghosts like Betts does? Not in the full-bodied form. I’ve had plenty of somewhat unexplainable moments where I heard something strange or saw something at the corner of my vision that made me wonder. I’ve sensed “presences” in the room, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint them except to think that they’re my intuition trying to tell me something. I try to listen. 2. What is one of Betts’ favorite recipes?  Can you share it here?
 This is the fried chicken recipe from the first book of the series, IF FRIED CHICKEN COULD FLY. It’s not a quick process, but I love the end product. It seems my readers do, too. I get lots of positive emails about it. Ingredients Chicken pieces, skin left on Vegetable oil Milk 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon paprika Cast iron skillet Directions: Rinse the chicken pieces and pat…

I am an unabashed Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan. I have been for most of my adult life, since I read NOBODY’S BABY BUT MINE, fell deeply in love with Cal, and never looked back. For romance readers, Susan is the kind of author who keeps you watching the calendar, waiting for her latest release. For romance writers she is Babe Ruth, Einstein, Meryl Streep (pick your comparison)—what I’m getting at is this: Susan Elizabeth Phillips is the master, and we are lucky to get a chance to write around her. I’m here today to talk about AIN’T SHE SWEET, which I read at least once a year (sometimes more than once when I’m in that book slump that its heroine, Sugar Beth Carey, is such an expert at getting the residents of Parrish, Mississippi out of). I reread it for lots of reasons that you’d expect—it’s hilariously funny, very sexy and a terrific example of a book that just makes you feel good. But I also read it because we are all Sugar Beth. At first glance, you won’t believe me. You see, at the start of the book, Sugar Beth is a downright bitch. You know the kind of…

Writers love words—and some of my personal favorites are combined into the following quote by Jonathan Franzen. “Fiction that isn’t an author’s personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn’t worth writing for anything but money.” This is one of the truest things about writing. When an author plays it safe and cranks out a formulaic or cliché idea, just to guarantee that next book deal and pay the bills, their story suffers for it—and therefore, their readers suffer for it. The author didn’t grow during the process of writing the book, and as a result, the reader didn’t grow either. A reader will only reap out of a story what an author sows into it. If the author hasn’t laughed or cried during the writing, the reader will not laugh or cry during the reading. If the author isn’t emotionally spent and wrung out by the time he or she types The End, the reader won’t be moved by the time he or she finally reads The End. Oh, I get the temptation to cut corners, trust me. As a single mom, I more than understand needing groceries on the table and electricity to power up that computer!…

In my historical romance, THE LADY AND THE OFFICER, Madeline Howard had never intended to become a spy. But when military intelligence practically falls into her lap, how could she not serve her country behind enemy lines? While researching this novel, I discovered plenty of real-life spies whose lives of intrigue provided plenty of inspiration. Here is a little bit about three of them: Probably the most famous Confederate spy was Belle Boyd. At 17, Belle was arrested for shooting a Union soldier who had broken into the family’s home. Though Union officers cleared her of all charges, they watched her closely. Young and attractive, Boyd used her charms to gain information, which she passed along to the Confederacy. After repeated warnings to stop her activities, Union officials sent Boyd to live in Front Royal, Virginia. Soon after her arrival, she began working as a courier between Confederate generals. Stonewall Jackson credited Belle with helping him win victories in the Shenandoah Valley. In July 1862, Boyd was arrested and sent to Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. She was released a month later and deported to Richmond, but was soon caught behind federal lines and imprisoned for three more months….