Or for me more personally the question is: Why does the story line in WELL READ, THEN DEAD fit so well on Estero Island in Fort Myers Beach? Plot, character and setting are often referred to as the three-legged stool of story. I’ve heard writers fight over, er, discuss the preeminence of character over plot vs. plot over character, but no one seems to want to arm wrestle about the importance of setting. There are folks who think setting is nothing more than background. Not me. Setting may not be the heart and soul of a story but it is the floor, the roof and the walls that hold the characters and the plot enclosed and in touch. And often the setting contributes to the plot. For example, the classic “stranded on an island” story Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Defoe nearly three hundred years ago has been imitated dozens of time in print and on film but the story line is always about isolation and survival so it really couldn’t take place in say, Manhattan during rush hour. When I decided I wanted to write a cozy mystery set in a bookstore/café, known as the Read ’Em and Eat,…

I’ve begun to think that inspiration is a bit like love: it appears unexpectedly and completely consumes one’s thoughts. I wasn’t looking to write a new series when the idea for The Book Retreat Mysteries struck. I was plenty busy with The Books By The Bay series, the Charmed Pie Shoppe series, and writing one half of The Novel Idea Mysteries (under the name Lucy Arlington). However, this muse refused to be ignored. Two summers ago, I’d been binge watching Downton Abbey. I love everything about that show, but what I love most is the incredible writing. The scenes unfold slowly, like a rosebud opening, and every line of dialog is carefully constructed. Anyway, I’d just finished gorging on Downton Abbey when we headed off on our family vacation to The Homestead Resort. Located in the wilds of western Virginia, this historic hotel offered tons of amenities as well as a variety of outdoor activities. It offered us an escape from our busy, noises lives. Staying there would be like turning back the clock. It would be out Downton Abbey retreat. The moment I first saw the sprawling manor house that was The Homestead nestled against a backdrop of blue…

I’m so excited to celebrate the release of my historical romance, FALLING FOR THE PIRATE, from Entangled Publishing. This is the second installment in the Men of Fortune series, which features sexy former pirates who are working to establish themselves as legitimate–and who each find love in the process. I especially love the hero of FALLING FOR THE PIRATE. Nate is dark, brooding, and wants nothing more than to redeem himself and his family—at least until he meets the heroine. Then he’s faced with an impossible choice. As The Blogger Girls said in their review, “Nate could be my pirate any time!” Here are five reasons why the heroine, Juliana, falls for him—and why who you might too… Nate has incredible loyalty. The Men of Fortune are more than his business partners—they are his brothers. They fought together to build themselves up, and he won’t let any of them down. Nate considers honor above all things. Nate had a hard childhood, because his parents were murdered as part of dirty business dealings. He has never forgotten their deaths, and makes it his mission in life to avenge them. Nate is determined and resourceful. Working on the docks was hard, honest…

Confession: I’m a very picky reader. Once I find an author I like, I tend to stick with them until the end of time. But this isn’t to say I’m not open to finding new authors. I get tons of book recommendations, and though I give everything a try, there are many books that I start but never finish. Either they don’t hook me right off the bat, or I can’t get a real sense of the characters, or the plot just doesn’t do it for me. Not to mention suspension of disbelief. Sometimes I’ll be reading a book that is actually pretty enjoyable, but then one teeny thing will happen, something that I just can’t get past, and that’s it—the book has been ruined for me. That one teeny thing will linger in the back of my mind the entire time, whether it’s a decision one of the characters makes, a seriously unbelievable plot point, or sometimes, just one line that icks me out or makes me mad. This year I did find some incredible new authors that I loved, based on recommendations from friends or the interwebs. I realized that all these books have several things in common,…

I have recently discovered this invention called a Fit-Bit. Now there is more than one type on the market but I was drawn in by the catchy theme song…Go you chicken fat…go! Diabolical I tell you. It keeps track of my steps each day. Now it sounds innocent and maybe the true problem lays in my competitive spirit. Which is sort of like an inner Warrior Princess. But I find myself checking my groups for the leadership board…Am I ranking? No? I’m sure this means I need to run around the block. LOL! Okay…so I am silly but I am really enjoying my little fitness challenge. In fact, I’ve discovered that those impromptu block journeys really freshen up my imagination. It’s the beginning of the end of summer…so get out there before the chill shows up. Here is a picture of me out with my parrot Ginger. I ride my bike to the park and she comes along in her Pack-o-bird. It’s the green thing behind my right shoulder. My bike is actually a recumbrant trike. My newest book is THE HIGHLANDER’S BRIDE TROUBLE. Its book four in the Sutherlands and the last one contracted. I hope you enjoy it,…

In 2007, I sold my first novel for children. This month it got published. This is not normal. No, it’s normal for a first book to take seven years to sell, but it’s not normal to have to wait seven years for the book you sold to be released. I’m going to tell you about that wait. Because it was worth it. Rewind to 2006. My short story THE WATER FIGHT PROFESSIONAL came out in an anthology. I met the publisher. She was interested in a novel based on the book. So I wrote one. She bought it. I jumped around the house like a cheerleader. Then nothing happened. The publishing company went under. Which was pretty sad. But by that time, I’d also sold a romance novel. So I figured I’d focus on writing romance. (Cue angels with harps.) Except that didn’t work out for me either. (Angels fly away to play cupid for someone else.) The romance sold well, but the second publishing company went under, as well. So where did that leave me? Back at square one. Where to next? This is where the story started to get exciting. See, I received an unexpected email from a…

I’m often asked how I get ideas for my books. I always want to answer, “Where don’t I get ideas?” I get character ideas by people watching. I travel quite often, and while I really detest the whole traveling experience, I use my time wisely—I watch people. I study them. Yes, even been known to snap a picture of one with my cell phone because of a certain hairstyle, or quirk, or expression. All of this information filters down and finds its way into a character. Some of my favorite character traits used have been gleaned from strangers in an airport. Newspapers, television, and yes, even those true-crime shows all provide fodder for my plots. No, I don’t see something or read about it and then just change minor events for my story. I play a game called what-if. For example, I’ll hear a story about a woman who shot her husband for having an affair. My mind starts the game: What if the woman had hired a private detective to get the “goods” on her husband? What if the private detective had a grudge against the husband for some wrong years ago? What if the man wasn’t having an…

One of the most exciting things I did in research for my YA mystery romance novel, THE INCREDIBLE CHARLOTTE SYCAMORE AND THE SECRET TRAPS, was take a trip to London for a behind-the-scenes tour of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. The top 8 things I discovered: 1.) There are secret hallways in Buckingham Palace that are used only by Queen Elizabeth. Our group was shown how one of the fireplaces swings open from floor to ceiling so that the Queen doesn’t travel the corridors like everyone else, to maintain her privacy and security. 2.) It’s considered rude to turn your back on royalty. During Queen Victoria’s time, all staff had to walk backward out of a room when Her Majesty was in it. This rippled through our culture and is still a matter of etiquette. Have you ever had someone apologize when their back was turned to you? 3.) In North America, we call rivers by their name, then add “river” behind it. Such as Mississippi River, Fraser River, etc. In England they do it the other way around. People call it the River Thames. (Eek! Last minute edit change in my manuscript caught just before printing!) 4.) Windsor Castle…

Most of us are familiar with classics like The Lost Boys, Salem’s Lot, Fright Night, and my favorite, Interview With the Vampire, but I’d like to share some of the lesser known vampire movies. Some are cult classics and others are obscure, but they’re all a ton of fun. Shadow Of The Vampire This is an extremely unique film about the making of the 1922 classic, Nosferatu. John Malkovich plays Max Shrek, the actor cast as the role of Count Orlock. The funny thing is that Shrek actually is a vampire! Dracula: Dead and Loving It I freakin’ LOVE Mel Brooks and this spoof on Dracula has all the slapstick goodness one could desire. Leslie Nielsen spoofs Gary Oldman’s role as Dracula, but I think Renfield stole the show with his flat-out goofiness. The Night Flyer Stephen King does yet another creative take on vampires in this film about a serial-killing vampire pilot. Vampire Party This French Film about a trio who gets invited to an elite private party held in a remote mansion features spoofs on top of spoofs. It’s the ultimate in cheeseball goodness. Vampire Hunter D An incredible, classic Anime, this might be one of the first…

This past weekend, my husband and I, along with a few thousand other people, have enjoyed the reenactment of the Battle of Mobile Bay and the Siege of Fort Morgan, Alabama. It was particularly meaningful to us, because our house is a little over a mile from the fort. I cannot tell you how many times I have been to the fort over the fourteen years that we have lived here—but in all those times I never really got the full impact of what happened there. Seeing the re-enactors in their wool pants in the heat of an August day, or watching the soldiers garrisoned in the fort as they made their beds on straw pallets and ate their cabbage soup, or even watching the grass catch fire from the bombardment, I was transported in time, back to 1864. But then while I was walking through, I heard a cell phone ring, and one of the soldiers opened his knapsack and the moment was lost. The same thing happened to my husband when he saw powder charges wrapped in aluminum foil—those were surly anachronistic. And then I thought about my job as a writer of historical romance. I am a…