A few years ago, I was in a slump. My writing career was starting to take off but my personal life was anything but exciting. I was working at home, most often in my pjs, writing around the clock, and leaving any remaining time I had left in the day for my husband and son—and if you’re a parent, you’ll realize it was my son who got the majority of that time. I was tired, uninspired, unhealthy, and it was beginning to show. But then something happened … a character named Stevie Sinclair started to speak to me! She also had lost her sexy, lost a bit of herself, and she was desperate to get it back. And so began our journey to figure this thing out together. The result? A book called DIRTY LITTLE LIES and a new me—a healthier, happier, more positive and productive me. In my steamy little novel, Stevie goes on a hot and hilarious adventure that helps her rediscover herself, and I tell you, readers responded. And this week, I’m so happy to bring Gabe Shannon, Stevie’s dreamy hero, to the forefront of the series with a new novella about his journey titled DIRTY. I…

Question – What could make a born and bred New Yorker leave the city she loves for the mountains and wilderness of Montana? Before I answer, let’s think about this…. Born and raised in Michigan, I had the opportunity to experience life both in a metropolitan area and (as Michiganders say) ‘up north’, in a more rural setting surrounded by forests and lakes. While this gives me a taste of two diverse settings, neither are the extreme. I don’t think anyone would argue that New York City is the ultimate urban setting. It is home to over eight million people, not counting tourists and visitors. Wow! Imagine all the stories there. Reaching far to the other side of the spectrum is Montana with a population of just over one million…in the whole state! We often tend to think of city dwellers as soft because of the many creature comforts a large urban area provides. True, civilization and big cities offer many conveniences but, to survive in NYC, you can’t be a cream puff. Contrary to what many believe, New Yorkers are outside…a lot. Walking to and from subway stops in blustery wind and blowing snow, fierce downpours or hot humid…

In my new release, LOVING HER CRAZY, Iris and Nash get stranded in a snowed-in Chicago overnight. Now, I’m more the type that would probably find a quiet corner and curl up with a good book. Nash is also. But not Iris. That woman is pure crazy and decides to make the most of her forced layover. And drags Nash along with her. While writing this book I thought a lot about where I’d want to be stranded, assuming I could be a bit more adventurous like Iris. Here is my Top 5 list: Honolulu – because really, it’s HAWAII. I could sit on the beach all night and have a grand time. But they also have a huge variety of amazing restaurants, clubs, museums, and the Polynesian Cultural Center (which is in Laie, not Honolulu, but is a fun place to visit…especially if your boyfriend is a security guard and can sneak you in at night when the place is closed…hypothetically speaking, of course *wink*). New York City – the city that never sleeps MUST have an amazing variety of sites for stranded travelers who need to kill some time. All the amazing museums, Coney Island, Chinatown, Times Square,…

When you think the words “road trip”, do you picture a white-knuckled drive from Point A to Point B on the fastest possible highway with the least number of stops? Or do you envision a leisurely drive through scenic countryside with opportunities for new experiences, photo-opportunities, tourist attractions, and unique regional eating treats? Personally, I’m not a fan of the first option, but sometimes, it’s a necessity—when there are time constraints or you’re travelling with someone who won’t consider anything other than driving in the fast lane. And even though I love the idea of the second option, who really has the time and patience for that kind of trip? And whichever method you prefer, do your plans go awry more often than not? In REMAKING RYAN, three travelers—Ryan, Jenna, and baby Elly—set off on a cross-country journey at cross-purposes. Because they have to get to St Louis from Boston by a set date and Jenna refuses to fly (for personal reasons), Ryan agrees to ride along for both safety and companionship. They are each at crossroads in their lives and some mindless time in the car offers them a break between the pain of their pasts and the uncertainty…

Fresh Pick for Wednesday, January 20th, 2016 is THE EARL’S COMPLETE SURRENDER by Sophie Barnes #RomanceWednesday #historicalFun About THE EARL’S COMPLETE SURRENDER An unexpected passion ignites as secrets are exposed in Sophie Barnes’s captivating Regency-set romance Despite the diversions offered at Thorncliff Manor, former spy James, the Earl of Woodford, has one purpose in staying there. He must find an encoded book that exposes a conspiracy within the British aristocracy. And he must do so without revealing his purpose to the clever, tempting Chloe Heartly. The lady has a knack for appearing wherever it is least convenient. In the library. In the salon. And, especially, in his arms . . . Somewhere within Thorncliff’s labyrinth of rooms lies the journal Chloe desperately seeks. When she realizes the brooding, handsome earl is hunting the same quarry, Chloe enters into an uneasy partnership. But in the face of public danger and enemies hiding in plain sight, both must decide how much they’re willing to risk to solve the mysteries of the heart. Buy THE EARL’S COMPLETE SURRENDER: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com| iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon CA | Amazon UK |…

I’d always known that I wanted to be an author, but I really became serious about it eight years ago. After all the stories flitting through my head, I decided to finally sit down and see if I could write a full length novel. As it turned out, I could. I wrote two actually. And I was ready to be published and bask in the glow of immediate literary success. There was just one problem – I had no idea how to go about doing it. After asking around, I found a local chapter through Romance Writers of America and eagerly signed up. The first meeting I attended was their Christmas party and I arrived five months pregnant with YoungestMinion. For the first time in ever, I got to talk writing with people who got it. Who got me. The whole ‘people in my head dictating what happened to them’, the whole ‘it’s so much more than a hobby’, all of it. It was suggested I join with a critique partner to go through my manuscripts to ensure they were clean enough to start querying editors and agents to get published. I wish I could say my critique partner read…

My favorite scene from the book is the very first. It was great fun to write. Nathaniel Gresham, Viscount Hightower, stirred in his sleep. His hands groped for bedclothes, found nothing. Sensing wrongness, his consciousness rose through layers of befuddlement and wisps of dreams. He opened his eyes to find a gaping maw of three-inch fangs inches from his throat. “Aah!” Nathaniel threw up his arms to shield his face and twisted to the side. The convulsive movement brought him right to the edge of a large four-poster bed, and he scrambled to avoid falling three feet to the floor. He twisted in the opposite direction and struck out at the sharp, yellowed teeth. They did not snap shut on his forearm or lunge into his face once more. Indeed, they did not move at all, except sideways under his blow. There was no snarl or slaver, no spark of rage in the shiny eye behind the fangs. Nathaniel shoved them farther away and sat up. He was stark naked, on a large bed stripped bare of linens, covered only by a moth-eaten gray wolf skin. The wretched thing’s head had been carefully placed on his chest, to ensure the…

I’m a football fan. There. I said it. I love football. I know there are a lot of women who just don’t get the appeal. Like my daughter-in-law. She can’t understand how I’m content to spend an entire Sunday parked on the couch, cheering through one game after another. Then there’s Monday Night Football, and God bless the NFL for adding Thursday night games. I have my favorite team, of course. Having grown up in Boston, I’m a diehard New England fan. Go Pats! But I also cheer on the local boys and I’ll watch whatever game is on. I can’t help myself. I’m a gridiron girl. It helps if you understand the rules of the game, which I do, but football is more than a simple game. It’s a modern day test of strength and courage. Let’s face it, lining up across from a three hundred pound behemoth intent on ripping off your head takes guts. As man has from the beginning of time, these guys don their armor and face down their foes. Granted, football is a mostly bloodless war waged in the relative safety of million dollar stadiums, but it’s also a brutal competition, based on strategy,…