Oh, the bad boy. Who doesn’t love a guy in black leather, with a wicked curve to his smile, and a gleam in his eye that says, “Come on, baby, let’s get into trouble.”? I never knew I was the bad boy type…until I started writing them. Now I can’t get enough. What’s beautiful about bad boys is there is a wide range. From down and dirty to hard and gritty to the kind of bad boy I love to write the most: the sweet heat. You know the type. The kind of guy who is a good family man at heart, but won’t hesitate to toss his woman over his knee. The man who is loyal to his friends, but still takes physical risks that put him in danger. From billionaires, to ex-military landscapers, to rock stars, I’ve written many, many bad boys. And I’m not stopping any time soon. Here are my top five reasons women like you (and me!) love bad boys. I’ve also included a few of my bad boys as recommendations. Which one is for you? Bad Boys know who they are. They may be jerks, but they know they are and aren’t afraid to…

Here’s a secret: That MARRIAGE CONTRACT cover that everyone loves so much? Total accident. Well, not really an accident. But not exactly what we planned either. Initially, we were going to do a steamy couple. But they decided to get a few shots just of the guy while the female model was changing—you know, just in case.  And whoa! The challenge with THE WEDDING PACT was how to get something just as smoldering and amazing. It starts with a description: James Halloran is a big dude with dirty blond hair who looks like he’d be at home on the back of a motorcycle. Hair is about shoulder-length. Icy blue eyes. Usually wearing faded jeans and either a black or white T-shirt (though he does have a leather jacket). Has scars layered across both his chest and back (from a whip). Lots of swagger! And then some inspiration photos for character tone and poses (talk about fun research!):    At last comes the day of the photo shoot. When my editor first emailed me some pics as things were in progress, I screamed so loud that my kids thought the house was on fire. How come I never get to help…

When I began the RANSOM CANYON series, I moved my computer to a little room out back of my house that we now call the bunkhouse. It’s not big, mission designed and almost a hundred years old. I took down all the western art and put up white boards. I even removed all the books except those on ranching, horses, Texas, or research I might need. Family histories of characters fill one wall and plot lines another. When I step into the bunkhouse, I step into the world of Ransom Canyon. One by one my characters come in and sit down to tell me their story. Two people came into my mind as I began writing LONE HEART PASS. One, Jubilee Hamilton, who has just had all her dreams crash and the other, Charley Collins, who feels like he’s never had the chance to follow even one dream. Both are fighting to simply survive. Together they learn to start believing in love and form a dream, not of riches or fame, but of family. Jubilee and Charley came to me fully developed. I saw them sit down in front of my desk (in my mind) and begin to tell me…