Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Silent Hearts by Melissa West
Author Guest / May 11, 2016

“Black is a color; ask Crayola.” At that, Becca rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips in that sassy way she did when she was about to lecture him. He loved it and couldn’t help but grin. “Black is the opposite of color. It’s depressing, and besides, you look terrible in black.” “Listen, woman, no need for insults.” Nick turned the hose on Becca, spraying her once, before holding the sprayer up like a gun. “Say you’re sorry.” She glared at him with the intensity of a raging fire. “Hit me with that again and you’re dead, Hamilton. Dead.” “You and what army? I’ve got a foot on you, plus all these muscles.” He tugged off his shirt and flexed dramatically, laughing, until he caught Becca’s expression as she took him in. Her eyes widened a touch and she swallowed, her clenched fists relaxing as a brief flicker of something that looked a lot like attraction crossed her face. But then she cleared her throat and looked away, and before Nick could process what had just happened, she dashed for the soap bucket. “You spray me and I’ll dump this on you.” He grinned. “Then it’s a…

Jennifer Bonds | Ten Things We Love About Firemen
Author Guest / May 11, 2016

This should be an easy list, right? After all, everyone needs a fireman at one time or another during their life, even as a bystander. So here’s Jennifer’s list! They’ve got big…hearts. For many of these men, the job isn’t just a job, it’s a calling. Not only do they risk their lives to protect those in need, many of these guys are involved in charity and public safety education programs. They understand commitment, sacrifice and compassion, which makes them great boyfriend material. Calendars. I feel a little guilty about drooling over these guys, but since it’s for a fantastic cause, it’s all good, right? Need to see for yourself? Check out the FDNY Calendar of Heroes here. Firemen are cool under pressure and can *probably* handle whatever you throw at them in a relationship. They’re experts at mouth-to-mouth, a skill that can come in handy on—and off—the job. Did you know lots of these guys cook? It’s a fundamental necessity in the firehouse since firefighters put in long hours and need to eat well. I don’t cook, but they do, and that is H-O-T-! Prince Charming has nothing on these sexy as sin, real life heroes. What could better…

Nicole Helm | If you didn’t write contemporary romance, what category would you write and why?
Author Guest / May 11, 2016

I’ve always been a writer—for as long as I can remember, I’ve been putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and writing little stories. In this early days, it was a very sad rip off of Sweet Valley High, my favorite series to read at the time. When I was in middle school though, I decided I wanted to write a novel. At this point, I’d never read a romance novel, and I didn’t know they existed as a genre. But I loved the Little House in the Prairie series, and Little Women, I’d devoured the American Girl books and the Sunfire series. I was totally and utterly enthralled by this Sweet Valley edition that was the generational saga of the Wakefields (seriously), and went back in Jessica and Elizabeth’s family tree—telling the story of lost (and found) loves. So, the first time I tried to write a novel, I set out to write a sweeping generational saga about the lives and loves of one family from the late 1880s to present day. I sketched out each story, I wrote beginnings of each. It’s been something like twenty years and I never finished any of them, but some of…

Lauren Blakely | Top 5 Romantic Comedies
Author Guest / May 11, 2016

I blame pets for my love of romantic comedies. When you grow up with cats and dogs, you fall in love at an early age, and you laugh at an early age. Allow me to explain. Cats are just funny — and, please, I mean this with great affection for felines, but is there anything funnier than a cat falling off a windowsill, a couch, a shelf? That’s comedy gold, my friends. As for dogs, well, quite simply, they teach you how to love. As an aficionado of pets from an early age, I was clearly destined to love romantic comedy. I love watching rom-coms, I love reading rom-coms, and I sure as heck adore writing them. Usually with a dog by my side. Some of my favorite romantic comedies released this year, and some are tried-and-trued favorites. Here are five rom-coms I love. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins — This is the swooniest, sweetest, most romantic book about two seventeen-year-olds falling in love in Paris. It’s pretty much romance perfection and is bursting with witty moments too, alongside the heartfelt ones. CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET? By Sophie Kinsella — I laughed out loud, for days…

Meet Sharon Hamilton’s Naughty Alter-Ego!
Author Guest / May 11, 2016

Angela Love is new on the scene for me. She is my alter ego, my little bit of bad girl seeping out. I’m having fun with these shorts about vibrators gone wild and had these covers designed to reflect the humor and light-heartedness I tried to capture. Candy Keane is a somewhat experimental girl who gets herself into trouble. I’ve said it before, she needs a Navy SEAL. Well, she’s going to have to go through some mishaps first. The storyline came to me when I posted on a blog some six years ago. I inquired about a certain item that writers were talking about. I’m not a prude, but I wasn’t as familiar as I am now of toys used for fun in the bedroom. I’m loving the research! I went online to one of “those” places, and got a customer service rep who asked me, virtually, what I liked. Though the Avatar was that of a woman, it could have been a male. How would I know? I’m keeping this very PG here for general consumption. It gave me the idea for The Stimulus Package. The other two books, Buzz Words and Road Rage, were borne at a…