The vast majority of my plotting is done either driving to and from work, or in the shower. Seriously, if I could get a water proof computer set up in my master bathroom, I’d plot a book in half the time. Despite my propensity for free-thinking behind the wheel and while washing my hair, the general premise for the Eden Series came from someplace completely unexpected. I was in my kitchen one afternoon prepping for some guests to come over and running horribly late, when I spun toward something sitting on the countertop across the room, held out my hand palm up, and tried to “summon” the object to me. No, I’m not delusional. (Well, okay. Maybe I’m a little bit nutty, but they tell me it’s all part of the job.) Still, what shocked me with my simple action was that I fully expected the object to fly across the room and land in my palm. I didn’t plan it. I just did it as if it were completely natural. About three seconds later—once I’d double checked to make sure no one had seen what I had done—I realized the reason I’d believed I could actually pull off such…

I started out writing mainstream science fiction more years ago than I care to admit to. Those stories were filled with menacing aliens designed to terrify my heroes and heroines. Then romance called, and I decided to try my hand at writing that. I still wanted aliens, but nicer ones. Hunky ones. Aliens who would make an Earthling race off-planet for love. When I started, I wasn’t sure how to build hot extraterrestrials. What would make them different from Earthlings, but not so different that they were unattractive? I had a few thoughts, but I wasn’t certain what tempted me would appeal to readers. Unsure of how friends and family would feel about me writing explicit scenes, I was afraid to ask anyone I knew. This was before social media, so I didn’t have that connection either. Enter happy hour on a Friday night after work. Alcohol. Woozy co-workers. Lowered inhibitions. The door was open, and I walked through it. “Aliens,” I said to the three raucously giggling women I toiled 30 hours a week with. “They want to ravish you. What are they ravishing you with?” The descriptions that followed told me what a pure life I’d led up…

While I’ve been a voracious reader of romance – Harlequin books specifically – since I was fourteen years old, I’ve never been a writer of typical romance novels. My books are filled with hard topics, issues that face real women, without any sugarcoating to make them more palatable. I didn’t choose this route. The voices, the stories, the people that appear in my head, chose me. No matter what I write, for whatever line or continuity or project, my books are filled with intense, emotional fiction based on facts of life. They aren’t true stories. None of them are based on real people (other than my own true life love story published with HCI books.) They are larger than life. And yet…they all that grain of truth that taps into real feelings, real hurts, real challenges. All of my books give something else, as well. They show real ways to deal with the issues. The challenges. They are filled with life truths. They are filled with hope. And the promise of happiness. HIS FIRST CHOICE emulates all of this. While Lacey Hamilton, my heroine, is a strong, necessary, vital character, I feel that the book is larger Jeb’s as well….

Mitchell searched his memory. “The calling-card murder count was at twenty-four when I left the force six months ago.” “The overall number will have climbed since then, but it’s the victims who possess the sight that I’m most concerned about. Certainly, the others matter, but their deaths—how can I put this?—provide nothing more than operating money for Leshad. They keep the cash flow up and his filthy operation in the black. Very comfortably in the black, I suspect.” “Why are you most concerned about the victims who possess the sight?” “Partly because I’m one of them, like my mother and her friend Twila Black. Twila’s sister, Tallulah Black, possessed some vision as well, but not a sufficient amount for Leshad to use.” Was this intriguing him or annoying him? Mitchell wasn’t sure. Maybe it depended on what Phoebe expected him to do. “Where does your fading appeal enter into this?” he asked, although he had a feeling he could guess the answer to that one. She maintained her benign expression. “I’m Madeleine’s daughter, cher. I possess certain modest sensory abilities. Leshad assumes I inherited my mother’s full gift of second sight. I didn’t, but it’s what he thinks.” “So you…

Since I was three years old I have loved the written word. There is nothing like getting lost in a good book. Starting in grade school I discovered that I was pretty good writer, but as much as I loved to write I still wasn’t ready to take the leap into seriously pursuing a writing career. And then I discovered two writers who would change my life, Jackie Collins and L.A. Banks. The first Jackie Collins novel I ever read was Dangerous Kiss, A Lucky Santangelo Novel. At the time I read Dangerous Kiss, it was the most recent in the Lucky Santangelo series. I fell in love with Jackie’s writing. It was descriptive, interesting, and diverse. Jackie created characters from all walks of life, showcasing the real world we all live in. After devouring Dangerous Kiss, I read the rest of the books in the Lucky Santangelo series before moving on to reading every book Jackie had written. Today I own and treasure them all and am grateful for the lasting influence she has had on me. Jackie would always tell aspiring writers that she was a reform school drop out with no writing background and if she could…

“All I Need” by Mat Kearney A gorgeous song, one which Kearney reportedly wrote after hearing the story of friends’ escaping Hurricane Katrina. The lyrics portray a couple holding on to one another for survival and fighting against overwhelming odds. An incredible song about an incredible love, which Emmett and Savannah find in ALL I NEED. “Whatever It Takes” by Lifehouse Although the lyrics seem to be more about an existing couple trying to stay together, the idea of doing “Whatever It Takes” could be Emmett’s theme song in ALL I NEED. He’s in the relationship way before Savannah is, and he’s pretty determined to do whatever he needs to in order to win her heart. “Over My Head” by The Fray This one belongs to Emmett as well. What starts as a friends-with-benefits arrangement with Savannah soon has him in deeper than he’s even been with any woman – and he’s a little overwhelmed and unsure once he realizes that: He groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. She was never going to have anything to do with him again and he didn’t know how to— This was not the way a guy acted over a woman who…

My name is JL Merrow and I—this will be no surprise to anyone who’s ever read one of my books—am British. Painfully so, and nowhere was this brought home to me more fully than on a recent trip to southern Italy. The sun didn’t so much smile upon us as leer down with an evil glint in its metaphorical eye. It was hot. The Italian women strolled around in the 36 degree heat (that’s high nineties in old money) looking cool and expertly made-up in elegant shift dresses; their menfolk swaggered easily in shorts and open-necked linen shirts; all displayed sunkissed limbs and perfect hair. I, on the other hand, was a pink-faced, frizzy-haired fashion disaster, not so much tanning in the Mediterranean sun as turning into one giant ambulatory freckle. Noel Coward sang, famously, that “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.” This, I can assure you, is because in this green and pleasant land, we don’t actually have any midday sun, as a rule. Oh, we get the occasional short spell of warmer temperatures, giving the tabloids an excuse to dust off the Cor, What a Scorcher! headlines and print pictures of amply endowed young…

Hello, Fresh Fiction readers! This is my first time on the Fresh Fiction blog, and I’m super excited to be here. I’m celebrating the release of TRIPLE SCORE, but it’s a bit bittersweet, as it’s the final book in my Art of Seduction series and my final book for Harlequin Blaze. I’ve loved writing for Blaze. I like the sexual tension. I like the heat when that tension explodes. But most of all, I like the snappy dialogue. Yep, dialogue’s my jam. I live for lively banter, witty repartee, the perfect parting remark. My idol is Aaron Sorkin, who wrote masterpieces like TV’s West Wing and Newsroom and movies Moneyball and The American President. His dialogue sparkles. It’s musical, reflective, funny, smart. Like this gem from The Social Network: Lawyer: Mr. Zuckerberg, do I have your full attention? Mark Zuckerberg: No. Lawyer: Do you think I deserve it? Mark Zuckerberg: What? Lawyer: Do you think I deserve your full attention? Mark Zuckerberg: I had to swear an oath before we began this deposition, and I don’t want to perjure myself, so I have a legal obligation to say no. Lawyer: Okay – no. You don’t think I deserve your attention….

I’ve always loved animals, but never to the degree of extreme devotion and dedication as say . . . my administrative assistant. Her beloved dogs have their own television, and she cooks them homemade macaroni and cheese. I’ve teased her that I’d love to be one of her dogs, and she invited me to do so anytime. (This is why I love her!). But I do love animals. I have two cats, Maddie and Ivy, and they are spoiled in their own right. I did crack some eggs for them this morning to dine upon as they overlooked the woods outside our house. And frogs. We have four frogs. This is what my children gift me with. Amphibians. But think about it. When animals make their way into stories, it always seems to add depth and a richness that we can all relate to. Some of the great classics are centered around animals. Or at least they’re classics in my mind. Old Yeller, Rascal, Where the Red Fern Grows . . . animals become critical characters in books. They bring an element of endearment, sentiment, and snuggle into a story that human characters often cannot achieve. In my most recent…

When we think of a romance hero we usually think of a military or ex-military man, firefighter, policeman, spy, cowboy, rancher, or billionaire businessman. How often do we think of a farmer? A reader recently commented that she was both surprised and pleased that the hero of my latest book was an organic farmer. As she put it, “Farmers can be hot too.” He’s also a half-breed werewolf, but that’s another story. I realized it’s not the first time I’ve had a hero who makes his living as a farmer. That got me to thinking about why I chose that profession for my hero. Of course the easy and true answer is, “He chose it, not me.” That’s how it works for me when I write. The characters tell me who they are and what they do for a living. I’m just taking dictation. I think there is something intrinsically down-to-earth about a man who works the soil for a living. A natural confidence that arises from working for himself and depending on his own abilities. He must be willing to trust his instincts and adapt to changing situations. So many variables are out of his control and not everything…