You ask what advice I’d give the hero and heroine at the beginning of WHAT THE DUKE DOESN’T KNOW. Somehow, the question made me think about the whole concept of romantic advice. Do people ever take it? Is anyone really in a position to give it? Certainly there’s advice flying all over the place today. And I admit I have a mild addiction to advice columns – Dear Abby, Ann Landers, Dear Amy, Miss Manners – any of them, really. I’ll be navigating the internet, maybe to pay a bill or do a bit of necessary research, and I see that headline. Too many times, I have to click: Happy Feet Are Great Comfort to Bride on Her Special Day. This is about comfortable shoes, yes? What else could it be? Unexpected Guest for Dinner Party Results in Empty Seats. A skunk got into the house? The dog tried to chase her out. The skunk jumped onto the table and Blam! Couple’s 40 Years of Marriage Began Later Than Kids Think. So they jumped the gun. It happens. Everybody take a breath. Surgeon’s Wife Surprised by His Covert Operation. Have to click on that one. I don’t think he’s going…

Thanks for having me at Fresh Fiction. I’ve written over a hundred books. And after writing a hundred romance books, it’s not so easy to keep my storylines fresh. But with some stories, it’s easier than others. Writing contemporary romance can be more difficult, because there’s only so much I can make up in a real city like Seattle, with characters having real careers in real life and death situations. So here are five ways I kept it fresh with ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. Cynthia Nichols, the heroine of the story, is a big, beautiful woman. Yes, she’s big by society’s conventions. But she’s not a cliché. Cyn is not a hot mess. She’s a strong, independent, successful woman. And like all women, she has insecurities about her looks and relationships. I loved making Cyn confident yet needing what the hero gives her—true love. An Italian family—in Seattle. I’m part Italian, and I grew up in the Northeast where it was pretty easy to spot my peeps. (Think Jersey Shore, only with normal people.) Then I moved out West, and I swear, I’ve never seen more Scandinavians in my life! So I wanted to give my characters some of my background. The…

Erika Kelly is best known for her sexy Rock Star Romance series, but in October she launches a brand new series about hot and bothered brothers. Back in April Fresh Fiction critic Miranda Owen chatted with Kelly about her Rock Star Romance series, her favorite rock bands, and whether she plans to come back to band books in the future. Miranda Owen: What inspired you to write about a rock band? Erika Kelly: It’s funny because I’m originally from Los Angeles, which means I spent the first half of my life in the entertainment industry. And yet I’ve never written a book set in that world. I didn’t set out to write a rocker book. I was more interested in writing about a bad boy. I liked the idea of supremely hot, talented, charismatic man who was perfectly unattainable. Women could offer their bodies, men could offer their companionship, but no one would breach the wall he’d erected around his heart. And the idea that one woman–the one and only woman–could inspire such lust and need and yearning and desire that he’d bust through all this barriers to win her. That was my starting point. The setting came after, when…

How will I be celebrating the release of THE REBEL HEIR? Well, pull up a chair and I’ll tell you. I’m a fan of special occasions, confetti, parties, and all the happy things in life. So do I take the opportunity to toss some glitter in the air in the name of a new book? Yes. Yes I do. There are many quiet days in an author’s life, but book release day isn’t one of them. Release day is a time to celebrate the sleepless nights and long days of work that led to the point of a beautiful book sitting on a shelf in a store, waiting to be read. The smell of the ink on paper! The shiny cover! A new story ready to be discovered by readers everywhere! Isn’t it glorious?! Beginning with the release of my debut novel, I’ve had a tradition. I would go to my local bookstore, and with coffee in hand, I’d smile at my new release while I sipped my grande skinny vanilla latte. Then I’d take far too many selfies with my book, pictures of my book with other books, pictures of my book arranged on the shelf just so… Perhaps…