According to the Bible, laughter has medicinal effects. I can’t deny this truth. I’ve often been in situations where I’ve laughed myself silly (or hardy-har-har-harred until I couldn’t see straight). Never once did I stop laughing to remind myself that my life was overflowing with heartache and pain. Nope. I just kept right on laughing until I wore myself out. I’ve come to the conclusion that something rather magical happens the moment laughter is released: We are incapable of holding onto the negatives. It’s as if laughter and negativity cannot reside in the same place at the same time. One pushes the other to the farthest corner of the room. Why all of this talk about laughter and pain? Because my job as a novelist calls these things into question daily. Many times I ask myself the question: “Why are you writing such silly, fluffy stories? Don’t you know there are serious issues going on in the world? Can’t you see that people are hurting? Why don’t you write something that will impact the reader in the deepest, darkest places so that their lives can be transformed?” My answer? “I do!” I write books—lighthearted, wonky books—that cause people to step…

In my upcoming release SILENT NIGHT SHADOWS, the heroine Claire Phillips has to face her past and realize that while she’s not the same person she once was, she isn’t as different as she thought… I’d love to say that learning such things is confined to fiction. But the truth? The truth is we have to do that in real life all the time. One thing I love about writing fiction is the opportunity it gives me as a writer to process issues in my own life through my stories. I take whatever I’m wrestling with, feed it into a fictional character, which changes the issue to something nothing like that I’m facing personally, and then use my emotions to help the character grow and change through that. And in the process? I grow and change as well. Writing SILENT NIGHT SHADOWS was that way for me. Claire Phillips’ journey starts when she is reunited with a college friend who is wrong for her in more ways than she can count. Claire used to be a rock climbing adventurer, but life started to feel too unsafe to her, and she’s shut down that side of herself in favor of a…

Food plays an important role in the Magical Cats Mysteries. Kathleen Paulson can often be found making treats for her friends as well as for her two cats, Owen and Hercules. The boys’ favorite treat has to be Kathleen’s homemade sardine crackers, also known as Stinky Crackers. If you decide to try these for your own cat, please remember there’s a reason they’re called Stinky Crackers. You might want to open a window (or two) when they’re cooking. Stinky Crackers 1 can sardines packed in spring water 1 T shredded cheddar cheese* 1 cup fine, whole wheat bread crumbs 1 beaten egg 1 T vegetable oil Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash the sardines in their liquid in a medium bowl. Add egg, oil, cheese and bread crumbs. Mix well. Mixture will be crumbly. Shape into 24 small balls. If the mixture will not hold together add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until it will. Place balls on an ungreased baking sheet and press down lightly on the top of each one with a fork. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until golden. Watch carefully; they burn easily. Cool and store in an air-tight container *Many cats are lactose-intolerant….

Like the heroines I write about in my sexy contemporaries, I love to travel and seek out new adventures. I don’t always know where those adventures are going to lead—but isn’t that part of the fun? Shortly after my husband and I decided to get married, a Swiss friend of his who lived in Zurich came to stay with us in New York City for a few days. It turned out her parents owned a house in the mountains in Switzerland (omg) that they used for skiing but that stayed empty in the summer (omg omg) and that they’d be happy to have us use for our honeymoon (omg omg omg). If you’re not really sure of the benefits of marriage when you can live with someone and build a life together without getting the state involved, I have one word for you: honeymoon. If you’re not really sure whether you have time or money for a honeymoon and someone offers to whisk you to their family’s Swiss chalet: TAKE IT. My husband and I had gone on a day hikes in the New York area before. It was something we knew we enjoyed doing together. But going to Switzerland…

First, I try to get lists from my family early! They usually give them to me after Thanksgiving, but I try to pin them down even earlier than that. Then I like to pick up things on sale, or that catch my attention whenever I’m out and about. I don’t shop a lot, so it helps to look when I’m just running regular errands. So hopefully well before Christmas all the shopping will be done and spread out a bit cost-wise. I make bears. I usually have a lot of bear orders for Christmas, so between writing and having fun with family (Thanksgiving and holiday decorating), I have to keep on top of those. I love making bears, so that makes it feel even more Christmas-like! I think of the joy they’ll bring to those all over the world. I just shipped five to two different homes in Australia! I decorate the day after Thanksgiving, normally. But this year, I’ll be seeing my son one last time while he’s still in Omaha, and we’ll visit the wolf reserve and zoo to see the jaguars before he leaves the service next year. So, I’ll be either decorating early or a little…

LICENSE TO SHIFT by Kathy Lyons Grizzlies Gone Wild #2 BEAR MEETS GIRL… Julie Simon returns to Saginaw, Michigan, to find her ailing father’s missing research on local shapeshifter lore. Unlucky for her, the only person who can help her is the darkly sexy Mark Robertson, the guy who spent an entire summer giving her the cold shoulder—and one white- hot night of pleasure… Mark is a hair’s breadth away from going feral. Soon, his grizzly side will destroy everything that makes him a man. And after years of fighting, Mark is ready to give in to the beast. Then Julie—the gorgeous, curvy book nerd who awakened his most primal desires as a young man—shows up at his door. Now, he’s fighting an insatiable longing to claim her as his mate. But Julie isn’t the only one after her father’s research. Someone—or something—evil is tracking Julie’s every move… Romance Paranormal [Forever Yours, On Sale: October 4, 2016, e-Book, ISBN: 9781455540952 / eISBN: 9781455540952] Buy LICENSE TO SHIFT: Kindle | BN.com | iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR Meet all the Grizzlies Gone Wild! The Bear Who Loved Me…

I love writing stories about the people in my Blessings, Georgia series. SAVING JAKE is the most recent and is an October 4th release. I’ve been trying to narrow down my favorite characters in this story, but I’m about to give it up because they’re all so important to the story that I couldn’t separate a one. Having said that, if I had to pick: Favorite characters: Bonnie Carol and her pet chicken, Lavonne. Worst villain in a Blessings book: Truman Slade Best secondary characters always: Ruby Dye and her girls from The Curl Up and Dye. Unsung hero in Blessings: P.Nutt Butterman, Esquire Best place to gather: Granny’s Country Kitchen Lessons learned: The past does not define our future. From me to you… here’s another story from the best small town in the south – Blessings, Georgia. I’d love to know how my readers would fill these out: Favorite Character: Worst Villain from any Blessings book: Best secondary character: Unsung Hero: Best Place to Gather: Lessons Learned: Tell us below and you’ll be eligible to win a copy of the first two Blessings, Georgia novels (YOU AND ONLY YOU and I’LL STAND BY YOU). Blessings, Georgia You and Only…

The #HoldOntoTheLight campaign has asked authors to share openly about depression and since I’ve struggled with it all my life, I was asked to participate. The good news is that I’m so much better than I was before. In fact, every day is a joyous smile of yes, yes, yes! And yes, I’m lying. The truth is that every day is NOT a glorious wave of internal joy, but on the whole, it’s way better than it was before. Depression is hard and thoughts of suicide are real. I know, I’ve been there. Guess what was the most important thing I learned about my depressions. Johnny Depp did not cheer me up. Even his 21 Jump Street reruns. Depression is a cycle. Sure I’ll get depressed again. Maybe even linger on (obsess about) suicide. But I climbed out the last dozen times, and I’ll climb out this time, too. That’s a certainty. I just have to hold on until it happens. The only one putting pressure on myself is me. That means I can remind myself—a thousand times if necessary—that it’s okay to miss a book deadline, soccer game, or PTA meeting. (In fact, I’ve only attended one PTA meeting…

I’m so excited to be here and share a brand new series called Men of Legend. TO LOVE A TEXAS RANGER is Book #1 so you get to start at the beginning. This first is about Sam Legend, a Texas Ranger and a lawman like you don’t often see. But let me introduce you to the Legend family. Stoker is the tougher-than-shoe-leather patriarch who rides herd over his boys and the huge Lone Star Ranch—one of the biggest in Texas. Sam is the youngest of the brood and he clashes with his father a lot because of his need to keep moving. He was born with an obsession to see what’s beyond the horizon. Houston is the oldest (he always thought anyway.) He’s more like his father than any of the three. Ranching is in his blood and there’s no place he’d rather be. But he also shares Stoker’s temperament and looks. Luke is an outlaw who was born on the wrong side of the blanket. He’s lived his whole life in poverty and shame while his father and brothers have everything. So yes, he’s angry. But he’s also been secretly keeping watch over Sam and keeping him alive. In…

Halloween is almost here! We are so excited to share this month’s books with you! With such a big variety this month from young adult to suspense to historical romance, there is a little something for everyone! See more on FreshFictionBox.com. This Month’s Print Books: Everyone received four of these fall titles. Race the Darkness by Abbie Roads Forget Me Always by Sara Wolf The Black Sheep’s Secret Child by Cat Schield The Return of the Di Sione Wife by Caitlin Crews Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz Highland Chieftain by Hannah Howell Hero in the Highlands by Suzanne Enoch My Brown-Eyed Earl by Anna Bennett Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan The Raven by Mike Nappa When Love Arrives by Johnnie Alexander This Month’s eBooks: Everyone received all three! Calamity Jayne and the Haunted Homecoming by Kathleen Bacus Blow by Heidi McLaughlin Make Me Stay by Rebecca Brooks Vixen’s Tale: Every month, until June 2017, each box will showcase a new adventure featuring our mascot, Vixen. The tale is illustrated with a collectible postcard and button set. Vixen’s Tale #5 – Gourd ‘n’ Seek, A Cozy Mystery The 12th Annual Pumpkin Carving Festival is just around the…