Every year, Sophie takes over the kitchen at Hope’s Crossing Kennels to bake batch after batch of holiday treats for her friends and family. She could bake at her apartment, but the kitchen at Hope’s Crossing is bigger. Boom loves to help out and all the adults like to pass through the kitchen to snitch a cookie or two as they go through their work day. There’s always new recipes to try but she always bakes her meltaway snowball cookies. And of course, Sophie bakes for the dogs of Hope’s Crossing Kennels too. She’d never leave a soul out of the festivities. * * * Sophie’s Melt Away Snow Balls (for humans!) Ingredients: 2 cups Flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/8 tsp salt 1 cup butter, cold 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup miniature chocolate chips Powdered Sugar Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees F In large bowl combine flour, powdered sugar and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add vanilla and or mini chocolate chips. Mix with hands to form smooth dough. Using about a Tbsp of dough, shape into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 400 degrees F…

Describe THE SOUL OF A SEAL in 6 words. Alpha Male Female Sexy Action Space Tell us something interesting about Bennett and Kimberly that we won’t find out in the book. They are both intensely passionate, not just about each other and the space race, but also about humor. They enjoy cracking each other up. Can you tell us about your experience with Navy SEALs and how being married to one ties into your books? Though a SEAL might retire or leave the Navy, in my opinion, he takes his laser-focus and dedication to task with him. Whatever he ends up doing, whether it’s a task or learning or new skill, it will be completed effectively and efficiently. As a wife, it’s wonderful having a husband who will take a ‘honey-do’ task list and go above and beyond. 4 fun facts about the book… It was super-fun learning more about Navy frogmen and their connection to the space program. Speaking with individuals, who actually met the space capsules in the water, was fascinating. I’ve met quite a few SEALs who want to travel to space. Such an interesting experience to create new technology concepts for the hero and heroine to…

Describe SWEET SOUTHERN BAD BOY in 6 words. Fun, funny, sexy and happy romance. Favorite thing to munch on while you write? Baby carrots and homemade hummus. Weird, I know. But then I top it off with Hershey’s chocolate nuggets; no nuts. Plain milk chocolate for me. Tell us something interesting about Katie and Vance that we won’t find out in the book. Katie went to Hawaii for spring break one year with her friend Inslee and learned how to surf. And Vance was at his sister-in-law’s side when her third child was born, because his brother was serving overseas. What’s your favorite TV show? How about Katie and Vance’s? My favorite show for the past 6 years has been Project Runway…I’m obsessed. In my next life, I’m going to be a fashion designer, oh, and a ballet dancer (no relevance, I know). Katie and Vance’s favorite show would probably be House of Cards for its suspense and drama. If Vance could’ve written any novel out there, what would it be? How about you? If Vance could’ve written any novel it would probably be Catch-22 or The Hunt for Red October. And for me, of course, I’d have to say…

I write in the Victorian period, usually somewhere around the mid-1850s. In book three of Those Magnificent Malverns series, Ridley Malvern, the second son, became Lord Caulfield after rescuing the queen’s favorite son from an icy pond. Although the queen bestowed the title of baron upon him as his reward, nothing else of substance went with it, so Ridley went about building a fortune on his own, only to lose it in a series of financial downturns. Desperate to refill his coffers before his feisty siblings learned of his plight, he wed a rebellious, high-spirited Highland lass sight unseen. His bride brought to the marriage both an immense dowry, and a dark secret that would bind them together or destroy their lives. Thus, begins the story of Ridley Malvern, Lord Caulfield, and Lainie MacGregor, who meet at the altar on their wedding day. Marriage between an Englishman and a Highland lass was considered quite unusual even during Victorian times because Scots were still long on memory as to the misery the British had heaped upon them throughout history. I love writing character-driven stories in which people are forced to draw upon inner strengths they didn’t know they possessed. However, I…

Writing suspense is all about the tension, red herrings and zig-zags. Think you know where the story is going? WHAM. A house just fell on the apparent bad guy. You know that hot guy/girl you liked? GONE. Eaten by a bear. How about that old gnarly guy you trusted with your life? SUCKA. Now whatcha gonna do? Back flip, karate chop, blazing weapons and….stick the landing. Wow. Hero and Heroine can now ride into the sunset, matching cowboy hats and all. But what happens next? With romantic suspense, it matters because readers need to believe that the characters will stay together after the drama ends. It’s what makes the end of the story so satisfying. This challenges the author to give the characters something in common beyond the bad guy. Enter laughter. When we think about our friends and partners in real life, these are the people that make our lives lighter. They remind us to smile and give us a reason to laugh. We feel happy around them. Our characters need this happy to stay together, making laughter the ties that bind. Today is the release date of my newest book, LOST IN SHADOWS, from Entangled Publishing. The hero,…

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” Shannon Alder. Tabitha Moffat Brown was a grandmother when she headed west to Oregon Territory in 1846. Her story and that of her daughter and granddaughter is a part of the novel I wrote called THIS ROAD WE TRAVELED (Revell). On that journey, Tabby (as I called her) decided to write her memoir telling stories of her greatest challenges, a legacy gift she planned to leave her children. I used that fictional device as a way of sharing Tabby’s history as the family dealt with trials during a fateful trek on the Oregon Trail. I’ve long thought that stories are the sparks that light our ancestor’s lives; they’re the embers we blow on to illuminate our own lives. Tabby did actually write letters about her life that became the basis for my novel. I had her use the occasion of a life-changing journey to share some of her stories. But I think any time of the year is a good time to write down memories and experiences, not in any great order, but as they come to…

Hi, all! Jennifer here! With Christmas only a few weeks away, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on the subject. And found some surprising things on the Internet. So I thought I’d share FIVE FUN FACTS about the holidays that you probably don’t know. Like… To deliver his gifts in one night, Santa would have to make 822.6 visits per second, sleighing at 3,000 times the speed of sound. At that speed, Santa and his reindeer would burst into flame instantaneously. Wow. It’s a good thing they don’t teach Physics until high school! December is the most popular month for nose jobs. I found this puzzling. Do people treat themselves to their own Christmas gift? Or is it because people have more time off this month? Coca-cola came up with the red suit for Santa. I had heard this before, but am still amazed at the power of advertising! Rudolph was almost named Reginald. Huh? Well, apparently, a copywriter named Robert L. May first invented the reindeer in 1939 as a marketing gimmick for Montgomery Ward’s holiday coloring books. (Again with the advertising!!) In fact, he didn’t even want his nose to be red, since it was associated as…

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE a Bad Boy. I think it’s because I’ve been taught to avoid them, which of course just makes me want them more, enough to write about them in MIA AND THE BAD BOY, book #2 in Backstage Pass: The Complete Series. Their allure is undeniable and they usually have the reputation to back it up. They are cocky, arrogant, inconsiderate, closed off and as fans we can’t get enough. We want to break their hard exterior. We want to be the one girl to get through to the bad boy. Here are a few of my favorites – in no particular order: John Bender The Breakfast Club Dylan McKay Beverly Hills 90210 Chuck Bass Gossip Girl Jordan Catalano My So Called Life J.D. Heathers Who are some of your favorite bad boys? About Lisa Burstein Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She is the author of Pretty Amy, The Next Forever, Dear Cassie, Sneaking Candy and The Possibility of Us. As well as a contributor to the…

Criminal profiling is a fascinating process, a mix of psychology and criminology that tends to create divided reactions: people seem to think it’s either magic or complete BS. The reality is that it’s neither. Profiling takes a crime and predicts the type of person most likely to have committed it – profiles can be as vague as a “white male in his twenties” (which has become a bit of a joke about profiling serial killers) or as specific as “a man in his forties who works a blue-collar job during the second shift, is divorced, has at least one child, and drives a dark-colored sedan.” Narrowing down type of person helps law enforcement center their search and the FBI has an entire unit devoted to the job. Now called the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), it’s been memorialized in both fiction and non-fiction: CRIMINAL MINDS: Although some of the details of the show are just literary license for the sake of fast-moving plot (the BAU’s own private jet, all the profilers flying to consult on each big case, the active “door-kicking” roles the agents take in most of the cases), the profiles themselves are pretty solid. And they should be –…

Lacey browsed the selection of Blu-ray discs that Alex had set out on the coffee table, trying to imagine him picking them out at a Redbox kiosk. Romantic comedies and chick flicks predominated. To say they seemed like movies a man like Alex wouldn’t be caught dead watching, much less paying for, was an understatement. She glanced at him. “You chose these yourself?” “I admit, I had to get help, but yeah. I talked to Everly, Jayna, Mac, and Khaki for some suggestions.” “And they suggested these?” He gave her a sheepish look. “Actually, they suggested I ask you what movie you wanted to watch. But that would have ruined the surprise, so I went with their best guesses as to what you might like. Anything here catch your fancy?” She almost picked one at random just to be nice, but then decided against it. After this evening, she had the feeling she didn’t have to play games with Alex. It was her turn to look a little embarrassed. “Truthfully, I’m not much for rom- coms and chick flicks. Do you have any action or horror movies? They’re more my thing.” Alex looked surprised but chuckled. “I guess I should…