Sometimes when I’m writing a book, I love to find a way to make it more authentic. Like when I recently wrote a rodeo romance, I hopped in my car and went on a road trip to find a rodeo. With my book GROUNDS FOR SEDUCTION, I think I went above and beyond for some of the research. My heroine opens an espresso shop, so I actually signed up, paid for, and attended a class on how to open your own espresso stand. It almost made me want to ditch the book and go into coffee! Not really, but it was super informative—plus the Seattle area is a little inundated with coffee. I also did another class, which I only signed up for because a friend asked me to go with her. It was a little shocking, maybe blush-inducing, but I did it. What was that class? Strippercize. That’s right. How to strip. Are you blushing yet? Because I did. But it was actually a lot of fun, and a great workout. A lot of it reminded me of belly dancing. And it ended up working perfectly in a scene for my book. Here’s an excerpt from GROUNDS FOR SEDUCTION….

You know how it is. The sun is hot, the drinks are cold and wearing a bikini and hot pants is a legitimate dress code. And then you meet the cute guy (because guys always look cute when they have a tan) and before you know it, romance is blooming. Well, that’s how it is in the movies and books. But in real life vacation flings (or holiday flings as we would say in my neck of the woods) aren’t always that easy. For a start, there are the logistics. What if you both come from different countries? Or, even share a common language. And then there is the honeymoon effect to consider. When you’re on vacation, you don’t normally have any of the responsibilities that come with your regular life. It’s so much easier to be present moment and carefree, but as soon as you step back into your real world, bills, deadlines and family obligations can reappear in a flash. All of which my current heroine Bec Watson discovers after meeting the gorgeous Lincoln Mathews when she was in Italy. But her vacation fling gets cut short when she discovers Lincoln wasn’t who he says he is. Made…