Summer has roared into the Midwest bringing with it sultry temperatures, thunderstorms, block buster films (Wonder Woman!!), and a plethora of new books. Summertime for me, traditionally, has always been about the great books on my TBR pile that I have to look forward to reading along with new releases. I’ll never forget my midnight purchase of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at Borders eons ago. Lately, I’ve been a bit contemplative of the time that has passed in my life. Probably because I just entered a new decade and it’s caused me to be reflective of my past, including some of my all-time favorite books. As a writer, my first love was reading. I read shelf upon shelf of books. Binged my way through bookstores multiple times. Choosing a favorite book for those of us bibliophiles, is a lot like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. I have whiled away countless hours reading while the temperatures skyrocket near a hundred with a frosty beverage and a good book. There’s nothing I enjoy more. Now with summer upon us, I thought it was only fitting, partly because I have four releases hitting shelves this summer that I…

Hi everyone – I’m excited to be visiting Fresh Fiction again to chat about my upcoming release, NEW MOON. This is the 8th and final book in the Moon Series, but it’s easy to jump in if you haven’t read the others first. (Although I secretly hope after you read it you’ll want to start from the beginning! LOL) I fell in LOVE with writing Shifters over the past few years. These loyal, protective, and occasionally hot-headed men always win my heart, but Sebastian isn’t part of the Wolf Pack. He’s been an enigma through the series, a jaguar shifter assassin who is sometimes an ally and often an adversary. Writing NEW MOON was an adventure because after 7 books, we finally got to go behind the walls of the nefarious Nero Organization, and see the world through Sebastian’s eyes. If you love a good redemption story, I think you’ll enjoy this book. For me, watching Sebastian finally choose a side in the battle brought out a part of him that I never expected. We met his heroine, Isabelle, in WOLF MOON, and she was a blast to write because she turned the fated mate trope around. In all my…

Don’t you love a good double meaning? I’ve always been a sucker for puns. The cheesier the better. But add some hidden sexual connotation and you’ve got me. Hook, line, and sinfully amused. In THE WRONG KIND OF COMPATIBLE, Cassie and Drew take sexual innuendo in a somewhat unusual direction. Both are brilliant, but socially awkward with it. She blurts out everything that comes into her head, and he is the strong, silent type who says the wrong thing when he tries too hard. Between the two of them, they get into a (hopefully) hilarious—at first inadvertent—back and forth of geeky sexual innuendo. For example: Cassie looked up at the ceiling, doing her level best to return to the sane, rational woman she usually was. “Actually, grab your laptop. You’ll want to take notes, and possibly work through a few things on your own.” “Will I need my dongle?” She froze in the middle of taking her seat and checked his expression. Had he meant the double entendre, or was her dirty mind taking her there on its own? “That’s…up to you,” she said slowly. Then bit her lip as the possible implications of her response sank in. I had…

There are so many reasons to love reading, but one of my favorites is the element we bring to each book we devour by using our imaginations. Sometimes we imagine ourselves as the heroine, other times we picture our favorite actress, and still more we conquer someone we’ve never even seen before. As for the hero, he could be our significant other, a hottie from Hollywood, the guy on the cover, or a unique compilation of all three. We pair the author’s descriptions with our own imagination and create something completely new, and with each page we turn, a movie plays out in our minds. As an author, it’s the same thing. Sure, I start out every book I write with a ‘dream cast’ in mind. Photos of celebrities or models that represent the characters I’m forming in my mind. But, as I write the book and flesh out the characters through their individual journeys, the result is often an altogether new creation. With THE NANNY ARRANGEMENT, I set out with my dream cast as usual…but things changed during the writing process. For Deacon, my country music fiddle player, Chase Rice was the perfect choice while plotting. He was born…

We love our pets. We share our food, sofas, maybe even our beds. It’s a tight bond. But professional K-9 partners are on a different level. Before starting the K-9 Rescue Series, I talked directly with experts. In each series book, including my latest, PHYSICAL FORCES, I highlight aspects of this special connection. The Top Five Traits of Successful K-9 teams Character. Good K-9 teams share these qualities: stamina, confidence, the ability to think independently, self-discipline, and a strong work ethic. Law enforcement and military K-9s must have a strong “drive.” An FBI explosives K-9 handler told me a story last year that best demonstrates “drive.” The final day of testing, I was a little worried. My German shepherd had been a handful during training and we’d almost flunked out. We were directed to enter a gym and locate a scent item. He located it easily, tucked into the top of a cargo climbing net twelve feet above our heads. Without prompting, my dog climbed the net and retrieved it! I later learned the other K9s had ‘signed’ by sitting beneath it, or pawing the net a few times and barking.* Needless to say, his dog won the drive award….

As the author of over thirty romance novels, I’ve written a lot of heroes. Jocks, rockstars, lifeguards, popular guys, alpha males. But I’ve always wanted to write an unconventional hero. The guy who isn’t usually the focal point of the story. The sidekick. The friend. The brother. The one who is normally found on the sidelines. And I wanted to write about a girl who isn’t looking for the guy in the spotlight. A girl who is simply looking for a guy she can connect with. A guy who makes her feel like she’s special. I’ve used the popular/unpopular trope a lot. Mostly because I love it. But with this book I wanted it to be a fun romance about two “regular” kids. I’m the mom of two teenagers and I never want them to think they have to be the most popular, the most famous or the best at something to be considered “special” or to have an exciting, fulfilling life. And that’s where the idea for I’M NOT IN THE BAND came from. Ross Devlin is a famous popstar. He’s hot, charming and can get any girl he wants. But this isn’t his story. It’s his twin brother…

I didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer, but I’ve always been a daydreamer. While the world churned on around me, I would be building characters, worlds and scenarios in my head. Of course, as a child I would always be the strong heroine, fighting to save the day with an equally strong hero modeled after the hunk of the day. Adulthood opened a door in my mind vault of stories and writing gave me the outlet for which I’d spent my youth preparing. My daydreams have turned into sensual, passionate, adventurous stories with strong women and men. Heroines and heroes who are willing to fight not only the bad guys but often their own flaws, egos and past in order to have the happily-ever-after they deserve. They are individuals who are fully capable on their own who eventually realize they are so much stronger as a couple. Together they are an unstoppable team. That brings me to my latest release, TO DIE FOR, and the story of how Zoe White and Frank Ludwig went from good friends to ‘I can’t live without you’ lovers. Zoe’s beautiful voice—soft, calm, reassuring—gave a police officer the strength to hang on until…

I feel there’s a temptress in every woman that fantasizes of doing a striptease for her man. Do you dare to set that temptress free or does the thought alone give you the jitters? Maybe these tips will help you to step over that threshold. A striptease takes some preparation. It speaks for itself that clothes are important. You need layers you can strip off, and of course you tease as you do so. It’s about the way you move, saucy and cheeky glances, fluttering eye-lashes, and blowing him the occasional kiss. You move slow and sensuous and give him sneak peeks of your body. You could turn your back to him and cast him a sexy look as you bare your shoulder, then cover it again. Lower your gaze, look up through your lashes as you suggestively circle your hips. Lift the hem of your skirt and reveal your thigh. A sexy garter belt and stockings will certainly blow his mind. Tease him! Show him bits of the garments you wear underneath, and of your beautiful body, but don’t reveal too much. Not yet! You have to build it up. You tease, slowly strip off a layer, tease, strip…

The summer months are full of new treats from fresh fruit at the local market to new flavors of ice cream, all of them mouth-wateringly delicious. But I’m here to address the treats for your mind. The mysteries that catch you with the cozy warmth of small town love thy neighbor attitudes and humor to make you smile. Enjoy my four new picks this week! BEARLY DEPARTED by Meg Macy Teddy Bear The Silver Bear Shop and Factory might be the cutest place around, but there’s nothing warm and fuzzy about murder . . . As manager of the family teddy bear shop and factory, thirty-one-year-old Sasha Silverman leads a charmed life. Well, except for the part about being a single divorcée with a ticking biological clock in small-town Silver Hollow. And that’s just kid’s stuff compared to Will Taylor, the sales rep who’s set on making drastic changes to the business her parents built from scratch—with or without Sasha’s approval . . . But before Will digs his claws in, someone pulls the stuffing out of his plan . . . and leaves his dead body inside the factory. Reeling from shock, Sasha’s hit with more bad news—police suspect…

What makes a compelling hero, someone who’s not just drool-worthy because of his killer smile and his bulging biceps, but a man who really deserves a strong heroine? For me, that answer can usually be summed up in what the hero is willing to sacrifice for others. And Cole Walker, the hero of my upcoming Harlequin Intrigue book, POLICE PROTECTOR, is the ultimate hero. Taken away from his birth family when he was just two years old because of severe neglect, Cole grew up in the system. Tossed from one foster home to the next, he learned early how to take care of himself and never to rely on anyone else. But in one of those homes, two younger boys – Andre Diaz and Marcos Costa, the heroes of the other books in my trilogy – looked up to him like a real older brother. And Cole formed his own family. When he was kicked out of the system at eighteen, with nothing – no adult support system, nowhere to live, no financial safety net – he vowed to build a home so his brothers wouldn’t face the same fate. And he did. Cole took on two jobs to support…