I became hooked on Stephen King when I was thirteen. I have no idea how I came to pick up his book, PET SEMETARY at that age (I remember the book itself was beat up and dog-eared and very worse for wear), but I do remember reading the first page and knowing straight away my reading world had changed. Up until that point, I was pretty much only reading Sweet Valley High books (which all seemed very exotic and strange to a young girl whose entire life had been spent growing up in rural Australia. Man, are our schooling systems and environments different!). So PET SEMETARY entered my life and everything changed. The Sweet Valley High books disappeared off my reading pile, replaced with any and every Stephen King book I could get my hands on. (I grew up on the poor side of town, so getting my hands on books meant school libraries and the only second-hand book shop in town). By the time I was fifteen I had read every Stephen King book he’d written. I was a fan. No other author was going to replace him. Ever. And then my sister-in-law gave me a Silhouette Special Edition…

Hi! I’m Donna Michaels and I’m excited to chat with you today about heroes. I like mine like I like my romances—hot and humorous. lol All the better if the hero possesses that alpha stubbornness, too. I think that’s why I’m drawn to Jensen Ackles’ character Dean Winchester on the hit TV series, Supernatural. Do you watch the show? It’s about two brothers who hunt down the supernatural and protect a world who has no clue about the evil. Although both brothers are hot and humorous, Dean’s character is more alpha, stubborn, and a bit of a jerk at times. Man, it must be fun writing his character. I can just imagine the sarcasm filling the air during the writing session for the show. I’m not sure what I love more? Dean’s sense of humor, or the reason for it. He uses it to cover up anger, grief, and guilt, along with the pain he buries deep inside. Pain for all he’s lost. A pain that motivates him to do what it takes to keep strangers safe, and to sacrifice everything and anything for his brother. Is it any wonder he inspires my heroes? In my latest release with Entangled…

People often ask what my writing day is like.  Since I’m a workaholic, most of my writing days are long and mentally tiring.  I thought it might be fun to tell you what my perfect day would be. Aside from a trip to Paris, Rome, or some other exotic location, I had a perfect day last week.  I did some book promo for the first book in my Texas Trilogy, BEYOND REASON, which is out May 30th, then went to work on the book that comes out in February next year, BEYOND DANGER. It was one of those days where everything came together.  Since great writing days don’t happen that often, authors value them highly.  Because it was the first truly glorious day in Montana after a long winter, I decided to quit a little early.  I was drained after writing an intensely romantic love scene, but happy with what I’d produced. As a treat, my husband and I decided to go on a camera safari.  Loading snacks into the pickup, we headed into the Montana mountains.  In one afternoon we saw a herd of elk, two dozen deer, a group of sand hill cranes, an osprey, and a variety…

Today’s Boas & Tiaras fun facts will help you get to know our keynote author Julie Ann Walker’s New York Times bestselling Black Knights Inc. series! You can meet the fabulous Julie and 13 more authors when you join us for tea at the Adolphus on June 10. What is Black Knights Inc.? It’s a romantic suspense series about a Chicago-based covert government defense firm—and here’s the best part—disguised as a custom motorcycle shop. Enter a crew of sexy bikers/secret agents fighting for the women they love. The heroines can be every bit as tough as the alphas they fall for, so each book is a thrill ride of romance and danger. What’s the latest title? WILD RIDE, book nine, came out in April 2017, delighting droves of fans who have been waiting for our beloved Ozzie’s story. (Who can resist a former Navy SEAL in glasses who quotes THE PRINCESS BRIDE? Swoon.) Ozzie meets his match when tasked with distracting investigative reporter Samantha Tate from uncovering the secrets of Black Knights Inc. But as Samantha charms him with her wit, Ozzie is tempted to let his guard down and reveal all his own secrets… What’s the reading order? You…

I looked down at my drink as I tried to figure out a nice way of phrasing my next question. “When you say they’re possessive…?” I couldn’t figure out a way to finish, but both women seemed to know where I was going with that statement. “Possessive as in protective,” Cara clarified, slowly circling her pint glass on the glossy wood table. “Bridgewater men put their woman first, always,” Katie said. “They believe in making sure she is always taken care of—her problems are their problems. It’s their duty to make sure she’s happy.” “And satisfied,” Cara added with a waggle of her eyebrows that had all three of us cracking up. They’d made me feel better and reassured me that Declan and Cole weren’t like Brad. What they said only reaffirmed what my gut had told me from the moment I’d met them. They were good men—kind men. They were also sexy men and they were watching me. “So what’s the verdict?” Katie asked, biting her lip to obviously keep from grinning. “Are you interested?” I opened my mouth to respond and paused. Was I? The ache between my thighs was my answer. But that’s not what she meant….

THE TROUSER GAME is a brand new historical erotic romance by Genella DeGrey available from the 6th June from Totally Bound Publishing, Amazon and other online retailers. Read on for an exclusive excerpt of The Trouser Game… St. Helens, England, Summer 1895 “Aren’t you going to welcome me home, Miles?” Jillian Kelley, having just arrived from university in the United States, addressed the man whom she’d been intrigued with throughout her youth. He stood at the opposite end of her mother’s formal parlor, unblinking. He was as handsome as Jillian remembered, with his light characteristics and sky-blue eyes—perhaps his facial features had grown a little more mature, but she didn’t mind. She and Miles would grow old together and outward appearances would mean nothing with a love as strong as theirs would be. Standing here with him now, she felt the familiar stirrings in her breast of the unrequited love she’d harbored for him for over half of her twenty-three years. She supposed, if she was pressed, her former determination to win him could be considered an obsession when viewed in a harsher light. However, none of that mattered now. The status of their association was indubitably about to change….

“Where do you get your ideas from?” It’s one of the more common reader questions I receive. The truth is, it varies. The spark of an idea usually begins with something small (and sometimes completely unrelated). The idea for the Lucie Rizzo Mystery series started with my much-loved dog, Buddy. He’s a Wheaten Terrier who is affectionately known in my house as Buddy-the-Wheaten-Terrorist. He was six months old when my husband bestowed the terrorist title on him. At the time, Buddy was in full-blown puppy mania and was A.) driving us insane with his energy  B.) eating our furniture C.) eating our clothing (while we were wearing it). Those of you who have had a puppy know the feeling. After a particularly long day of dealing with my lovable pup, it occurred to me that I should write a book about a woman who went insane (or dropped dead from exhaustion) due to her dog. At first, I laughed the idea off. Something kept nagging at me though. I knew readers loved books with dogs in them and I was so strung out from Buddy, I needed to find a way to channel the endless aggravation into something funny. I…

Miranda Owen: When you have two successful and entertaining cozy mystery series, what made you decide to write romance? Do you read romance? If so, who are some of your favorite romance authors and books? Jenn McKinlay: The cozy mystery market seemed to be saturated and I had written five different mystery series over the past eight years, so I felt like I had gone as far as I could go in that genre, so I asked my editor what she thought I could write in addition to the mysteries. Immediately, she said, “Romantic comedy.” Well, okay, then. So I decided to give it a go. I do read romance and mystery and sci-fic/fantasy and YA – basically, I am a genre fiction fangirl. I love it all! Favorite romance writers and their books (at the moment) are Christina Lauren’s DARK WILD NIGHT, Tessa Dare’s A WEEK TO BE WICKED, Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s NATURAL BORN CHARMER, and Kristan Higgins’s WAITING ON YOU. Miranda Owen: Do you know how many books will be in this Bluff Point series? Do you plan on writing another romance series after this one? Jenn McKinlay: At this point, I know there will be three. I…

Hello, Fresh Fiction readers! I’m honored to join you to talk about the inspiration behind my debut novel, THE FIRST WORD. So far, I’m not one of those authors who can pinpoint one definitive moment when inspiration struck and I was hit with the premise for a book. One day, maybe for my twenty-fifth novel, I’ll be sitting at a rickety café table by the Seine or charging up a Peruvian mountainside—or maybe contemplating life from the ramparts of a Scottish castle—when the muse descends. I’d love to have a whole new world unfold before my eyes, and to have the characters take shape almost of their own accord and start imposing their will upon the page. But, for me, inspiration has always been a much messier thing. THE FIRST WORD started with tears. Lots of tears. If I’m going to be completely honest, it was not a pretty picture. There were red, raw eyes. There was a leaden feeling in my chest. There may have even been snot, and a pile of used tissues, which doesn’t sound terribly romantic, but please hear me out (it ended up plenty romantic, I promise!). This book started out with an emotional truth….

June 2017 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Contemporary Romance: Engaged by Julie Arduini — Trish Maxwell returns to Speculator Falls with egg on her face and apologies to make as she tries to determine what’s next, especially when around paramedic Wayne Peterson. (Contemporary Romance from Surrendered Scribe Media) Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter — When Noah and Josephine Mitchell discover their divorce was never actually finalized, their lives are turned upside down. But when Josephine drives out to Noah’s North Georgia cottage to deliver the corrected papers, they are trapped there during a snowstorm. Things couldn’t get worse…until they are forced out into the storm and must rely on one another to survive. (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Zondervan]) Then There Was You by Kara Isaac — Would you give up everything for a life you hate with the person you love? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published) An Encore for Estelle by Kimberly Rose Johnson — A former A-list actress seeks to redeem herself in the most unlikely of places—a children’s theater. The writer/director didn’t anticipate a famous actress would ever show interest in his musical much less…