There is something that I am paying attention to as I work on The Unforgettable Miss Baldwin, the first book in The Baldwin Family Series set in New York in the late 1800s. This is something that authors don’t pay that much attention to, unless they are self-published and do their own formatting or hire a formatter. What I”m talking about is “spacing”.  Especially the “white space” around the words and paragraphs. Read on » Gail . . . INDIGO SKY by Gail Ingis In a whirlwind romance, a lovely New York socialite marries a fêted, debonair author. But beneath the charm is a cheating husband addicted to hasheesh. Her dream marriage turns sour and the simplicity of her life runs amok when a handsome stranger, her husband’s business partner, threatens her staunch loyalty to her wayward husband. When she faces the ugly truth about her marriage, her need to finalize her divorce sends her on mad chase across the wilds of nineteenth century America with a handsome stranger where she learns the hard lessons of murder, kidnapping, and more, that almost destroy her. Romance Historical [Soul Mate Publishing, On Sale: October 21, 2015, e-Book, / ] Buy INDIGO…

“No one comes here by accident.” (Frontier Nursing Service saying) I came across that saying while researching the Frontier Nursing Service for the historical background of my novel, These Healing Hills. In 1925, Mary Breckinridge established a nurse midwife service in the Appalachian Mountains. As I read about the nurse midwives and the volunteers who assisted them in providing prenatal and maternity care along with other health services to the Kentucky mountain community, I could see why the workers felt they weren’t part of the Frontier Nursing Service by accident. Breckinridge recruited the first nurse midwives from England since at the time, America had no midwifery schools, so coming to Kentucky involved great effort and changes in the lives of those who came to the mountains. The volunteer helpers, called couriers, were generally privileged young women from society circles who would come and stay for a few weeks or months to take care of the midwives’ horses, run errands, and make themselves useful in a myriad of ways. It’s easy to imagine the life lessons these young women learned in this mountain community where the residents had few if any modern amenities. Most of the mountain families managed through subsistence…

The entire concept of the X-OPS series started around 2011, when the Navy SEALs were in the news seemingly every week. As I was coming up with ideas for the first book in the X-OPS Series (HER PERFECT MATE), I knew I wanted to partner up shifters with covert operatives. Think putting shifters on a team with SEALs, Special Forces, CIA or FBI. But for that to work, I knew my shifters were going to have to be different. I simply couldn’t imagine my operatives going into a dangerous situation with a partner who couldn’t carry a weapon when he or she shifted into an animal, even if that partner did have fangs and claws. I wanted the best of both worlds, so I made my shifters half animal, half human. That took them in a completely different direction than you’d normally see in a paranormal romance. Here are a couple different ways my shifters are unique: Where They Come From: In X-OPS, shifters aren’t some kind of monsters, aren’t cursed to live in the darkness, their change isn’t controlled by the phases of the moon, there’s no magic involved, and they aren’t possessed by a demon (which are all…

Hello! I am so excited to be on Fresh Fiction for Supernatural day! I love all things supernatural from creepy, bump-in-the-night things (hence SUMMONER, which is basically a ghost story and love story wrapped up together) to the pretty and fascinating things like unicorns and dragons and gryffins. (Gryffindor represent!) One of the really cool things about the fantasy genre, I think, is seeing how different creatures have changed in folklore over time, or how they can be different in different works of fiction. I mean, how cool are the flying thestrals in Harry Potter than you can only see if you’ve witnessed a death? What a new take on a normal Pegasus-type of creature? Those surprises and differences are something that I love as a reader and lover of all things geeky. When I settle down with my popcorn to watch a new show about vampires and learn that they can be in the sun, or the sun does in fact burn them, or they can have magical daylight rings that allow them to walk in the daytime (oh my gosh, early seasons of The Vampire Diaries, anyone? Can I just geek out about that show for a moment!?),…

In my debut book, BLACK BIRD OF THE GALLOWS, we meet Angie Dovage, high school senior with a talent for music and a crappy past. Her dream of coasting through that her last year of school under the radar are blown to smithereens when Reece Fernandez moves in next door with his family. She thinks he’s hot (naturally) but so does half the student body. Angie notices other things about him, though, that begin to make her wonder if Reece is a little more—or less—human than he takes such pains to appear. So I’m turning it over to my heroine, Angie Dovage, to share her three step program of determining if your hot new neighbor is supernatural, in her words (passes the keyboard to Angie)… Okay, so hey. Thanks, Meg. Also, thanks for, well, deciding Black Bird didn’t needed to be a tragedy. Even if you were just worried about bad reviews if you killed me or Reece off, whatever. I’m grateful. I’m not holding it against you for making my love interest a harbinger of death or anything. No, not at all. Actually, you did make Reece pretty amazing. But anyway, you want me to share my three steps…

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing the author of A Magical Cat Mystery series, Sofie Kelly. Her latest mystery, A TALE OF TWO KITTIES, scratched my funny bone on the very first page and I had to get the scoop on her adorable felines. I know some of our grammar junkies may be caught off-guard by the lack of capital letters in her title, but let me assure you, it’s just one more creative way the author will capture your attention. (Especially if your typing out the title and your fingers refuse to use lower case for that first letter!) About Sofie Kelly Sofie Kelly is the pseudonym of young adult writer and mixed-media artist, Darlene Ryan. Sofie/Darlene lives on the east coast with her husband and daughter. In her spare time she practices Wu style tai chi and likes to prowl around thrift stores. And she admits to having a small crush on Matt Lauer. Magical Cats | WEBSITE Kym: Hi Sofie, welcome to the Cozy Corner! Sofie: Hi Kym. Thanks for inviting me. Kym: Congratulations on your new Magical Cats Mystery release, A TALE OF TWO KITTIES! I love Hercules and Owen, can you tell readers…

Have you seen what our reviewers think about THE FINAL SCORE by Jaci Burton? If you’re a sports fan, check it out! Helen William says “THE FINAL SCORE is a wonderful story about living up to expectations. Nathan and Mia have always shared their thoughts with each other but when their relationship changes than the perceived outside pressure will get in the way. They will have to decide if they can have it all.” And Miranda Owen thinks “THE FINAL SCORE is a frankly fabulous romance with sizzle and substance. The enjoyable teasing between Nathan and Mia balance the sexual fireworks and intense character- driven story. This works as a great standalone story, but reading THE FINAL SCORE will make you want to go back and read about Nathan’s parents in THE PERFECT PLAY. I look forward to Jaci Burton’s next Play-by-Play novel.” THE FINAL SCORE by Jaci Burton Play-by-play #13 In the new Play-by-Play novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Contact, a star quarterback is torn between his love of the game—and the woman who may be the love of his life. Nathan Riley is ready to follow in the footsteps of his famous…

Answer: Oh, my goodness, there is so much to this question! By book #4 (THE LAST OUTLAW), these two have been together for 32 years, and boy, have they ever been through a lot! Jake was a notorious wanted man when they met, and Randy actually shot him after he had a shootout with a bounty hunter right in front of her. She was scared to death, but she also felt bad after she watched Jake stumble out and get on his horse to ride out of town. She feels terrible that he will suffer alone, and possibly die, because of her. You will have to read the first book (OUTLAW HEARTS) to find out how these two actually end up back together. Their first love scene is in the back of a covered wagon somewhere on the plains of Wyoming, and it’s a wild, hot, desperate love scene because they realize they don’t belong together yet they can’t resist each other. It’s the beginning of an emotional roller-coaster ride as Jake ends up in prison – then a U.S. Marshal in Oklahoma (Book #2 DO NOT FORSAKE ME) – then a rancher in Colorado (Book #3 LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE)….

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Terri Osburn. Writes: I write contemporary romance novels with heart and humor, typically in a small town setting. But my newest release, RISING STAR available Sept 12th, is set in the gritty and glittering world of the Nashville country music scene, and features a spotlight-reluctant country radio DJ falling for an up and coming country singer. About: I’ve been a romance reader for more than three decades and can’t believe this is how I get to make my living. I’m a northerner transplanted to the south more than twenty years ago and will stay here, far from extended winters. I hate to be cold! Last year I moved back to Nashville, which is truly the city of my heart. One early reviewer of RISING STAR said I wrote a love letter to Nashville and country music. Though that wasn’t my intention when I started the book, I love the sentiment and hope readers will not only enjoy the love story between…

The Delicious Heroes. Whether grouchy or funny, tough or sweet, romance heroes are the swooniest. Since my heroes tend to lean toward the grumpy side, chatty Hugh—the hero of the second book in my Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series—was a change for me. It made writing On the Chase so much fun, though, and it was probably good for me to get away from the brooding guys for a little while (although I’m sure I’ll be back—I do love a grump with squishy-soft insides). The Awesome Heroines. They may have their foibles and quirks, but the women in romance books battle through their insecurities and weaknesses to get things done! I love discovering the unexpected bad-assery in my heroines. It reminds me that we all have superhero strength inside of us, just waiting to emerge when we need to save the day. The Humor. I’m such a sucker for a good joke. When characters make me laugh, I fall in love with them a little (okay, a lot). Romances have so many opportunities for humor—after all, the only thing better than a chuckle is a chuckle followed by a sweetness-inspired aww. The Banter. Add a little sexual tension, and the…