Thank you to Fresh Fiction for having me here today! Food, glorious food. As a fulltime author, I write all hours of the day, morning, noon, and night. Funny thing, though. I’ll be searing the keyboard with a high-octane car chase or a steamy bedroom scene or snarking it up with a good viola joke (although really, is there such a thing as a bad viola joke? lol) when the urge hits me. I take my characters to a restaurant and sit them down for a good meal. Juicy sausage, crisp fried potatoes, creamy beer cheese soup. Or maybe an orange-cranberry scone, glossy frosting dripping off its steamy, tender pastry to pool glistening onto the plate. Which usually means it’s lunchtime at Casa Hughes, lol. Because my series is set in a small Midwest town settled by German immigrants, bratwurst and schnitzel feature heavily. It started me thinking—food is like romance novels. Why? From paranormal to billionaire to suspense, romance is often identified by its (sub)genres. And food…well, what do you think of when I list spaghetti Bolognese, five-cheese lasagna, and mushroom risotto? How about spring rolls, sweet-and-sour pork, and Peking duck? Doesn’t the first conjure up images of red-and-white…

Last week, I had the pleasure of being an author at the Historical Romance Retreat in Spokane, WA. Delilah Marvelle and Renée Bernard did an incredible job. I thought I was way cool in a teal blue Regency gown created by Victoria Vane and a costume from the Titanic movie. I was put to shame by the fabulous outfits so many women wore. And as for the men, oh la la, they looked quite impressive. Workshops included writing using a quill (I was horrible), a perfume class (very fun), a hat-making class with Eloisa James (mine fell apart), and of course author chats. Delilah worked with the chef to create amazing historical foods which we ate during Low Tea, Absinthe night, and the Grand Ball. We also got to see a fun period movie at the Bing Crosby theater, and then we enjoyed ballroom dances at the Grand Ball. There are many pictures on the website www.historicalromanceretreat.com. My poor photography skills were not up to the task but I will show you some of the wonderful costumes that I was able to capture on my phone. Next year’s retreat will be in the Los Angeles area. I won’t be allowed…

TWELVE REASONS YOU’LL LOVE CHARLEY DAVIDSON She’s the grim reaper. She’s irreverent to the extreme. She’s turned sass into an Olympic sport. She can see dead people. She has a hot husband, both literally and metaphorically. She names her body parts. She has a rad Jeep Wrangler name Misery. She solves crimes. She looks great in jeans. (At least her ass does.) She lives on coffee, chocolate and sarcasm. Mostly sarcasm. She has a heart of solid gold alloy. She risks her life to right the wrongs of the world. Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series, The Trouble with Twelfth Grave. THE TROUBLE WITH TWELFTH GRAVE by Darynda Jones Charley Davidson #12 Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series. Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidently trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the…