I have written and published 30 novels (with 2 more written and waiting to be published). Readers often ask authors to choose which is their favorite book (that they have written). When I am asked this question, it is so hard…like being asked to choose your favorite child! For authors, our characters are so personal to us. We created them, know them, understand them. When they act in ways that perhaps they shouldn’t, we know why. When they are heroic, we know their challenges. But, for those of you who do not know my books, I have forced myself to choose my top five and why. Perhaps, you will find something that strikes a chord with you as well. Gabe (Alvarez Security Series) This was what I consider to be my breakout book, being the 8th book I wrote. The cover was certainly a hit with a hot guy on the front. It was my first attempt at writing “beyond” detectives and wrote about an elite security business. The men had been former squad members with the Army’s Special Forces. Each story begins with a scene from when they were in the military and as the story progresses, you see…

Writing any book—let alone a series—is always adventure. Even for a die-hard plotter like myself, there are twists, turns and surprises in every story. My Keeping Up With The Cavendishes series is no exception. Here’s a few things I learned while writing the four books in this series, including the newest (and final) one, IT’S HARD OUT HERE FOR A DUKE: Writing sibling banter is my favorite thing The Cavendish series is about an American family who unexpectedly inherits a dukedom in Regency England. As one does. The duke and his three sisters travel to London to…be ducal or something. As they attempt to navigate London high society, they lean on each other and tease each other, which made for some very fun scenes to write. Writing four novels that take place at the same time is…hard It’s true: the events of each of the four books in the series take place approximately at the same time as the others, so a reader might “attend” the same event in different books and experience it from multiple points of view. The hard part was making four different love stories intersect and connect…without spoiling it for any readers! That was the fun…

NEW RELEASE GIVEAWAY! Growing up in an Italian household meant lots of baking, shopping, gift wrapping, eating, and visiting of relatives the month of December. The week after Christmas was spent returning/exchanging gifts, making up cookie trays, and visiting relatives. And I’m not even talking about visiting different relatives. Sometimes we’d go to my grandparents’ house in South Philadelphia one night and then to my second Uncle’s house down the street the next night. And many of the same people would be there both nights! While the way I celebrate the Christmas season is a bit different from twenty plus years ago, there are still some core traditions I’ve kept and have hopefully instilled in my children. BELIEVE IN MY HEART, the fourth book in my award-winning Tangled Hearts series and newest release, is a holiday novella that takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The hero, Vinnie DiFrancesco, is a traditional guy. He’s a bit of a homebody and is looking for a lifelong partner who will share his dream of raising a family and running his family’s trattoria. Doesn’t sound that hard, right? Wrong. Vinnie’s had a rough time with relationships and all but given up finding the right…

In our home, the holidays are all about family, about coming together to celebrate our blessings and have fun. We’re a global bunch and people travel from all over to gather at our house. There’s lots of laughter and an excess of delicious foods. But the star of the evening is my Mom’s sangria. Ingredients: 1 bottle of your favorite red wine 2 oranges 2 apples 1 lemon 1 tablespoon of sugar 1/2 a liter of Sprite or Seven Up Preparation: Begin with a bottle of wine. I prefer a Cabernet Sauvignon, but you can choose your favorite red. Hint: The wine doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, just full-bodied and delicious. Next, slice oranges into thin wheels and cut up a couple of tart apples into small, square pieces. I use a red and a green apple to add variety to the flavors. Set the oranges aside and marinate the apples in a half a cup of wine. You can prepare the fruit early and keep it fresh and cold in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, pour the reminder of the wine into your favorite festive pitcher and add two cups of cold Sprite or…

It’s that time of year again—when families come together for various holiday celebrations and fill houses with laughter, bickering, and generally good times. Our holidays will be really low-key this year, which has me craving that loving chaos in any way I can get it—this year that means fictionally! I’ve put together five of my favorite family-based series that I love reading around this time of year (in no particular order): The SaDiablo family (The Black Jewels series, Anne Bishop). Revisiting Daemon, Lucivar, and Saetan every year in December is one of my favorite things to do. Their story is not an easy one, but it’s so rewarding and I’ve reread the books so many times, it’s like visiting old friends. The books are also great holiday reads because Winsol, their winter celebration, features heavily into many of the books. The Grey Family (Greys of Montana stories, Megan Crane). I first read Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy several years ago, and I was captivated by the Grey family. They’re so full of life and their history in Montanan is nothing short of spectacular. The entire series is a joy. The Sevenwaters family (The Sevenwaters Series, Juliet Marillier). The Sevenwaters is…

As a huge fan of Gilmore Girls, I always found myself wishing my life had a little bit of Stars Hollow in it. When I got the idea for THE SWEETHEART SHAM, my main character Georgie, made me immediately aware that her town had a similar charm to that one – but set in the south. (Which meant more quirk, more community, and more sweet tea.) I did a lot of research on charming small towns. I used to sit with my friend, Jenny, and take notes of her stories about the things that happened in her hometown. I think there’s a certain kind of quirkiness you can find in small towns—and especially in Culler, SC—so here are five reasons you will want to visit this town again and again. You can walk everywhere. With only one stoplight, the whole area of Culler is walkable. Finally, teenagers can have some freedom. You don’t need a car to get anywhere, but you can have one if you want some privacy. Just remember that everyone is watching where you go, so don’t get caught parking at Hickam Bridge or your momma will find out, and then bless your heart. Everything you need…

I use St. Petersburg, Florida, as the setting of the Webb’s Glass Shop Mysteries. I’ve lived here for more than forty years now and am considered to be ‘nearly native.’ Some readers have mentioned that the setting comes across as a character – exactly what I strive to accomplish. However, just like an individual, the city is undergoing change and growth as our city embraces it’s Florida quirky. For example, about ten years ago, the city exploded in two distinctive areas: craft beer brewing and vibrant outdoor murals. The city has struggled at times with accommodating these emerging cultural changes. At last count, there were more than 30 breweries in the county that create beers suited to the climate and culture. The St. Pete/Clearwater Craft Beer Trail (aka the “Gulp Coast”) runs from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg, which is an hour’s drive, end to end. The area’s signature craft beer is named Florida Weisse, a Berliner Weisse-style beer (tart, low-alcohol, highly carbonated) given a unique spin by local brewers during the fermentation process through the addition of fresh fruits like key lime, raspberry, mango, dragon fruit, pineapple and passion fruit. My favorite local brews are the Beach Blonde Ale…

Who are the top five couples in movies that started off as friends? This legit is one of my FAVORITE questions 🙂 If you’ve done any light stalking on me, you’ll likely know that my husband and I were friends for years before we woke up and realized we were soulmates 😉 So, naturally, one of my favorite tropes in books or movies is friends to lovers. Picking a top five was hard, but I seriously loved revisiting my favorite friendly couples! Below are my top five and the reasons why they make me swoon! Hermione and Ron from HARRY POTTER This is my number one friends-to-lovers couple because, well, I’m a total Harry Potter nerd! *Ravenclaw in the house!*There was something so beautiful about watching the progression of Ron and Hermione’s relationship throughout the books and movies. Their friendship was rocky at first and then grew into this solid foundation on which they shaped their lives. Then, once that spark was lit between them, and they gave into the chemistry between them it was like…BOOM! Now they have that great friendship dynamic plus the amazing connection when taking it a step further. It really sets them up for a…

The earthy, gritty, dangerous atmosphere for HAVEN was inspired, in large part, by where it takes place. Once I’d decided it should be set in the Texas Hill Country due to the large amount of German immigrants who settled there in the 1800’s (the magic is steeped in German witch and shifter lore), I visited the area for a while. One of my excursions was to The Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. Not only did my visit add some dimension to the characters, it added texture to the story—prickly, spikey texture. What struck me on my visit to Enchanted Rock was that the terrain seemed out to get me. Everything had sharp edges or thorns which influenced several scenes, including the one below, in which Rain remembers Freddie had no shoes the last time he’d seen her, which wouldn’t be remarkable unless you were walking through this: Excerpt from HAVEN God. She wanted to talk again. He wasn’t sure he could form words, much less walk after she touched him like that. He climbed the fence, trying to get his shit together before he answered. “Well, Gerald acted weird.” “He always does.” She moved up the trail as if she…

Can you imagine falling in love on a deserted island? Maybe there’s a golden, sandy beach, peach-colored sunsets, margaritas, not a single grain up your bikini bottom, and a shrimp cocktail waiting for you somewhere… Wait. This isn’t really realistic, is it? How did you get there? How will you get off? Did you bring sunscreen? What will you do when you get third degree burns, or run out of fresh water, or get hungry after all the shrimp is gone? Who’s going to kill that coconut crab that’s bigger than your head and wants to eat you too? Aren’t there sharks out there somewhere??? These are the things I think of when considering to write about falling in love on a deserted island. I actually did this—and the book is entitled The November Girl (Entangled Teen, out November 7th). But it wasn’t on a beautiful Caribbean island, or in Bali, for that matter. I chose a less inviting island. Isle Royale, on Lake Superior. Okay, it sounds pretty sweet. But Isle Royale is a beast. It’s hard to get to (you need to take a 2-6 hour ferry ride just to get there). There are no roads, or cars,…