I admit it, I am a pop culture binger. As an author, I’m pretty focused, so I don’t allow myself many distractions when I’m in work mode, but in between projects…watch out, I’m watching! There are a couple shows I do make time for during the week because I have to watch in real time. I can’t stand to be left out. This Is Us I have watched, and bawled, weekly since episode one. I love my hour with the Pearson family each week. I have a rather impatient relationship with Kevin. Most of the time, he aggravates me, but then…there are flashes of greatness. The pushmi-pullyu nature of Kate and Toby’s love affair hits me in all of the feels. Toby may even be creeping past Jack to compete for second billing in my affections. But no one can touch Sterling K. Brown as Randall, as far as I’m concerned. I love him and every one of his neuroses. I love how he loves Beth and the rest of his family. And I am so grateful that the show runners are still allowing us glimpses of William. *sigh* I just love that show. The Voice I keep waiting for…

I’ve always been a plot-oriented writer–which can be good news or bad. Fortunately, the idea for BEYOND DANGER, book #2 of my Texas Trilogy, came to me while I was working on book #1. Beau Reese, co-owner of Texas American Enterprises, is black-haired, blue-eyed, and sexy as hell. He was once a highly successful race car driver, sort of a Texas Paul Newman. Beau loves fast cars and fast women. He is also wanted for murder. Private Detective, Cassidy Jones, is smart and beautiful and she’s no pushover. Lucky for Beau, she’s also determined to prove his innocence. When the idea came to me for the first book in the trilogy, BEYOND REASON, I knew I wanted to write multiple stories set around Lincoln Cain. Since Linc owned a company that demanded a lot of his time, I figured he needed a partner to help while he was trying to protect the heroine, Carly Drake, from a dangerous drug lord. As I began working on the second book, the beginning was easy. Beau was in the wrong place at the wrong time, making him the prime suspect in his father’s murder. The trick was to follow the clues that would…

Writers all get their start as avid readers, and most of us never stop devouring books. One of the coolest benefits of being an author is getting the inside scoop about upcoming books. So, I want to share with you some of the books that have just released within the past month – or are coming soon – that I’ve already read and loved, or can’t wait to get my hands on! Here are those books – and a secret look behind the scenes from each author! (Make sure you read to the bottom to see how you can win signed copies of two of these fabulous books now!) BREAKING POINT by Allison Brennan What it’s about: Lucy Kincaid is on the hot-seat with her new boss, but that won’t stop her from helping her friend JT Caruso find his sister, who goes missing while working undercover in a human trafficking organization. Go behind the scenes: Breaking Point is a Lucy Kincaid book, but former cop Bella Caruso kicks off the book and I immediately fell in love with her. Bella is both smart and dangerous, and is willing to take any risk to protect the most innocent in society….

Dylan Anders is making amends …to his family …to the public …to the woman who just walked into his life Paige Walters must learn to forgive …her busy father …her bossy sister …and the wonderful man she horribly misjudged Ambitious Paige Walters is ecstatic when she’s hired to recruit musicians for a literacy campaign—it’s her chance to prove she’s got the chops to make it in the family business. When Dylan steps in, she immediately dislikes him and vows not to let the fallen idol screw it up. But as the work brings Paige and Dylan closer together, their attraction grows…and so do their challenges… Writing a series about a fictitious rock band has been so much fun and so different from the stories I usually write. I was looking for something new and fresh to create for my readers and I think I was able to totally pull that off with the Band on the Run series. ONE MORE PROMISE is book two in the series (ONE MORE KISS came out last February) and I had the best time writing Dylan and Paige’s story. One of the reasons it was so much fun was because I totally had a…

If you have people in your life who aren’t huge fiction readers (why are you doing this to yourself), then you may find them rolling their eyes when you share some insight into life that you gleaned from a book. However, throughout my reading life, I’ve found myself taking away profound words of wisdom from some of my favorite characters. Today I wanted to share some words of wisdom from THE DATING DEBATE because, sometimes, fictional characters reveal real truths. Valentine’s Day was probably a marketing ploy thought up by florists, so they could sell overpriced flowers to desperate guys who were hoping to get laid. All meals should end in chocolate. You should buy a healthy mix of paperbacks and ebooks, just in case there is an EMP blast that knocks out all digital content. If you have no paperbacks you’d have nothing to read and that would be a true apocalypse scenario. In real life, if you’re unhappy, you need to work to change yourself. Having someone who cares about you helps, but it’s not a magic anti-jerk pill. Life lesson is code for things that suck. Dogs/pets unravel the stress in your soul. They’re like furry four-footed…

He doesn’t always have to be the hero. I love when the hero’s there to help when he’s needed, but he also knows when to step back and trust that his love can handle the situation. It’s great getting rescued and all, but sometimes it’s more fun to be the one to rescue him. He’s shy. Confidence is hot, sure, but I have a soft spot for a rough and tough guy who gets a bit tongue-tied in the presence of his crush, especially if… He’s also secretly hilarious. If he makes me laugh, he’ll steal my heart. He’s really good at horseback riding. Whether he’s a cowboy or a Mountie, there’s just something about a man who knows what he’s doing on a horse. The tight pants don’t hurt, either. He loves animals. I mean, puppies and hot guys? Yes. Grumpy cats and hot guys? Yes. Rescued baby goats and hot guys? Yes. The combination of fuzzy animals and hot guys works every time. When someone steps in to help an animal in need (even if it’s just in need of snuggles), there’s really nothing more heroic (or more adorable) than that. SURVIVE THE NIGHT by Katie Ruggle Rocky…

Those who know me, know I am not a plotter. Not even just a little. I have some hardcore plotter friends and I’m always impressed with their color coded documents and the ease with which they fill out those conflict worksheets. And though there’s a part of me who will always wonder, “But how do you know that happens in Chapter Six?” I’m always a tad bit jealous of my plotting peers. I promise, I’ve tried to plot. I’ve been to classes, listened to talks, and even fill out a document or two. But I eventually accepted I will always be a pantster who flies by the seat of my pants. I love writing this way. It’s what allows the magic to happen. And it’s comfortable for me. However, I’ve found that when you don’t plan out what happens next, sometimes you don’t know what happens next, and you find yourself staring at a blank sheet of paper, willing the words to appear onscreen. Because I’ve yet have words suddenly appear on my screen, here’s what I do when that happens. Skip to the next scene Or at least to the next scene where you know something happens. It’s okay…

Guess why I love March? I’m a Shakespeare addict and I get to go around warning everyone to “Beware the Ides of March” I’m a trivia nut and I love telling people that the Ides of March is March 15. I’m a huge basketball nut and March Madness is sacred in my house It’s the month when we get flashes of the spring to come. And wow, do I long for spring. Alpha Unleashed comes out on March 6 and I get to celebrate it all month long! Answer: E –The newest Grizzlies Gone Wild book comes out March 6 and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Cover and back cover copy are below. (My big reveal!) And if you want to win signed, print copies of the first trilogy, then enter the contest below. As for the other options, I’m really bad at trivia including Shakespeare trivia, so A and B are out. And though my husband enjoys March Madness, I usually read while he’s cheering on the Michigan Wolverines. (Go blue!) Answer D is true because I am anxious for spring, but that means I adore the month of May and have been known to sing “The Lusty Month…

The first week of February is always cold. Even in Texas, we’re in the thirties and I have to say, the temperature is the one number I want to see move upward this month. Not the ugly bathroom scale number. Not the ridiculous prices at the grocery store. And certainly not the eye-popping numbers on my eye glass prescription. Those are bad numbers, but I do have a good number for you to consider—the four books I’m featuring this week! MURDER ON THE ROCKS by Shawn Reilly Simmons Red Carpet Catering #5 After surviving a brazen attack at one of her favorite local cafes, Penelope Sutherland is ready to escape the big city and head to her next film set. She and her Red Carpet Catering crew set up their kitchen on location in the tranquil mountains of Vermont. But peace and quiet aren’t on the menu. It starts to get hot when a series of accidents befall the celebrity tennis pro consulting on the film. Then mix in an uptight director, an isolated location, and a quirky bunch of locals with secrets of their own and that’s a recipe for disaster. Penelope soon suspects a connection between the cafe…

Thank you so much for having me on the Fresh Fiction blog. I’m thrilled to be here to talk to readers about the first book, A FAMILY FOR THE RANCHER, in my new series, Cowboys to Grooms, with Harlequin Western Romance. I love cowboys—specifically the horse-riding, boot-wearing, yeehawing type, not the football-playing type. So when I had a dream a couple of years ago about five brothers who worked a ranch in Montana with their dad, I knew I had to turn it into a story. Or actually, into five stories, since of course I had to focus on one brother per book. *GRIN* How do I love cowboys? Let me count the ways. They evoke a sense of honor, a code of ethics, that no one else has. Book one, A FAMILY FOR THE RANCHER, introduces the oldest brother, Nash. Home from the military, and a lot worse for wear, he has a code of ethics that saw him through battles that nearly broke him. He’s struggling to find his place again, with the family and on the ranch. They love the land they live, work, and play on. In book two, FALLING FOR THE REBEL COWBOY, Wyatt Sullivan…