As I’m about to read SERPENTINE – the latest book in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series – and dive into a world of vampires, hunters, and wereleopards, it got me thinking about my love of romances featuring animal shifters. I enjoy a good vampire story, but in the age-old debate over blood suckers vs furry warriors – I’m Team Werewolf. I love werewolves, werebears, werehoney badgers, and everything in between. And how amazing are heroes who also happen to turn into dragons? Recently I’ve read a bunch of fabulous new releases with shape shifters of all sorts as main characters – MIDNIGHT WOLF by Jennifer Ashley, HOT AND BADGERED by Shelly Laurenston, ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND WOLF by Terry Spear, WICKED AND WILD by Cynthia Eden, and the anthology THE BIG ALPHA IN TOWN with stories by Eve Langais, Millie Taiden, and Kate Baxter. MIDNIGHT WOLF by Jennifer Ashley Shifters Unbound #11 Angus Murray, bouncer for a New Orleans Shifter bar, is sent to round up an elusive, Collar-less Shifter woman, Tamsin Calloway, who is causing trouble for Shifter Bureau, and possesses information they want. If Angus refuses, he risks losing his cub. He finds Tamsin but she’s…

I understand the Fresh Fiction readers love lists. Well, have I got a list for you! All of my books in the same Boston paranormal world. STRANGE NEIGHBORS THE WEREWOLF UPSTAIRS THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR FLIRTING UNDER A FULL MOON HOW TO DATE A DRAGON KISSING WITH FANGS I DREAM OF DRAGONS MY WILD IRISH DRAGON NEVER DARE A DRAGON HOOKED ON A PHOENIX (just released!) You know you’ve created a successful world when your editor asks for more books set in that world. My new series (Phoenix Brothers—Book 1, HOOKED ON A PHOENIX (March 6th) is a spin-off of book 2 in the Boston Dragons series. Oh! And the Boston Dragons series is a spin-off of book 2 in the Flirting with Fangs series! And, oh yeah, the Flirting with Fangs series is a spin-off of book 2 in the Strange Neighbors series! Yeah…always book 2. Weird coincidence? Or numbers? Knowing that publishers are keeping track of things like sales, I can pretty much guess it has to do with numbers. I’m not a math person or a business person. I’m a creative person—not that those things are mutually exclusive! More and more authors are becoming business savvy. I’m…

I am so excited to be given this opportunity. Swoon Worthy and Alpha Male are two phrases that are guaranteed to bring giddiness to romance readers, and a frenzy of one-clicks on the eBook sites. For an author in the genre, we must give our Alphas the traits that will require a fainting couch and a cold shower. Here are a few of mine. A strong heroine. I love to read about an Alpha who wants to keep his woman safe, but knows that she is strong enough to take care of herself. He will save the day, and fight off any and all enemies, but does not expect her to sit on the sidelines and watch all of this happen. Oh no. A capable heroine has the ability to vanquish any sort of enemy (werewolves or vampires, medieval feudal lords or crooked Old West lawmen), but she also feels a certain amount of satisfaction knowing that her man has her back. I’m going to borrow a member of one of Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed for this trait. There was a scene in Kiss of Crimson where Tess (the heroine) was at an art gallery and Dante walked in. He…