Dear Readers: I started reading epic fantasy in high school, and I quickly devoured every single epic fantasy book that I could get my hands on. In fact, the very first (unpublished) book that I ever wrote back in college was an epic fantasy. That’s why I’m so thrilled to finally be writing my own epic fantasy series. KILL THE QUEEN is book #1 in my Crown of Shards series. KILL THE QUEEN focuses on Everleigh Blair, a royal who is distantly in line for the throne of Bellona, a kingdom steeped in gladiator tradition. But when the unthinkable happens, Evie finds herself fighting for her life—both inside and outside the gladiator arena. So the book is sort of like Gladiator meets Game of Thrones with a kick-butt heroine. If you are looking for a fantasy book with a strong heroine, plus lots of action, adventure, magic, and a healthy dose of romance, then you should check out KILL THE QUEEN. You can read the first chapter of KILL THE QUEEN on my website I hope that everyone enjoys getting to know Evie and all the other characters in KILL THE QUEEN. Happy reading! 🙂 New York Times bestselling author…

How many of you have thought of setting as a character?   As readers, don’t we all love to be taken away and sucked into the world we are reading about?   A great example of getting sucked into the world you are reading about is Julie Ann Walker’s Black Knights Inc. series. While I have never been to Chicago or been immersed in the biker culture, I could vividly picture it. She deftly draws you into the world until you can not only see it, you can hear and smell it as well. It’s like you’re in Chicago. Of course, I’d heard about settings being their own character, but it never really sank in until I was writing Dark Water. Not only did the lush beauty surrounding the Louisiana bayou firmly claim its place in the story, but New Orleans tagged in and brought its own personality to the page.   My ideas come to me randomly and in a different way every time I begin a new story. It can be plot, character… Etc. Well, you get the idea. With Dark Water it was my heroine, Evangeline’s Cajun grandmother, Maw Maw, who came to me first, and the…