We’ve all been told never to judge a book by its cover, but the truth is, that’s exactly what we do, especially when we’re shopping at an online site. Graphic designers work hard to create covers that, even in a size no larger than your fingernail, grab your eyes and don’t let go. So what happens when, seduced by that gorgeous cover, we buy the book only to discover that the story inside doesn’t deliver on the implicit promise of that cover? The author described the hero as an adorable beta male, but the alpha guy on the cover would make the head of a werewolf pack slink away in fear. The story was erotic paranormal, but the cover was a cutesy cartoon. The heroine of the story was a fiery redhead, but the cover model was a die-away blonde. The cover depicted smoldering lust between the H/H, but the story was cozy small-town love. The story featured characters with diverse backgrounds, but the cover models were all Caucasians. The book was part of a series, but the cover looks nothing like the other books in the series. Mismatches of this sort can create all kinds of issues for not…

Fake relationships: Fake fiances, marriages of convenience – however you work it, I love me some fake relationships. I’ve written quite a few MOCs because I write historicals, but I read a lot of contemporary fake fiancé books and I can never get enough of them. It reminds me of that scene in Leap Year where they’re at that farmhouse and the family makes them kiss – totally cliched, but it works! Best friends to lovers: Admittedly I’ve never written one of these myself, but I read a bunch of them. I’ve always been a sucker for this trope. Frankly I think it stems from the fact that my sister married her best friend when I was like 13 so right at that ripe age for falling in love with falling in love. You get my gist. But it’s just the best for people who already love each other to realize that love can now involve sexy times. Nerds in love: OMG! I’m not sure this is an actual trope, but we’re going to call it one for my purposes. I don’t care if it’s the hero or the heroine that’s the nerd, there’s just something about the awkward sexiness…

A RING TO TAKE HIS REVENGE started out as a very different story. One that didn’t quite work the first time round. But with my editor’s careful guidance I found my way towards the right story for Antonio and Emma. Of all the changes that I made, Emma was the one who took me by surprise the most. In her, I found a survivor. Someone who had battled to be where she is when she meets Antonio. After a double mastectomy at the age of 17, she is on the road to reaching her living list goals, but Antonio is about to make her realise that she isn’t done fighting yet, because now she must reach for what she wants for herself. Cancer is something that affects so many of us, whether personally or through family members, friends, or loved ones. And it’s different for every single person. I would not claim to have represented everyone’s struggle with it, nor do I believe that there is a right or wrong way to take that fight to where it needs to go. You do what you have to do. My mother was sixty when she was diagnosed and it rocked us….

Back in early 2014 I first conceived the town of Blue Valley, Montana—the setting of both my Big Sky Cowboys series, and my current Navy SEAL Cowboys series. From the very beginning, it was a rough-and-tumble town inhabited by rough-and-tumble people. Most of the cowboys weren’t your traditional sort—a disgraced hockey player, the town screw up, and then a trio of Navy SEALs with physical and emotional scars. It’s that trio that makes up my Navy SEAL Cowboys series this year. It’s been a truly amazing experience to write about three injured SEALs coming to Blue Valley to build a ranch that will act as a foundation for wounded veterans such as themselves—those who need a place to feel useful again, to engage in some therapeutic horsemanship. And in the case of Revival Ranch’s three SEAL founders, fall in love. Coming to the end of a series is never easy. It’s a bit like moving away from home. For four years, I’ve spent a lot of time in Blue Valley, and for the past two I’ve been building Revival Ranch right along with my characters. I’ve spent hours there, imagining what it looks like, sounds like, and sometimes even smells…

It’s no secret that I absolutely adore ménage stories. There’s something just downright decadent about having three (or more) people getting hot and heavy in a relationship. The relationship arcs often take similar paths that you see in romances with two main characters, but a really good ménage has an extra level of depth because of the complicated relationship dynamics. It’s really four relationships in one! Each character must have a satisfying relationship with the other two members of the triad, and there’s the triad as a whole that needs to function smoothly. Whether these relationships are MMF (male-male- female; where the heroes are bisexual and intimate with each other as well as the heroine) or MFM (male-female-male; where the heroes share the heroine but aren’t intimate sexually with each other), they are so much fun to read! It’s definitely complicated, but when you find an author or book who pulls it off spectacularly, it’s one of the most rewarding reader experiences to have. You get the awesome relationships, and the opportunity to read some of the hottest sex scenes out there. Two is amazing, always and forever, but three (or more) just ups the game to a whole new…

It was 2005 and I was a frustrated wannabe novelist. I’d been wanting to write a thriller for years, but every time I started one, I found that my story wasn’t as fresh and original as I needed it to be. I was about ready to give up. Then one day, while researching investigative techniques, I stumbled across an article about geospatial investigation, a little known, cutting-edge way of analyzing the timing, location, and progression of serial crimes that the FBI was starting to use. It was unique, different, and perfect for my story. Everything began to click and FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers was born. THE PAWN released in 2007 and my life would never be the same again. Since each book takes me around a year to research and write, chronicling Patrick’s adventures and cases has been a labor of love for more than a decade. And now, with the release of the eleventh and final book, EVERY WICKED MAN, the long-running series is coming to an end and it’s come time to say goodbye to my old friend. In my search for authentic locations and characters, writing this series has been a journey that has taken me…

Asking a former librarian to tell you her favorite library is a lot like asking a mom who her favorite kid is. Impossible! I have been very fortunate to work and visit some of the coolest libraries in the world. Every single one of these jobs or tours has helped me write the library lover’s mysteries, which has its ninth title, HITTING THE BOOKS, coming out on September 11th! It’s so exciting to see this series and the characters within it develop with each new story, but I digress! My favorite library is… Yeah, no, I can’t choose so I’ll tell you my top three – in no particular order. First, there is the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. I was fortunate enough to do a tour of duty there while I was in library school and it was one of the most transformative experiences in my education. Housed in an iconic building, they have a collection which has to be seen to be believed. Samples of their holdings include works by Benjamin Franklin, John James Audubon, George Eliot, the Mellon Collection of Alchemy and the Occult, the Romanov family photo albums,…

Yeah! Sliding Home releases to the world August 13. I’m so excited for this book, you have no idea. My editor likes this hero best because… (guess) He’s a fireman. Or he was until he became a hot baseball shortstop. He’s got family issues and who doesn’t? He seduces good girl Ellie in a really unusual balcony scene. She’s always had a thing for baseball players. In her words, “They have the best butts of anyone professional athlete.” Answer: All of the above! Yes my editor loves this book for a variety of reasons, all of which include the sexy hero, baseball yumminess, and his realistic family issues. The chemistry just worked right in the book. Plus, she loves how the book came to be. Guess where I got the idea for the heroine’s “Rejection Therapy” A backyard barbeque when every single person said a hard “No!” to my potato and avocado salad On the side of a tube of toothpaste. Some of us read everything including whatever’s hanging around the bathroom. So there it was on the side of a tube of Sensodyne. TED talks. It was a very learned (and fun) piece about wanting Olympic ring donuts and…

When I was writing THE MORAL COMPASS, the first novel in the Shaking the Tree trilogy, I went in search of a suitable image for the cover. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any pictures of women in 1850s costume that even came close to what I wanted. So, using my knowledge of history of costume, pattern making and garment construction, I made a costume, found a model and photographed the image I had in my head. Most people would probably leave it there. However, I was writing a trilogy, so I had to make more costumes for the different periods in which my books were set. A bustle dress for the 1870s and a leg-O-mutton sleeve ensemble with a huge hat for the 1890s came next. This process has sparked an obsession. I love everything about making costumes; from the research, sourcing the fabric and trims, drafting the pattern, construction of the garment, making the accessories, and the hours of hand finishing these garments require. And the cherry on the cake is photographing the completed outfits so the images will make good book covers. So far, I’ve made garments representing the Regency period (c.1815), early Victorian (1840s), mid-Victorian (1850s), mid-late Victorian…

Your new book – MAVERICK – is a spin-off of your “Cat Star Chronicles” series. What made you want to revisit that world? How are the two series connected? Basically, this is a next-generation series. The children born to the characters in the previous books have grown up and are falling in love while getting tangled up in all manner of exciting adventures. I’m giddy that the hero in MAVERICK is the son of one of my all-time favorite characters – Captain Jack. Will longtime readers see shades of his mother? What qualities do you like endowing a hero with? Who are some of your favorite heroes – both ones you’ve written and ones by other authors? Funny thing about Larry, he’s like his mother in more ways than he realizes, except for one. His language isn’t as colorful as Jack’s. Call it a child rebelling against his parents, but you won’t catch him saying any swear words that the average reader would object to. What his Scorillian navigator, Brak, thinks about his favorite figures of speech is something else altogether. 🙂 I like handsome heroes who are intelligent, have a good sense of humor, aren’t too stuck on themselves,…