“You’re not coming home to Fairbanks during the monthlong summer break in the Senate, Jess?” Senator Jessup Outlaw moved around his bedroom packing while talking to his oldest brother, Garth, on his cell. “No. I met up with Spencer last month when he was in DC on business. Reggie and I joined him one night for drinks.” Spencer Westmoreland was their cousin from California who owned a huge vineyard near Napa Valley. Reginald Westmoreland was Spencer’s brother and also a fellow senator. “Spencer invited me to visit him and Chardonnay at the Russell Vineyards. Since many of you are busy right now and will be down there for the anniversary celebration at the end of the month anyway, I decided to accept his invitation.” “What about town hall meetings with your constituents?” “I held several while home for Sloan’s wedding, so I’m good there. Everyone needs a vacation, even senators.” Jess, as he was known to his family and friends, was thirty-eight and a senator for his state of Alaska. He also had four brothers and a sister who kept him busy. All Jess’s siblings worked for the family-owned business, Outlaw Freight Lines. He’d worked there as a corporate attorney…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A MATTER OF HIVE AND DEATH out March 29, 2022. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? It’s the second in the Oregon Honeycomb Series. For the picturesque town of Oceanview on the Oregon Coast, May brings blossoming fruit trees and the annual UFO festival. As Aunt Eloise tries out alien costumes on their Havana brown cat Everett, Wren is off to meet with a bee wrangler, her go-to guy for local fruit tree honey. But when she arrives, Elias Brentwood is lying on the ground amidst destroyed hives and a swarm of angry bees. The bees didn’t kill him, a blow to the head did. As blue-eyed Officer Jim Hampton investigates and the town is invaded by its own swarm of conspiracy theorists and crackpots, Wren and Aunt Eloise decide the only way to catch the bee wrangler’s killer is to set up a sting… 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I love the Oregon coast and traveled there several times while living in Portland. I knew it had to be featured in a book. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real…

Who doesn’t love maps? Sure, they can be confusing, puzzling, and downright impossible to fold, but the adventures they hold are amazing. When I saw the latest release by Peng Shephard, THE CARTOGRAPHERS, I had to check it out. It’s a little bit adventure, a little bit mystery, and a whole lot of intrigue and fun. Peng is definitely a writer you want to keep on your list of go-to of authors, so of course I had to invite her to sit down with us at the Cozy Corner and find out how her heroine, Nell Young, came to life.   Kym:  Welcome to the Cozy Corner, Peng! Peng: Thrilled to be here!   Kym: Maps, I love maps! The art of map reading has been lost on the youth of today thanks to GPS giving them directions and that’s why I loved the premise of your latest release, THE CARTOGRAPHERS. How good of a map reader/folder, are you? Peng: Pretty good, although I definitely got a lot better during the writing of this novel! I spent a lot of time looking at one map in particular, the map which the book is based on—by the time I finished writing the manuscript, I knew the…

Your novel, THE BUCHAREST DOSSIER, takes place in 1989 in Romania. Why choose that time and place for your story? What’s your inspiration? By December of 1989, the satellite countries of the Soviet Union had transitioned to democracy through their own versions of a “velvet,” peaceful revolution. All except one: Romania. Its leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, was a Stalinist tyrant who held the country in a tight grip through the use of his dreaded secret police, the Securitate. Romania would become the only former Soviet satellite to have a violent revolution, resulting in over 1,200 deaths, though exact numbers are still not available. And to this day, the people of Romania are still asking whether it was truly a popular revolution, or a coup directed by outside forces. Having been born in Romania, that period of history intrigued me. I have visited Romania many times, both during the communist years and afterward. I believe I can provide an accurate depiction of life under a totalitarian regime both from personal experience and through the eyes of relatives and friends who still live there. I think that in today’s world, it would be enlightening for the public to see what a totalitarian regime…

In MOUNTAIN MURDER INVESTIGATION, your hero is an academic and your heroine is a cop. Was that an interesting dynamic to write? A lot of times, in stories with a cop hero, he tries (with good intentions but also often annoying) to direct the heroine he wants to protect. Does Aiden find it difficult taking his lead from Raven when it comes to his protection? Or do they more so work together? Great question! Going into the story, I didn’t anticipate any issues. I quickly realized it was going to be a challenge to find balance in their relationship. I’m used to writing take-charge heroes, and I didn’t want to portray Aiden as weak. On the flip side, I couldn’t discount that Raven is the professional. Because Aiden respects her position and experience, he follows her guidance. He’s very protective of her, however—she is the love of his life, the one he walked away from in order to keep safe. He is more concerned with her wellbeing than his own. I hope readers come away satisfied with Aiden and Raven’s journey back to each other and the love they thought lost forever.     Based on the book description for…

The heroes in your romantic suspense novels seem to be former military, alpha types. What inspires you about these types of heroes? I’ve always been attracted to a man in uniform. There’s just something about them that seems to scream integrity and heroic. Now, I know that’s not always true, but it makes for a great romance! I also married my own man in military (Mr. Stoker was in the Army for 21 years!)   Since so many of your heroes are uber-tough, are there certain qualities you try and incorporate into all your heroines? I happen to think all of us are way tougher than we give ourselves credit for. The things life throws at us can be horrific, sad, scary, and all sorts of other emotions. I write stories where the heroines act in ways I’d LIKE to act if I was ever in one of the situations, I put them though (But I have a feeling I would fall way short!). I’d love for all my readers to see their inner strength in themselves through my characters.   What is your favorite aspect of a novel to write – action scenes, relationship/romance, descriptive, or dialogue? As a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? ALWAYS ON MY MIND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The nerdy science professor and the social butterfly… The darling of the Bishop family is back in Magnolia Sound. But not by choice. When her homecoming doesn’t go quiet as planned, Parker goes on the hunt for a place to stay – and spots a flier with a familiar name. Meanwhile, Professor Ethan Harlow simply wanted a roommate to help with expenses. What he got was the girl with the big personality that he remembered from school who was turning his quiet world upside down. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since this is book ten in my Magnolia Sound series, that was the easy part! Lol! 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? I think I would. Parker’s everybody’s friend and super easy to chat with. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Quiet, brilliant, thorough 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned about the day spa business and the importance of wall colors! It was kind of fascinating 7–Do you edit as you draft or…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SUMMER AT STALLION RIDGE. Harlequin HQN, comes out March 29th. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Can two old friends rekindle the spark that brought them together even though their pasts are littered with land mines? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I wanted a small fictional Texas town similar to the one where I grew up so I created Last Ride, Texas, a ranching town filled with colorful characters and hot cowboys. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes, I would. Emory designs and makes wedding dresses, and she has a lot of interesting clients. Added to that, she has a great sense of humor. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Hot, tough, loyal 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a lot about making wedding dresses and just how much work goes into them. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I usually wait until I’m done to edit. I’m a plotter so I plow through the first draft and then do a major polish. 8–What’s your…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Debbie Johnson! Writes: I write books about the kinds of women you’d want to be friends with – the apparently ordinary ones who are actually incredibly special! We all know women like that, right? In fact maybe you even are one! I’m always fascinated by the ups and downs of life, how we overcome adversity, by our resilience, by the strength we find even when we think we’re running on empty. Broadly speaking, you could say I write love stories – but not just love stories in the traditional sense, I have a lot of fun exploring female friendships, the ways we find our own communities, the families we were born with and the families we build for ourselves. About: I’m a mother of three kids, one of whom is technically an adult, and the dog-mama of my two best friends (they have four legs and are covered in fur). I am both outgoing and quiet, depending on my mood – life and soul…

In RILEY, your heroine Regina is threatened by some unknown creep. In some romantic suspense books I’ve read, the author gives the perspective of the unknown villain, in addition to the hero and heroine’s. Do you do that in your book? In most of them, yes. RILEY was written as a category romances ages ago, and back then, we were only allowed two perspectives. Once I left category, I had more freedom, and I love exploring the “bad guys” in depth. Additionally, sometimes the bad guys aren’t so bad. Sometimes they redeem themselves, or they soften – and occasionally those changes happen without my input. I’m very much guided by my characters. The way I create a story is that I sit down and start writing and the characters do what they want. shrug So far, it’s worked for me, thank goodness. When things happen, I’m often as surprised as the reader.   Is it difficult maintaining the tension or threat of danger throughout the book? Do you try to evenly balance the action and suspense with the romance and one or two lighter moments? Again, honestly, I don’t know how any of it works. I don’t deliberately set up…