As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2018, our Meet the Author interviews help you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 9-11. Read on to get acquainted with Piper J. Drake, and purchase your ticket to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! Pitch us your newest book in one sentence. Be sure to include the book title. K9 handler Arin Siri and security specialist Jason Lande join forces to take down a human trafficking ring in the Hawaiian islands in FIERCE JUSTICE. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, who would you choose and what would you do? I’d love to meet King, Arin Siri’s canine partner from FIERCE JUSTICE. We’d take my Corgi, Corbin, and go for a long doggy play date. What gets your creative juices flowing when you’re brainstorming a new story? Music and movement help my thoughts flow. I put together playlists to listen to, dance alone in my apartment or hotel room, or go for long walks. Which part of Readers & ‘ritas are you most excited about? This is my first Readers & ‘ritas and I’m very excited to meet all…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2018, our Meet the Author interviews help you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 9-11. Read on to get acquainted with S.M. Butler, and purchase your ticket to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! Pitch us your newest book in one sentence. Be sure to include the book title. HIS LAST BREATH: Former Navy SEAL must protect a secretive senator’s daughter from her own family while sexual chemistry combusts between them. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, who would you choose and what would you do? If I had to choose only one, I think I’d meet Jordan Levi, from my upcoming Reapers Strike Force series. He’s patient, easy-going, and loves to laugh. He’s also sneaky, violent, and adventurous. I’d actually like to go parasailing with him because it would definitely be an unforgettable experience. Then after, we’d hang out at the bar and he’d dazzle me with his charm while we drank a beer together. What gets your creative juices flowing when you’re brainstorming a new story? New characters. They always start as a small little nag in…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2018, our Meet the Author interviews help you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 9-11. Read on to get acquainted with cozy mystery author Kym Roberts, and purchase your ticket to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! Pitch us your newest book in one sentence. Be sure to include the book title. The Book Barn’s book club is stirring up a list of suspects from its latest read, and the store’s owner, Charli, finds herself defending her friend from a murder that may be fictional, but in reality is just as deadly . . . If you could meet one of your characters in real life, who would you choose and what would you do? Princess the armadillo. I’d give her a bath and play with her before sending her back to Charli so she can sleep on Charli’s pillow—not mine. What gets your creative juices flowing when you’re brainstorming a new story? Dreams—I literally wake up and start writing. The length of what I write depends on how strong an adrenaline dump I experienced 🙂 If I’m deadline driven, I talk to my number…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2018, our Meet the Author interviews help you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 9-11. Read on to get acquainted with Mika Jolie, and purchase your ticket to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! Pitch us your newest book in one sentence. LAYLA’S CHANCE which is appearing in the Reckless anthology, releasing on November 8, is a May December Fling-to-Forever steamy novel between a lawyer and a hot bearded rock star. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, who would you choose and what would you do? This isn’t a fair question. LOL. I’d have to say Chance from LAYLA’S CHANCE. I’d love to sit down with him and just vibe. Dean is a close second. I think he and I would laugh all day. What gets your creative juices flowing when you’re brainstorming a new story? Music for sure. Usually there’s a song that resonates with the WIP I’m working on. Typically, I’ll put that song on repeat. Which part of Readers & ‘ritas are you most excited about?  Last year was such an awesome experience. My favorite part…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Cooper McKenzie, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? I fell in love with the romance genre in 8th grade after reading The Ivory Key by Rita Estrada. I’ve read that book several times over the years and recently found a copy to keep in my own library. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? If a movie was made of IRON LUST by my Keely Jakes pen name, I would try very hard to talk the men who suggested I write a bodybuilder romance, and who are featured on the cover, Christian James and Daniel Treat. What was the first story you wrote? The first story I ever wrote was a teenage angst novel about a girl escaping into her dreams to keep from killing herself. It sucked and was destroyed about a year after I wrote it. My first story…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Janna MacGregor, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? When I was a teenager, my mom gave me my first romance novel to read. It was Barbara Cartland’s The Impetuous Duchess. That’s where my love for historical romances set in the Regency period began. Always a prolific reader, my habit took a backseat when my husband and I became the proud parents of triplets–two boys and one girl. I found life somewhat hectic with all the family and job responsibilities. Consequently, I didn’t have as much time for reading as I had in the past. That changed when I dropped one of my sons off at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. After an emotional goodbye, I found myself at a bookstore in the Tampa Bay Airport. Desperate to find a diversion from my tears, I picked up Eloisa James’ A Kiss at Midnight. I devoured that book. When I returned…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Sharla Lovelace, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner! If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? I’m so bad at this. I don’t picture celebrities as I write characters, so I never know who to compare them to. Sometimes I’ll be watching something and think THERE! YOU! YOU’RE HIM! But then I never remember who it is later. So if you’ve read LUCKY CHARMED, who would YOU cast as Sully? 🙂 What was the first story you ever wrote? I wrote many little stories growing up, but the first one intended to be novel length, and the one I cut my teeth on, learning about the rules, the business, about everything, was a friends to lovers romance I named A LITTLE SALTY, and it was a long rambling behemoth that ended at 215K…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Jodi Linton, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? Pride and Prejudice. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Chris Pratt. Well, do I really need a why? 😉 Right. I think he’d be awesome, because he’s funny and swoony at the same time, which embodies the type of heroes I write. I write humorous, swoon-worthy cowboys who know how to crack a joke with the right quirky gal. I think Chris could crack a joke or two, don’t you? What was the first story you ever wrote? PRETTY RECKLESS: A Deputy Laney Briggs Novel, which was published by Entangled Publishing. If you could change the ending to any famous book, TV show, or movie, what would it be and how would you rewrite it? (Spoiler alert!) Of course, I have to say Gone Girl. My need for a…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Kym Roberts, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? There wasn’t just one book, but rather a series. I adore Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, Lula and Grandma Mazur. When the series finally comes to an end, I will absolutely die if Stephanie chooses Joe over Ranger. I’d rather see Stephanie’s romantic future up in the air for each reader to choose Stephanie’s happily-ever-after how he or she sees fit. So although Janet Evanovich’s mysteries aren’t considered cozies, I tend to push the boundaries of the genre because of her. 🙂 If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Model/actress Noémie Lenoir was the inspiration for Charli Rae Warren in my Book Barn series. Charli Rae is bi-racial with the down-to-earth beauty of a tomboy heroine. She doesn’t see her wild curls as a thing to envy, nor does she see her tall skinny frame as…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Chelsea Mueller, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What made you fall in love with the romance genre? Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books were what made me fall in love with urban fantasy. I DEVOURED those books. If I had to pin it down to one title, though, it’d be Circus of the Damned as when I knew I was hooked and would get my hands on anything and everything with supernatural elements and a crime to solve. Bonus points if that book also included some legit romance. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Lindsay Morgan. She plays Raven Reyes on The 100, and she’s who I had in my mind when writing Callie Delgado, the lead in BORROWED SOULS. I’m not sure who would end up playing Derek, but his visual in my mind is a mix of Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf, Supergirl) and Joe Manganiello (True…