“What are you working on?” she asked desperately. Smirking, Bull held his knitting out. “I dinnae ken. Another scarf, perhaps? Do ye think I could find some orange yarn before we board the train tomorrow?” He was teasing her. Honoria sighed and unconsciously rubbed at her temple. “Bull, if there’s any orange yarn to be found in this city, I believe you would be the best person to find some. I still cannot believe you managed to find Crowe a suit without measuring him.” Her brother winked as his fingers flew. “And evening wear as well.” She chuckled in defeat, and shook her head. “Thank you for the reminder.” She had to admit; the banter had relaxed her. “You are a remarkable young man when it comes to procuring things. I am delighted to say I have no idea how you do it, nor do I want to know.” “And have I ever told ye how much I appreciate ye no’ butting into my business?” Business. Chuckling, Honoria shook her head once more, enjoying the sensation of the smile after the last stressful week. And of course, it was right then that the universe decided she needed some humbling. The…

The wrought-iron door handle was cold against Hartley’s fingers. Quite why he was gripping it so tightly he didn’t know; it had to be fear or excitement. Or both, coiled so inextricably within him that he couldn’t tell which one was which. It was different in candlelight. Last time there had been barely any light; it had been easy to forget himself, to get lost in the rush of desire that had taken hold. Now, with enough light to see both the cramped tightness of the room and a glimpse of his own white face in the mirror above the basin, it was almost impossible to imagine feeling enough pleasure to overcome the terror filling him. He held his breath as Mr. Balfour moved closer. Close enough to press against him, chest to chest, thigh to thigh. Hartley sighed, a deep shiver running through him as he looked into the man’s warm brown eyes. He couldn’t even think of him as Mr. Balfour anymore. Not in this naked, vulnerable light. Master, servant, Mr. Hartley, Mr. Balfour; no rank, no polite form of address, quite held up to scrutiny. Not here. Not now. The man in front of him was Josiah….

The two main characters in your book TAKEN seem like opposites. Is that the case? And, if so, do you enjoy writing about characters who are very different from each other more so than ones who are very similar? Well, yes. I do enjoy writing about opposites, as long as they have a similar moral compass. The characters must be steadfast, good partners, good friends, honest and hard working. Those are the basic traits of a good person. But beyond that, in a couple’s partnership, I find it fun when each party brings different things to the table. In my case, my women are often arty, or nerdy. Very focused on aesthetic or intellectual issues. The guys tend to be masters of the physical world. I just like the thought of each being really good in a particular realm and the other partner appreciating it. Because together they form a whole.   The heroes in your books are dark and dangerous. What’s your inspiration?  Well, these are romances, mostly romantic suspense novels. The hero must be dangerous, in many ways. But above all, very dangerous if the woman they love is threatened. A romance novel is heightened emotion, a call…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE EMMA PROJECT 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? She believes love is a lie. He believes love is the only truth there is. They both believe they can save the world (or a little piece of it), but only if they can find a way to work together despite the fierce sexual chemistry that can ruin everything. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The book is set in a family that’s descended from Indian royalty where the oldest son is running for California governor. I wanted to explore privilege in the immigrant South Asian American community and the San Francisco Bay Area gave me a lot of layers to explore. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. Naina is a badass who suffers no fools and sees the world with incisive clarity. Exactly my favorite kind of person. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Generous. Funny. Superhot. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? That childhood trauma strikes deep roots and that every character however dark is redeemable with love and has light inside. 7–Do you…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE LAST QUEEN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? This is a novel about the adventures of an amazingly valiant woman largely forgotten by history, Rani Jind Kaur, a queen in India who battled the British with ingenuity and courage. They thought they had defeated her, but they were wrong! It is a book about resistance and resilience under challenging circumstances. I was greatly inspired by Jindan’s never-give-up attitude and believe that readers will feel the same way. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? History decided that for me! Jindan lived in Punjab, in the magnificent city of Lahore, for much of her life. She was imprisoned in the horrific and heavily guarded Fortress of Chunar. She escaped and lived as a refugee in the mountains of Nepal. She spent her last days, still resisting the British, in their own stronghold: London. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely! Apart from being a great fighter, Jindan was a wonderful and dedicated mother. Her husband, Maharajah Ranjit Singh, died when her son less than a year old. She dedicated her life…

CHAPTER ONE   Marleigh looped the tail of the letter y on her note card to complete the word autophagy, transforming the letter into a pointed trident. Multitasking was a survival skill; still on the clock at the gym, she learned her biology terms while practicing her art. Outlining and shading. She should have forked the tail, instead, into a mouth that turned on the open arms of the letter. She liked when form and meaning matched. Couldn’t a letter self-devour as much as a cell? She slid the card to the bottom of the stack. She only had a few more minutes to review the terms before she had to close Box-n-Go and leave for class. The fake prizefighters bell dinged as the gym door opened. Marleigh looked up as two new guys entered. The first one, bigger and better looking than his friend, flinched at the smell and the heat. Box-n-Go regulars stopped noticing the stink—sweat and blood and yeast and leather all wiped down with Clorox. Hot new guy spoke first. “We want to box.” He had no accent. His hair was buzzed. He had a lopsided dimple bigger than Marleigh’s pencil eraser on one side of…

1–What is the title of your latest release? NOBODY’S HERO, a Cottonbloom novella, and part of the RESCUED anthology. All the stories feature rescue dogs! We are donating the first two days of profit to Roxanne St. Clair’s animal rescue charity. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? An ex-con tries to persuade an abandoned puppy and an innocent romance author he’s nobody’s hero. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? NOBODY’S HERO is part of my Cottonbloom series, so the quirky town is well established (at least in my imagination!) It’s divided by a river, half the town is in Mississippi and half in Louisiana. Hijinks and rivalries ensue. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Considering she is a romance writer as well… YES! 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Guarded, Dangerous, Horny (LOL) He did recently get out of jail… 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How many dogs out there need to be adopted from shelters! 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I wait until I am totally done. If I don’t, then I’m not sure…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BITTER ROOTS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The brutal murder of a beautiful vineyard expert and a devastating storm force Virginia winemaker Lucie Montgomery to confront painful changes on the eve of her wedding.  3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It’s the 12th book in my Virginia wine country mysteries, so I knew exactly where it would take place—at a family-owned vineyard in northern Virginia, a beautiful region of rolling hills and winding country lanes, that is also horse and hunt country. As for how I originally chose the setting, I was living in London in the 1990s and came back to the US with my husband and sons on a home leave trip. A friend decided we needed to see the Virginia vineyards since my husband is French and we had lived on the French-Swiss border for five years where we often explored the vineyards of those countries. When I got back to London my British literary agent learned of the trip and said, “That’s the setting for your next novel.” I agreed to write one book—as I said, BITTER ROOTS is…

1–What is the title of your latest release? HOW TO BOOK A MURDER (Starlit Bookshop Mysteries #1) 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A recent Ph.D. becomes a literary event planner to save the family bookstore, but when a murder mystery party turns murderous, she takes on the role of amateur sleuth to protect her beloved aunt, a famous author accused of the crime. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I imagined my dream bookstore, which turned out to be in the middle of an artistic community on a riverwalk. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes, especially if she would give me a discount in the bookstore. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Bookish, curious, determined. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Although I worked for a short time in a bookstore, it was decades ago, so I was very lucky to have some booksellers who were willing to talk to me. All of them said that working with customers was their favorite part of the job. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? For the first…

In your new thriller SIX GRAVES, things get very personal for your detective. Tell me about Detective Kim Stone. How is she as a person, and as a detective? Because of her traumatic childhood Kim is a loner and doesn’t let many people into her circle. She is quite rude and brusque and totally lacks social skills. She doesn’t show her feelings and although she cares deeply about her team, she rarely shows it. She offers all her affection to her rescue dog, barney. As a police officer she is passionate, driven and always fights for the underdog. She believes in justice and will go over and above to make sure the perpetrator is caught and punished. Has SIX GRAVES been any more difficult to write than any of the other books in the series because of the intensity and personal angle for your main character? In some ways six graves was very difficult to write because of the scenes I knew were coming at the end of the book. in other ways I absolutely love the challenge of putting her in new situations. I actually didn’t want to stop writing this book and feel as though I could have…