I’ve always been fascinated by the spectacle of celebrity, particularly as a backdrop for romance stories. The place where the fantasy of fame meets the hard realities of the spotlight is rife with dramatic and comedic possibilities. Plus, there’s that thrill of getting to peek behind the VIP barricade and/or stage door to see how the sausage is made (so to speak). And let’s not forget the tropes! Celebrity romance stories are tailor-made for so many of my favorites—fake relationship, forced proximity, fish out of water, rags to riches, reformed rake, taming the beast, and so many more. Given all that, it’s no surprise I love to read them as much as I love to write them. Below are five of my top five celebrity romances written by some of my favorite authors, plus a brand new one written by me! Act Like It by Lucy Parker This is the first book in Parker’s excellent London Celebrities series, focusing on the West End theater scene. When a stage actor and notorious misanthrope finds himself in need of an image boost, he reluctantly agrees to a faux-mance with a resilient up-and-coming stage actress, leading to two of my favorite romance tropes—grumpy/sunshine…

WHEN BLOOD LIES is the 17th in your Sebastian St. Cyr series. What keeps this character inspiring for you? Sebastian St. Cyr is such a complex, dynamic character: he’s clever and passionate and honorable, although he’s also willing to step over a few lines when necessary. I find that if I’m away from Sebastian and Hero and the others for too long, I miss them and get impatient to start the next book. A part of that is probably because there is an important personal story arc that runs through this series, plus several overarching mysteries that make this series unusual, and I suspect help keep it fresh for me. Before I started the series I had only written standalones. It’s fascinating for me as an author to be given the opportunity to follow a set of characters through years of their lives, exploring the ways they grow and change because of various life events and experiences. And of course, the period is fascinating. We tend to think of the Regency in terms of balls and carriages and duels at dawn, but there was so much more to it than that. This was the age of Napoleon and Goethe, Byron…

How much historical research is involved with your books? It depends on each book. Sometimes the particular subject matter or slice of historical time in which the book is set requires a great deal of research, and sometimes it’s not quite so intensive. And of course, that is on top of the vast amount of background research about all the particulars of the time period and my characters’ backgrounds that I conducted before ever beginning to write the series. Plus, I’m often reading general and social histories during my free time, simply trying to always be increasing my knowledge and search out interesting plot ideas.   In A PERILOUS PERSPECTIVE there is a forgery and a murder. Do you normally have different criminal elements along with murder? Sometimes. Though, not always. I was inspired to explore the art forgery aspect for this book because Lady Darby is a gifted portrait artist, and I hadn’t utilized that trait fully with any of my recent plots. It was an absolutely fascinating subject to research, and then try to figure out how much my heroine could have feasibly known and been able to detect in 1832 versus all the tools we now have…

I’ve always been fascinated by mysteries and thrillers set in small towns. I’m sure that has a lot to do with the fact that I grew up in a small university town in rural Quebec. My town seemed quite enough – but that was only because my parents did a good job of keeping its rumors and scandals under wraps. Like every other small town, it harbored its share of secrets, and by the time I was a teenager, I’d come to understand that you never really know what goes on behind closed doors.   In DEAD WIND, the third mystery in my Shana Merchant series, Senior Investigator Shana Merchant pulls back the veil on the Thousand Islands of upstate New York and Ontario, and discovers that her new community is concealing secrets and grudges that some people think are worth killing for. If you love a small-town mystery, here are four crime fiction series to watch, all of which have a similar vibe to DEAD WIND. Shetland   Based on the excellent crime fiction series by British mystery writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland isn’t just set in a small town, but on small islands. The series follows Detective Inspector Jimmy…

1–What is the title of your latest release? FATAL FAMILY SECRETS – April 19th, 2022 A rom-com ghost mystery with a Scooby gang you’ll want to join! 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When a boy’s guardian angels turn deadly, he needs help only the gang from Spook Central can provide. But his pretty older sister throws a twist into the budding romance between Johnny Redhawk, who’s developed a new and game-changing power, and the gang’s resident witch Maya, who thinks they should cool things off. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Years ago, for a book signing, I drove a couple of hours east to a small town near Saratoga Springs New York called Burnt Hills and fell in love. There was a new & used bookstore, The Ballston Book House in Ballston Spa, just a stone’s throw from there, in a converted and happily haunted Victorian house. That’s the setting. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? For sure, because I am my heroines in real life. Every one of them has a multitude of my own traits in varying combinations and levels. Some have my potty…

Your new book THE FORGOTTEN DEAD has two things I love – psychic abilities and a seemingly haunted house. What attracts you as a writer to these themes? I’ve loved spooky stories since I was a kid, even though I was deeply terrified for ghosts for most of my childhood. I still love creepy stories, whether they be something like M.R. James’s “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” or a contemporary action-driven series like J.L. Bryan’s “Ellie Jordan, Ghost-Trapper” books. I think the thing that draws me to ghostly stories is the concept that they tend to center some past injustice, a psychic wound that reaches through time, crying out for resolution. It’s hard to go wrong with a set-up like that!   Can you describe the dynamic between Nigel and Oscar? Do you alternate between perspectives throughout the book? Oscar is a big guy with a big heart. He’s a former college football player turned accountant, who leads a ghost-hunting team on the side. He’s the one who’s always trying to look out for other people, make sure they have what they need, that they’re comfortable. He’s also been seeing ghosts since childhood but is in…

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 Lian Dolan Writes: Books about contemporary women inspired by historical women. Fun, fast-paced stories in lush locations that combine humor, heart and heroines who make it happen for themselves. LOST AND FOUND IN PARIS is an art history treasure hunt that sets museum curator Joan Bright Blakely on a breakneck journey to recover a lost sketchbook and find herself in the process. A Parisian romp with a deeper side. About: Easy, Breezy Southern California Author. All true except the easy breezy bit. I’m pretty serious about my coffee in the morning, my tuna fish sandwich at lunch and coasters under cocktails. Interests include finding the perfect V-neck tee shirt, dancing, swimming and not straining anything, being worthy of my dog, and all the Chrises (Pine, Hemsworth, Evans and Kringle). Booklovers a must. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match Wants books with a lot of sass and a touch of history Enjoys travel even in an armchair Needs a sexy vacation in…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BATTLE OF THE HEXES 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Once upon a time JJ Jones turned her ex into a frog. Now he’s back and she’s got some explaining to do. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It’s part of my series, Season of the Witch. I wanted the location for the series to be somewhere fun, cozy, charming, magical, and coastal. So I created a fictional town (based on a few different real towns) on the Oregon Coast, which is one of my favorite places. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Absolutely. If for nothing else than the cocktails! 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Midlife, Magical, Determined 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? The magical and health properties of cardamom, the meaning of various houseplants, and how to make homemade arancello. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I wait until I’m done. My first draft is usually a hot mess. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Afternoon tea at the Clockwork Rose Tea Emporium 9–Describe your writing…

Your book DARK SUN involves the faery world. What is it about the fae that you find compelling as an author? I grew up on folklore, so I draw on that old lore of the faeries. The faeries have a removed world, but they visit ours, and they can be invisible to the eye at their will and whim. Iron is toxic. They offer bargains that seem like a good idea, but they’re always clever in ways we aren’t. Beautiful, dangerous, tempting, and ancient. Yes, please. And, as every tale goes, mortals arrogantly think we can successfully outwit them—in part because the faeries cannot lie. What’s not to love there? So many possibilities!   What would you say is the central conflict in DARK SUN? Would you say there is an equal mix of action and romance? The question of the book is coming to terms with who you are and what you seek in this life. In Katherine and Urian’s case, love changes everything for both of them. Romance? Definitely. Action? Yes. It’s also a story that draws us back toward the original characters. We see where our first WL protagonists are about five years after that series ended….

1–What is the title of your latest release? FORGETTING THE EARL. It is the first book in a 3-book series of novellas about three very arrogant earls and the women who tame them. 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Honora Drevenport is a young, awkward, young lady who falls in love with the dashing Earl of Southwell and is humiliated in the process. Years later as a beautiful, sought-after widow, Honora vows to make Southwell fall in love with her and extract her revenge. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I write early Victorian (1837-1845) and love lords and ladies, so England was the obvious choice 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. Honora has a great sense of humor, loves history, and wants to set off and explore the world. And she’s a hopeful romantic, which I can appreciate. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Intelligent. Ruggedly handsome. Daring. He’s Indiana Jones if Indiana Jones was an earl who liked to make maps and travel the Amazon. What I like most is that Southwell liked Honora when she was chubby and awkward. He values her…