1–What is the title of your latest release? TEMPTING THE EARL, Wright Bastards Book #1 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The Earl of Wright is determined to acknowledge his illegitimate sister and provide her with the life she’d been denied. But first, he must convince the stubborn Scotswoman who raised her that he isn’t the villain his father had been. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The hero in this book first appeared in an earlier book of mine, Luck is No Lady, which was set in Regency London. I wanted to continue his story and though he makes a short trip to the Scottish Lowlands, most of the book takes place in London where more characters from previous books make appearances. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Of course! With her straight-forward attitude and fierce loyalty, Ainsworth would be a great friend to have. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Reserved, shy, passionate 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned that although I love an alpha hero, there is something to be said for the quieter, more restrained hero who finally…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE TREASURE OF LOVE which is lucky thirteen in my Book of Love series, a charmingly humorous Regency romance series that deals with a mysterious book that seems to hold the secrets to finding true love. When I signed on to write these stories, my publisher and I were contemplating maybe six books in all, but they are so much fun and have developed a following, so I would love to keep writing them until I turn 100! 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Think of the ‘traveling pants’ stories. In my series, each heroine passes along the mysterious Book of Love to a friend or relative ready to make their debut in London Society in the hope the wisdom in this book will lead them to finding their true love. The strength of these stories is that while they are cute and fictional romances, the advice in this Book of Love is quite real and based on the neurological behaviors in our brain associated with love. Male and female brains work differently, so these stories delve into these different aspects. What first attracts a man to a woman? How…

My success as an author depends on my creativity—my ability to imagine interesting characters in fascinating predicaments and intriguing settings. When the pandemic first hit, as a writer, I thought, “Welp, going to have more time to spend on those happily-ever-afters!” (What I thought as a non-writer went in a very different and less-printable direction.) Initially, I did get a fair amount of new material drafted. I also worked on revising some older titles that had reverted to me, and I took on some website updates. But after a few months, the “extra” no longer resulted in any “extra” words. What’s an author to do? I wasn’t exactly blocked, but the fire hose of words and ideas was producing at a trickle rather than a gush. Upon reflection, I could see what was afoot. If we want our minds to get out of predictive text mode, where we’re on auto-pilot much of the time, then we have to put ourselves in situations we haven’t seen before—or haven’t seen often. Take a different route to work, order a different entré at our fav restaurant. Ask a different co-worker to join us for lunch. Try on some new clothes outside of our…

1–What is the title of your latest release? I WANT YOU TO WANT ME 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A grumpy wounded hero makes a marriage of convenience with a sunny heroine in trouble. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The hero is wounded physically and a recluse at his country estate. The heroine lives at a nearby estate, so the characters really dictated the setting. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? The heroine is Amelia, and I would absolutely hang out with her in real life. She’s really fun and likes to have a good time. She’s also a very compassionate person who cares deeply. I think she’d make a great friend. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Grumpy, vulnerable, guarded 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned a lot about Gloucestershire Old Spots, which is a type of pig. The heroine has a pet Gloucestershire Old Spots named Sweetie. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I wait until I’m done, but sometimes I do go back and change or add to something I’ve…

1–What is the title of your latest release? LEAVE YESTERDAY BEHIND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A popular actress at a turning point in her career. A professional athlete forging a new path as a fiction writer. And a serial killer interested in seeing both of them dead . . . 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? My heroine is an actress who shoots her TV show in New York City. I wanted a bulk of the action to take place far away from that world, especially since she has gone through a traumatic experience and needs time to heal. I decided to take her back to her childhood home of Aurora, a small town just outside of New Orleans. She would feel safe there, staying with her great-aunt and being around friends she trusts. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? AB-solutely! Callie is fun, feisty, and loyal. She would always tell me the truth and have my back. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? I would say HOT, HOT, HOT—but I’m sure you want something a little more descriptive than that! Let’s go with…

Excerpted from A Match Made in Lipa. Copyright © Carla de Guzman. All rights reserved. Published by Carina Press.   Anton quickly spotted the cold goods refrigerator and walked toward it. He had discovered very early on in his trip what he wanted out of a Japanese con­venience store, and very rarely strayed from what he knew. Onigiri triangles and milk tea. Maybe a beer if he was feeling extra melancholic, but not yet. He spotted the onigiri triangles. There was only one tuna mayo left. Santi reached out to take it, only to have another hand shoot forward and grab it, leav­ing him with nothing but air. “Sumimasen,” he said gruffly, wondering if he was pronouncing that right. “That’s—” “My onigiri? Yes it is.” The English sounded famil­iar, making Anton turn his head to face his opponent. Which was how he saw Kira Luz again after twenty years. And wow. She was beautiful. Still beautiful, actually, with those dark, upturned eyes that hadn’t changed since she was ten. They were eyes that could see everything, see through him with­out much difficulty. It was the same face he used to know, just older. Changed. Santi used to be told a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? DEAD WIND 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? DEAD WIND is book three of the Shana Merchant series, about a female investigator with the New York State Police who now lives in upstate New York’s Thousand islands. When a body is found at the base of a wind turbine on a small Canadian island, and the victim has ties to Shana’s new town, she must dredge up dark secrets and old grudges while also hunting the man who’s been terrorizing her for years. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Like all of the Shana Merchant novels, DEAD WIND is mainly set in the Thousand Islands of Upstate New York, but some of the most important action occurs on Wolfe Island across the border in Ontario, Canada. I visited Wolfe Island a few years ago and was floored by the landscape: it’s a very flat island, but it’s home to a wind farm, and those massive turbines felt otherworldly to me. I hadn’t even started writing the series at that point, but I knew that a turbine on the island would make an eerie crime…

In your latest book, A HALF-BAKED ALIBI, Sherry gets involved in a murder investigation because she wants to clear her friend from being thought of as a suspect. With cozies, there are all kinds of amateur sleuths who have all kinds of reasons for getting involved in an official investigation. I think this is one of the better ones – to help a friend or family member in trouble, as well as when they have to clear themselves from being a suspect. Do you ever find it difficult coming up for reasons for Sherry to be involved in a murder investigation? After six books, and the seventh on the way, thank goodness I haven’t had any trouble getting Sherry involved in murder investigations. Introducing more characters slowly as needed is one way to broaden her reasons for involvement. Another is the fact that she’s becoming known for her amateur sleuthing successes and people are beginning to seek out her skills. She has to want to become involved and that, too, is part of the story. What draws her in isn’t always cut and dry. To repeatedly make the reason be the suspicion of a relative or friend gets old to…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BATTEN DOWN THE BELFRY 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When carpenter Whitney Whitaker finds a man dead in the belfry of the country church she’s remodeling into a playhouse, she determines to find out who rang the man’s bell and why. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I lived in Nashville a few years ago and loved it there. It’s a booming city and there’s lots of home rehabbing going on. It was the perfect authentic setting for a house flipper series. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Heck, yeah! She’s smart, brave, and creative. I’d love to talk to her about her design ideas. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Discerning. Determined. Dashing – both figuratively and literally. Detective Collin Flynn is handsome and he’s a runner. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I never knew that such a thing as a “fish bat” existed until I was looking for a small, hard weapon. The bats are used to hit fish over the head after they’re caught. Yikes! 7–Do you edit as you draft…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BEST KEPT SECRET   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  After she rescues her sister’s ex from a loopy response to pain meds, Nyla has to keep Leo’s biggest secret while trying not to fall for him.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  Nearly all of my 40+ published rom-coms take place in the Pacific Northwest. I’m a fourth-generation Oregonian, so this region and its quirks will always have my heart. While The Best Kept Secret takes place in a tiny town in northern Washington, fans of the series will recognize some of the Oregon-based smokejumpers who make an appearance (but don’t worry if you haven’t read others—all the books are standalones!)   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?  Definitely! She’s one of the kindest, most caring and earnest people I know. Even though she can’t keep a secret to save her life, she’s the sort of person who’ll have your back no matter what.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Loving, hard-working, father. That last one is really at the core of who Leo…