1–What is the title of your latest release? LOOKING FOR LEROY   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Two women head to Sonoma in a camp-trailer in search of a long-lost beau whose family owns a vineyard—but the only clue to finding him is that his first name is Leroy.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?   I drove through Sonoma wine country once on my way back to Oregon from San Francisco—and the landscape of rolling green vineyards was beautiful. We’ve wanted to return for a longer visit in our motorhome, but in the past few years they’ve been ravaged by fire—and then there was Covid. So I decided to create a family-owned vineyard that had suffered some fire damage and was trying to recover and visit vicariously.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?   Absolutely! I have great empathy for Brynna. She’s had some hard knocks in life but keeps bouncing back. As a teacher of younger children, she has a tender heart. But her tender heart sets her up for some heartbreak too.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Kind,…

CHAPTER 1 Dry Heat by Len Joy   Excerpted from Dry Heat: A Novel. Copyright © Len Joy. All rights reserved. Published by BQB Publishing. https://www.lenjoybooks.com   3 P.M. – SATURDAY – NOVEMBER 20, 1999 ROADRUNNER PARK – PHOENIX, AZ   The gangs were always stealing the nylon basketball nets, so the park director had replaced them with galvanized steel chain, which rattled obnoxiously on every bad shot. Joey frowned as his jump shot clanked off the front rim.   “Your shot sucks today, Joey Blade,” Mallory said as she bounced the ball back to him.   “Your boobs are distracting me. Maybe it’s time you started wearing a bra.” Blonde, with a pixie cut that framed her cute little-girl face, Mallory could have passed for a twelve-year-old if it hadn’t been for her huge breasts. She was fifteen, two years younger than Joey, and they had been playground buddies for ten years. She lived with her creepy father in a rundown brick house a block away and escaped to the park most afternoons.   “Come on, concentrate, Mr. All American.” She lifted up her sweatshirt, flashing him as he took his next shot. An airball.   “Aargh.” Joey chased…

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 Carrie Pulkinen!   Writes: Award-winning paranormal romance that’s snarky, sassy, and just a bit naughty. From shifters to psychics to ghosts, vampires, witches, and demons, you’re sure to find a supernatural being in your favorite flavor. Get lost in exciting worlds full of magic, mischief, and lots of laughs.   About: I’m a USA Today bestselling author who loves anything and everything paranormal. My sense of humor has been called dark and slightly twisted, and I love it when readers laugh out loud at my stories. I’m a wife and a mother to two teens and two dogs, a former high school teacher, a Mardi Gras dancer, and one helluva cook. I love coffee, chocolate, and wine, and yes, I do believe in ghosts.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Readers who love: Nice guys who will move heaven and earth for the women they love Sassy heroines who aren’t afraid to go after what they want Side-splitting laughter Puns…

First of all, let me just say that I love your book covers – especially the one for RECKLESS HEIR. Do you use the same designer/company for each of your books? I have a couple designers I use regularly. The covers for the Underworld Kings series are all by the same designer, and she’s incredible! Your new book, RECKLESS HEIR – the first in your Underworld Kings – is described as an “arranged marriage mafia romance”. I admit that, while I enjoy arranged marriage romances, I was slower to see the appeal of mafia-themed romances. Reading one or two by the author MINK changed my mind. What is it about these kinds of characters and stories that inspire you, and you find compelling as an author? I love the dangerous kind of love that mafia romances bring. With an arranged marriage you get the forbidden aspect. Can you fall in love? Will you be happy being forced to marry someone? Then you have the “bad guy”, who does questionably moral things, but he can still be soft and gentle for the right woman. Describe for me the dynamic between the hero and heroine in RECKLESS HEIR. I love how the…

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 Christine Feehan!   Writes: Christine Feehan writes bestselling paranormal romance. Known for extraordinary world-building, action/adventure, sensuality and a guaranteed happy-ever-after. With seven series that have all made the New York Times bestseller list she offers a variety of story themes.   About: Christine Feehan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, with over 80 published works in seven different series: Dark Series, GhostWalker Series, Leopard Series, Drake Sisters Series, Sea Haven Series, Shadow Series, and Torpedo Ink Series. All seven of her series have hit the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list. JUDGMENT ROAD, the first book in her newest series, Torpedo Ink, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In addition, Christine is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who adores her family. Her gardens are her pride and joy. She loves animals and living on the California coast. She also freely admits to being technologically challenged as evidenced by pretty much every Facebook Live she’s ever done.   What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: My ideal reader…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE SPARK OF LOVE   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Fearing a spurned suitor, Alexandra Tarkington flees to Mesquite Springs, hoping for a happy reunion with her father. Little does she know that two men have followed her, each with his own agenda, and that the intriguing man she met on the stagecoach is an investigator determined to unmask a con man … her father.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? That was actually very simple. Since this is the third book in the Mesquite Springs trilogy, it takes place in the Mesquite Springs, the small town in the Texas Hill Country where danger lurks in the most unexpected places.   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Absolutely. Alexandra is strong, determined, and has the talent I’ve always wished I had: being able to draw and paint. Who knows? Maybe if we spent time together, some of that talent would wear off on me.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Principled, determined, handsome. (It’s a romance, so you knew I’d include the last one, didn’t…

CHAPTER ONE My mother woke me in the dead of night again. I felt her standing over my bed, the heat of a flashlight on my face. Why couldn’t she just turn on the lights like a normal person? After sundown, we lived in darkness. If the lamps were on, people could see inside, she said. “Maddie, wake up. We’re going for a drive. Just put your coat on over your nightgown.” I tried to wake up, but stay asleep too, fighting with myself in some in-between place. She paced back and forth, whispering under her breath like she was arguing with an imaginary someone. I wondered what it was this time. But whatever she had planned, nothing could be worse than what had happened last Sunday. On that terrible night, Momma pulled me from my bed at 4 a.m.   “Get up, and come with me,” she’d said, her green eyes wild. She rushed me onto my feet, the wood floor cool and in need of sweeping, gritty under my toes. “I need your help.” I still had a thumbprint bruise on my arm where she grabbed me in that moment, dragging me into the living room. I thought…

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 Jane Ashford! Writes: Jane Ashford writes sparkling historical romances set in the Regency period. Her dream is to make readers laugh out loud. She prefers heroes who achieve their HEAs by showing kindness, and particularly by recognizing a heroine’s needs and fulfilling them. She also sees true love as a process. Wild physical attraction is obligatory, of course, but desire alone doesn’t make a lasting match. Her couples challenge each other and reveal their true selves through action before they find their happy endings. She creates believable, humane characters while stirring up a bit of fun. About: Born in Ohio, I’ve lived in New York, Boston, LA, and London. Reading has been my favorite thing ever since I could. I read more mysteries and science fiction than romance because I love them, and I don’t want to risk lifting ideas. I’m particularly fond of in-charge characters – Sherlock Holmes, Vanessa Michael Munroe, Jack Reacher, Murderbot. On the other hand, I always cry at some point during Call the…

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 Marie Harte! Writes: Romance with heat, snarky humor, and band of brothers, heroes with low angst. There’s always a happily-ever-after, few tears, and a lot of banter with fun heroines and sexy heroes. Whether it be firefighters in Seattle or vampires taking mates, the romance is always steamy and satisfying. About: Coffee addict who loves all things romance, thinks there are such things as stupid questions, and will never, ever go into a haunted sanitarium after dark or jump off a cliff for fun. A huge fan of work smarter, not harder. Too lazy to research and write historicals. Thought about writing an inspirational love story but got as far as “Oh, God, yes,” in a sex scene and figured that was as inspirational as I could get. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match for BETWEEN BLOODE AND WATER: Has a snarky sense of humor Loves vampires, especially those who can swim Enjoys the camaraderie of six murderous blood-drinkers annoying one…

Hi, everyone, I’m so glad to be here today. It’s March! The month of spring. I don’t know about you all, but I have had enough of being isolated. Between winter and covid, the days seem to drag on endlessly. I, for one, am ready for a fresh start. It’s a new year, full of new possibilities, and brand-new books! DARK SEAS (Coldwater Cove book 1) comes out on March 8th. The book takes place in a fictional little fishing village called Coldwater Cove in Maine. I’ve never lived in Maine, but I’m fascinated by the majestic state. I love the rugged coastline and cliffs, the powerful ocean, the quaint towns, the harbors filled with fishing boats, and the lighthouses. Maine lends itself as the perfect backdrop for a suspenseful book. I set Coldwater Cove to border Canada, with Nova Scotia right across the bay. With so much of Maine being remote, there aren’t enough border patrol agents to plug all the holes. Inspection stations and checkpoints are so spread out that many sections are unmanned for hours. Even with cameras and motion sensors in place, if an illegal immigrant, trafficker, arms dealer, or terrorist slipped through and was seen,…