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 V.A. Dold, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? It wasn’t so much a single book as a few authors and their series. I have read every JR Ward, Christine Feehan, and Sherrilyn Kenyon paranormal romance I could get my hands on. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Matt Bomer would be awesome as Darius from DANGEROUS DESTINY. What was the first story you ever wrote? CADE, the first book in the Le Beau series. I never wrote before writing that book. 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!) The TV show Lost. Any other ending would be better. What is your favorite part of meeting your readers (and new readers)? Their excitement over reading. It’s always…

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 USA Today bestselling author Kathy Lyons, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? This is a good question because paranormal romance is a large field. But if I had to go back to the beginning, it would be A Knight in Shining Armor. Time travel struck me as wonderful, mixing my Kathy Lyons paranormal love with my Jade Lee historical leaning. I even wrote a time travel, ALMOST AN ANGEL (writing as Jade Lee/Katherine Greyle), soon after reading it. But I’m so into shifters right now, I’m trying to think of one shifter book that really sparked the others. I can’t. I just love them all! If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? I’d pick Benedict Cumberbatch to play Alan in FOR THE BEAR’S EYES ONLY because he’s lanky, a little bit creepy, and so hot I even watched the Star Trek…

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 Mika Jolie, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? It was The Passionate Lover by Carole Mortimer under Harlequin Presents. I found it at used bookstore, and from that moment, I was hooked. I’d count the day for her releases and stay up all night and read. For me, the contemporary romance genre tackles a myriad of relatable issues that women deal with on this beautiful journey called life. But also, at the heart of those novels is learning to forgive, discovering something new, and loving the men in our lives, our families, and our friends. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Lance Parker is my Dean. He was my muse while I was writing THE BOY FRIEND. I actually have a whole page on my website dedicated to my muses. What was the first story you…

One question I’m often asked is, “Is it hard to write a series?” I think it depends on the writer. Personally, I love writing a series. At this point, I know the characters well. I know exactly how each one would act in any situation. Most of the time, anyway. They do surprise me once in a while. A character appeared in A ROOM WITH A BREW that I didn’t know existed until he knocked on the door. I was as surprised as my main character Max was. That was great fun! The characters I’ve created have become like family to me. Three books into the Brewing Trouble series I’m not even close to being tired of them. I love seeing how they grow and change from one book to the next. I also like watching the relationships develop—especially the one between Max and her chef-ex hockey player boyfriend, Jake. Some authors prefer writing standalone novels. They have one idea in mind and when the book is done, they’re ready to move on to something new. I’m not sure I could do that! I have a tendency to fall in love with the characters whether I’m writing them, or reading…

THE SECRET LIFE OF SARAH HOLLENBECK is written from the POV of Sarah herself. Once in Sarah’s head, it doesn’t take long to realize that for every thought about the practical things of life, there seems to be at least one reference to movies and television – or at the very least, the practical things of life pass through the pop culture filter. Here now, to celebrate Sarah’s pop culture-obsessed brain (as well as my own!), my list of the top five not-so-obvious romantic onscreen moments. These are the little moments. These are the moments which make me swoon, but not in all the old familiar ways. Kisses in the rain and dramatic finales need not apply. These are moments of subtle romance and unexpected emotion which, in the end, are actually so much better than what even Sarah Hollenbeck could think she wants out of a love story. (And these moments are actually a lot closer to what she eventually finds!) EYE CONTACT THAT COULD MELT THE COLDEST HEART Pride and Prejudice. I mean, of course. Oh, the words that Jane Austen wrote! But for me, the most romantic moment in the 1995 BBC mini-series (starring Colin Firth… Hello!)…

GAME ON is dedicated to two very strong young women who are both in a field that’s dominated by men: engineering. It’s also dedicated to my daughter Bean who is loves her STEM programs at school and talks about building robots all the time. Olivia Dawson’s career path was inspired by all three of them. According to Business Insider (March 8, 2017), women still make $.79 to every dollar men make. It’s a struggle for some women to even get the recognition they deserve in their desired fields. Olivia wants to design and build airplanes, and she knows how much harder she has to work to get ahead of her male colleagues. She fights for every single thing. In this day and age, it’s hard to believe that women are still having this battle. Olivia’s battle isn’t just to prove herself to her male classmates or to her mentor. She’s constantly trying to prove herself to herself. Growing up in a family of all males, she has always struggled to get out of the gender assigned roles she had to take on. It’s a constant struggle. GAME ON may be dedicated to my nieces and daughter, but it’s really a…

Thank you to Fresh Fiction for having me here today! Food, glorious food. As a fulltime author, I write all hours of the day, morning, noon, and night. Funny thing, though. I’ll be searing the keyboard with a high-octane car chase or a steamy bedroom scene or snarking it up with a good viola joke (although really, is there such a thing as a bad viola joke? lol) when the urge hits me. I take my characters to a restaurant and sit them down for a good meal. Juicy sausage, crisp fried potatoes, creamy beer cheese soup. Or maybe an orange-cranberry scone, glossy frosting dripping off its steamy, tender pastry to pool glistening onto the plate. Which usually means it’s lunchtime at Casa Hughes, lol. Because my series is set in a small Midwest town settled by German immigrants, bratwurst and schnitzel feature heavily. It started me thinking—food is like romance novels. Why? From paranormal to billionaire to suspense, romance is often identified by its (sub)genres. And food…well, what do you think of when I list spaghetti Bolognese, five-cheese lasagna, and mushroom risotto? How about spring rolls, sweet-and-sour pork, and Peking duck? Doesn’t the first conjure up images of red-and-white…

TWELVE REASONS YOU’LL LOVE CHARLEY DAVIDSON She’s the grim reaper. She’s irreverent to the extreme. She’s turned sass into an Olympic sport. She can see dead people. She has a hot husband, both literally and metaphorically. She names her body parts. She has a rad Jeep Wrangler name Misery. She solves crimes. She looks great in jeans. (At least her ass does.) She lives on coffee, chocolate and sarcasm. Mostly sarcasm. She has a heart of solid gold alloy. She risks her life to right the wrongs of the world. Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series, The Trouble with Twelfth Grave. THE TROUBLE WITH TWELFTH GRAVE by Darynda Jones Charley Davidson #12 Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series. Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidently trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the…

As fall finally starts to creep in we turn our attention toward new holiday reads. Of course Halloween arrives weeks for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it was only a matter of time before the spooky-sexy books began filling our e-readers. Miranda Owen chatted with Marie Harte about her newest romance ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN, the perfect addition for anyone looking to dig into a new book instead of a pumpkin. I love Halloween-themed romances, and in ALL I WANT FOR HALLOWEEN, I think you do a wonderful job of maintaining balance between the silly, the sexy and the emotional punch. Do you consciously try to maintain that balance in every book you write, or does it just happen organically? Which comes first, or is easiest to write – the story or the characters? Thanks! I like humor in my books, and I tend to write on the sexy side. I do strive for a balance between deeper emotion and humor. While I’d like to you feel what my characters feel, I also want you to enjoy the experience, and to me, laughter and tears go together quite well. *grin* Though not all my stories have sad pasts, they have…

I love movies and television and will often write with the television on in the background. I’m a very visual person and draw a lot of useful cues from the expressions on the actors’ faces, how a shot is framed or the rhythm and words in the dialogue. Eye Candy in some cases. Of course, sometimes I watch just because it’s a darn good movie! LOL! So today I’m sharing with you my Top 5 must see movies or television shows! 1. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – I got hooked on this show accidentally when I caught a scene between Buffy and Angel as I was flipping through the channels. After that, I was a loyal viewer all the way to the seventh season. If you’re wondering if I’m an Angel or Spike girl, Spike all the way! He always had such passion! 2. X-FILES – So loved all the creepy unexplained phenomena and Sculley and Mulder. The tension that grew between them was so amazing and I could not wait for the movie and that one kiss. . .and then it didn’t happen. Sigh. Still waiting for a true happily ever after for them. I am a hopeful romantic….