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 New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? The first romance I ever read: The Velvet Promise by Jude Deveraux. My  mom gave it to me the summer before sixth grade because we’d been to the bookstore and I’d read everything in the YA and classics sections and was totally depressed I wouldn’t have anything to read. I read it in one night, then read the next three books in the series that same week. Then I turned around and read them again. And again. And again. It was totally love at first read. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? My most recent book is ROYAL PAIN, the story of a prince (the spare) who has suddenly become the heir and the free-spirited woman he falls in love with….

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 Carol Shaughnessy, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? The first book was Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. That led me to sexy action adventure. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Scarlett Johansson. She could portray my character as strong yet damaged. What was the first story you ever wrote? My first story was a love story my mother loved. I was in high school. It was never published. 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!) Why would you change the perfectly imperfect classics? They teach us so much. What comes to mind is Old Yeller, Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz. What is your favorite part of meeting your readers (and new readers)? My favorite…

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 Nicola Cameron, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? While I was writing science fiction, I picked up a copy of P.C. Cast’s Goddess of the Sea at a local convention. Not only did I love the book, I fell in love with the genres of fantasy and SF romance. It meant I could keep writing SF and fantasy but I could add the romance I always wanted to write about. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? My most recent book is SF cyborg romance DEGREE OF RESISTANCE. I would kill or die to have Jessica Alba as Evie Contreras because she’s smart, tough, and perfectly embodies who Evie is, and Gerard Butler as Captain Ben Drake because he does tough but tender well. Come on, Powerball! What was the first story you ever wrote? Many…

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…