We’ve all heard of these. Magic buttons, or at least spots that can lead to magic. And while they’re a bit of a cliché, there’s also some science behind them. Even better, for those of us who like to be amused, there’s some side notes science forgot. And here they are. Ear nibbles. Shivery and delicious, right? But equally awesome are sweet nothings, such as “You’re beautiful” and “I’ll load the dishwasher tonight.” There’s also nothing wrong with “Do you mind if I clean the entire house” and “I’ll take the kids for the day so you can do absolutely nothing.” (If there are any men reading this, let me assure you those last two are next level erogenous. You’re welcome.) Better known as the nape of your neck, though I’m not sure where the other napes are. People just like to specify, I guess. Anyway, there are a bunch of nerve endings there that are supposed to make nape touches amazing, and that’s probably why accidentally pulling hair out with a pony tail holder hurts so much. Which brings me to this: hair pulling should be done by the fistful. Which should be an erogenous zone by itself. A…

There are so many fun summer reads in the July Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss, check them out! July’s Print Books: Everyone received at least 3 of these summer releases! Everywhere and Every Way by Jennifer Probst A Texas Soldier’s Family by Cathy Gillen Thacker Colton Cowboy Hideout by Carla Cassidy Puppy Love for the Veterinarian by Amy Woods Now and Then Friends by Kate Hewitt Nacho Figueras Presents: Wild One by Jessica Whitman The Billionaire Bachelor by Jessica Lemmon The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler July’s eBooks: Every box included all 4! The Vintner and the Vixen by Alexia Adams Remember the Night by Nicole Leiran Burn Down The Night by M. O’Keefe The Geek Gets The Girl by Michele Hauf Vixen’s Tale Every month, until June 2017, each box will showcase a new adventure featuring our mascot, Vixen. The tale is illustrated with a collectible postcard and button set. Vixen’s Tale #2: Bought by the Italian Magnate, A Billionaire Contemporary Romance Vixen was so clueless, she never imagined not learning the local language would get her in this much trouble. At least he had a beautiful smile under…

This book is…not ordinary. I think it’s powerful. And emotionally compelling. And I hope so much you give it a chance. I can tell you why I think this, and hope this. I can describe Jem to you. He’s the hero of my heart. But I’m afraid if I say too much, you’ll move on without giving him a chance. Jem’s a construction worker. Okay, yeah, he owns the business, and wears a shirt and tie to work every day. But he wears them with jeans. And he learned the business with his hands before he ever considered being the brains behind it all. He’s alpha all the way. And he’s a single dad to a four-year-old who I wish I could hug. He’s a good dad. Involved. Aware. And firm, too, when he needs to be. And…Jem is…well, I hope you’ll give him a chance. I can’t imagine a romance reader not being glad they did. Then there’s Lacey. Sometimes I wanted to just do her hair and make-up, force her into an attention getting outfit and push her out the door. But she has Kacey for that. My job was to be patient. To let her have control….

Beck Townsend, retired Marine Corps special operative, is co-owner of a historic building in downtown Tucson, Arizona. The building is two-story, with retail stores in the front of the first floor, the Red Eagle Group offices in the back on the first floor, and condos on the second floor. The building I referenced while I was writing was the real historic Hittinger Building. I haven’t been inside the building, but I fell in love with the style of the outside. Anton Hittinger owned the property where this building was erected. It was a general-use commercial building for a variety of specialty shop tenants. Its elaborate facade ornamentation in the Italianate style was characteristic of the Victorian era. This style was very popular in the United States from about 1840 to the mid-1880s. The First Hittinger Block, as this group of buildings came to be called, with its large arched windows and dual-color brickwork, is an unusual and probably late example of the style. Also part of the truth-behind-the-fiction story is Mt. Lemmon, located on the north side of Tucson. The mountains in the Southwest are called Sky Islands. (If you think about it, “regular” islands are actually mountains surrounded by…

Howdy, Fresh Fiction fans! In my latest release, the friends-to-lovers erotic romance COWBOY PLAYER, Clark MacKinnon is a cattleman who’s working hard to make his family’s ranch a success. His childhood best friend Melody Santos has moved back to town. She needs a little money, so Clark hires her to help with the business. Problem? She’s all grown up and he can’t stop thinking about her. Sparks fly between the BFFs and soon they face a conundrum: stay safely in the friend zone or give in to passion and risk losing each other forever. Clark is the third MacKinnon brother from my Cowboy Cocktail series. He’s appeared in previous books as a flirt and prankster, the one who delivers the inappropriate line and unknowingly hits on his brothers’ girls. He is so much fun to write, not only because he’s a sexy, dirty-talking goofball, but because underneath it all he is steady as a rock, and just the dependable kind of man Melody deserves. Like all red-blooded American cowboys, Clark loves a good steak. I’d like to have him share his steak recipe (which coincidentally is the recipe I use at home). Take it away, Clark… CLARK MACKINNON’S STEAK RECIPE…

For some unfortunate reason, many libraries are becoming increasingly noisier places, not at all the old “shhh” environments that existed years ago where wrinkled librarians waggled their fingers back and forth at you for even thinking too loud. Despite this change, there’s something about libraries that puts me in the mood to write, not to mention the mountains of traditional research that can be scoured up. This morning I was doing some work at a library in a relatively large city. I have generally found that periodicals rooms are the best places to get things done as the number of people that read physical newspapers continues to decline, leaving these areas the quietest. I normally try to write 1500-2000 words per day. Sometimes, hitting my goal takes as little as two hours and as many as ten to twelve. This morning I was off to a pretty good start, knocking down my first 1,000 in a little over an hour. That’s when I heard these two women talking to my left. We were separated by a book shelf, so I couldn’t see them. I try not to listen to other people’s conversations, but sometimes it’s hard not to, particularly in…

Can Supergirl kick Superman’s butt? I say yes, and here’s why: I live in a household of females. I believe God has done this to build my character, and not as a cruel joke. So I know firsthand the strength and battle prowess of women. Hence this post about My Favorite Female Superheroes of Pop Culture. Let’s start with Supergirl. She was created in 1959 to be Superman’s female counterpart. But in 2016, Supergirl became a force that overshadowed even Superman with the TV show Supergirl. Supergirl’s real name is Kara Zor-El. She is Superman’s cousin, and technically, an illegal alien. The Earth’s sun gives her amazing power—unimaginable strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, ice breath, invulnerability to nearly any human weapon, and the awesome capacity to fly. Like Superman, she is vulnerable to Kryptonite. Supergirl lives in National City under the name of Kara Danvers, and works for media mogul Cat Grant. Her true identity is masked by her geekish demeanor and, of course, glasses. To prove my point about the battle prowess of women, I am compelled to point out that Supergirl defeated Reactron, whom Superman could not. Wonder Woman’s real name is Princess Diana of Themyscira. She is…

So, I’m writing a series centred on an Australian rugby team – the Sydney Smoke. Not being the most sport-obsessed person in the world, this is a challenge for me. Clearly I was going to have to do some research. So I did what all good (aka procrastinating) writers do and hit the inter-webs to look for images of hot rugby dudes doing their thing. I know, right? Sometimes being a writer is just the pits! YouTube and Pinterest were their usual font of information. I fell down lots of rabbit holes. In fact I’m amazed I actually got any words written at all. And if anyone ever looks at my computer history? If my husband ever looks at my computer history…. Let’s just say I’d have some explaining to do 🙂 But the thing I looked at the most was hot rugby dudes dancing aka doing the haka. Now, for those of you who don’t know, the haka is a ceremonial dance performed by all Polynesian cultures but perhaps made most famous by the All Blacks – New Zealand’s rugby team. And I gotta tell you – there is nothing fiercer than an advancing pack of All Blacks in…

The Lust in the Tudor Court series is described as “Hilary Mantel meets Sylvia Day: a deliciously erotic trilogy, set against the sumptuous backdrop of the scandal-ridden Tudor Court. ” But our question for Elizabeth Moss is: If you could meet any of your characters in this series, which character(s) would you choose and why? There are some wonderful characters that appear throughout the Lust in the Tudor Court series, which is a trilogy of three linked stories, though all are intended to be read as standalones. But the man I would choose to meet above all other characters is the hero of ROSE BRIDE, possibly because he’s the closest to my own ideal man. Virgil Elton, as the name suggests, is a well-educated man, a classicist, and a skilful physician to King Henry VIII himself. As an occasional poet myself, I can see myself sitting down with him to discuss Roman poets or his godfather, Sir John Skelton, the first-ever English Poet Laureate – all the while trying not to be seduced by that hypnotic gaze and his strong, dark looks! It is due to his godfather’s influence, of course, that Virgil holds such a prestigious position at court,…

Thank you so very much for hosting me today. It’s always a pleasure to have a chance to chat with bloggers and their readers. PORTRAIT OF A CONSPIRACY: Da Vinci’s Disciples has its historical basis rooted firmly in truth…one of the greatest conspiracies of the 15th century, a conspiracy that reached all the way to the Vatican. An assassination plot history now calls the Pazzi Conspiracy. With such a firm historical foundation, it allowed me to immerse myself fully in the city of Florence, as it was in 1478. And thanks to the many resources, both paper and virtual, the details of the setting found their way onto my page. It even allowed me to create a map, something I’ve always wanted to do. Today, I’d like to share some of those remarkable architectural delights with you. We must start where the story starts, where the assassination takes place: in Brunelleschi’s Duomo. In truth the Gothic style basilica, part of the complex of Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flowers Cathedral), was originally designed by Arnolfo di Cambio. Built on the ruins of the 7th century Santa Raparata Church, construction on the new structure began in…