I made a two-hour trip to Katy, Texas to meet with a fan from Minnesota, who is originally from Colombia, and we had lunch and enjoyed talking about her home of Colombia, and why she loves to live here. I signed books at the Books-A-Million in Katy and at West Oaks Village Barnes and Noble in Houston. We had a really good time, but one of the things we talked about was how my GPS was misdirecting me to one of the bookstores. “You know,” I said to Lola, “I wrote about this in SEAL Wolf Surrender where the heroine was lost–because her GPS was misdirecting her–and the SEAL wolf had to rescue her. Well, that is me. All the time.” Except for having a sexy wolf to rescue me! The same for her! You see, writing about what really happens in your life makes connections with my readers. How many times do they get lost because of following a GPS’s directions? I had a reader tell me she loved figuring out which parts of my stories had happened to me and which were purely fiction. That’s what makes it fun for me. I love it when my fans tell…

I recently had a discussion with friends about pepper spray. . . One friend keeps a canister with her and even sent me the link to the one she likes. I haven’t ordered it yet, but it’s in my cart, ready to purchase next time I place an order. Two of us have daughters who are college-aged and both have been in situations that make me cringe when I think about them. As moms of older children, we can no longer dictate their actions or what places they frequent, but at the same time, we can arm them with something that might help them in a difficult situation. In uncomfortable conditions like dark parking lots, I normally walk with my keys fisted in my hands, one pointing outward in preparation for some kind of attack I’m optimistic will never really happen. I’m even happy to see that as time passes more places are installing the police call boxes that are an easy jog from every position. Also, I’ve read an amazing book about trusting your instincts and being aware of the danger around you. I highly recommend The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. I believe everyone should read…

We’re very, very happy that Fresh Fiction has invited us to interview each other. We’re Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick, and you might know us by our writing names, May McGoldrick and Jan Coffey. After forty years of marriage, twenty-five years of writing together, and fifty books, there have been plenty of times when we’ve answered interviewers’ questions–and we even wrote a how-to book on collaboration–but to get personal like this is something totally different. In this interview, we hope to take you behind the closed doors and give you a glimpse of our relationship. . . because that’s the magic that makes the journey possible. Nikoo: Let’s start easy. Coffee or tea? Jim: Too simple. . . and not too magical. Coffee and cappuccino in the morning, tea in the afternoon. And that’s the same with you, too. Nikoo: What movie or series have we watched more than ten times? Jim: Love, Actually. Casablanca. Pride and Prejudice (the BBC series). Persuasion. Jane Eyre (every version). Little Dorrit. The Guard. Waking Ned Devine. Notting Hill. Emma. It Happened One Night. Jim: What’s our go-to movie every Christmas? Nikoo: Love, Actually. Jim: Do you remember how we met? Nikoo: How can I…

Welcome back to Fresh Fiction! Can you tell us a little bit about your new book, WHEN THE MARQUESS WAS MINE? Sure! It’s the third book in my Wagers of Sin series, with a luxe, risque gaming club called the Vega Club at the center. Each book’s story turns on a scandalous or notorious wager at the club, and in this book, it’s actually a drunken birthday party that gets the hero, Rob (Marquess of Westmorland) in trouble. He wins, mostly by accident, the deed to a country house. His friends tease about turning it into a brothel, but Rob doesn’t really want the house; he decides to return the deed, but not to the feckless idiot who lost it. He plans to give it to the man’s wife and family, figuring they can punish the guy a lot more than Rob can himself. Georgiana Lucas is visiting her friend Kitty in the country when Kitty hears alarming news from her husband: the terrible Marquess of Westmorland is coming to take possession of their house. He claims he was swindled. He scares them all to death. Kitty vows Westmorland will never be allowed inside her house. So when Rob turns…

Alice Gaines here. I thought I’d introduce you to the hero of my contemporary romance, The Revenge Game, from Entangled Publishing. Adam Morrow is a self-made millionaire, but one night with his first love, Nicole Westmore, could ruin everything. Here’s how Adam describes his back story. “I’ve worked my ass off for what I have, and I’m damn proud of it. I started off with nothing and now I’m filthy rich. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like revenge to help you get your ass in gear. And that’s what I’m taking, with every exclusive resort I open–sweet, sweet revenge. . . on her. “Nicole Westmore was my first love. The poor little rich girl stole my heart with her sweet smile, hot body, and irresistible innocence. The summer I worked for her father was the best time of my life. . . until he drove me away. Even then, I thought Nicole would wait for me. She didn’t. “And so, I decided to get even, opening rival hotels, slowly driving them out of business. The old man is gone now, but Nicole is still running the company that’s about to collapse. All my hard work will soon pay off….

IT WAS LATE NOVEMBER WHEN HE FOUND THE ENVELOPE. Big Jim Garrett held the letter for a while before opening it. It was from his sister-in-law, Adele, who now lived over in Fort Worth. There was a stack of mail on the kitchen counter, but from what he could tell, it was made up mostly of Christmas cards. He would leave those for the others in his household to open, but this letter was addressed to him personally with no “and family” tacked on. What’s going on with Adele? After Big Jim’s brother had died, Adele had sold their land and moved to Fort Worth, where she had some relatives. Big Jim’s back teeth ground together as he recalled how she had fallen way behind in property taxes and was forced to sell off the property and stock. The woman had always been headstrong and shortsighted, to his way of thinking. No business sense, and she hadn’t come to Big Jim until it was too late. He took a seat at the counter separating the kitchen from the dining area. Tearing the envelope open, he slid out a single sheet of notepaper. Dear Jim, I’m writing to let you know…

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 as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Jennifer Snow! Writes: An Alaskan Christmas is a sexy contemporary romance set in a fictional town in Alaska, featuring search and rescue heroes and heroines. About: Socially awkward, introverted author seeks equally awkward introverted readers who like to hang out together, while silently reading their respective novels. I’ll supply coffee, wine, and sexy contemporary romances. . . Also, you must love cats. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: · Must love a narcoleptic Husky puppy · Must love strong, sometimes “prickly” heroines · Must love a wild, adventurous, breathtaking setting · Must love Christmas · Must love a brave, sexy, charming hero · Must love a story that makes them laugh out loud, swoon, cry and feel emotionally satisfied by the last page What to expect if we’re compatible: · Fun, heartwarming, sexy stories supplied on demand · The previously promised coffee or wine should we meet face to face · An inconsistent newsletter with lots of giveaways…

Holy crap. . . He’d killed her. Carter dropped to his knees and gently shook her the second Emery collapsed. “Emery? Emery, come on now. . . wake up!” Fear had him by the throat when he realized how rough he’d been with her a moment ago. He had no idea anyone was staying here and thought she was a burglar! How was he supposed to know it was Emery? And for that matter, he was still confused as all get-out why she was here. Giving her another small shake before checking her pulse, he continued to coax her to wakefulness. His hand getting smacked away was kind of a shock. “You still know how to make an entrance, Montgomery,” she murmured, slowly sitting up. Looking around as if still a little dazed, she took her time before letting her eyes land on him. And when they did, they were shooting daggers. “Are you okay?” Hesitantly, he reached out to help her to her feet and once again she moved his hand away. It wasn’t until she was up and steady on her feet that he realized how little she was wearing. “Um. . . Emery?” “What is your deal,…

Hi! I’m so delighted to be here today with an exclusive excerpt from ARCTIC HEAT, my newest release in the Frozen Hearts series set in Alaska. As with the other two books in the series, this one stands alone well–there’s only the briefest of mentions of the prior books’ couples and no spoilers. This is my opposites-attract, odd couple roommates, snowbound romance as a seasoned ranger finds himself paired with a newbie volunteer for the winter season where they’ll be snowed in together at a remote Alaska state park. One thing I loved about writing this one was showing the progression of them from unwilling partners to reluctant roommates to something more. For this excerpt, I wanted to show you a look at the moment when the ranger, Quill, realizes that the winter partnership with Owen, for whom he already had a bit of an awkward encounter with the night before, is inevitable. **** Quill had no hope of this thing working well for anyone, but he’d already done what he could. No sense in upsetting Hattie, who was simply trying to do her job. He saved his ire, heading to the coffee table where Owen was still fussing with…

As a romantic suspense author, I’ve heard and read complaints that romance authors create unrealistic expectations in our heroes. I beg to differ. My female and male heroes very much reflect my experiences in real life. They reflect people I know and love, including my husband. In fact, my perfect hero is much like the people in your everyday life, in all of our lives, struggling to be better and sometimes actually being their best selves. Keeping that in mind, here is my list of 4 perfect hero attributes. Funny–Have a good sense of humor or at least don’t take themselves so seriously. Though I’ve read and enjoyed books in which the blank-faced hero has no sense of humor, I’m a sucker for a funny and light-hearted hero or even a dry and witty hero. My husband has a very dry and witty sense of humor. He delivers his jokes straight, so there is often a processing pause to register the joke and then the burst of uncontrolled laughter. In the second novel of my Black Ops Confidential series, THE PRICE OF GRACE, there is a lot of tension and suspense, but also humor. Starting with Gracie when she’s hidden…