If she was going to build a new life in Elm Ridge, she needed to become a social animal again. Basically, she needed to get a life, and that wouldn’t happen if she remained hidden under the covers. The invitation won over the impulse. “Boys,” Ashton said to his two assistants, “meet Grace Baker. She joined my firm a few weeks ago, and I still can’t get over how lucky I am to have snatched her away from the big city.” “Thank you, but I’m the lucky one.” This time she meant it. Desperate to get away from Manhattan, she’d had no idea where to go. And then, by accident, she’d stumbled onto his ad. At the time, she’d thought it divine intervention. Incredibly, there was a human-sized law firm in a small town looking for a non-belligerent general practitioner. Yep, the ad was every answer to her prayers. “Grace, these handsome devils are two of my nephews,” Ashton said. “This is Jaxon. He’s a horseman.” She shook the hand Jaxon extended. Rough and calloused, just how she’d imagined a cowboy’s hand would feel. His sky-blue eyes shone with kindness. “Nice to meet you, Grace.” He flashed a magnificent smile…

Inspiration can come from the most unusual places. As I began to lay the foundation for my latest novel, Where Dandelions Bloom, several factors were easy. I already knew I wanted to base the heroine on the story of real-life Civil War hero and spy Sarah “Emma” Edmonds. Cassie Kendrick was birthed from Emma’s struggles . . . running from an abusive, alcoholic father determined to marry her off to an even more abusive man. To escape a fate that seemed worse than death, Cassie dons the uniform of a soldier and enlists in the Union Army. The hero, Gabriel Avery, was completely fictitious but inspired by Civil War photographers like Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner, whose work completely changed how war was reported to the public. Gabriel is running from the darkness of his past by trying to find his worth in recognition. I came up with the idea for young, precocious Jonah Pfifer when I stumbled across some fascinating research. The youngest soldier in the American Civil War was only nine years old! Most people assume children were only used as drummer boys and buglers, but as the war dragged on, and casualties increased by alarming numbers, recruitment offices became desperate….

Fourteen years ago, Kensie Morgan watched helplessly as her younger sister was abducted in front of their house. Ever since, her life has been filled with dead-end leads and false hope. But then a note surfaces in Desparre, Alaska, claiming to be from her sister. Kensie ignores the advice of everyone around her and travels to the remote town. Desparre Herald Reporter: Before we get started, I just want to let you know what to expect… Kensie Morgan: I know how this goes. I’ve been talking to reporters about my little sister since I was thirteen. Desparre Herald Reporter: But wouldn’t your parents… Kensie Morgan: After few years go by, a missing child is old news. No one wanted to interview my parents anymore. They couldn’t get attention for her. But talk to the older sister who watched her get taken? That was still newsworthy. Desparre Herald Reporter: Sounds like a tough way to grow up. Kensie Morgan: If any of this means I can bring Alanna home, it will all be worth it. Desparre Herald Reporter: Okay, then, let’s get to why you’re here. Most of the people who come to Desparre are looking to get lost. Either from…

Who doesn’t love an old fashioned ghost story? Whether it’s something scary on Halloween or a frightening tale told late at night sitting around a campfire, ghost stories have been around for as long as humans have been telling stories. In fact, I’m such a fan of ghost stories I created a whole series “Secrets of Redemption” that combines the psychological thriller genre with a haunted house. (Because who doesn’t love a haunted house? Except … is the house even haunted? Hmmm.) And, to celebrate the launch of the 3rd book The Evil That Was Done in my award-winning “Secrets of Redemption” series, I thought I’d dive into the question of why ARE we so obsessed with ghosts. Below are five reasons to help explain our ghostly fascinations: 1. Overall, stories provide a safe container for us to feel our emotions. So many of us spend our lives trying to push our uncomfortable emotions away (such as sadness and worry and shame), or numb them or run away from them or whatever it takes to not feel them. The problem with that is if we aren’t feeling our difficult emotions, we also aren’t feeling our joyful, happy emotions. And, as…

I love to write fiction, and because of my law enforcement background, I write mystery/suspense and deal with cops, crimes, and criminals. Sometimes, when researching for a novel, the articles and websites tell tragic stories, emotionally draining. The darkness can be overwhelming. My upcoming release, Cold Aim, deals with human trafficking. Talk about dark. Modern-day slavery is far more prevalent than people want to believe. And it’s not only the crimes. Lately, a lot has been going on in law enforcement that is tragic and sad. It seems like every day an officer is shot—on the whole, the world is just going crazy. I’m not complaining, because with my fiction I control the outcome, so nothing goes unpunished as far as my novels are concerned. Often, however, I do need a little recharging, a reminder that God is in control and evil never wins. A few months ago, I moved to paradise. At least it’s paradise to me. I moved to the Big Island of Hawaii, looking for a more temperate climate, something that would be easier on my back and my knees. So far, so good. Usually, the temp runs about eighty-five, but nice, gentle trade winds make it…

I’ve always loved to travel, so I’m particularly drawn to novels set in interesting locations or featuring characters who take a journey of some sort. It’s my way of exploring the world even when I need to stay close to home. I’ve heard people refer to it as “armchair travel.” It’s the perfect escape from the daily demands—kids, job, friends, bills—you name it. Back when I was first dreaming of being an author, I remember reading a whole stack of Robin Jones Gunn’s delightful Sisterchicks books. As I closed the final cover, a thought jumped to mind. “This writer has it figured out. She must travel to all of these exotic locations to do book research—and it’s probably a business expense!” I realized the same was probably true of many of the other authors I made a habit of reading. Professional vacationers. Wouldn’t that be the life? Now that I’ve been on multiple book trips, I can tell you for sure: it is incredible. Traveling for novel research is a dream come true. It’s also a lot of work. My current series is set in some of our country’s most beautiful places, our national parks. When I first proposed the…

After a day spent listening to Baby Shark ad nauseam, I crave peace and quiet. To be fair, sometimes a little Rage Against the Machine is just what I need to release the stress of the day, but I digress. When I write my historical romances, the music I listened to needs to be void of lyrics but heavy on the emotional feels. And do you know what kind of music fits that bill? TV and movie scores! Depending on the scene I’m going to write, I select a song from a movie score I know is going to deliver the emotional punch I need to bleed the feels into the words I type. So here are my top five TV/movie score songs to write to. 5. “Marry Me” by Hans Zimmer from the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End score The combination of horns and strings creates a romantic, soulful sound perfect for writing those grand gesture scenes. 4. “The Way” by Zach Hemsey from A Discovery of Witches trailer This is the perfect song to listen to during the black moment. The crescendo leading to the climax of the song is potent and soaring, and the last…

Two sisters, Ryan and Wendy, are at the core of this novel, and even though they don’t always see eye to eye, Ryan is ready to help Wendy when she needs help. How does their relationship fuel the plot of this suspenseful novel? Ryan, who is much younger than Wendy, has always been in awe of Wendy. They’ve never lived in the same house, because Wendy was on her way to college when Ryan was born, and afterward she was married and traveling with her new husband. Wendy was the beautiful, seemingly perfect stranger who was so beyond Ryan in everything she did or could do, that there was no hope to compete or to truly win her sister’s affection. Then, suddenly, as the book begins, Ryan is given the chance for both. I really love the title of this book: A FAMILY OF STRANGERS. It’s very captivating! What does feeling like a stranger in one’s own family do to the characters in your book? I originally titled this book The Perfect Daughter, and we all loved it. But suddenly there were dozens of books scheduled everywhere with “perfect” in the title. So when I started looking for a new…

Many readers are familiar with the Orphan Trains that took impoverished children from large cities in the East to live with families in small towns and on farms in the Midwest. But did you know during that same time period more than 100,000 poor and orphaned British children were sent from England to Canada as British Home Children? This child emigration scheme was started by those who had good intentions and who hoped to clear the streets, children’s homes, and workhouses of orphaned and abandoned children in England’s overcrowded cities and towns. The children were promised a better life in Canada, but sadly that was not the case for all of them. Most of these children were not adopted and welcomed into families. Instead, the boys were taken in as indentured farm laborers and the girls worked as household servants called domestics, even at very young ages. Those who took them in simply filled out a form and paid a small fee. There was little screening and often no follow up. Because of this, and prevailing attitudes of the time, many of these children suffered neglect and mistreatment. Many slept in barns or other outbuildings and were not given adequate…

Warrior in Love is about a professional tomb robber and a Valkyrie on the hunt to retrieve an ancient artifact before it’s used to trigger Ragnarök – but treasure hunters have been around for decades! Here are my Top 5 Tomb Raider movies! #5: Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft Oh, come on – you knew this was going to be here! Yes, I know it’s from a video game – and yes, it had a sequel and has been rebooted since. But to me, this first movie was a great show of female power and strength, with Lara charging in where men feared to tread to find the treasure. A great movie! #4 The Mummy (NO, not the Tom Cruise one – the Brendan Fraser one!) Rick O’Connell kicked Royal Butt in this movie, chasing down an ancient mummy along with finding true love with Evy – a librarian who is much tougher than she looks. Don’t you DARE email me and argue for the Tom Cruise version – no, no, no! #3 The Mummy Returns No, it’s not cheating! Not when you see that Evy and Rick have an ADORABLE little boy and he’s just as…