First, a word about the romance genre. As those of us who write—and read—romance know, romance is often the underdog of fiction. Literary types in particular often look down on it. How sad for them. For romance has the power to sweep us away on a magical journey where heroes and heroines triumph against daunting odds. It uplifts, encourages and fills us with hope. It’s the stuff of inspiration. I’m proud to write it—for these reasons: 1. I love happy endings. Who doesn’t? That’s what our hearts and souls yearn for, and when it comes to the dating game, the romance genre—by definition—offers a guaranteed happily ever after. Romance novels are comfort food for the heart because we know that no matter how bad things get, the hero and heroine will end up together. Going along with them on their journey as they grapple with all the challenges that come their way makes for a compelling—and sometimes enlightening—ride. I read a cynical article once that denigrated the genre as nothing more than a fairy tale with no basis in reality, and you know what? I felt sorry for the woman who wrote it. Because once we stop believing in the…

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 J.A. Hennrikus! Writes: Cozy and traditional mysteries, with my latest release, With A Kiss I Die, #2 in my Theater Cop series hitting the shelves on April 8, 2019. About: Mystery writer seeks readers who like a good mystery that is combined with a touch of romance against the backdrop of a theater company. What I’m Looking for in my ideal reader match: Readers who enjoy a good puzzle Who don’t like a lot of blood and gore, but do enjoy a good mystery Enjoy the behind the scenes of a theater company Like their sleuths to be middle aged with a complicated past Welcome a rich cast of characters Know Romeo and Juliet, and preferably have seen a bad production of it on stage Don’t mind staying up late to finish the book What to expect if we’re compatible. Updates from my newsletter; sign up here: www.JHAuthors.com An opportunity to join the Wicked Authors private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewickeds/ Getting to know…

In THE CLAIMING OF THE SHREW, Catarina Neves begged Benedict Draven to marry her years before. She was desperate to escape an arranged marriage, and the brave English soldier seemed her only choice. Now Catarina is in London to ask for an annulment, but Benedict isn’t so sure he wants to give her up… “Senhor. You have come, as you promised.” “I’m a man of my word.” He moved forward, entering the parlor. “You have met my sister?” He looked back at Ines for a moment, but it was Catarina who held his gaze. The younger sister said something in Portuguese. He knew a bit of the language, but he wasn’t paying enough attention to translate. Then the younger sister exited to the bed chamber and he and Catarina were alone. They looked at each other for a long time. Finally, Catarina said, “I will ring for tea.” “There’s no need.” “I know your customs. It is appropriate to serve a caller tea.” “I’m your husband. I think we can dispense with the social customs.” Her dark eyes flashed fire before she quickly lowered her lashes. There was the temper he knew so well. She was attempting to control it…

Hello, I’m Diane Alberts (though I also write as Jen McLaughlin) and I’m here today because I had a new book come out this week called An Accidental Date with a Billionaire. It’s the first in a new series of standalone books, and in case you didn’t guess it by the title, the heroine accidentally bids on the wrong bachelor after promising her best friend that she will “save” her brother from being bought by a woman he doesn’t know. The problem is, Sam has never actually met her best friend’s brother, and instead of saving him she accidentally ends up with a very expensive date with Taylor (our hot, wealthy hero). One of the things I enjoy most about writing and reading romance is the moment when the hero or heroine knows—they just know—that there’s something about the hero/heroine that is…different. They might not fully understand what that is, or what that means, but instinctively they can sense that there is something about him/her that is going to threaten the chaos/organization/normalcy of their lives as they know it. Maybe it’s the first kiss, maybe it’s when their eyes first lock across the room, or maybe it’s after the first…

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 BECKY CLARK! Writes: Light-hearted, cozy mysteries with funny, quirky characters you want to hang out with in real life. The newest book is Foul Play on Words, book #2 in the Mystery Writer’s Mysteries, following Fiction Can Be Murder. In both, Charlemagne “Charlee” Russo is a mystery writer who keeps stepping in the metaphorical (and sometimes literal) dog poo of life. About: Married Colorado empty-nester who gets much too excited about forensics, tap dancing, FBI profiling, Broadway musicals, the purses she makes out of rescued books, true crime cases, German chocolate cake, coffee, vinyl LPs, and wine … not necessarily in that order. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Must love funny books. Must love dogs because there’s at least one in every book I write. Must understand the phrase “suspension of disbelief” because how many bad things can happen to one protagonist?? Must love stories about ordinary people going about their ordinary lives when—BLAMMO—something terrible happens to them!…

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 Kay Gordon! What I Write About: I love to write contemporary romance that involves strong relationships between not only my main characters but the supporting cast as well. I can always be counted on for taking my characters on a journey- some that hit you right feels- but that just makes their happily ever after even better! About Me: Author is an over-enthusiastic woman looking for someone who can appreciate a good mix of meet-cutes and slow burns, with independent heroines and heroes who aren’t afraid to prove why they’re a good match. Author loves to write in awesome children, modeling after her own sweet kids (who sometimes make her want to pull her hair out!) What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: A reader who knows that sometimes the build-up makes the relationship sweeter. A reader who isn’t afraid of the twists and turns that get us to the HEA. A reader that enjoys imperfect heroines who fall for…

Writes: An award-winning mystery/thriller police detective series set in Phoenix. The latest release, DEATH BLOW, book #3 in the Veranda Cruz series, hit the shelves in March 2019. About: Retired police captain turned award-winning author seeks readers who are adrenaline junkies looking for a high-octane thrill ride. DEATH BLOW features a strong—but flawed—female lead who must fight her inner demons as she’s pulled into a deadly trap. It’s the story of three families: Veranda Cruz’s large, loving, sometimes interfering ethnic family; her somewhat dysfunctional police family; and a notorious crime family that threatens everything she holds dear. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Enjoys police detective shows like “Law & Order” Has a thing for cops Is intrigued by an author with marksmanship medals and training in high-speed pursuit, defensive tactics, and interrogation techniques The sound of a siren gets your pulse racing—in a good way Secretly wants to be a detective Has a twisted sense of humor Is fine with a book that contains NO vampires, werewolves, witches, or cats Prefer your villains keep-you-up-at-night scary Isn’t squeamish about crime scene investigation Insists on multi-dimensional, complex characters (including the bad guys) Enjoys delving into a rich back…

One wouldn’t think books and whiskey easily blend. But they do. In ways, I surely never imagined when I started researching whiskey for my Lucky Whiskey series. The first book, A SHOT OF MURDER: A Lucky Whiskey Mystery, drops on June 8th. So raise a glass and read on. Both whiskey and books start with humble beginnings – Whiskey starts its life as beer and books start, at least for me, as half-form, often unpalatable ideas, that, like beer are foul and need to be changed into something infinitely better.   Both whiskey (Irish spelling) or whisky (Scottish/Canadian spelling) are grammatically correct, though the whiskey should be used as whisky looks like the writer is just drunk, much like the ridiculous use of gray (American spelling) when it should clearly be grey (British spelling). I mean, just look at it! Both whiskey and words must watch out for sneaky thieves – With whiskey, nearly 2% of a barrel is stolen by angels each year in what is referred to as The Angel’s Share, which is about the same amount of books stolen from libraries a year. Oddly, the most pilfered book is the Guinness Book of World Records. Both whiskey and books…

Lexy (spelled Leagsaidh in Scots Gaelic, but she’s given up) lives in the fictional town of Cuento, CA, smack-dab between Sacramento, San Francisco and Napa. She loves California! She loves the insane friendliness, the endless sunshine, the street trees that drop grapefruit on her head . . .  and she especially loves going out to eat. Here are Lexy’s top five local(ish) foodie hotspots, imagined as a single day-long blow-out to end all blow-outs. Benedict for Breakfast at Katie’s Place, Carmel Carmel is picture-postcard-perfect California, with its gingerbread cottages, huge sweep of white beach, and rail-thin millionaire ladies. Katie’s Place is a kind of miracle. It’s where people go to eat carbs. Yes, carbs. The breakfast menu is (literally) to die for: waffles, pancakes, hash browns, biscuits . . . but it’s hard to see past the benedicts. A split muffin, three-count-them-three perfectly poached eggs, a zingy but comforting blanket of hollandaise and a middle layer of . . . you name it. Smoked salmon (Nova Scotia Benedict), shrimp (Cajun Benedict), steak (New York Benedict), or Lexy’s favourite: Irish Benedict with a high heap of home-made corn beef hash. Fish for lunch at Sailor Jack’s, Benicia A drivable distance up…

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 Patricia Bradley! Writes: When people ask what I do, I’ve been known to tell them I kill people…but I do it nicely. Then I’m quick to tell them that I write romantic suspense. I also write romance occasionally without the murders, but that’s not my favorite thing to do. It’s much easier to kill off characters than to get the hero and heroine together, but somehow I always manage. I think one reason it’s hard is because my heroines, while not perfect, are strong women who are accustomed to handling situations on their own. And that means, my heroes, while flawed, are comfortable in their own skin and not intimidated by a capable woman. About Author: I live in a small town in Northeast Mississippi, two hours from Oxford (in the South we measure distance by time) where William Faulkner, Willie Morris and John Grisham held court. I’m a sucker for rescue kitties, and one of them now helps me write…at least…