Back in early 2014 I first conceived the town of Blue Valley, Montana—the setting of both my Big Sky Cowboys series, and my current Navy SEAL Cowboys series. From the very beginning, it was a rough-and-tumble town inhabited by rough-and-tumble people. Most of the cowboys weren’t your traditional sort—a disgraced hockey player, the town screw up, and then a trio of Navy SEALs with physical and emotional scars. It’s that trio that makes up my Navy SEAL Cowboys series this year. It’s been a truly amazing experience to write about three injured SEALs coming to Blue Valley to build a ranch that will act as a foundation for wounded veterans such as themselves—those who need a place to feel useful again, to engage in some therapeutic horsemanship. And in the case of Revival Ranch’s three SEAL founders, fall in love. Coming to the end of a series is never easy. It’s a bit like moving away from home. For four years, I’ve spent a lot of time in Blue Valley, and for the past two I’ve been building Revival Ranch right along with my characters. I’ve spent hours there, imagining what it looks like, sounds like, and sometimes even smells…

It’s no secret that I absolutely adore ménage stories. There’s something just downright decadent about having three (or more) people getting hot and heavy in a relationship. The relationship arcs often take similar paths that you see in romances with two main characters, but a really good ménage has an extra level of depth because of the complicated relationship dynamics. It’s really four relationships in one! Each character must have a satisfying relationship with the other two members of the triad, and there’s the triad as a whole that needs to function smoothly. Whether these relationships are MMF (male-male- female; where the heroes are bisexual and intimate with each other as well as the heroine) or MFM (male-female-male; where the heroes share the heroine but aren’t intimate sexually with each other), they are so much fun to read! It’s definitely complicated, but when you find an author or book who pulls it off spectacularly, it’s one of the most rewarding reader experiences to have. You get the awesome relationships, and the opportunity to read some of the hottest sex scenes out there. Two is amazing, always and forever, but three (or more) just ups the game to a whole new…

It was 2005 and I was a frustrated wannabe novelist. I’d been wanting to write a thriller for years, but every time I started one, I found that my story wasn’t as fresh and original as I needed it to be. I was about ready to give up. Then one day, while researching investigative techniques, I stumbled across an article about geospatial investigation, a little known, cutting-edge way of analyzing the timing, location, and progression of serial crimes that the FBI was starting to use. It was unique, different, and perfect for my story. Everything began to click and FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers was born. THE PAWN released in 2007 and my life would never be the same again. Since each book takes me around a year to research and write, chronicling Patrick’s adventures and cases has been a labor of love for more than a decade. And now, with the release of the eleventh and final book, EVERY WICKED MAN, the long-running series is coming to an end and it’s come time to say goodbye to my old friend. In my search for authentic locations and characters, writing this series has been a journey that has taken me…

Asking a former librarian to tell you her favorite library is a lot like asking a mom who her favorite kid is. Impossible! I have been very fortunate to work and visit some of the coolest libraries in the world. Every single one of these jobs or tours has helped me write the library lover’s mysteries, which has its ninth title, HITTING THE BOOKS, coming out on September 11th! It’s so exciting to see this series and the characters within it develop with each new story, but I digress! My favorite library is… Yeah, no, I can’t choose so I’ll tell you my top three – in no particular order. First, there is the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. I was fortunate enough to do a tour of duty there while I was in library school and it was one of the most transformative experiences in my education. Housed in an iconic building, they have a collection which has to be seen to be believed. Samples of their holdings include works by Benjamin Franklin, John James Audubon, George Eliot, the Mellon Collection of Alchemy and the Occult, the Romanov family photo albums,…

Yeah! Sliding Home releases to the world August 13. I’m so excited for this book, you have no idea. My editor likes this hero best because… (guess) He’s a fireman. Or he was until he became a hot baseball shortstop. He’s got family issues and who doesn’t? He seduces good girl Ellie in a really unusual balcony scene. She’s always had a thing for baseball players. In her words, “They have the best butts of anyone professional athlete.” Answer: All of the above! Yes my editor loves this book for a variety of reasons, all of which include the sexy hero, baseball yumminess, and his realistic family issues. The chemistry just worked right in the book. Plus, she loves how the book came to be. Guess where I got the idea for the heroine’s “Rejection Therapy” A backyard barbeque when every single person said a hard “No!” to my potato and avocado salad On the side of a tube of toothpaste. Some of us read everything including whatever’s hanging around the bathroom. So there it was on the side of a tube of Sensodyne. TED talks. It was a very learned (and fun) piece about wanting Olympic ring donuts and…

When I was writing THE MORAL COMPASS, the first novel in the Shaking the Tree trilogy, I went in search of a suitable image for the cover. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any pictures of women in 1850s costume that even came close to what I wanted. So, using my knowledge of history of costume, pattern making and garment construction, I made a costume, found a model and photographed the image I had in my head. Most people would probably leave it there. However, I was writing a trilogy, so I had to make more costumes for the different periods in which my books were set. A bustle dress for the 1870s and a leg-O-mutton sleeve ensemble with a huge hat for the 1890s came next. This process has sparked an obsession. I love everything about making costumes; from the research, sourcing the fabric and trims, drafting the pattern, construction of the garment, making the accessories, and the hours of hand finishing these garments require. And the cherry on the cake is photographing the completed outfits so the images will make good book covers. So far, I’ve made garments representing the Regency period (c.1815), early Victorian (1840s), mid-Victorian (1850s), mid-late Victorian…

Dear Readers, I’m excited about the publication of my book Cowboy Charm School.   It’s been in the works for a long time. I played around with the concept for more than five years before I actually got around to writing it.   Book ideas generally come to me in scenes.  I’ll suddenly visualize someone atop a runaway stagecoach, scrambling over a roof, or running from a burning building and then have to figure out who, what, and why. The scene that popped into my head for Cowboy Charm School was a bride and groom standing at the altar about to say, “I do.”  Suddenly, a tall, handsome stranger runs into the church yelling, “Stop the wedding!”   I finally figured out that the stranger is Texas Ranger Brett Tucker, who thinks he’s saving the bride from marrying an outlaw. He’s mistaken, of course, but his accusations cause the bride and groom to break up.  Feeling terrible for what he’s done, Brett decides to work to bring the estranged couple back together again. God knows he means well.  But as the old western saying goes: When buying a horse, don’t consult a pedestrian; when courting a woman, don’t ask the…

Texas is a big state, and a great many of our male citizens wear cowboy boots and a Stetson or other brand cowboy hat. That doesn’t mean that man is a cowboy. Texas also hosts some huge and amazing rodeos, so especially during rodeo season, everyone togs up in western wear, as though they know which end of a horse is which. So, when I say REAL COWBOY, I’m talking about the men who actually work on a ranch, ride horses, shovel out stalls, plant crops, raise cattle and have a whole different way of looking at life than the city fellows. A real cowboy is generally down to earth, would do anything to help a neighbor, and they have a certain inner confidence that comes across. Gotta love a Real Cowboy. 1) Real cowboys know how to treat a woman. If you have ever loved and been loved by a real cowboy, you wouldn’t have to ask. <g> 2) Real cowboys do not wear baggy, saggy pants, and they do know how to fill out their Wranglers 3) When a Real Cowboy walks into a room all the women know there’s a man in the room…and so do the…

Writes: Elizabeth Heiter writes both psychological suspense and romantic suspense. Her books feature strong heroines, chillingly realistic villains, and psychological twists. She believes every hero or heroine has the right plot waiting for them (and she believes in making them work hard for their happy ending!). About: Elizabeth doesn’t know how to be bored, so she’s had ten books in two genres (plus three short stories) published in the past four and a half years. She can usually be found with a mocha next to her laptop, writing her work-in-progress, editing the book she’s just finished, and researching the one up next. That research has taken her to the FBI’s firing range, the CIA’s headquarters, and a police academy. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Loves the twists and turns of a good mystery. Appreciates a heroine who can take down a man twice her size. Longs for a hero who can charm a strong woman, without being intimidated by her. Wants their heart to pound relentlessly during a great action scene. Believes that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Knows the best villains are as unwilling to give up as the heroes. Craves a book…

When I first set out to write this series – Band on the Run – this was not quite the way I had it planned.  It was going to be a trilogy, but unrelated. For those of you who know me, I’m kind of known more for my family sagas, but the chance to write something a little different fed my creativity in a way that nothing had in a while.  So how did we end up here? After much discussion, it was decided that the music trilogy would be an off-shoot of my Shaughnessy Brothers series. Why? Because Riley Shaughnessy is a rock star whose band is on hiatus. 😊 CUE THE INSPIRATION!! And so the series now had it’s players and its foundation and I have to say, I have loved every minute of it. You see, music plays a large part in my life. I’m married to a drummer. My older son was in a band.  Overall, we are a family who LOVES music, so the thought of writing books set in the music world fascinated me. BUT…I was going to take a different approach to writing about a rock band. I wasn’t writing about life on…