As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Kym Roberts, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? There wasn’t just one book, but rather a series. I adore Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, Lula and Grandma Mazur. When the series finally comes to an end, I will absolutely die if Stephanie chooses Joe over Ranger. I’d rather see Stephanie’s romantic future up in the air for each reader to choose Stephanie’s happily-ever-after how he or she sees fit. So although Janet Evanovich’s mysteries aren’t considered cozies, I tend to push the boundaries of the genre because of her. 🙂 If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Model/actress Noémie Lenoir was the inspiration for Charli Rae Warren in my Book Barn series. Charli Rae is bi-racial with the down-to-earth beauty of a tomboy heroine. She doesn’t see her wild curls as a thing to envy, nor does she see her tall skinny frame as…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Chelsea Mueller, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What made you fall in love with the romance genre? Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books were what made me fall in love with urban fantasy. I DEVOURED those books. If I had to pin it down to one title, though, it’d be Circus of the Damned as when I knew I was hooked and would get my hands on anything and everything with supernatural elements and a crime to solve. Bonus points if that book also included some legit romance. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Lindsay Morgan. She plays Raven Reyes on The 100, and she’s who I had in my mind when writing Callie Delgado, the lead in BORROWED SOULS. I’m not sure who would end up playing Derek, but his visual in my mind is a mix of Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf, Supergirl) and Joe Manganiello (True…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with New York Times bestselling author C.L. Wilson, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? Books that made me fall in love with fantasy: Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. Books that made me fall in love with romance: Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss, Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale, and Dark Desire by Christine Feehan. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Jason Momoa as Dilys Merimydion, the Sea King, because I always imagined Dilys as a cross between a Roman gladiator and a Samoan warrior. I saw Jason M. as Aquaman and went nuts, screaming, “That’s Dilys!!” Bwahahaha! OMG! It’s like they reached into my brain and pulled him out of it! What was the first story you ever wrote? The first story I…

DANCE WITH ME is the second book in the Cowboys of Crested Butte series. It tells the story of Billy Patterson and Renie Fairchild, who we met in FALL FOR ME, the series’ first book. If I had to pick my favorite character in all the books I’ve written, Billy is in the top two or three. Billy has that swagger that only a world champion saddle bronc rider, and all around hot, hunky, handsome cowboys possesses. Renie Fairchild is not only his best friend, she’s the girl next door, and Billy can’t decide whether he wants to wring her neck or kiss her senseless. Crested Butte, Colorado is one of my favorite places on earth, and why I set this series in the mountain town. Here is a list of the top five best things to do in Crested Butte. Ski! The mountain resort is ranked in the top fifteen places to ski in the United States, and a couple years ago won BEST SKI TOWN in North America. Whether you’re into downhill skiing, extreme skiing or Nordic skiing, Crested Butte has it all in spades. Wild Flower Festival This weeklong festival, started in 1986, takes place the second…

“Guilty.” That’s the opening to my short story, The Second Shot, part of the anthology BETRAYED, releasing in ebook next week. My heroine, seventeen-year-old Regan Adderly, has just been found guilty of murdering her abusive father. But it’s really the end. Or is it? From this scene, the story travels backward through four days of the trial, from the perspectives of others who were connected to the crime: the cop who arrested Regan on the night of the murder; Regan’s dependent, drug-addicted mother; her desperate little brother; and her conniving older boyfriend. It ends a year earlier, back in Regan’s perspective, with the actual crime. Along the way, the story weaves through the hours and leading up to the shooting, and asks the question: who fired the shot that killed Maxwell Adderly? With most mysteries, part of the joy is following alongside the protagonist, trying to figure out who did it, how and why – and then catch them. It was a lot of fun to turn this idea on its head, beginning with the guilty party already caught and tried, and then leading readers on a journey to determine if the verdict was right – and deserved. Besides the…

GHOST ON THE CASE by Carolyn Hart Bailey Ruth Ghost #8 Bailey Ruth Raeburn is back, racing against the Heavenly clock in an all-new mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Times Two. Bailey Ruth finds herself comforting a distraught sister when she’s sent to Adelaide, Oklahoma, on her latest mission. Susan Gilbert receives a $100,000 ransom demand for her younger sibling. When the caller wants Susan to pay a visit to her wealthy boss and take the cash from his safe, Bailey Ruth follows Susan to the home. But she finds herself in a quandary, knowing that robbery is hardly a Heavenly pursuit. While Susan waits to hear back from the kidnappers, Bailey Ruth attempts to piece together how the criminals targeted Susan and how they know about her boss’s money. At a luncheon the previous week, Susan’s boss asked her to open the safe so all the attendees knew it was filled with cash. Could one of the rich man’s closest confidants be behind the abduction? Bailey Ruth is positive she can use her detective skills to figure out which luncheon guest arranged the kidnapping. But an unexpected twist in the case soon has Bailey…

So I went to Africa on a non-writing, no-laptop vacation, to check off a bucket list item that entailed world-class wildlife viewing. I also wanted to pursue a life-long yearning to connect with my Caribbean-forged African heritage. Silly me. Little did I know that Africa was about to grab me by the throat, shake awake my soul, and capture my heart for good. Yes, I loved the wildlife. Yes, I loved the land. The Serengeti is one of the most beautiful, last wild places on earth and we MUST support the effort to protect it. But it was the people I met in Africa that left the greater mark on my soul, the extraordinary folks who challenge the odds every day to build a better future for themselves and for humanity. These diverse, dynamic communities face complex, difficult, sometimes heart-breaking realities on the ground with skill, resilience, and wisdom. Their hopes and dreams inspired the story in these pages. Their courage drives the characters that you are about to meet. That’s why I’m so excited to introduce you to the protagonists of THE GUARDIAN, Matthias Hawking and Jade Romo, the sexy, fiery pair that captivated my imagination during my travels…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What made you fall in love with the romance genre? The humor, the wit, and the quality of the writers. Oh, and the stories. Reading my favorite authors is like having a cozy catch-up with my closest friends. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? I have no idea. I know there are readers who have real people in mind when they read. There are writers who cast their books that way. To be honest, I feel that I am writing about souls. The exterior? It doesn’t matter. It is the heart that counts. I honestly, even in the spirit of fun, am clueless. What was the first story you ever wrote? ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL, which is also the first book I completed. As a kid, I didn’t write to tell stories. I had…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? The first romance I ever read: The Velvet Promise by Jude Deveraux. My  mom gave it to me the summer before sixth grade because we’d been to the bookstore and I’d read everything in the YA and classics sections and was totally depressed I wouldn’t have anything to read. I read it in one night, then read the next three books in the series that same week. Then I turned around and read them again. And again. And again. It was totally love at first read. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? My most recent book is ROYAL PAIN, the story of a prince (the spare) who has suddenly become the heir and the free-spirited woman he falls in love with….

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2017, our Meet the Author interview series helps you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 10-12. Read on to get acquainted with Carol Shaughnessy, and purchase your tickets to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! What book made you fall in love with the genre you write? The first book was Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. That led me to sexy action adventure. If a movie were made of your most recent book, who would you cast in the lead and why? Scarlett Johansson. She could portray my character as strong yet damaged. What was the first story you ever wrote? My first story was a love story my mother loved. I was in high school. It was never published. If you could change the ending to any famous book, TV show, or movie, what would it be and how would you rewrite it? (Spoiler alert!) Why would you change the perfectly imperfect classics? They teach us so much. What comes to mind is Old Yeller, Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz. What is your favorite part of meeting your readers (and new readers)? My favorite…