What makes a compelling hero, someone who’s not just drool-worthy because of his killer smile and his bulging biceps, but a man who really deserves a strong heroine? For me, that answer can usually be summed up in what the hero is willing to sacrifice for others. And Cole Walker, the hero of my upcoming Harlequin Intrigue book, POLICE PROTECTOR, is the ultimate hero. Taken away from his birth family when he was just two years old because of severe neglect, Cole grew up in the system. Tossed from one foster home to the next, he learned early how to take care of himself and never to rely on anyone else. But in one of those homes, two younger boys – Andre Diaz and Marcos Costa, the heroes of the other books in my trilogy – looked up to him like a real older brother. And Cole formed his own family. When he was kicked out of the system at eighteen, with nothing – no adult support system, nowhere to live, no financial safety net – he vowed to build a home so his brothers wouldn’t face the same fate. And he did. Cole took on two jobs to support…

I became hooked on Stephen King when I was thirteen. I have no idea how I came to pick up his book, PET SEMETARY at that age (I remember the book itself was beat up and dog-eared and very worse for wear), but I do remember reading the first page and knowing straight away my reading world had changed. Up until that point, I was pretty much only reading Sweet Valley High books (which all seemed very exotic and strange to a young girl whose entire life had been spent growing up in rural Australia. Man, are our schooling systems and environments different!). So PET SEMETARY entered my life and everything changed. The Sweet Valley High books disappeared off my reading pile, replaced with any and every Stephen King book I could get my hands on. (I grew up on the poor side of town, so getting my hands on books meant school libraries and the only second-hand book shop in town). By the time I was fifteen I had read every Stephen King book he’d written. I was a fan. No other author was going to replace him. Ever. And then my sister-in-law gave me a Silhouette Special Edition…

Hi! I’m Donna Michaels and I’m excited to chat with you today about heroes. I like mine like I like my romances—hot and humorous. lol All the better if the hero possesses that alpha stubbornness, too. I think that’s why I’m drawn to Jensen Ackles’ character Dean Winchester on the hit TV series, Supernatural. Do you watch the show? It’s about two brothers who hunt down the supernatural and protect a world who has no clue about the evil. Although both brothers are hot and humorous, Dean’s character is more alpha, stubborn, and a bit of a jerk at times. Man, it must be fun writing his character. I can just imagine the sarcasm filling the air during the writing session for the show. I’m not sure what I love more? Dean’s sense of humor, or the reason for it. He uses it to cover up anger, grief, and guilt, along with the pain he buries deep inside. Pain for all he’s lost. A pain that motivates him to do what it takes to keep strangers safe, and to sacrifice everything and anything for his brother. Is it any wonder he inspires my heroes? In my latest release with Entangled…

People often ask what my writing day is like.  Since I’m a workaholic, most of my writing days are long and mentally tiring.  I thought it might be fun to tell you what my perfect day would be. Aside from a trip to Paris, Rome, or some other exotic location, I had a perfect day last week.  I did some book promo for the first book in my Texas Trilogy, BEYOND REASON, which is out May 30th, then went to work on the book that comes out in February next year, BEYOND DANGER. It was one of those days where everything came together.  Since great writing days don’t happen that often, authors value them highly.  Because it was the first truly glorious day in Montana after a long winter, I decided to quit a little early.  I was drained after writing an intensely romantic love scene, but happy with what I’d produced. As a treat, my husband and I decided to go on a camera safari.  Loading snacks into the pickup, we headed into the Montana mountains.  In one afternoon we saw a herd of elk, two dozen deer, a group of sand hill cranes, an osprey, and a variety…

I looked down at my drink as I tried to figure out a nice way of phrasing my next question. “When you say they’re possessive…?” I couldn’t figure out a way to finish, but both women seemed to know where I was going with that statement. “Possessive as in protective,” Cara clarified, slowly circling her pint glass on the glossy wood table. “Bridgewater men put their woman first, always,” Katie said. “They believe in making sure she is always taken care of—her problems are their problems. It’s their duty to make sure she’s happy.” “And satisfied,” Cara added with a waggle of her eyebrows that had all three of us cracking up. They’d made me feel better and reassured me that Declan and Cole weren’t like Brad. What they said only reaffirmed what my gut had told me from the moment I’d met them. They were good men—kind men. They were also sexy men and they were watching me. “So what’s the verdict?” Katie asked, biting her lip to obviously keep from grinning. “Are you interested?” I opened my mouth to respond and paused. Was I? The ache between my thighs was my answer. But that’s not what she meant….

THE TROUSER GAME is a brand new historical erotic romance by Genella DeGrey available from the 6th June from Totally Bound Publishing, Amazon and other online retailers. Read on for an exclusive excerpt of The Trouser Game… St. Helens, England, Summer 1895 “Aren’t you going to welcome me home, Miles?” Jillian Kelley, having just arrived from university in the United States, addressed the man whom she’d been intrigued with throughout her youth. He stood at the opposite end of her mother’s formal parlor, unblinking. He was as handsome as Jillian remembered, with his light characteristics and sky-blue eyes—perhaps his facial features had grown a little more mature, but she didn’t mind. She and Miles would grow old together and outward appearances would mean nothing with a love as strong as theirs would be. Standing here with him now, she felt the familiar stirrings in her breast of the unrequited love she’d harbored for him for over half of her twenty-three years. She supposed, if she was pressed, her former determination to win him could be considered an obsession when viewed in a harsher light. However, none of that mattered now. The status of their association was indubitably about to change….

“Where do you get your ideas from?” It’s one of the more common reader questions I receive. The truth is, it varies. The spark of an idea usually begins with something small (and sometimes completely unrelated). The idea for the Lucie Rizzo Mystery series started with my much-loved dog, Buddy. He’s a Wheaten Terrier who is affectionately known in my house as Buddy-the-Wheaten-Terrorist. He was six months old when my husband bestowed the terrorist title on him. At the time, Buddy was in full-blown puppy mania and was A.) driving us insane with his energy  B.) eating our furniture C.) eating our clothing (while we were wearing it). Those of you who have had a puppy know the feeling. After a particularly long day of dealing with my lovable pup, it occurred to me that I should write a book about a woman who went insane (or dropped dead from exhaustion) due to her dog. At first, I laughed the idea off. Something kept nagging at me though. I knew readers loved books with dogs in them and I was so strung out from Buddy, I needed to find a way to channel the endless aggravation into something funny. I…

Hello, Fresh Fiction readers! I’m honored to join you to talk about the inspiration behind my debut novel, THE FIRST WORD. So far, I’m not one of those authors who can pinpoint one definitive moment when inspiration struck and I was hit with the premise for a book. One day, maybe for my twenty-fifth novel, I’ll be sitting at a rickety café table by the Seine or charging up a Peruvian mountainside—or maybe contemplating life from the ramparts of a Scottish castle—when the muse descends. I’d love to have a whole new world unfold before my eyes, and to have the characters take shape almost of their own accord and start imposing their will upon the page. But, for me, inspiration has always been a much messier thing. THE FIRST WORD started with tears. Lots of tears. If I’m going to be completely honest, it was not a pretty picture. There were red, raw eyes. There was a leaden feeling in my chest. There may have even been snot, and a pile of used tissues, which doesn’t sound terribly romantic, but please hear me out (it ended up plenty romantic, I promise!). This book started out with an emotional truth….

I was born in the Middle East and lived there the first thirteen years of my life. The people of Iran, where I grew up, value family and friends above most things. I have learned that nothing is as important as relationships, both Divine and human: not writing, not succeeding, not finishing my to-do list, not even reading my favorite books. After Jesus, people come first. Love is more important than accomplishments or pastimes. I was almost fourteen when we moved to England. Half of my family still lives there. When we first moved, my English was limited. I became fluent while attending Princess Helena College, a boarding school for girls in Hertfordshire. So although I’ve lived most of my life in America, my accent still has shades of the Queen’s influence. That, and a bit of Persian. Americans usually ask me if I’m Irish. The Irish ask me if I’m American. The real answer is that I’m a citizen of heaven. I became a bookworm when I was very young. Most of my pocket money went to buying novels. It still does, come to think of it. I would not be who I am today without books. In fact,…

Miranda Owen: For readers like me, who are unfamiliar with your books written as Madeline Baker, could you please describe what your historical romances are like? Amanda Ashley: They all have Indian or half-Indian heroes. A few of them are gunfighters because I love bad boys. Several of the books are time travel romances because they are such fun to write. Of course, they are all set in the Old West – Arizona, Montana, the Dakotas – places like that. I did a lot of research on the Lakota, the Cheyenne, and the Apache, as well as a few other tribes, in an effort to make the books as realistic as possible. Miranda Owen: I’ve always described most of your vampire romances as being “contemporary paranormal Gothic”. I love Gothic historical romance and I always felt like your writing style was tailor-made for that type of story. You’ve written a few books with many of those same elements that make historical Gothics so delicious. Would you ever consider writing a Gothic historical series? Amanda Ashley: I actually started one a few years ago, but it never got off the ground. I just couldn’t make it work. Miranda Owen: Although I…