The entire concept of the X-OPS series started around 2011, when the Navy SEALs were in the news seemingly every week. As I was coming up with ideas for the first book in the X-OPS Series (HER PERFECT MATE), I knew I wanted to partner up shifters with covert operatives. Think putting shifters on a team with SEALs, Special Forces, CIA or FBI. But for that to work, I knew my shifters were going to have to be different. I simply couldn’t imagine my operatives going into a dangerous situation with a partner who couldn’t carry a weapon when he or she shifted into an animal, even if that partner did have fangs and claws. I wanted the best of both worlds, so I made my shifters half animal, half human. That took them in a completely different direction than you’d normally see in a paranormal romance. Here are a couple different ways my shifters are unique: Where They Come From: In X-OPS, shifters aren’t some kind of monsters, aren’t cursed to live in the darkness, their change isn’t controlled by the phases of the moon, there’s no magic involved, and they aren’t possessed by a demon (which are all…

Hello! I am so excited to be on Fresh Fiction for Supernatural day! I love all things supernatural from creepy, bump-in-the-night things (hence SUMMONER, which is basically a ghost story and love story wrapped up together) to the pretty and fascinating things like unicorns and dragons and gryffins. (Gryffindor represent!) One of the really cool things about the fantasy genre, I think, is seeing how different creatures have changed in folklore over time, or how they can be different in different works of fiction. I mean, how cool are the flying thestrals in Harry Potter than you can only see if you’ve witnessed a death? What a new take on a normal Pegasus-type of creature? Those surprises and differences are something that I love as a reader and lover of all things geeky. When I settle down with my popcorn to watch a new show about vampires and learn that they can be in the sun, or the sun does in fact burn them, or they can have magical daylight rings that allow them to walk in the daytime (oh my gosh, early seasons of The Vampire Diaries, anyone? Can I just geek out about that show for a moment!?),…

In my debut book, BLACK BIRD OF THE GALLOWS, we meet Angie Dovage, high school senior with a talent for music and a crappy past. Her dream of coasting through that her last year of school under the radar are blown to smithereens when Reece Fernandez moves in next door with his family. She thinks he’s hot (naturally) but so does half the student body. Angie notices other things about him, though, that begin to make her wonder if Reece is a little more—or less—human than he takes such pains to appear. So I’m turning it over to my heroine, Angie Dovage, to share her three step program of determining if your hot new neighbor is supernatural, in her words (passes the keyboard to Angie)… Okay, so hey. Thanks, Meg. Also, thanks for, well, deciding Black Bird didn’t needed to be a tragedy. Even if you were just worried about bad reviews if you killed me or Reece off, whatever. I’m grateful. I’m not holding it against you for making my love interest a harbinger of death or anything. No, not at all. Actually, you did make Reece pretty amazing. But anyway, you want me to share my three steps…

Answer: Oh, my goodness, there is so much to this question! By book #4 (THE LAST OUTLAW), these two have been together for 32 years, and boy, have they ever been through a lot! Jake was a notorious wanted man when they met, and Randy actually shot him after he had a shootout with a bounty hunter right in front of her. She was scared to death, but she also felt bad after she watched Jake stumble out and get on his horse to ride out of town. She feels terrible that he will suffer alone, and possibly die, because of her. You will have to read the first book (OUTLAW HEARTS) to find out how these two actually end up back together. Their first love scene is in the back of a covered wagon somewhere on the plains of Wyoming, and it’s a wild, hot, desperate love scene because they realize they don’t belong together yet they can’t resist each other. It’s the beginning of an emotional roller-coaster ride as Jake ends up in prison – then a U.S. Marshal in Oklahoma (Book #2 DO NOT FORSAKE ME) – then a rancher in Colorado (Book #3 LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE)….

The Delicious Heroes. Whether grouchy or funny, tough or sweet, romance heroes are the swooniest. Since my heroes tend to lean toward the grumpy side, chatty Hugh—the hero of the second book in my Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series—was a change for me. It made writing On the Chase so much fun, though, and it was probably good for me to get away from the brooding guys for a little while (although I’m sure I’ll be back—I do love a grump with squishy-soft insides). The Awesome Heroines. They may have their foibles and quirks, but the women in romance books battle through their insecurities and weaknesses to get things done! I love discovering the unexpected bad-assery in my heroines. It reminds me that we all have superhero strength inside of us, just waiting to emerge when we need to save the day. The Humor. I’m such a sucker for a good joke. When characters make me laugh, I fall in love with them a little (okay, a lot). Romances have so many opportunities for humor—after all, the only thing better than a chuckle is a chuckle followed by a sweetness-inspired aww. The Banter. Add a little sexual tension, and the…

The world of romance certainly has changed since LAST GENTLEMAN STANDING was first released. The genre has blossomed and grown in so many ways since then. Most noticeably, there are many more kinds of romance in 2017. Beyond just historical and contemporary, now these can be further broken down into paranormal, inspirational, steampunk, sci fi, m/m, bdsm and other kinds of stories undreamed of years ago. Readers have many more choices to match their individual tastes. And not only of plot and setting – they can get their fix electronically as well as on paper. They can order a book out of thin air and plunge into it in the next minute. Reading on your iPhone was not a phrase that would have had any meaning when LAST GENTLEMAN STANDING was first published. Brief digression: do you ever find yourself marveling at a sentence coming out of your mouth that would have made zero sense when you were young? For example: Email me the url. How do I make Bluetooth discoverable? Find me on my website and Facebook. More than romance has changed in these years! The Regency has expanded in scope during this time, too. That phrase once meant…

Falling for a co-worker is a bad idea. It has the potential to make work complicated, there’s conflict of interest, and things can get very awkward if the romance ends. Yet the temptation is so real. Here’s my top five reasons for loving co-worker romances like my CONTRACTED DEFENSE. It’s a bad idea, theoretically That’s what we love about it. There are few things more wonderful than taking a chance with a bad idea and having it turn into something mind-blowing in the best ways possible. It’s forbidden In many workplaces, company policies do not allow inter-office relationships, especially between managers and subordinates. There’s something about the risk, the excitement, that makes the romance irresistible. The connection Attraction between co-workers has the added boost from understanding each other’s work, possibly their passion. Especially in a dangerous line of work like Adam and Victoria from Safeguard, there’s an extra depth in knowing the person you’re involved with understands the sacrifices you make and the hard decisions you have to face. The proximity This one builds on the previous three. When you’ve got the spark, it only intensifies as you work together over time. Whether you’re in the midst of the romance…

After you’ve engaged in a shopping frenzy at the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, located at 222 Baker Street, West London, Massachusetts, be sure and pop next door for afternoon tea at Mrs. Hudson’s. Head baker Jayne Wilson does a marvellous job of crating the perfect, fully-traditional afternoon tea. You might even be lucky enough to get one of the special Sherlock tea pots and matching cups. Occasionally, for a special occasion, Jayne is forced to reply on her business partner Gemma Doyle for help in the kitchen. And, occasionally, Gemma gets to enjoy the fruits of their labours. Fiona placed a large teapot on the table as well as a small jug of milk, a sugar bowl, a plate of sliced lemon, and two cups and saucers. She dropped a mug of coffee in front of Kevin. “What a beautiful tea set,” Linda said. The pot and cups matched: roses of pink and pale blue on fine white china trimmed with gold. “May I pour?” “Go ahead.” I leaned back to allow Fiona to place the three-tiered silver tray in the center of the table along with pots of butter, strawberry jam straight from the kitchen of a West…

When the idea for my current book, DEAD IN THE WATER, came to me I knew I wouldn’t have to do much research. And I didn’t. In June 2015, an EF3 tornado tore through my hometown of Coal City. My mother and nearly all my relatives and friends had damage to their homes. Although I had been through many tornado watches, warnings, and touch downs, this was by far the most destructive. My husband and I rode out the storm in the next town over, huddled in our laundry room desperately attempting to get information from our weather radio. The only contact I had was one cousin whose texts miraculously were getting through to my cell phone. This experience, as well as the immediate aftermath, was incredibly emotional, shocking, and more than a bit eye-opening. During the next few days, with many of the townsfolks without electricity, water, or shelter it was interesting to see how people reacted. Some were a godsend and others were sent from the other, hotter, region. As my husband and I worked the rest of the summer helping our friends and relatives with everything from removing debris to dealing with their insurance companies, I began…

Eating dark chocolate improves your focus and concentration. We know how frustrating it is when your mind is wandering all over the place (like worrying about making dinner) when all you want to do is hide in your bed and read. Chocolate releases phenylethylamine into your brain. This chemical makes you feel as if you’re falling in love. So pairing a fine chocolate with a reading will enhance the feelings of love readers already experience when caught up in a great book. Who doesn’t want that? Scientific studies have shown that eating chocolate boosts your memory. Have you ever picked up a book, read it most of the way through and then realized you’d already read it? I do that all of the time. I certainly could use more chocolate to help me remember which books I’ve already read. Chocolate makes you happy. Reading makes you happy. Doing both together should make you extremely happy. Eating chocolate releases endorphins (which releases stress) and serotonin (which acts like an antidepressant). Finally, because—come on—it’s chocolate and it’s delicious! Dorothy St. James is the author of the Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery series. ASKING FOR TRUFFLE (Sept. 12, 2017) is the first book in…