NIGHTSHADE FOR WARNING is the second in the Enchanted Garden Mystery series featuring aromatherapist and perfumer Elliana Allbright. After divorcing her philandering husband, she opened her dream business, Scents & Nonsense, in her hometown of Poppyville, California. Her almost supernatural sense of smell combined with her ability to intuitively know what fragrances will help her friends and customers overcome difficulty or simply bring them pleasure has made her business take off like a rocket. The Enchanted Garden behind her shop is chock-full of rambling plants, bird houses and windchimes, winding paths, tumbling terrace beds, and myriad herbs and flowers from which she distills the concentrated scents that are the hallmark of her unique perfumes. For this, she uses the ancient copper alembic her gamma left her along with an illustrated garden journal Ellie has come to realize contains more than a little magic. The garden is open to her customers and friends to sit, sip tea, and nibble on the cookies that her best friend, Astrid Moneypenny, bakes up every morning. Miniature garden tableaus, gnome doors and fairy gardens are tucked into crevices and nooks all over the space. Dash the corgi and Nabokov the Russian Blue shop cat provide…

“How on earth do you come up with your stories?” That’s the question I get asked more often than anything else. Actually, at one point in my career, I wasn’t really sure how I did it, I just sat my butt down in front of the computer and the story seemed to flow…no, that’s actually a big fat lie. The story only flows when the story knows where to go. But as to the mechanics of how I do it for each and every mystery I write, I start with a question: What do I want to say in this book? Now, don’t get me wrong, I know what I write and I know it’s not a philosophical tome or the great American novel, it’s entertainment pure and simple. I write genre fiction and I love what I do…but I’ll admit I’m a tad opinionated and I have a lot to say. When I sat down to write MRS. JEFFRIES RIGHTS A WRONG, I knew I wanted to craft a story that examined hubris and arrogance; you know, that guy born with a silver spoon in his mouth who then brags to anyone who’ll stand still for ten seconds that…

The other day my son was talking about all the things (for good or bad) you can learn to do or make online. “Careful that you don’t end up on some government list,” I joked until he looked meaningfully at me. Oh. Right. I cringe to think what someone would make of my searches through the years, which have included: The life of Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory, the most prolific female serial killer of all time who purportedly bathed in the blood of virgins. How much virgin’s blood it takes to constitute a bath The Order of the Dragon How to tie fly-fishing lures Whether one can make a living hand-tying fishing lures How to play the ancient Egyptian board game Senet First Century public latrines What the uh, toilet paper options were in 1st Century public latrines Secret tunnels beneath Budapest’s Castle Hill Secret tunnels in Zagreb Secret tunnels in Jerusalem Ancient Glagolitic Paleo-Hebrew alphabet Sabaean alphabet How long it takes to get a caravan of 600 camels from Yemen to Israel Leprosy Heart conditions A bunch of random diseases Pretty much anything that can go wrong in pregnancy How stinky a dead body would be after three days…

Life is the one gift every human being has in common. It is the most sacred gift any of us will ever be given. And the most fragile. I wrote MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE because I wanted to entertain and engage readers in a way that celebrates the sanctity of life in all its various stages—the unborn, the newly born, children, teens, and adults of all ages. And I wanted to take readers on a thrill-ride that grabs their hearts and minds and leaves them thinking about whether life should be respected, protected, honored, and cherished. Also, my goal was to show that there are forces that threaten life—things like disease, sickness, evil actions of others, and even our own bad choices. I hope that readers will consider how we can honor life by the way we love and help one another, and the way we take care of those in need. And I hope readers will take time to see their own lives as a valuable gift from God. MURDER FOR EMILY’S SAKE encourages readers to consider what it is they treasure most. During the process of writing this book, I had to take inventory of things in my…

Long before I wrote romance or even read romance, I watched romance. This early introduction was courtesy of my mother. She loved Jane Austen like a mosquito loves blood. Okay, not the best simile, but you get my point. She watched Pride and Prejudice on the regular, the original BBC unabridged version starring Colin Firth. Remember the part when Colin, i.e. Mr. Darcy, plunges into the lake and walks back to Pemberly, wet shirt clinging to his body? Sigh. That was it. I was a goner. Soon enough, I was pilfering my mother’s historical romance novels seeking that same little thrill. Eventually historical romance evolved to science fiction romance, to contemporary romance to paranormal romance. Really whatever I could get my greedy little hands on. My voracious appetite for reading romance lead me to writing it. I don’t believe there can be too much romance in the world. Love is so inspirational. Why not try to create it myself? Being a romance writer is the best job in the world. And I have Jane Austen to thanks for that. GOOD LIES by Charlotte West Wild Minds If Warren Price was gasoline, I’d be a lit match. Addison Wanks, rock ’n’…

Two days later, Claire Miller pulled into the long driveway that led to the Walker family ranch and sighed. She was home, back in Colorado on her old stomping grounds, and it hurt just as much as she thought it would. Seven years evaporated like they’d never existed. Everything at the ranch looked exactly the way it had the day she’d left town, but she knew one major difference waited…Jake’s mom was gone. That loss hit her harder now. For the first time in her life, Mrs. Walker wouldn’t be on the front porch smiling and waving, or bringing her and Jake a pitcher of lemonade in the barn. She wouldn’t be in the kitchen making fried chicken or harassing her four boys about their homework or their girlfriends, and generally in that order. Claire half expected the place to look as sad on the outside as she suddenly felt on the inside, but the world never stopped spinning, no matter who was lost. The large red barn was freshly painted, the outbuildings were overflowing with riding tack, hay, and tractors. The riding and roping arenas were often used and the horses’ hooves made sure nothing could survive inside the…

Now you may be wondering what does a bad boy have to do with my latest release? Absolutely nothing—but Marine wolves can have a bad boy vibe and I really do love a good bad boy in my books, my movies, and the shows I like to watch on television. Let’s have some fun! I’ll show you my favs, then you tell me yours! Dean Winchester (Supernatural) For over a decade, I have thoroughly enjoyed Dean Winchester’s signature wise-ass nature as he fights to save the world and his baby brother from all things that go bump in the night. Dean is always putting himself last, and he has a definite martyr complex. Like he says, he hopes that all his good acts counterbalance his love ‘em and leave ‘em attitude, gambling, and drinking—but if you’re in a corner and need help? Dean will have your back. Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer) The name is kind of obvious, right? But on the Fox series, Tom Ellis’ Lucifer is a bad boy of the wild variety. He enjoys a sensuous lifestyle, loves to party, and is also unfailingly honest. The fallen angel and former keeper of hell also has a deep seated sense…

Top Five Reasons Readers Will Swoon for Nick Frasier   He’s drop-dead gorgeous! In a tall, ripped, blond hair, blue-eyed way. He has the scruffy 5 o’clock shadow and tousled hair thing going and would look great wearing a sandwich board!   Nick’s an ex-professional quarterback turned NFL head coach who’s very passionate about his job. He’s hard working, driven and relentless when it comes to his job and reputation.   Smart, sharp, witty and sometimes bossy, (in a good way, of course!) he keeps Marabelle guessing.   Nick’s protective and possessive, especially when it comes to the people he loves…and he loves   But mostly, Nick Frasier is delicious, delightful and dangerous, a triple threat to every girl’s heart. Careful…he’s all Marabelle’s and she’s not above fighting you to keep what’s hers.   EXCERPT “Excuse me,” she said, breaking the deafening silence, “we don’t have all day. The Stones will be waiting.” She planted her fist on her cocked hip. “Nice picture of you and your dad.” Nick reached for the next frame as if they had all the time in the world. The man made her insane. How could he appear so calm? And what was he doing…

Hey, there! My name is Melissa Schroeder! My new release is all set in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area, or the DMV as we call it. My husband retired from the Air Force a little over three years ago. Thanks to publishing work, we could pick where we wanted to live. Truthfully, I decreed that I got to pick where we lived after following him around for 20 years. So, I picked Virginia, one of my very favorite places to be. Wineries, horses, proximity to free museums (have I mentioned that I a major history nerd), and a fall season that is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed? Yep. Definitely for me. I write a lot of books set in Hawaii, but I wanted to do one series here. When the plot for THE BOSS came to mind, I knew it needed to be set here. As someone who lives in a neighborhood populated with FBI, Secret Service, CIA, and State Department folks, it is easy to picture my snarky spies stomping around my area. Here is a little excerpt from my book, THE BOSS, the first book of my series Spies, Lies, and AlibisSpies,…

Captain Tyran Zakar, The Colony, Base 3 My mate. Holy hell. My mate. Not Hunt’s, as I’d first thought. Yes, I’d been disappointed, hope dying a slow death by starvation when weeks, then months passed and not one new mate arrived on the Colony. We’d gone to the testing center, went through the process, but neither of us came out with a match. That was three months ago. Until now, we’d heard nothing further about it. I knew Hunt had held onto his hope these long weeks. I’d given that up long ago. All I remembered of the event was an amazing yet vague sex dream and that I’d left with a cock so hard I worried it was going to puncture through my armor. Fortunately, I’d been able to return to my quarters and take myself in hand, ease the discomfort I knew would only truly be lessened by sinking into my mate. And now, I was going to have one. I wouldn’t be a second, but the matched mate, the Primary Male. I tried to suppress my grin, but it was almost impossible. I felt…gods, I felt good. Elated. Thrilled. Something pretty damn close to happy. There was…