“Sit with me, Lil.” Brodie Yates’ order didn’t come with an alternative. Bittersweet memories rose from the ashes. She’d wished to hear those words about a thousand times. Deep in her heart, an ache throbbed. “You paid for the steak, not idle conversation.” Her statement came hard and brittle as she faced him, trying to forget the man in front of her and that he’d known her as Lavender Lil. Brodie reached into his pocket and flipped a silver dollar onto the table. The heavy coin spun for a second before clinking to rest with the woman’s profile staring up. “I’m paying for the company.” Laurel’s lips tightened along with fingernails digging into the soft flesh of her palms. “Who do you think you are to barge into my life this way?” “A man no one wants to know. The devil with a six shooter.” His tone held quiet torture. “Someone who’s been to heaven and hell and half the stops in between.” Doubting the wisdom, she dropped stiffly into the spot Ollie, the café owner, had vacated, hating the swish of her skirts that floated lazily against his boots. “What does such a man talk about?” Damn her voice…

It’s a standing joke in my family that when luck was given out I was at the back of the queue. I never win anything, not raffles, not games of Bingo, not so much as a plastic comb from a Christmas cracker. Lottery tickets are wasted on me, and I steer well clear of gambling because I’d be broke in no time. Not so the heroine of my novella, The Prize. Jessie Barnett buys a raffle ticket and finds herself the lucky winner of a night’s entertainment at an up-market BDSM club. What’s more, she has the pick of the Doms there and really hits the jackpot when she gets not one Master for the night but two. She may have got a just a little bit more than she bargained for, but Jessie is made of stern stuff and she’s determined to claim her prize. I loved writing Jessie’s story. She may be a submissive, but she’s strong and assertive and knows exactly what she wants. Far from being intimidated by the challenge she relishes it and grabs the opportunity with both (bound) hands. It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said you should do something every day that scares you,…

Hi everyone! I write bold, sexy romance with just a dash of sweet, and I’m thrilled to be talking about my brand-new release, CROSSING HEARTS, with you! It’s hitting e-readers on February 7th, and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read Hunter and Emerson’s story. As for me, when I’m not as my desk, clacking away at a new story, I can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in my kitchen, or curled up with my nose in a book. I love fast cars, slow dances, and cupcakes, although not always in that order. I live in Virginia with my wildly patient husband, our three daughters, and the occasional passing bear. I’m also a USA Today best-selling author and a 2016 and 2015 RWA RITA® finalist. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader: You love to escape to a new place in a book. I love to write about fun and unique settings! You’re a sucker for a rugged, salt-of-the-earth hero who can still make you swoon. You like smart, feisty heroines. You’re not afraid to cry, just a teensy bit. I’ll give you emotion, but not angst!…

In ZERO TO SIXTY, bad boy mechanic Sam Hamilton is gruff, huge, and tattooed. He’s menacing even when not trying to be. So what makes him a hero? A need to defend the innocent. Sam won’t stand for children, women, or pets to be abused. And he’s part of an amateur effort to rescue stray dogs. Enter Cookie… Sam might seem quiet, rough, and only able to fix cars, but he’s so much more than that. He comes from an abusive background, so he’s actually sensitive under all that tough exterior. And he’s a fan of peanut butter cookies! A sense of humor. He’s constantly bantering with his best friend Foley and the rest of the guys at Webster’s Garage. They’re his family, along with Eileen, Foley’s mom, who helped raise him. Sex appeal. Because what kind of hero would he be if he wasn’t sexy? What do you think of this guy, I ask you? The capacity to love. Sam has always just wanted to belong, to figure out why that needy little boy inside him couldn’t make his mom love him. He feels so much for others but buries those emotions deep. He’d do anything for those he…

As part of the band Shaughnessy, Matt Reed and the band have toured all over the world. Now that the band is on hiatus and relaxing, I imagine they’re thinking about some of the greatest places they played here in the U.S. And when they think about these spots, it’s not just about the acoustics, it’s about the total experience and the surroundings. So here’s the top five concert venues Shaughnessy has played at in the U.S. – and where you should catch a show when you have the chance! Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver, CO. What could be more beautiful than an outdoor venue surrounded by…well…red rocks! If you’re a nature buff, this is a must-see venue for you! The Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA. If you read THIS IS OUR SONG, you know that Riley Shaughnessy held his first solo concert there and who can blame him! Another outdoor venue that has such an amazing history that every music fan should see at least one performance there! Madison Square Garden, New York, NY. This is one of the most well-known venues perhaps in the world. Besides it’s amazing history, it’s located in one of the greatest cities in…

BE MINE IN GOOD HOPE, book 3 in the Good Hope series, brings Marigold Bloom, the youngest of the four Bloom sisters, back to her home town. The first two books in the series, CHRISTMAS IN GOOD HOPE and SUMMER IN GOOD HOPE saw Amaryllis (Ami) and Primrose (Prim) Bloom respectively, find their happily-ever-after in Good Hope, a small community on the Door County (Wisconsin) peninsula. Since becoming a hairstylist, Marigold had been living and working in Chicago. After being fired from her position at one of the top hairstyling salons in the Windy City, she’s returned to Good Hope to plan her next move. She’s made one thing very clear; she doesn’t plan to stay. What would you say is your greatest success? Hands down it was when I was offered a position with the Steffan Oliver Salon in Chicago shortly after graduation. Working with someone like Steffan Oliver was a dream come true. I learned so much for him and was able to rapidly rise to become one of the top hairstylists in Chicago. Why did you return home to Good Hope after losing your job? Being in Good Hope allows me to live inexpensively while considering my…

Being an author means making things up: what irritates a character or brings her joy; how a murder is carried out; and even something as basic as a pen name (my real name is Angela M. Sanders). For BLOWN AWAY, I invented a whole town. And it was great! BLOWN AWAY features Strings Attached kite shop owner Emmy Adler in Rock Point, Oregon. I knew Rock Point would be on the coast. Thanks to ocean wind and the general lack of powerlines and trees, the beach is prime kite flying country. Since the Oregon coast is rugged, with steep cliffs and forest a stone’s throw away, I gave the town a small bay and a rocky outcropping that the town was named after. Next, I had to populate it with buildings. Naturally, I needed a lighthouse. I put it on a cliff, right above the treacherous Devil’s Playpen (also invented, and a key locale in the second book in the series, LIVE FREE OR FLY, out December 2017). I gave the town some fishermen’s shacks, a sprinkling of high-end beach houses, and a B&B in a Queen Anne house. Befitting an old town struggling to adapt to its new role…

Finding the right match for the hero and heroine is one of the toughest and most exciting parts of writing a novel. The hero of INTO THE FIRESTORM is Luke Brodie, one of my strongest, toughest, sexiest heroes. Luke, a former special forces soldier, is a bounty hunter who works at Brodie Operations Security Services, BOSS, Inc., in Seattle. A fat $600,000 is the 20% bail enforcement fee he’ll collect if he brings in international criminal, Rudy Vance. Luke is a womanizer par excellence and a dedicated bachelor. But he is also a complex man, one who has given up the idea of having a normal life. Fortunately, Emma Cassidy showed up, a strong woman in her own right, a fighter, a lady determined to achieve the goal she has set for herself–bringing a murderer to justice, a criminal who is threatening her family. Emma is also hunting Vance. It’s been almost a year since she arrived at her sister’s home to find the housekeeper murdered and her young niece the victim of Vance’s sick assault. Emma is determined to find Vance and make him pay. And no one–not even the infamous Luke Brodie–is going to stop her. I loved…

Ends February 8th! Special Book Launch Offer! Order LOST IN TIME (Book 3 in The Fine Art of Deception Series) before February 8th and you’ll get it at a special subscriber discounted price! ($2.99 instead of $4.99) You’ll also get Book 1 in The Fine Art of Deception Series with a printable bookmark and character cards — ALL FOR FREE!! And, your purchase will register you for one entry in the drawing to win the Lost in Time Grand Prize – A Peridot and Pearl Necklace! ($350 Value!) LOST IN TIME by Alyssa Richards The Fine Art of Deception #3 Searching for the answers she needs, will Addie lose everything she has? Adeline “Addie” Montgomery is searching for the truth. As she and Blake travel back to 1922, she expects her nemesis Otto is behind a string of art forgeries. The only problem is that the villain has completely disappeared. Addie must now find Otto without blowing her cover to keep the past intact, as long as a lover from a past life doesn’t get in the way… Blake Greenwood wants nothing more than to catch Otto and return to the present with Addie, the love of his life. When…

From as far back as I can remember, reading in my youth or reading books today, I’ve always loved stories about the supernatural and magical worlds. Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll made me love unique and mischievous characters. After reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, I became fascinated with portals leading to other worlds. It was stories like these that inspired the Mystik world in my Library Jumpers series. Hidden behind bookcases in some of the most beautiful libraries in the world lies a magical realm hidden for centuries from humans. In the Library Jumpers series, wizards, with help from the fey nation, created the Mystik realm to protect creatures with unique exteriors and magical abilities from human persecution. It was to house havens where the Mystiks could live in peace, but with all good things, evil festers and finds a way to destroy what is good. The magic faltered and splintered until the many havens and Mystik places became separated like islands. The fey created the gateway books for the wizards to make travel to the individual havens and villages quicker and easier to access. As time went by, the gateway books were…