They follow a code of honor. As early as antiquity, a warrior would sacrifice his own needs and desires, even his life, for something bigger than he was (such as a king, a city, a god.) During the Middle Ages in Western Europe, the chivalric code was formalized, directing a knight to place his liege, God, or the Church above himself. A knight was obliged to be always courageous, courteous to everyone, and to succor those weaker or less fortunate than he. They’re physically fit and agile. And how! That heavy chain mail they wore and the weapons they wielded served as the barbells and weight machines of the Middle Ages. Riding powerful horses into battle, sparring daily with fellow knights, and eating a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, and proteins with little fat and no refined sugar helped build a marvelous specimen of a man. They know how to do stuff, like make weapons out of what’s at hand and tan leather for clothing. Just by the virtue of living in the pre-industrial age, knights had to make things that we would run out to the store for. Generally speaking, a man living in 11th century England would…

Thanks to everyone at Fresh Fiction for inviting us to come share and chat with you all! We are so thrilled that the world is falling in love the Stone Family and their friends, in our spicy romance series, The Secrets of Stone. We love falling in love, over and over again, which is why we chose romance as the genre we write in. We thought we’d incorporate the more fun side of that idea, and take you along on a speed date we’ve staged…with each other! We both came up with some fun “speed date questions” for each other…and here are the answers. These were fun for us because even though we’ve been friends for several years, these are some things we didn’t even know about each other! Enjoy! Victoria’s First Date Questions for Angel… Last supper—eating what, where and with who? All my favorite, fattening French foods, as well as a bottle of excellent French wine. And if it’s my last, I’m somewhere on the French Riviera or on the Greek Isles, with my husband, my kid, and my doggie. If you could be a flavor that defines you completely, what would that be? Probably Skittles—LOL! They’re colorful,…

While I was traveling around signing copies of SUNRISE CROSSING, a story I dearly loved, characters were lining up in my brain for the next book. Some wait patiently, whispering their story, while others start yelling from the back of the line. The whisperer was Sheriff Dan Brigman. He’d waited his turn. He’d been in other books. Always a good guy. Always a good father and friend, but he never took center stage. He never got his love story. Now, in his forties, he’d given up until he found a fancy boot in the road one night. He took on the mission to find the lady that the boot might belong to. She had to be something special to step out in knee high rhinestone boots. And she was…every fantasy he’d ever allowed himself to have. The character yelling for his story was Cody Winslow, my ex Texas Ranger. He’d lived after his best friend died and he was riding full out along the edge of Ransom Canyon not caring much if he lived or died. When he tumbled into the canyon breaking bones, he prayed for a quiet death but fate sent him Tess Adams. A bossy, no make-up…

Today I wanted to chat about heroes! Tobias Walcott, the Earl of Blade, the hero from my latest novel WICKED IN HIS ARMS, is flawed, arrogant, emotionally controlled, and ruthless, but he is also charming, sweet, and quite honorable despite his imperfections. I love heroes who are alpha and bad ass. The outlaws, the antiheroes, and the rouges who possess a heart of goodness, and believe in the power of family and love, and are willing to do anything to protect those they love. So today I am sharing my top five binge worthy TV series featuring the most swoon worthy, captivating, ruthless, wonderful, and heartbreakingly-flawed, but honorable heroes! Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead (TWD). When I first discovered TWD it had already gone four seasons. I binge watched roughly fifty episodes in two days, and was something of a zombie/walker myself when my hubby and I were through. This series is masterfully designed, and utterly compelling. Its beauty, and savagery as people struggle to survive in a world that cannot be explained must be ardently admired. Each character is developed, and we are taken on such a chilling journey as we watch them struggle to maintain their humanity…

As a writer of romantic suspense, I truly am fortunate to be a federal agent. Every day, and all around me, is true-life fodder from which to glean a great story and intriguing characters. That said, I don’t write about any of my actual investigations or share any privileged or confidential information. I also don’t describe anything that would compromise national security. Even with these limitations, I’ve seen and done so many interesting and crazy things on the job I’ll never want for topics or characters to write about. Plus, I gotta say, most of my stories and characters spring from my imagination, not something I’ve seen or done on the job. Then there’s procedure. Most suspense novelists who are not in law enforcement or are not married to a cop or a fed have no other option save reaching out to a PD or agency’s public affairs division to obtain a source for procedural information. I’ve heard from other authors that the success of this outreach is dependent upon the individual answering the phone. Sometimes they really want to help out and will go out of their way to assist, including providing guided tours in a patrol car, or…

Sometimes it’s good to be bad. I know in romances, there has to be core of honor and integrity in the hero. I completely agree. But I differ in opinion when it comes to issues of life and death. Some people are just bad guys, and I honestly can’t see their value on the planet. But since I’m a law abiding citizen with no Ninja or assassination skills, I leave the contractors of Triggerman Incorporated to do the cleanup. Ice, Shadow, and Hammer work for The Business, a company that contracts its employment out to various governmental and non-governmental agencies in a discreet manner. In the Triggerman Inc. world, my contractors pick and choose their assignments. The three heroes—Ice, Shadow, and Hammer—have a few things in common: Their handler is Big Joe They’re all tall, dark, and handsome They all might be the father of a small bundle of joy dropped anonymously on Ice’s front porch And so begins the story in CONTRACT SIGNED, the first in the series, which released January 17th. Though each book is a stand-alone, to find out who actually gave birth to the mystery baby (as well as who’s the father), you need to read…

He waited for a couple more beats, pressing his mouth into a thin, hard line. “Take care of yourself, Jessica.” He shut the door, and I listened to his footsteps going farther away. I sank down, staring off into nothing. He was gone, just like that. He was a hairsbreadth away from being all mine, something I had wanted for months, and I just let him walk out my door. I didn’t call my friends or my sister. When my stomach growled, I didn’t get up to make myself something to eat. My phone rang later, but I didn’t answer. When I had gotten the news in the hospital that both our parents didn’t survive the car accident, my grief was overwhelming, making my body grow cold. I was a shivering mess. No amount of blankets, hot tea, or even whiskey would help. The booze just made me drowsy and I’d go to sleep. Later on, as the news sank in, I was so enraged at the other driver’s senseless and cruel actions, I actually broke out in a fever, making myself sick with fury. It had been different for Samantha. She went completely numb, residing in this weightless fog,…

Every book has inspiration and for this one it was tablecloths. Yes. That’s right. Those things that your grandmother probably insisted on putting out even if it was just for a cup of tea. And knowing your grandmother she ironed them too! Anyway, over the years I have developed quite an obsession for vintage tablecloths, to the point where I had a market stall of them. And every time someone walked into my small stall they would undoubtedly say, ‘this reminds me of…’ I also discovered that many of the people who bought them from me were doing so for vintage weddings or bridal showers. And, like all good authors, that got me thinking! Of course there’s more to a book than just a tablecloth (though wow, how easy would me life be if that’s all it took!). But the idea of a dresser full of beautifully pressed linen stayed with me as I created Sisters of Wishing Bridge Farm. A series about one sister who starts a vintage wedding planning business using her Great Aunt Ivy’s old collection of treasures. Originally her plan is stop her two jet setting sisters from selling the farm she loves, but as each…

There was a time in my life when I had a terrific memory. I mean, seriously terrific. I could quote poems, rattle off telephone numbers, remember what day I was supposed to go to the dentist, and was never at a loss for a name to go with a face. I don’t remember precisely when it changed (ha!). Some time in my thirties, I think. That was when I started carrying a purse-sized calendar into which I’d write notes, clip party invites for the kids, and jot down flight information. Now of course all that is on my phone and/or my computer calendar. None of this, however, prepared me for writing a series. There’s so much to keep track of! Names, places, relationships, hair colors, town history, streets, ages, cars! It’s hard enough for me to keep track of all of them in a stand alone book, but to remember them over the course of several books? As Tony Soprano would say, “Fuhgeddaboudit.” I know other people have more complicated series than I do. Heck. I’ve had a more complicated series than this one where I had to keep up with whatever rules I was making up for a paranormal…

THE DEVIL’S DAUGHTER is follows the story of Eden Collins, an FBI agent who grew up as the daughter of a cult leader. She escaped her mother’s control and made a life for herself, bringing down human monsters. When someone emails her a picture of a dead girl with tattoos that mark her as a member of Eden’s mother’s cult, she goes home—despite her misgivings—to help with the investigation. I can trace the origin of this story to one specific moment. That ah ha moment where everything clicks into place. I was reading FBI Agent John Douglas’s book, MIND HUNTER. Douglas was one of the founding members of the FBI’s serial crime unit and he did a ton of research in regards to serial murder, including many interviews with incarcerated serial killers. It’s very interesting reading, and I highly recommend it if you’re intrigued by that sort of thing. The part that triggered the concept of this book was Douglas’s interview with Charles Manson. He has some fascinating views of Manson, one of which was his opinion regarding the murders perpetuated by Manson’s cult. Douglas questioned whether Manson even knew about the initial murders—or intended them (no question that he…