October is my favorite month in San Diego. The summer visitors and horse race crowds have gone home, leaving the beaches almost empty and relieving the traffic on the highways. Thanks to all the back-to-school sales, I’ve overfilled my file cabinet with cheap office supplies. The weather has become what everyone expects from Southern California – low 70s during the day and 60s at night. I only wish the days weren’t so short! I rely on walks on the beach to generate ideas and solve problems for my books. There’s something about walking in the sand and listening to the waves that makes my brain work better. I used to carry a digital recorder to take down ideas – in some ways it’s almost like a dream state and I’d easily forget the great plot idea that cleared my current red herring – but now I rely on my cell phone so I can take notes and keep going. Of course, one of the best parts of October is Halloween! Is there a better holiday than Halloween for a store that combines chocolate and books? In BEHIND CHOCOLATE BARS, chocolatier Michelle Serrano and book store owner Erica Russell are preparing…

Don’t you just love a spunky, confident and capable heroine? I sure do. When my husband returned from a white water rafting trip with a friend, he showed me the video and was so impressed with one of the river guides who was a woman. I have to admit, I was intrigued enough that my brain started moving toward a scenario of a heroine as a river guide. What would she be like? Why would she love the river and white water rafting so much? So I dug deep to find out. In TORRENTS OF DESTRUCTION, Katie Gallagher is the middle child, sandwiched between two brothers. She loves her brothers deeply, even if they tend to bicker back and forth as many siblings do. Their father died and left them the family business—the river rafting guide service. Their mother disappeared and that’s a bone of contention between Katie and her brothers in that they believe their mother met with foul play and is dead while Katie believes her mother abandoned them. Although this core difference of belief could rip them apart, the Gallagher siblings rely on their love for one another and sense of responsibility. As I learned more about…

I’m excited to be here on Fresh Fiction, one of my favorite websites. I’m also excited to tell you about my new book, Seducing the Marquess. In order to do that, I decided to step aside and let my characters tell you a little bit about themselves, and how they got into the mess that is their love story. First I present to you, Richard, Marquess of Devon. “Hello everyone, Lord Devon here. This is a bit awkward for me since I’ve never appeared on a website before. I hope to tell you a bit about myself because my author insisted. She threatened to take away my happily ever after if I didn’t make this appearance, so here we are, old chap. “First of all, I must tell you I never planned on having the type of marriage I ended up with. Who needs all the mess and entanglement of love? Well, it turned out I needed it. But my dear wife, Eugenia, went about it in such a bizarre way that we almost lost each other. You see, she found this little book that . . . . Well, maybe I should let her tell you about it.” (He…

When I received feedback from the early readers of my book, THE BROKEN TRAIL, I was prepared for all sorts of questions. It’s a contemporary romance and it deals with some pretty deep stuff so I was braced for anything, but not for the one I got the most often. No, that question was “Can I get the recipe for that tomato pie she makes?” There’s a lot of food in the book since Katherine, the main character, enjoys baking and in her hectic life hadn’t had time for it. Stuck in a small town in Maine she’s finally got time on her hands and she uses it to make apple pies, vegetable soup, bread, and on her very first night there, homemade cocoa though that turns out to be a bit of a mess. Out of all of those culinary delights, the tomato pie always stands out so I thought I’d share it here. Although considered a southern creation, I make it when my New England garden is right at the end of the season, giving up the last of the big, ripe tomatoes. Katherine’s Tomato Pie One pie dough – (I cheat and use the kind you buy…

Let us journey to Regency Era England for a Christmastide celebration. When the House of Commons recessed around December 20th for the Christmas holiday and Boxing Day (the day following Christmas Day), the ton flocked to their country estates for holiday parties with few remaining in London. The holiday celebration lasted twelve days, ending around January 6th, and was a time of many festivities and days spent with family. Unlike today, in Regency and Victorian times, holiday decorations were hung on Christmas Eve; including holly, ivy, and mistletoe. Sprigs of mistletoe were hung generously throughout a dwelling, and couples were called to hug or kiss below it for continued good luck in the upcoming year. The Yule Log was lit and kept burning through the twelve days. Most attended a Christian Mass on Christmas morning before returning home for a dinner of roasted goose or turkey—or even boar’s head—with sides of vegetables and stuffing for the fowl. There were also desserts; including Christmas plum puddings and mince pies. With their food eaten and dessert long past, family would sit before the Yule Log, though Christmas carols are historically named as a Victorian tradition, many families would gather to tell stories…

Sneak Peek at MAKING WAVES by Laura Moore A woman who runs an elite concierge service in the sun-drenched Hamptons finds her life changing unexpectedly when she hooks up with one of her clients—a magnetic business tycoon—in the debut of a series for fans of Julie James and Tracy Brogan. Beach Lane Women’s Fiction | Romance Contemporary [Ballantine, On Sale: April 25, 2017, Trade Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9780425284827 / eISBN: 9780425284834] Pre-order MAKING WAVES: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR About Laura Moore Contemporary romance author Laura Moore began writing while pursuing a graduate degree in art education. Her first story filled an entire notebook when she realized that she might actually have penned a love story that others would enjoy reading. Ride a Dark Horse, which was begun in a dog-eared, coffee-stained notebook, was published a year later. An accomplished rider and horse lover, Laura lives in Providence, RI, with her husband, two children, and their black lab. One of her great thrills as a writer is to hear from readers. Rosewood Trilogy…

I love when a heroine has her idea of the perfect Mr. Right…and when she first sees the hero as 100% Mr. Wrong. So many times, the biggest obstacles keeping the hero and heroine apart are expectations. I also love infusing hints of classic literature into my stories. Disclaimer: I’m a former English teacher turned librarian…and author. Whenever I can give a shout out to a beloved classic and infuse elements of said classic into my story—I do. The same happens with my love of pop culture, so consider yourself warned. You will find everything from references to E.M. Forster’s A Room With A View to Gilmore Girls parallels in my books. In my latest release, it’s The Wizard of Oz. Annie, my heroine in THREE SIMPLE WORDS, is a bookshop owner and romance blogger. She’s all about the happily ever after and believes her true love will eventually reveal himself and sweep her off her feet. So when bestselling novelist Wes Hartley comes back to town—atop his Harley and claiming happy endings don’t exist—Annie knows he’s Mr. Wrong. Even though he’s sexier than she expected him to be, and—despite his obvious cynicism in the relationship department—quite the charmer when…

In my new book COWBOY KARMA, hero Lucky Garcia is a rodeo cowboy who hooks up with his longtime crush, a woman named Harmony Santos who happens to be on the rebound after a bad breakup. Lucky can’t believe his good fortune, but the feelings he’s always had for Harmony come to the surface when he realizes this could be more than just a one night stand. Romance authors fall in love with their characters all the time, but Lucky is really special to me. Here’s what makes him tick. He’s a damned good cowboy. Lucky is a ranch hand and a champion tie-down roper. He trained his roping horse Batman. “He’d worked cattle all his life, even back in Zacatecas. He rode horses before he could walk.” He’s an excellent dancer. Harmony and Lucky begin their hookup at the Silver Spur, a country western bar. “Before Harmony could say anything, the stranger took her hands and spun her. His movements were sure and strong. He was an experienced dancer, not someone who had to be babysat around the floor.” He’s an underdog in his sport. Lucky is a talented calf roper, but his family can’t afford the expense of…

Cyrus Damon, the hero of CHRISTMAS AT EDEN MANOR, wasn’t supposed to be a hero. He’s not hero-material at all. He’s in his late fifties, not incredibly handsome, rather eccentric, often grouchy, and very old-fashioned. In almost every way, he’s the opposite of what we’ve come to expect for the hero of a romance. He was originally a character in a previous series of mine, the Heirs of Damon. He was the uncle of the four heroes in that series, and he was intended as a mild antagonist and a blocking figure. He worked quite well in that regard, although he did grow and soften as a character throughout those four books. When that series was finished, I started a spin-off series (Beaufort Brides), and I’d always had in mind I might bring Cyrus back as a minor character in one of those books. I couldn’t fit him in, though. When I started another connected series (Eden Manor), I knew for sure I was going to bring him back, but I still never thought he would work as a hero. Then readers started asking me if he would get a book. I told them “maybe,” but the truth is I…

Are you looking for your next bearded book boyfriend? Mountain men make great heroes. They’re strong and rugged and oh so sexy! The flannel, the Timberline boots, and those beards! Yes! Have you ever wondered how to snag one of these muscled mountain men for yourself? Well, look no further—here’s Jennie Marts’ Top Ten Ways to Hook A Sexy Lumberjack Mountain Man: Wear flannel button-ups as easy lumberjack bait Hang around Christmas tree lots Sport a catchy T-shirt that reads “I Love Beards” Loiter in the Timberline department of the boot store (even better if you are loitering while wearing the above-mentioned shirt) Spritz on a little pine scented body spray Get a part-time job at REI or just nonchalantly lurk around the flannel shirt section Forget the beach—instead plan your next vacation to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest Skip the next wine and cheese party, and do a girls night out at a Lowes DIY class Trade your curling iron and nail file in for a stocking cap and chainsaw And if all else fails- try getting lost in the woods of Colorado or the Great Northwest That’s it! Sounds easy—now go forth and capture your mountain man!…