Do you ever wish you could go back in time and simply erase the parts of your life that suck? I think we all have parts of our past that we wish would go away. I know I do. I’d like to wipe away the time when I was a kid and our little neighborhood gang threw rocks at the ice cream truck. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Now, I don’t know what we were thinking. Needless to say, we got in trouble. The Oxford Dictionary defines a do over as this: An opportunity to try or perform something a second time. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Suppose you hate your career choice. Poof, push the do over button and you’re back on track. Your old career path is not even a distant memory. Did you make the wrong choice in houses? No problem, just hit the do over button and bam…do over. Bad man choice…well, you get the idea. Wouldn’t it be nice to simply erase those bad things from our lives and never have to go through the heartaches they can bring? I can think of a few things I’d like to change. People I’d…

  Ever since I watched the TV series, I’ve always been fascinated by Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter really pulled off that tiara-camisole-shorts look which could have been ridiculous on anyone else… Her version of a demigoddess warrior princess was amazing. Warrior? Yes, Wonder Woman is a warrior with awesome god-forged weapons that can’t be referred as gadgets. How cool is her Lasso of Truth, indestructible bracelets, razor-edged throwing weapon-tiara? And what about her silent and invisible plane controlled by mind? Wonder Woman, Princess of Themyscira, aka Diana Prince, is definitely the ultimate female warrior. An Amazon who inspired me when I began writing about Rose, the female lead character of my New Adult paranormal love story, the Black Angel Book series. Although twenty-two-year old Rose starts out as a heart-broken, emotionless cutter in TWICE UPON A TIME (Book 1 in the series), she grows into a stronger woman facing emotions and facts she’s not quite equipped to deal with…until she is. Step by step Rose gains strength, overcome her fears and learns to embrace her challenges head on. That’s no surprise why she chooses to dress as Wonder Woman to her cousin’s Halloween party in DEADLY EVER AFTER (Book 2),…

By Aunt Bess from THE CALAMITY CAFÉ by Gayle Leeson That’s what I tell people who say I’m too old to do this or that. I say, “Hide and watch me!” I’m eighty-two. So what? That’s nothing but a number. I can go and do just about as good as I could thirty years ago. For my eightieth birthday, I decided I wanted to get in on all this Internet stuff the kids are doing. So I asked for a computer. My niece Jenna—she lives with me, you know—said, “Now, Aunt Bess, you don’t need a computer. You can use mine.” “Well, I don’t want to use yours,” I said. “I want my own.” So she and her daughter Amy and my granddaughter Jackie all went in together and bought me this little laptop. That’s what they call it. It’s a computer you can put on your lap. But if you put it on your lap and don’t have a tray or something underneath it, it’s gonna get your legs hot, I’ll tell you that. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing in the winter, but I’d rather not burn up in the summer. That’s why I had Jackie go…

While ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER is the debut book in my new Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, it’s also my 24th traditionally published book to date. I bring that up to illustrate just how many characters (mains and sides) I’ve written over the last ten years or so. All have touched me in one way or the other, and quite a few of them have claimed a lasting place in my heart. But Winnie Johnson, the main character in this new series, is, perhaps my favorite of all. She’s fun, she’s resourceful, she’s loyal, she’s creative, and she has incredible passion. There’s a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that always comes to mind when I sit down to write Winnie. “Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” When we meet Winnie in the opening chapter of ÉCLAIR AND PRESENT DANGER, we find her struggling with the end to her lifelong dream of owning a bakery. She doesn’t want it to end, but her landlord has raised her rent to a level she can’t possibly pay. Sure, she could move and open a bakery somewhere else, but the passion she has for her elderly neighbors is not something…

The first book in my Bibliophile Mystery series was HARDCOVER IN HOMICIDE, which, ironically, debuted in mass market paperback (and ebook, of course). In 2009, I was a new writer, so it made perfect sense to bring me out first in paperback, but the title caused a little confusion. Fast forward four years and seven books later. Enough readers had fallen in love with the Bibliophile Mysteries that A COOKBOOK CONSPIRACY was first released in hardcover, a real milestone in my career. BOOKS OF A FEATHER, in stores now, is the fourth of my books to debut in hardcover. They come out in paperback about a year later. RIPPED FROM THE PAGES came out in paperback last month. Here are the hardcover and paperback versions of RIPPED FROM THE PAGES. Does it give you the same thrill to see my name at the top as it does me? (Perhaps not!) My heroine, Brooklyn Wainwright, is a world-renowned bookbinder, and—in addition to a classic murder mystery—my readers love learning about the fascinating details about rare books. We are all, my readers and I, bibliophiles, who love not just the stories, but books themselves. Perhaps my audience is skewed toward appreciating the…

Music is a huge part of THE SOUND OF US. Kiki Nichols, the main character, is always searching for songs that speak for her—choosing to express her emotions through the words of other people, instead of using her own. While working on the book, I created a huge playlist of songs to inspire me while writing (or thinking about writing). These are some of the tracks I think Kiki would’ve been listening to while trying to survive opera camp, her tumultuous ex-best-friendship, and her relationship with Jack. Untouchable Face by Ani DiFranco (NSFW): First rule of mixtaping is that you never include two songs by the same artist, so I had to 86 both “Superhero” and “Falling Is Like This,” even though Ani was such a huge influence on both Kiki and me. I think “Untouchable Face” is one of the best angry love songs on the planet. Romeo and Juliet by the Indigo Girls: This is Jack and Kiki’s song. Yeah, Dire Straits did it first, but Amy and Emily (okay, really just Amy) did it best. Deathly by Aimee Mann: Another Jack and Kiki song. The first line of this one kills me every time. No wonder Paul…

We are so excited that our latest venture is now one! Check out all the books included in our first custom pink Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss. This Month’s Print Books: To celebrate our anniversary, everyone received 4 of these books instead of 3! Last Ride to Graceland by Kim Wright Wed by Fortune by Judy Duarte Bought for the Greek’s Revenge by Lynne Graham Her Rancher Bodyguard by Brenda Minton The Surprise Conti Child by Tara Pammi Nacho Figueras Presents: High Season by Jessica Whitman Hot Cowboy Nights by Carolyn Brown Unbreak My Heart by Nicole Jacquelyn The Bones of You by Debbie Howells The Winemakers by Jan Moran The Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy This Month’s eBooks: Every box included all 3. Life is Better Brunette by Diane Bator Hot Secrets by Lisa Renee Jones Charming You by Kris Jayne Introducing Vixen’s Tales: Every month until our *knock on wood* second anniversary, each box will feature a new adventure featuring our mascot, Vixen. The tale is showcased with a collectible postcard and button set. Exclusive to one year anniversary box, is a pink lanyard for your button collection. Vixen’s Tale #1 – The Case of…

Any author worth her salt knows what readers want in a romance novel hero: He needs to be handsome. Successful. Kindhearted, but not a pushover. Romantic, but not in a sappy way. Respectful of friends and family. Helpful, too. But he can’t be too perfect or readers will believe he’s too good to be true. To say nothing of the fact that all those positive traits and qualities could make the heroine feel ‘less than’ by comparison—not a good thing when the ‘conflict’ cards are already stacked against this would-be couple! Whether historical or contemporary, I start developing my heroes by choosing a “look.” Take Sam Marshall in THE FIREFIGHTER’S REFRAIN, for example. Born ‘n’ raised on his family’s Colorado ranch, he needed to look as heart-stoppingly good in jeans and a Stetson as a tuxedo. And since he also worked as a volunteer firefighter before moving to Nashville, broad shoulders and muscles were a requirement. Photographs are essential, so I can see my heroes as they make their way through my stories. The guy I envisioned while Sam taught fire department cadets? Jesse Spencer, costar of the hit TV series, “Chicago Fire.” Now I ask you, did Harlequin’s talented…

One question I am frequently asked is, “Where inspired your books?” For “SISTERS OF LAZARUS; Beauty Unveiled,” it was sibling rivalry, a song and supermodels. Whenever I have read the New Testament story of Mary listening to Jesus while Martha is stressed over being the perfect hostess, it was obvious that the two sisters didn’t get along. We often think of people in the Bible as being stained-glass saints and above something as petty as sibling rivalry. But they weren’t. They had flaws and strengths, likes and dislikes, favorite foods, hopes and fears, pride and insecurities. Just like us. One reason I like writing biblical novels is that, for me, when I view these people as simple humans—when I learn more about their time period and their culture—the Bible stories come alive and I glean answers to some of my personal struggles. The second inspiration for this novel was birthed in 1982, when the Contemporary Christian group Harvest released their song, “Because I Am.” With rich vocals and epic music, Jerry Williams and Ed Kerr related the interaction between Jesus and Mary outside the tomb of Lazarus. As I listened to the song, the biblical story resonated and I could…

There are many things that inspire my books: movies, songs, quotes, and Facebook memes, to name a few. Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact moment inspiration struck and blossomed into a story. Other times, as in the case of DESIRING RED, I know precisely which elements inspired the tale. Earlier this year, my editor at Entangled came to me and asked if I’d be willing to write an erotic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. As a longtime fan of dark fairy tales (Grimm vs. Disney for me!), I was instantly drawn to the idea. Do you remember the 2011 film Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried? Two men. One heroine cloaked in red. That’s where the similarities between DESIRING RED and Red Riding Hood end, but it was the colors that grabbed me. As odd as it sounds, one of the things I remember most from the movie was the stark-white snow, the shadows in the woods, and the crimson red of her cloak. I tried to create an erotic tale as vivid and captivating. Because I’m a sucker for a sexy Alpha wolf, I knew I had to write the tale as a paranormal romance with a…