In January of 2013, I joined a book group. The first book selected was EMMA, by Jane Austen, which I had never read. Beginning the book, I was surprised by how unlikable I found the title character. That book group didn’t work out, but, despite my rough start with EMMA, I’d been unceremoniously drawn back into the world of Jane Austen. The richness of her language, her distinctive voice, her modern appeal—all had rekindled an old fire in my heart. Not having read her entire oeuvre, I thought I might do so in the rest of 2013. Which didn’t happen. What I needed was accountability. So early in 2014, I went on MeetUp, punched in my credit card number, and started my group. To my surprise, people joined! Over the course of the year, we read all her completed novels in publication order and met in a little café to discuss them. Not surprisingly, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and PERSUASION were big hits. There wasn’t a huge amount of agreement or disagreement among the group members, but there were some unexpected revelations. For one member, Jane Austen didn’t hold up at all. Other people, like I had originally, found Emma’s character…

It will be a busy season now that the print version of my book, published by Soul Mate Publishing, is being released on July 14. In the near future, a contest to give away a one-of-a-kind prize will be announced, offering a fine print of the image you see in on my blog in blues above, my painting of the brook in my book, sans the script, of course. Watch for details . . .read more.

I’ve always loved Gothic romances, a little creepy around the edges, the kind of book wherein you devoutly hope the hero is who you want him to be, not who you suspect he might be. I especially love those with a historical and British bent, with a heroine who is both vulnerable and strong. I’ve fond memories of sharing Victoria Holt books with my grandmother -and sneaking a flashlight into my room so I could read them long past when I said I’d be sleeping. When I was done reading Holt, I moved onto favorites such as Mary Stewart. Those books seemed to be popular some time ago, but what about lately? Not so many were being published. I still wanted more: I wanted new, I wanted fresh but… with all of my favorite gothic elements. So I set out to write what I’d love to read. Would other modern woman want to read them? Ann B. Tracy, the author of the romance chapter in the compilation, THE JOURNAL OF THE GOTHIC, tells us that, “The jocular description of modern Gothic Romances like Victoria Holt’s The Mistress of Mellyn is ‘Girl Gets House.’ ” In a day of HGTV, what…

A deadly family curse looms as Nate and Haylee fall in love. Can they find a way to break the curse and have a happily ever after or is Haylee’s fate to suffer the same curse as her ancestors? SUNSTONE’S FIRE (Curse in Stone, book 1) by Lia Davis *Please note this is an ARC copy of chapter one for the book is currently in edits. It may contain typos.* Chapter One – part four “Yeah.” From his questioning tone, she could tell he believed in spirits or had had an experience with them before. “You’re not scared, are you?” He smiled at her teasing. “Nope. So, that was a ghost that made me crash my car?” “Possibly.” It was strange that the spirits would show themselves. What was so special about that night? Oh, yeah. It was the first night of the full moon. Meeting Nate’s stare, she found herself captivated by his chocolate brown depths. For the first time in years, she felt at ease with another. “Would you like some tea?” He nodded. “I’d love some.” Just as they turned to the kitchen, a knock sounded on the front door. Wondering who it could be at the…

I’m about to step up on my soap box. If everyone would pay attention for a moment, I will explain exactly what YA means. YA refers to the age of the character in the book, not the age of the reader. The character of a YA novel will more than likely be sixteen. The age of the reader can vary greatly. Some people say they don’t read YA because they are not teens. I’ve never been a male detective, but I enjoy mysteries. I’ve never been an alien, but I enjoy science fiction. I’ve never been a hobbit, but I enjoy Tolkien. Need I say more? So, why do I write YA? I love that during the teen years anything seems possible. It’s a time to figure out who you are. If you want to become a black belt, you can sign up for a Karate class. Now, I know I could still sign up for a Karate class as an adult. If I did, odds are I’d end up funding a new condo for my chiropractor. After a certain age the body does not bend and stretch and bounce like it used to. On a daily basis, there is…

Raise your hand if you love books in a series. *raises hand* I get so excited when I find a series I like because I know that I have an entire world to explore over several books. There are always characters in the background that you just know will have their own book—and then they do! And you get to check in on the characters who have already had their story told and it’s the best reunion ever! As a reader, it’s amazing! And as an author, it’s a snowball of crazy fun. But how do these groups of characters come together to make a series? When I started writing my debut novel, I intended it to be a standalone book. In hindsight I think I was attempting to have an attainable goal. But things didn’t work out as I had planned. As I wrote that one standalone book, characters would wander through a scene, characters who liked to talk too much, demanding their turn in the spotlight. Soon I had a cast of characters as part of this community I’d built. And most of the characters were—in my mind—begging to be center stage. Clearly I’m a people pleaser who…

The first ship I can clearly remember rooting for was Clark Kent and Lois Lane on Lois & Clark, a TV show from the ‘90s about (surprise, surprise) Superman. I remember my heart fluttering when she finally knew the mild-mannered reporter, Clark, was actually the hero of Metropolis. I remember how I sighed with delight when Clark went down on one knee and proposed to Lois. And I have no shame about that poster I had hanging in my room of Dean Cain who played Clark on the show. That show opened my young girly eyes and my own affair with romance began. It doesn’t matter what type of entertainment I’m engaged with, I will always try to find the two people I want to get together and proceed to mentally chant, “Now kiss. Now kiss. Now kiss.” I even shipped Jerry and Elaine from Seinfeld (no judgies). And I’m confident in my opinion that Jim and Pam (PB&J) from The Office are the best ship to have ever shipped. I’m sure you readers can relate to my shipping habit, amirite? So, today I’d like to fangirl over some of my current favorite TV ships! ***WARNING : SOME SPOILERS*** Quentin…

About THE SAINTS OF THE LOST AND FOUND Avery Broussard has the curse of seeing lost things (and make no mistake about it, it is a curse). Missing belongings and beloved pets, lost love and loved ones—she sees it all. Long ago, that curse destroyed her own chance at true love, causing her to flee her Louisiana home, vowing never to return. She’s kept that promise too, until a phone call from her estranged grifter father forces her hand. Her big brother is dying, and she may be his last remaining hope. Avery wants nothing more than to rescue her brother, but doing so pulls her into a labyrinth of lies and deceit rooted in her own lost love and her family’s twisted history. It doesn’t help that a little girl has gone missing, and the abduction is tied to a killer Avery failed to help the FBI catch. With no time to spare, Avery realizes her curse might well be the only thing she can trust. Is it too much to hope that she might save her brother and find the missing girl before she becomes the killer’s next victim? Buy THE SAINTS OF THE LOST AND FOUND: Amazon.com…

Thank you so much for inviting me here today to share an exclusive excerpt from my brand new modern fairytale, GINGER’S HEART, inspired by “Little Red Riding Hood.” Here’s what you need to know: the following excerpt takes place on Ginger’s 12th birthday. The boys she refers to—Cain and Woodman—are cousins with whom Ginger has grown up. They are both 15-years-old, wildly handsome and as different as they can be. Do you feel a love triangle forming? I sure do!! Happy reading! Exclusive Excerpt from GINGER’S HEART by Katy Regnery (Used with permission. All rights reserved.) “Gran!” shouted Ginger, quickening her pace. She’d barely seen her grandmother—her father’s mother—all day, and after Woodman, Gran was her very closest friend. Kelleyanne McHuid had moved into the in-law cottage after Ginger’s parents were married, way before Ginger was born, which meant that she’d been a permament fixture at McHuid’s throughout Ginger’s childhood. Though, she wrinkled her nose with worry, she didn’t know for how much longer. Recently, Ginger had heard her mother and father discussing Gran in hushed tones behind closed doors. Gran suffered from Parkinson’s, and Ginger’s mother seemed to feel that she needed “more care” than they could provide at…

With over sixty books to my name, I have written quite a few different kinds of couples, but my favorite is always the “opposites attract” couple. Part of it is because I like the banter that usually goes on between the hero and heroine. The other part of it is that in my own marriage, my husband and I fit this category. He is laid back and hates plans. I think that plans don’t fail; you fail to plan. He is even tempered and loves to be around people. I am an Italian with a creative bent and a temper. Also, people are good in small—very small—doses. But, since we are about to hit our twenty-four-year wedding anniversary, I say we figured out a way to work through those things. We do have a few things in common—our love of the absurd and a totally immature sense of humor among other things. In my March Entangled release, SNOWBOUND SEDUCTION, I have another pair of opposites. First we have Trevor MacMillan, English bad boy chef with a title and has a privileged background. He has always had family support and is the darling of the tabloids. On top of it, he…