In the Second Chance Cat mysteries Sarah Grayson owns a re-purpose shop, Second Chance. Sarah likes finding treasures for her store, sometimes giving things a whole new life. That’s something we have in common. I like thrift stores, flea markets, second hand shops and consignment stores. And it’s not just about saving money, although I am known for being well…frugal. For me, it really is like going on a treasure hunt. I never know what I’m going to find. And to make it more likely I’ll end up with a treasure and not a lump of coal I have some rules I try to follow. If it can’t be washed, don’t buy it. Anything that can’t go in my washing machine or my basement sink with lots of hot water and soap stays at the store. My art table (solid top, solid legs) was wiped off before it went in the trunk of my car and stayed in the back yard until it could be scrubbed top to bottom. (Did I mention I’m a little germaphobic?) Check everything. Look over every seam for tears, every hem, cuff and collar for wear. Make sure the zipper works. Check for pills and…

Hello. My name is Delia James, and I write mysteries. Specifically, I write mysteries with magic and cats with plenty of attitude. This is no surprise to anybody who knows me. I grew up on mysteries. Summers at my grandmother’s in the country, I discovered her Agatha Christie books and was immediately fascinated by Hercule Poirot. TV was filled with mysteries and we never missed them, Colombo, MacMillan & Wife, McCloud, The Rockford Files, Quincy…and of course I was in love with the Hardy Boys as played by Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson (for the record, I was a Parker Girl, all the way). Of course I could quote Sherlock Holmes, chapter and verse. In college, I got introduced to, and fell in love all over again with, Lord Peter Whimsey. Despite this, when I started writing, mysteries were not my first choice. I was (confession time) also a major science fiction nerd and it was science fiction I gravitated to first. I don’t regret it at all. Science fiction is fun, and it teaches you a lot about how to build a fictional world along with the characters that fit into it, or don’t. This can be valuable training…

Researching my Fairy Tale Fatal mystery series means reading old travelogues and novels, studying antique fashion plates, poring over period railroad timetables and restaurant menus, and—oh, yeah!—traveling in Europe. My job is SO HARD. (Kidding.) BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA is set in 1867 in the Périgord region of France. I always knew the story would concern the “true history” of my all-time favorite fairy tale, “Beauty and the Beast,” but beyond that, I wasn’t sure . . . until, that is, I read about the prehistoric cave art in the Vézère Valley. These caves—the most famous one is Lascaux—are decorated with Paleolithic pictures of animals. Animals, you know . . . as in beasts? Bingo. There was my angle, because the idea of pairing “Beauty and the Beast” with the painted caves seemed so juicy. Only catch was, I had, um, never been to the Périgord. So I packed up the Fam—my husband, my mom, and my two little kids—and off we went! Getting There. Okay. Maybe it wasn’t quite simple as “and of we went!” Those of you who have traveled with little kids know what a gigantic production it is. For example: Bring your own car seats OR…

Thanks for inviting me to visit on my ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE WITH THE BIKER release tour. AiLwtB, besides being a big long title, is one of Entangled Publishing’s “What Happens in Vegas” stories, set at a Romance reader and writer’s convention…in Vegas. Best. City. Ever. For romantic comedy. Next to reading and writing romance, there’s nothing much I love more than laughing—especially at myself. And when I started writing Quinn and Kellie’s story, I realized I had the perfect opportunity to take a few pokes at those of us who live for those stories that make our tummies (and other body parts) tingle. But I have to tell you–I’ll take on any media snob who disparages romance as somehow inferior to other forms of entertainment. On the other hand, we can’t take ourselves too seriously, right? And if you’ve never been to a romance convention, it’s crazy pants WITH sauce. There are readers from everywhere. All KINDS of people. Young women wandering around at ten A.M. wearing bustiers and cowboy boots and carrying daiquiris. Grandmotherly types in nice sweater sets hanging on the arms of cover models. Grandmotherly types wearing bustiers hanging on to huge, undulating bags of books. There…

I thought I’d talk about a few of my favorite things. Of course the song from The Sound of Music immediately popped in my head! You know, “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…” etc. Anyway, I’ve been singing that song ever since. And yes, that movie is one of my favorites. I have a lot of favorite things, such as good food, a warm day at the beach (NOT hot), a beautiful sunset, hanging out with good friends, a good movie that’s not predictable, but I suppose my most very favorite of all, second to eating chocolate, would be traveling with my family. As a child, my parents traveled a lot and took my brother and me with them quite a bit. It’s always exciting to see new things, meet new people and visit new places. I’ve been a lot of places, including Hawaii, Paris, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Czechoslovakia, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and more, but one of my very favorites is San Diego, California. Yes, right here in the United States. My husband, Jack, and I took our children last April for Spring Break. We flew out and spent the week exploring San Diego, Los Angeles, and…

Who doesn’t love a cowboy? I grew up with my very own, and Uncle Dave taught me much about being strong, in-your-face, feisty, and a teensy bit gruff. He was all grizzle and toughness, wrapped with muscle, leathery skin, calloused hands, and legs that bowed. But inside? The man was as mushy as a biscuit left out in the rain. The proverbial cowpoke is often portrayed that way in novels, but in real life, that’s how Uncle Dave was. A cigarette hung from his mouth in a lazy slope, but his grumbling “Hey, Babe” was usually followed with a ruffle of my hair, a squeeze of my hand, or sometimes, I was lucky to get a kiss on the cheek. He’d been bitten by a black widow spider, wrangled tarantulas along with mustangs, branded steers, and shot rattlers. He also read me stories, took me on burro rides, and taught me how to throw a lasso—maybe not successfully, but tossing a rope into the air is darn fun whether you rope a hay bale or a sheep. I like to argue we love our heroes because of the heroes we knew. Maybe from afar, or maybe blessed to curl up…

Let’s face it…Southerners love to eat. And it’s how we “fix” everything. Your football team lost? Here’s some mac and cheese. Your dog died? Awww…here’s some tea cakes. Mama sick? I got some good gumbo! You still mad at me? How ‘bout some fried catfish? Food is our band aid, our olive branch, it’s how we express love and affection and it’s our comfort. And nothing says comfort food like Hummingbird Cake. When I was growing up, anytime any of us came in the kitchen and saw Mama making Hummingbird Cake, one of us would immediately ask “Who died?” We called it the “wake cake.” In small towns, wakes last all night. For lack of a better phrase, we call this “sittin’ up with the dead.” Of course, this requires stamina. You must have a full belly and Community coffee piped in through an IV so you can properly grieve. The fellowship hall in any church in the State of Louisiana is crammed full of any food you can think of….fried chicken, purple hull peas, mustard greens and cornbread, every casserole Betty Crocker ever even thought about and of course….desserts. There may not be a huge variety of sweets, but…

I’ve always been fascinated by the stars. What’s out there? Are we alone? How did we get here? Several years ago, I decided to explore that idea in fiction, and what a journey it’s been. I knew what was out there in books on the subject, and my goal was to write something new and unexpected. Not an easy aspiration with all of the creative minds out there filling the shelves with their brilliant works. As with every idea that evolves into a book, it began with a single question: What if… Of course, the first few things I finished that sentence with didn’t lead me anywhere interesting. Aliens and beasts and special abilities that have been done and redone every which way. Demons and angels, gods and time travelers. None of them were right, but what else was there? One night while watching a movie—I can’t even remember which one now—I began thinking about the power of emotion and how it can give someone seemingly super-human strength in the face of a crisis, physically and spiritually. What if emotion could be harnessed as a shield or a weapon? Why would it be needed? What foe could be so strong…

Ready to dash back to the Victorian Era and uncover who-done-it at a perfectly ghastly country party? Then sit back and enjoy our Q&A with Maia Chance, author of the Fairy Tale Fatal Mysteries. Her heroine Miss Ophelia Flax is in quite a fix–ready to unload one boorish fiancé and saddled with guests from, well, you know where until one shows up dead and mauled. Describe BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA in 140 characters or less. BEAUTY, BEAST, AND BELLADONNA is a fun, adventurous, and romantic historical mystery set in a secret-riddled French chateau in 1867. What is your idea of perfect happiness? Happiness for me is spending time outside somewhere beautiful, with my husband, kids, and dog. What’s your favorite part of Ophelia’s quirky personality? I like the way Ophelia compensates in creative and gutsy ways for her lack of a good formal education. She’s smart and resourceful and she uses her unusual skill set—farm girl, circus performer, actress—to help solve the mystery. Which living person do you most admire? My husband, actually. He is an unusually gifted person who overcame significant disadvantages and obstacles to get where he is today. And he gives the best pep-talks! What inspired you…

Three New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling authors have joined forces to give back to the military veterans who have given so much to their country. Lindsay McKenna, Chris Keniston and Susan Stoker bring you SAVED BY A SEAL, a first in series box set. Join these authors and their SEAL heroes from the very beginning of their bestselling romance series. 99¢ for a limited amount of time About SAVED BY A SEAL 100% of all author proceeds from this first in series boxed set will be donated to help Disabled Veterans get service dogs through AMERICA’S VETDOGS. NOWHERE TO HIDE by Lindsay McKenna Book 1, Delos Series Lia Cassidy left the Army scarred physically and emotionally after a vicious attack by two fellow soldiers. She turns to helping others, working at a Delos Home School Charity in Costa Rica that aids abused women and children. But when the deadly drug lord, La Arana, attacks the school, Lia finds herself on the run for her life. The only person she can trust is the ex-SEAL sent to protect her. Cav Jordan is strong, honorable and gorgeous and intrigued by Lia. He knows she has suffered pain in her past,…