Music can be the sound track to our emotions. A great song can not only change your mood but also change your day. When a song speaks to you and knows your heart, you bond with it. I thought it would be fun to pick my characters brains and pick the top 5 songs for Hök Magnusson and Lady Sovia, the hero and heroine of my new Viking romance, THE NORTHMAN’S BRIDE. To give you a touch of context, my young Viking warrior Hök Magnusson gets his heart clawed out by his first love, Lady Sovia. Seven years later and his wound has yet to heal. Don’t judge my book by the cover models. I promise Hök is not always that grumpy looking. Hök’s Playlist would be: Bite Hard by Franz Ferinand. After Sovia tossed Hök’s love aside, he’s gutted and understandable ill tempered. This song is about breaking hearts and breaking minds. Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford and Sons. Scorned and feeling he has dishonored his family, Hök volunteering joins the neighboring counties civil war to secure his families boarders. Tick Tick Boom by The Hives. Years later, on his second encounter with Sovia, Hök is a ticking time bomb…

Hey Writers, are You afraid of Social Media? I’ve been in your shoes. In fact, I wore out several pairs called, “I can’t do social media.” They pinched my toes and hurt my feet. So I tossed them in the trash and bought a new pair titled, “I’m not afraid of social media.” Those shoes were made for success, and I wear them every day. My real issue was fear. I thought I couldn’t learn the different platforms. Questions hovered, like where does my brand and genre fit? How many platforms must I use? I’m foremost a novelist, not a guru in mastering the social media universe. It made sense to me that doing nothing meant no risk of failure. Wisdom marched in with clarification: Doing nothing meant I’d always regret not trying, and I was limiting my exposure to readers. That’s when I made up my mind to educate myself in the art of social media. I made slow but steady progress and climbed a mountain. So much satisfaction at the top. Now I can look down and see where I’ve failed, pick myself up, and climb a taller peak. Good news! My readership has increased, which means higher…

I love romances. Not only writing them, but reading them as well. When I was invited into the Heartbreaker and Heroes anthology, I was not only excited to write with some of my favorite authors, but I also had the chance to read the stories before anyone else!!! A few things I learned about our heroes: They all had rough childhoods, whether from abuse, neglect, or caught in a bad situation. Most of them don’t want to fall in love, but their hearts override their fears. Falling in love with men who have had a difficult past isn’t easy, but the heroines are tough enough to handle what ever comes along. Whether billionaire, biker, cop, or cowboy, heroes are all around us. Sometimes heartbreakers should be left in the dust. Other times, they are completely redeemable. I must admit I threw in some thriller elements to my story. I can’t help it. The story of a cop who tries and fails to rescue a woman from an abusive father had to go somewhat dark. But between writers like Jennie Marts and Jodi Linton, there are lots of humorous stories in the mix as well. About HEARTBREAKERS AND HEROES A brotherhood…

What is it about opposites that attract? You could say that the heroine and hero in THE BAD BOY’S BABY are an opposites attract kind of couple. Admittedly, there are sometimes that I wonder how my husband can think so opposite of how I do. Last summer we remodeled, and our taste were so opposing that I often wondered how we ever managed to buy a house together in the first place. So there was some compromising on both ends, and we both loved the finished product. So I thought I’d explore what it is about opposites that attract. A new way of looking at things – I always like learning the way certain things affect another person and comparing it to how they affect me. Like music. I love asking what songs speak to someone and why, because I think it provides a great insight to other people. The challenge of stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things that the other person likes. In THE BAD BOY’S BABY, Emma loves carnival rides and Cam would never set foot in what he thinks of imperfect machines made by imperfect people. Not to mention he doesn’t like confined…

First off, thank you for doing this interview for us. I know you don’t have time for frivolous activities these days, what with your IVF cycle and your husband’s chemo. Simeen: It’s okay. I actually could use a break from all that. And from checking off items on Nirvaan’s tedious Titanic Wish List. What’s the Titanic Wish List? Simeen: Nirvaan’s bucket list. You know he doesn’t have long, so he wants to do all the things that matter to him before…he succumbs. I’m very sorry about Nirvaan’s cancer… Simeen: Thank you. But it’s okay. We’re okay. We’re dealing. So ask away. Right. Um, so…let’s start with, What’s the secret to having a good marriage? Simeen (grinning): A kinky spouse. Interesting answer. It certainly broke the ice. Next question, What’s the most fun party you ever attended? Simeen: The beach party where Nirvaan, Zayaan and I met for the first time. It was our fifteenth birthday—you know the three of us share our birthdays, right? So, we met at Dandi Beach, one hot summer night long ago. Wow. That’s some coincidence—the three of you sharing a birthday. Simeen: That’s not all we share. No pun intended. We also lived on the…

Taking time out to enjoy yourself is essential and it’s something I look forward to. I spend part of my day working on the farm and part of it writing, but I enjoy nothing better than to do something completely different. I have always had an interest in history and love visiting castles or grand old houses. I usually take my camera with me as it gives me a chance to indulge in that little passion too. Whilst the splendour of large stately homes is fun to see, it’s the castles I like best. Usually they are ruins, but I love to use my imagination and build up a picture of what life must have been like all those hundreds of years ago. Of course it doesn’t have to be time away or a day out. Just an hour or so to myself to relax and do something I want to do, which for me would be losing myself in a good book. Again, it’s history which draws me and this or romance is my chosen genre. At this time of the year, as summer is arriving and the days are becoming warmer and longer, I enjoy spending time in…

When I was asked to do a little piece for Fresh Fiction, I knew I wanted to tie it to my new book, THE MISBEHAVED, which released—May 10th—from Totally Bound Publishing. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance involving a frisky bartender, Natalea Jones, and her best friend and most eligible bachelor, Drake Harte. The story opens at Natalea’s bar where she is hosting the charity reveal of the firefighter calendar, which includes as Mr. December—her best friend Drake. Yes, the hero of THE MISBEHAVED is a sexy firefighter. Not uncommon. Not unheard of. Who makes a more desirable hero than a firefighter? The interesting element for me is that I find myself drawn to them in my writing. I have three books that thrust a firefighter hero into the spotlight. Why? What makes these guys such great romance novel heroes? I’ve asked myself that question numerous times as I drive past our local firehouse and find myself slowing down in hopes of getting a glance of the firefighters out washing the trucks or shooting hoops in the driveway—with their shirts off, of course! And I’ll admit, some days I’m one lucky lady! J Is it the hard bodies? Maybe. As a warm-blooded…

Pro of Same-Sport Loving – If you’re really dedicated to excellence, you have to spend a lot of time working out, practicing, and otherwise perfecting your game. If you have school or a job as well, there isn’t much time left for a relationship. But if your work out and practice time is ALSO relationship time, you’re all set! Con of Same-Sport Loving – One of you will probably be better at the sport than the other. This isn’t necessarily true, but it’s pretty likely. What effect will that have on the relationship? And if both of you are equally dedicated and equally skilled, how will it feel if the difference is based on something neither of you have any control over? Like, say, your boyfriend hit a growth spurt at puberty and turned into 6’2” muscle-man, and you? You didn’t. Pro – You’re both probably pretty fit. Nice muscles, strong bodies, lots of endurance… hard to argue with any of that! Con – You’re both probably pretty competitive. This can work well if you’re both on the same team, but if you face off against each other? Look out! Pro – Passionate competition can lead to other kinds of…

What is your name? Do you have a nickname? My name is Tobias Ford. I also answer to Master, Sir, or Master T. Where were you born? Where have you lived since then? Where do you call home? I was born in Tucson, Arizona. My mother still lives there. I’ve lived all over the world with my stint in the military. Currently, Pasedena , California is where I call home. What is one strong memory that has stuck with you from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting? My alcoholic father left my mother and I when I was five. It’s tempered my need to control my life. I never have more than a drink or two, the disease that drove him from our lives resides in my veins, so I’d prefer not to go down that road. Combined with my PTSD from my tours in Iraq and Afghanistan it would be a bad mixture all together. And I don’t have relationships with women who have children, I know how much that can mess with a child’s mind. I prefer my subs unattached and unfettered. You’re getting ready for a night out. Where are you going? What do you…

SHELTER FOR ELIZABETH came about in an interesting way. At the end of book 4 in my SEAL of Protection Series, PROTECTING SUMMER, the heroine was kidnapped by a serial killer who wanted to torture the Hero SEAL. In order to accomplish this, he kidnapped another random woman from the parking lot of the local Walmart. He tortured THAT woman, telling the heroine everything that was happening to her was going to happen to the heroine next. Enter the SEAL team to save the day…but not before the poor random woman was traumatized and brutalized. I kept getting reader notes asking if the poor random woman was going to get a SEAL of her own. At first I had no idea who they were talking about, as that woman was a “throw away” character. But I thought about it…it was the perfect set-up for a book. So…. Poor Elizabeth moves to Texas to try to get away from what happened to her at the hands of the serial killer. She has agoraphobia…meaning she’s scared to go outside and is in therapy. When she nearly sets her apartment on fire, she meets a hunky firefighter who takes a liking to her…and…