Living in Florida is fabulous for many reasons, but one major reason I love it is all the beautiful birds I see on area walks. DH (‘Darling Hubby’ for those of you not familiar with the acronym) and I come across the most incredible creatures on every trek. And thanks to my awesome iPhone, I get the best pictures. Here are three pelicans hanging out! Here are two White Ibis birds on crab patrol! Here’s a majestic Great White Heron enjoying a river stroll! Here’s a Great Blue Heron that strolled past our beach umbrella! Here’s a Great Blue Heron enjoying a fish breakfast! And, as a bonus, here’s a cute turtle enjoying a grass lunch! The threatened gopher tortoise is the only native tortoise living east of the Mississippi River, and it’s Florida’s only true tortoise. What sort of birds or critters do you encounter on walks? What bird or critter pictures have you taken? Also, please join fellow author Rachel Good and I for a fun-filled Facebook party called “The Ultimate Food Fight” from the comfort of your home tomorrow night! Are you Team Whoopie Pie or Team Gluten Free Berry Cobbler? Pick your side and come join…

According to statistics, there are more than 33 million people in America–a little more than 10% of the population–who lay claim to Irish ancestors. I am not one of them. My bloodlines are strictly eastern European and I will take pierogi over corned beef and cabbage any day, a shot of vodka (it has to be from Poland) instead of a beer, a plate of the fruit-filled pastries called kolachki over . . . well, pretty much over anything! So why begin my new Ethnic Eats mystery series with IRISH STEWED and Irish food? The answer is really pretty simple. In the book, the heroine, Laurel Inwood, meets a man named Declan Fury who comes from a big, boisterous, rollicking Irish family. It’s no coincidence that my husband, David, comes from a big, boisterous . . . well, you get the picture. David’s ancestors were railroaders, firemen and housekeepers. Our current circle (it’s a big one) of relatives includes bagpipers and cops and any number of in-laws, nieces and nephews who will argue politics passionately with you one moment, then drape an arm around your shoulders and give you a hug the next. One of our best family traditions is…

The standard traditions for good luck at weddings include the bride not being seen by the groom on the wedding day before the wedding ceremony. Then there is the bride wearing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. We throw rice to bring the marriage good luck and as a sign of fertility. Then there is the cutting of the wedding cake and the happy couple feeding each other. Keeping the top layer of the cake to be eaten on your first anniversary. So many traditions. All as a way to honor the bride and groom and to bring two families together as one. On my brother’s wedding day we could not decorate the church because there was a funeral scheduled before the wedding. They barely got the casket out and the funeral procession gone before people started showing up for the ceremony. WE went in and quickly changed the flowers from funeral to wedding. People whispered it was bad luck. But my brother is still happily married for over thrity years. My mother said it rained on her wedding day- also a sign of bad luck for the couple. And yet my parents are still together after…

Decide on the locale of your story. Is it going to be a real town or fictional? City or country? If it’s a big city, you’ll want to limit the action to a particular neighborhood that almost feels like a small town. Make it somewhere your readers would like to live. Create your “hook.” A hook is what sets your series apart from others. It can be an occupation for your sleuth like librarian, caterer, bookseller, etc. Or your hook can revolve around a hobby—knitting, scrapbooking, needlework, etc. Pick your victim. This is the fun part! Is there someone you would like to kill on paper? A disagreeable co-worker or an annoying neighbor? Be careful to change names and appearances but you can certainly borrow their irritating or despicable traits and make them your victim’s own. Pick your killer. Why does this person hate the victim enough to kill? They need a good motive for the crime. They can be a decent, upstanding citizen on the outside but evil on the inside. Decide on a murder method. Now that you have your killer, what would be a likely murder weapon? A gun or knife? Poison? The proverbial blow to the…

Masturbation is a many-splendored thing but even here, all of us can get into a comfortable rut. Take what can be really good to really great with Lambda Literary Award winner Jenny Block’s guide to getting it on with yourself. Whether you are happily coupled, on your own, poly, or demonstrating for your lover(s) your solo skills, Block has the very best advice on how to pleasure yourself masterfully and share the love. Replete with thorough research, Block’s book covers the science of sex, wild and wonderful ideas for upping the ante, and lots of suggestions for use of toys. The ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SOLO SEX is sure to become the new classic that will show readers how to go from mundane to mind-blowing! Here’s an excerpt from her book: It is absolutely imperative that each of us know our body and know it well. It can be so easy to ignore that in our overly connected, overly busy world. We get up, get dressed, race off to work and school, come home, grab something to eat, veg out with the TV or a book, go to sleep, and then do it all over again the next day. It’s dangerous….

I’ve spent most of my life abiding by a few rules: You can never say I love you too many times. Never go shopping at Target on a Friday. Always be kind. Never eat gas station sushi. Like, ever. Lainey Taylor, the heroine of THE RULE BOOK, also has rules that she abides by. You see, rules play a fundamental role in the book (if you couldn’t tell from the blurb). What starts off as Lainey mocking Brogan’s 300-page rule book quickly becomes a list of rules that help her survive her first job out of college. Anything from never inviting herself to a Netflix pity party with her boss (whoops, it totally happened!) to having Clorox wipes handy for when shit hits the fan, Lainey is prepared to tackle anything that life throws at her. But what she can’t seem to handle? Following Brogan Starr’s rigid rules at Starr Media. There’s anything from no garlic permitted on premises to certain hours employees aren’t allowed in Mr. Starr’s office. And she definitely can’t get over the fact that semi-colons are prohibited when posting on any form of social media. A little extreme? Lainey thinks so, too. This is her first…

Hi Everyone 🙂 I’m so excited to be here today with a quick little teaser from LOVEGAME, my erotic thriller that comes out June 7th 🙂 This scene takes place right after Veronica has refused to sit down for the second half of the interview that she owes Ian and I picked it because it really exemplifies the power dynamics between them—both used to being in charge, neither willing to give an inch to the other even while their attraction to each other skyrockets 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!!!!! Excerpt: The second the words leave my mouth, I know they’re a mistake. I can tell from the way his eyes narrow, from the way his head cocks to the side and his full lips thin out to almost nothing. “What did you just say?” He sounds as incredulous as he looks. I fight the urge to take an instinctive step back, fight even harder the odd and terrifying compulsion I suddenly have to drop to my knees in front of him. I don’t know what’s going on here, don’t know what power he has over my body—over me—but it ends here. Now. “I said get out.” I draw on every ounce…

I am an author and a reader. Worse than that, I’m one of those historical nerds who think that what people ate hundreds of years ago is actually important. Throw all that in with my espresso machine and Bible, and you have a Christian Historical Fiction author who loves action and real-life, gritty faith-in-action. Faith. Gritty faith. I suppose what I mean by the combination of those two words is that faith isn’t always pretty. People often picture Christianity as a peaceful oasis in a skin-blistering desert, but Christian life is often something more than calm. Christianity is gritty real life. We’re faced with the same crushing waves that hit others. Only, we’re slammed into the Rock of Ages. When life gets hard or downright dirty, we have hope. In my latest novel, Grace Triumphant, I was faced with showing how faith works even in the heart of the storm. In my own life, I have seen how God’s grace is abounding – even in the midst of the dirty little messes we create and the turmoil that eventually comes our way. So, with writing a book that is obviously centered on grace, I had to realize that grace really…

“Black is a color; ask Crayola.” At that, Becca rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips in that sassy way she did when she was about to lecture him. He loved it and couldn’t help but grin. “Black is the opposite of color. It’s depressing, and besides, you look terrible in black.” “Listen, woman, no need for insults.” Nick turned the hose on Becca, spraying her once, before holding the sprayer up like a gun. “Say you’re sorry.” She glared at him with the intensity of a raging fire. “Hit me with that again and you’re dead, Hamilton. Dead.” “You and what army? I’ve got a foot on you, plus all these muscles.” He tugged off his shirt and flexed dramatically, laughing, until he caught Becca’s expression as she took him in. Her eyes widened a touch and she swallowed, her clenched fists relaxing as a brief flicker of something that looked a lot like attraction crossed her face. But then she cleared her throat and looked away, and before Nick could process what had just happened, she dashed for the soap bucket. “You spray me and I’ll dump this on you.” He grinned. “Then it’s a…

This should be an easy list, right? After all, everyone needs a fireman at one time or another during their life, even as a bystander. So here’s Jennifer’s list! They’ve got big…hearts. For many of these men, the job isn’t just a job, it’s a calling. Not only do they risk their lives to protect those in need, many of these guys are involved in charity and public safety education programs. They understand commitment, sacrifice and compassion, which makes them great boyfriend material. Calendars. I feel a little guilty about drooling over these guys, but since it’s for a fantastic cause, it’s all good, right? Need to see for yourself? Check out the FDNY Calendar of Heroes here. Firemen are cool under pressure and can *probably* handle whatever you throw at them in a relationship. They’re experts at mouth-to-mouth, a skill that can come in handy on—and off—the job. Did you know lots of these guys cook? It’s a fundamental necessity in the firehouse since firefighters put in long hours and need to eat well. I don’t cook, but they do, and that is H-O-T-! Prince Charming has nothing on these sexy as sin, real life heroes. What could better…