Rancher and military hero Bane Westmoreland is on a mission to reconnect with the one who got away. And when the beautiful chemist’s discovery puts her in danger, Bane vows to protect her at all costs… Read on for a sneak peek of BANE the latest in New York Times Bestselling author Brenda Jackson’s The Westmorelands series “Why are you acting so secretive?” Bane asked, puzzled. “You’ve never acted that way with me before.” No, Crystal hadn’t. But then the Bane she used to know, the secret husband she’d loved more than life itself, would not have forgotten her for five years. He would have moved heaven, hell and any place in between to have her with him so the two of them could be together. “You’re not the only one who’s changed. Just like you’re not the same, I’m not the same.” They faced off. She didn’t see him move, but suddenly his body brushed against hers and she drew in a sharp breath. The touch had been electric, sending a sizzle through her. Suddenly, her mind was filled with memories of the last time they’d touched. Really touched. All over. Naked. Those memories were enough to ignite a…

I have always been a chocolate fiend. Chocolate chip cookies, chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge, chocolate candy with almost any filling, even semi-sweet chocolate chips straight from the package are my vice. I prefer chocolate anything for dessert, except perhaps mole, which is a combination of chiles and chocolate, something that makes no sense to me. Chiles should be spicy, and chocolate should be sweet. When I turned 21 in college, my best friend planned a surprise birthday party for me in the common room of my dorm. Celeste made an excuse to meet me there, and I nearly canceled because I was depressed that no one remembered my birthday. Instead, I opened the door to shouts of surprise and lots of hugs and laughter. One of the best gifts I received that night was Celeste’s mother’s recipe for chocolate cherry cake. Celeste’s mother was renowned for her cooking, and as a poor college student who ate mostly in the cafeteria, I always looked forward to dinner invitations at her house. Celeste wrote her mother’s recipe on a piece of paper torn from a secretary’s steno pad. (That should date me a little! For those who don’t know the term,…

When I walked down the aisle and said “I do,” I married into the Christmas tradition of making roll-out cookies for Santa. My husband’s family has a to-die-for recipe that produces cookies with a tea cake texture that melts in your mouth. The secret ingredient is sour cream which makes them not too sweet … just right. And nobody can eat just one. We’ve baked cookies almost every December since then, but my favorite memory is from Christmas 1999 … even though the evening did NOT start off well. At the time, I was suffering from a lingering case of post-partum depression, and I felt anything but jolly. I sat by the Christmas tree and watched the twinkle lights as I held my two-month-old daughter and tried to think happy thoughts. My husband and three older children were making cookies in the adjacent kitchen where they were up to their elbows in flour. I knew how this would end; I’d seen it before. Waxed paper would be cemented to the counters, bits of dried dough would be sprinkled like gravel on every horizontal surface of the room, and tiny drops of red and green food coloring (invisible to the naked…

Growing up in a safe—that is, dull—neighborhood in Brooklyn in the 1960s, I inevitably dreamed of escape. So it was no surprise that I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy novels. Books crammed full of distant planets ripe for adventure and exploration, boasting bizarre alien creatures totally unlike the pigeons and squirrels that marked my own humdrum existence. There was, however, one thing these novels almost invariably lacked: strong female characters. Exceptions existed, of course, but most science-fiction novels of that era (almost overwhelmingly written by men) featured only certain female types: the girlfriend, the mom (“Why do you spend so much time tinkering with that spaceship, Jimmy? Have some milk and cookies.”), occasionally the enticing alien. Even back then, I almost immediately realized that the women in my own life were far different from the ones in the books I’d been reading. (Beginning with the fact that my own mother, a physician, was usually far too busy to serve me milk and cookies.) As I grew, it became obvious how much the books had missed. My whole life is full of equally uncategorizable women. From my wife, daughter, and niece, through the women writers I know, to…

Getting to Know G.L. Ross I am delighted to be a guest of Fresh Fiction and to share fun facts about myself, my family, and my books. Even though I’m from Plano, Texas there is nothing plain about my writing. I’m a proud Texan and include many Texas sites and cities in my contemporary romance novels which include lots of suspense, giggles, family, faith, sexy scenes, what the heck just happened moments, and hot men…really hot alpha men. My recently released romance, THE STRENGTH OF LOVE, is my first story to include a supernatural element. Get ready for ghostly surprises. I’m really excited about this inspiring romance and feel it’s a perfect read for the holiday season. Grab your gal pals and discuss it over coffee or a glass of wine. Rachel, Brooks, Marcus, and Sam will, like the song says, give’em something to talk about! This is an always and forever love. A love that never dies. I’ve also written two books based on ideas from my other career as a flight attendant. After twenty-five years of flying I have lots of stories and ideas, Wow…do I have stories, but The Flyboy Trilogy is fictional! I will warn you…

I never understood the question “Where do you get all those ideas for your stories?” Give me two objects, a location and a genre, and I can write a story. It’s never been difficult for me to create something new. Yet, hand me a carton of milk, and the chances that it ends up back in the refrigerator instead of the pantry or the freezer are pretty slim. Two days ago, I entertained my entire spin class when the instructor started talking to me, and I didn’t respond. He called on me again, but I ignored him. My bestie, who always loves a good laugh at my expense, told me I appeared to be in a trance, my legs were moving, but my mind was far away. I know exactly where I was. I was in a small town dealing with a man who was about to lose everything, his wife, his job, and all the goodwill he’d built over four years in the community. I didn’t want him to lose everything, and yet, the story needed to go in that direction. As I rode my bike, and the music blasted, and the instructor called on us to stand and…

Holiday Bon Appétit! Here is a delicious holiday recipe to enjoy alongside my latest Christmas book: HER MISTLETOE COWBOY. I think Christmas and everyone I know thinks of my mint chip brownies and my marzipan bundt cake. The brownies are more or less a standard recipe, except doubled (so the brownies are nice and thick) and add in lots of mint chips. Here’s the marzipan cake: Marzipan Cake INGREDIENTS: 1 (18.25 ounce) package moist white (or yellow) cake mix 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg ¾ cup of vegetable oil ¾ cup of Amaretto 4 eggs ½ cup of almond slivers 1 tube of almond paste (marzipan) DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10 inch bundt pan with Pam (with flour) Cut almond paste into approximately 14 slices, then put into blender (or something that resembles coffee bean grinder). Object is to break up the slices into tiny pieces to distribute the flavor throughout the cake. In medium bowl combine all the above ingredients then beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes (insert knife in center, cake is done when knife comes out clean) Let…

I’ve long been a sucker for all things royal. I’m one of those who set my alarm to be sure to wake in the middle of the night to watch Diana marry Prince Charles, way back when. Shame that whole fairy tale turned into an unfortunate costume drama with a very bad ending. But before it did, not too many years later while working in Washington, DC, I was actually hired to be the official photographer for Prince Charles at the British Embassy while he was visiting DC. At the time I was pregnant with my first child and I laughingly imagined how between photographs, Chuck and I would maybe swap stories about married life and child-rearing, and we could, by dint of our similar stages in life, end up being trans-Atlantic BFFs. I could have hosted him and Di at our humble split-level for dinner, he could have had us to the palace if we ever got to London. I’m sure the Queen and I would have got on famously. It would have been fantastic. Well, we all know where that thing went. Before we knew it, we learned that Charles was hanky-pankying with Camilla, and Diana, well, maybe…

I listen to music all the time when I’m writing, during my commute, and when I’m working. I always have my ear half-cocked for songs that fit whatever book I’m working on. That’s how I make a playlist for each book. Listening to the playlist helps me to get into the right mindset for the characters and the book. I’m a huge Maroon 5 fan. I have been long before Adam Levine became a judge on The Voice. When their last CD came out, they announced on Twitter that their next single was going to be Sugar. I was not happy. Don’t get me wrong. I liked Sugar, but there was another song I liked better and thought would make a better single. I voiced this opinion on Twitter. Strangely enough, the band didn’t listen to me and released Sugar anyway, which led me to hearing it on the radio every three minutes. At some point, probably during the millionth listening of the song, it dawned on me that it fit my book, SLAMDUNKED BY LOVE, to a T, and I was no longer upset the band hadn’t chosen my preference as their next single. Watch a lyric video here….

The Twelve Days of Christmas has a new twist. This version is for writers. On the first day of Christmas, My true love sent to me A writer’s conference paid in full. On the second day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Two webinars, And a writer’s conference paid in full. On the third day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Three IPads, Two webinars, And a writer’s conference paid in full. On the fourth day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Four proofreaders, Three IPads, Two webinars, And a writer’s conference paid in full. On the fifth day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Five contracts signed, Four proofreaders, Three IPads, Two webinars, And a writer’s conference paid in full. On the sixth day of Christmas My true love sent to me Six pink highlighters, Five contracts signed, Four proofreaders, Three IPads, Two webinars, And a writer’s conference paid in full. On the seventh day of Christmas My true love sent to me Seven eager agents, Six pink highlighters, Five contracts signed, Four proofreaders, Three IPads, Two webinars, And a writer’s conference paid in full. On the eighth day of Christmas…