Billionaires in history? Definitely. Saffina’s story is set 200 years ago in Regency England. Aristocrats then were landowners, some making millions from rents, many the equivalent of today’s billionaires. Like now, they showed off their wealth with grand houses and flashy transport. A private carriage – complete with stabling, a team of horses and hay to feed them, plus gold-braided uniforms for coachmen and footmen – which cost a fortune to run, the private jet of its day. Some things cost a lot, but labor cost little. Even in a modest household, the candles cost more than the servant who lit them! In TAMING SAFFINA, my heroine, though rich, scorns the math – she’s set on fun. But sparks fly when her hunger for love clashes with her stern guardian’s desire that she marry well. Their sparks flare into shared passion as his discipline takes hold. Blithely, she ignores the dangers. Socially, bad behavior lost you points. Lose too many and you joined the Bums. Bums – in the sense of dependents – were everywhere. The palaces and great houses were the business corporations of their day, manned by fleets of servants, plus lawyers, secretaries, estate managers, gardeners, cooks and…

When I wrote the first book in my lighthearted Regent Mysteries series, WITH HIS LADY’S ASSISTANCE (2011), I knew it was romantic, and I knew it was going to be a series featuring the dashing Captain Jack Dryden and Lady Daphne Chalmers. But I did not know how I was going to sustain a fresh romance in subsequent books. Quite naturally, Jack and Daphne fall in love in Book 1. Thereafter, they team up to solve mysteries for the Prince Regent. In the second book, A MOST DISCREET INQUIRY, they marry, and many obstacles get in the way of the consummation of their marriage. When I got to the third book, I knew that as much as Jack and Daphne loved one another, their romance had been done. Readers needed something fresh. So in THE THEFT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, two lonely souls of disparate ages are spending Christmas with Jack and Daphne, and while their hosts are off solving a mystery for the Prince Regent, they fall in love. Readers tell me the romantic subplot in the book is “precious.” Here’s what one reader on Goodreads had to say: “The romantic subplot with two side characters was surprisingly affecting; I was…

I confess that I’m not much for audio books myself. I’m partially deaf, and though my hearing aids are a masterpiece of technology, I still get more out of reading stories than hearing them. Still, I’m very pleased that two of my books—A SKELETON IN THE FAMILY and THE SKELETON TAKES A BOW—are being released on CD today. I just wish it could have happened a whole lot sooner. When my first mysteries came out—the Laura Fleming series, which I wrote as Toni L.P. Kelner—my grandmother was one of my most enthusiastic supporters. My first book was dedicated to her and my other five grandparents. (Yes, I had six grandparents. Southern families can be complicated.) Grandmama was so excited, but unfortunately, her vision was pretty much gone at that point. There were no audio editions, so my great-aunt read the book out loud, and recorded it on a cassette to send to Grandmama. It was so sweet, though I admit it was also a little inhibiting to me. Had I ever wanted to include blue language or sex scenes, there was nothing like knowing Great-Aunt Virginia was going to be saying those words to change my artistic vision. Eventually one…

It was a blustery March weekend at the end of a long, cold winter, and my husband and I were itching to get out of the house. Late March, however, is an awkward time in northwest lower Michigan, and our options seemed limited to poor skiing or a walk in the woods through a foot of slushy snow. Since neither of those two things felt very attractive, I picked up the local newspaper and started paging through the list of weekend activities. “Here’s something,” I said. “They’re having a maple syrup demonstration at Hartwick Pines State Park.” “Sounds okay,” my husband said, and went to fetch the car keys. An hour later, we were standing outside near a roaring fire, chatting with park rangers about how maple syrup is made. “Bring in the sap,” ranger number one said, “cook it, then can it. Pretty simple, really.” My husband eyed the contraption they were using to cook down the sap. “That looks expensive.” “Ah, you don’t have to use one of these,” ranger number two said. “Lots of folks start with a big open pan. Just make sure it can take the heat, is all you really need.” The day had…

Much has been said about the writing process. Some expostulate at length upon the importance of interaction (listening to other people talk about themselves), of immersion (a euphemism for travel) or, most infrequently, literary education (engaging with the writings of others, AKA “reading”). Some camps trumpet the importance of learning the writing game in groups; others quietly declare the crucial requirement of solitude to find one’s inner voice. Having written fiction and nonfiction, novels and journalism, analyses and treatments for most of my 44 years, I would throw up the notion that the process of writing is in fact most akin to vomiting, of restoring one’s equanimity through purgative means. It is only through the energy of this ejective process that we show ourselves—our most deep-seated conflicts, our innermost creative juices, our true colors—for all the world to see. In fiction, this begins as a vague disturbance at one’s core, a disquietude along the blurred fault line between the fully-conscious cogito and the less-accessible molten realm of the subconscious, wherein such disturbances frequently bubble to the surface. This wellspring of creative expulsion can often take a great deal of time to raise the gorge of one’s articulative faculties. But once…

In Delos Series, Book 3, FORGED IN FIRE, you will meet Delta Force Army Sergeant Matt Culver. He’s been in the Army since eighteen and is a kidnapping and ransom (KNR) specialist out of Bagram, Afghanistan. Matt’s enlistment is up in four months. During a holiday program over Thanksgiving at the base, he meets Dr. Dara McKinley, a pediatrician who volunteers her time at a charity in Kabul. They are on a collision course with one another. Matt will later be director of KNR at Artemis. Character interview with Sergeant Matt Culver, US Army/Delta Force/CAG You asked me if I expected to meet the woman of my dreams in Afghanistan where me and my team operate out of? You’ve got to be joking! No one in the black ops community has time to fall in love. Especially in this war torn country. With ISIS now infiltrating it and joining up with the Taliban and Al-Queda, we’re busier than ever. I’ve been over here for five years straight, and every time I’m deployed back to this place, it’s worse than before. Look, I’m in my late twenties, and no, I’ve had no such dreams or a vision of finding the ‘right’…

My first book, a paranormal novel called THE DEVIL’S CHILD, was published in 1983. Since then I’ve had over thirty books published world-wide. Has my writing improved? I certainly hope so! Has my style of writing changed? Not really. Let me explain. For me, writing has always flowed quickly from brain to paper. No matter what my book’s genre may be, it’s the characters who are important to me. If I get them right, then they will help me write the story. They often take over, and I go down highways and byways that I had never originally intended, but for me this works well. If it’s not broken, then don’t fix it! The character’s names are vital for me too. I always need a vivid picture of the characters in my mind, and their names must suit them, their role in the story and appeal to the readers, whilst at the same time if possible they should reflect the type of person they are. David is a name that I used for a character who was, outwardly at least, very correct and professional. When he turned out to be totally different the surprise at the life he led was…

G’day, lovely people. How wonderful to be visiting with you today, all the way from sunny Australia. Yes, sunny, because it’s December already and that means we’re gearing up for long hot summer days. If visiting Australia is on your bucket list, allow me to make an early introduction. CARRY ME HOME is my debut historical romance, set on Australia’s majestic Phillip Island in 1875. Once upon a time, Phillip Island was the real life home of the Hemsworth brothers. Long before then, it was, (in my imagination) the perfect location for a romance, or two. (Ok, now we’re up to three.) Windswept, rugged, and isolated, this part of our country beckons with picture perfect coastline and beaches. It’s where visitors from all over the world come to see penguins waddle in from the sea and seals luxuriate on volcanic outcrops. It’s where my family have holidayed for over 40 years. A place dear to my heart. So naturally, this island was the perfect backdrop for the story of Australian-born Shadrach Jones and Finella Mayfield, the English lass who lands in his life when he least expects her. When he can least afford her. Theirs is a story of displacement….

It’s an overcast day here in Sydney, a welcome relief after a few days of blazing temperatures. El Nino has gripped the southern hemisphere, and we are experiencing a hotter than usual summer. Already I’ve had to cover my poor hydrangea during midday to protect it from the scorching sun. I’m an inconsistent gardener; my interest waxes and wanes depending on how busy I am. As Christmas and the end of 2015 hurtle towards us with uncomfortable speed, I reflect on what I’d hoped to achieve this year and what I actually did. Certainly my gardening deserved only a middling grade. However, health-wise, I’m happy with what I’ve achieved. Since making some changes to our diets, my partner has lost more than twelve kilos, while I’ve shed about four. I wasn’t overweight to begin with, but the flab was beginning to settle too comfortably around my waist. We didn’t actually ‘go on a diet’ but rather changed what we ate, reducing carbohydrates (oh, it was so hard cutting back on rice, bread, and pasta) and eating lots more vegetables. I’ve found that my sugar cravings have also subsided a lot, though I still enjoy the odd chocolate! As for my…

I love librarians. No doubt about it. I worked at a public library for five years, after all, which implies a certain amount of affection. Or masochism, I suppose. And my debut novella—Broken Resolutions—is a contemporary romance set in a small, rural Maryland library during a risqué New Year’s Eve singles’ event. Almost the entire book takes place within that one building. My couple meets there, falls in love there, and consummates their budding relationship there. (You may be surprised by what they use as their mattress. No, I’m not going to tell you.) Still not convinced of my deep and abiding adoration for librarians? No problem. My final piece of evidence: Broken Resolutions is only the first in an entire series of books featuring librarian heroines, so I will basically be drowning in nerdy library references for years. Years. You might think I’d get sick of the whole subject, but that’s not the case thus far. If you have recommendations for other contemporary romances featuring librarians—including your own, if you’re a writer—please let me know. Like scratches on the Game of Thrones Blu-ray you checked out from the library, I’ll be all over it. But I also enjoy reading…