Poor Neanderthals. No matter how many wonderful things we learn about them, they remain our lesser predecessors, dismissed as stupid and coarse. The problem began with their discovery. In 1856, workers in the Neander Valley near Dusseldorf, Germany came across a skull that looked human, except it had a prominent brow ridge, large eye sockets, and a flattened cranium. Thick fossilized bones were discovered nearby. After the Neander valley find, scientists realized similar bones had already been uncovered in Belgium and Gibraltar. Anglo-Irish geologist William King suggested the name Homo neanderthalensis and declared Neanderthals incapable of complex thought. Historical context In 1859 (only three years after the Neander valley find), Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species through Natural Selection. He pointed out that more young are born each year than can survive. Those with an advantage, something that allowed them to be more successful in their environment, were more likely to survive and reproduce. In 1871, Darwin published The Descent of Man, his treatise on human evolution, in which he argued that all life forms, including people, evolved from simpler ones. He used the metaphor of the tree. While a tree may have many branches that…

I love hearing “meet” stories. How other couples, well, went from one to two. I’ve heard some touching ones that have melted my heart, funny ones that made me laugh so hard I cried, and others that told the story of a bit of indifference at first meeting and took years to cultivate, starting with a single moment in time where a spark was lit and an attraction born. I love them all! Today I wanted to share my “meet” story because I think it has a touch of uniqueness that always makes me smile. One of my good friends was going through some rough times with her husband. They’d split up, but had decided to get back together. So, her husband’s co-worker and good friend—let’s call him Ken—decided to rent a limo and go bar hopping to celebrate. Of course my friend didn’t want an odd number so she asked if she could bring a friend along. Do you see where this is leading? Lol Right away Ken was concerned that this wouldn’t be tagged a date. My friend assured him that it wouldn’t be. It would just be more fun rounded off to an even number. So, he…

Recent blizzards and cold snaps got me thinking about weather and the role it can play in a story. Some of my favorite romances are when characters are snowbound together—or when a sultry summer fling turns into an HEA. My new historical romance, A GENTLEMAN’S GAME, takes a few plot turns due to weather too. It’s the story of Nathaniel Chandler, son of a baronet, and Rosalind Agate, the baronet’s secretary, as they (and other travelers) take racehorses across England to run in the Epsom Derby. Since the Epsom Derby is run in spring, that’s when my story takes place. And just as the world begins to green and grow, this is a time of the characters’ awakening from roles they’ve been frozen in for a long time. Nathaniel and his father have a tense, mistrustful relationship. Rosalind owes loyalty to someone who manipulates her. As they spend time together, they both begin to bloom and to reach beyond what they’ve been before. A day of rain on the road gives the characters a sense of urgency as they travel. This is their first full day on the road, and it’s the first time in which Nathaniel and Rosalind have…

Hi Fresh Fiction fans! It’s so exciting to be here with a chance to talk about one of my favorite subjects: the animals in my books. I’m slightly obsessed with putting furry critters in my stories, but I am definitely not alone in that infatuation. Romance novels are filled with animals! I have a hard and fast rule when it comes to casting my dogs, cats, and horses. They aren’t allowed to purr, sit, or gallop around purely for decoration. They have to play meaningful parts in the arc of the story. In my new novel THE BRIDE WORE STARLIGHT there are five important animals. I’d like to introduce them, and show how they are integral to the journey of their humans, Joely Crockett and Alec Morrissey PENNY is a quarter horse mare we never get to meet. She belonged to Joely, who was bringing her home to Wyoming, when they in a serious car accident. The tragedy left Joely permanently injured and her beloved horse dead. Losing Penny is was one too many failures for Joely to absorb. She’s suffered a miscarriage, lost her marriage, and now has permanent, visible scars—devastating because all her life she’s literally been a…

I’m every woman… Admit it. You’re singing with me, aren’t you? Whitney Houston could sing the heck out of a song, and whenever I’m jamming out to this one in my car—I have mad car-dancing skills, y’all—I can’t help but think, I am every woman, Whitney! Don’t tell me I’m alone in this. One of my favorite things about being an author is the ability to truly run with this concept. On any given day, I can become a chef, a fire fighter, an event planner, or more recently, a budding marketing genius for a country music label. While there’s a piece of my personality and soul in every heroine I write, there’s so many new things I get to experience only through them. While I have a lot in common with Arabella Stone, the heroine in YOU’RE STILL THE ONE, there are some noticeable differences. For example, we both had starry-eyed crushes on celebrities and wrote embarrassing fan fiction during our awkward preteen years, but sadly, I never grew up to meet (much less skinny-dip with!) Jordan Knight or Donnie Wahlberg from New Kids on the Block. The real me is much too boring for that. Also, Arabella and…

Love at first sight. It’s a wonderfully romantic notion, but does such a thing actually exist? When I first met my husband many moons ago I can remember experiencing a whole range of emotions, but love certainly didn’t come into it! He was distant, brusque and definitely not my type, but there must have been something about him that intrigued me because roll on 20+ years and we’re still happily together. In my latest romantic comedy, MOLLY MATTHEWS MEDDLES IN MARRIAGE, my hero, the international film star, Rory Campbell, is a firm believer in love at first sight. Not that he’s ever experienced it for himself, but he can clearly recall his father telling him about the first time he set eyes on Rory’s mother. ‘I walked into the dance hall and there she was, over the other side of the room, talking with another man. I can still picture her now, laughing. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. She was wearing a red dress with white spots and it had a big bow around the middle. She had the most gorgeous strawberry-blonde hair and the bluest of blue eyes. When she turned to look at me…

“Surprise” parties. It’s just not a good idea to have a bunch of people hide in a dark room and when he walks in, jump out and shout “SURPRISE” to him. There’s no telling how he’d react, but you can bet it wouldn’t be with a blush and a stammered ‘thank you.’ If you want to surprise your Delta Force soldier, maybe having him find you on your bed with a flirty negligee would be a better option. Flirt with the bartender. Okay, so your man is an Alpha to the bone. He goes on missions to rescue, kill, and get intel on bad guys. Maybe you are just being nice and humoring the guy behind the bar, but if your Special Forces soldier sees it, you’re just going to set off his ‘me Tarzan, you Jane’ persona. You’ll find yourself kissed within an inch of your life, or backed against a wall, or have him jump you as soon as you walk in the door of your house later that night…all to remind you why he’s your man and why it’s not smart to even give a hint to another man that you might be on the market…oh wait…this…

If you’re like me, you enjoy historical romances with frequent twists, loads of action, bedroom scenes to die for, danger at every turn, and a hero that will leave you breathless. In other words, the whole enchilada. Or what I like to call a vacation from my totally boring life…which is a trip I take every day I write. In my make-believe worlds, I pour on passion and danger, sometimes with a twist of deception. Why? When I read a romance, I want loads of conflict. Where’s the fun if the couple falls in love on page five then get it on like hormone-soaked teens for the other two or three hundred pages? Face it, conflict makes sex and love far more interesting, as any country song can attest. With an historical romance, a writer has tons of obstacles that can easily muck up the course of true love. Everyone’s read stories about the lady of the estate swooning over the stud who works in the stables. Can’t blame her for wanting him rather than her old and gross husband. Now, imagine living in the medieval era when men truly ruled and women were basically chattel with love the least…

Taking you away to Vegas and Hotel Rodeo with Victoria Vane in TWO TO WRANGLE. You know we like to tease our readers, so here’s a bit to set the stage so to speak! TWO TO WRANGLE EXCERPT “Ty, this is Evan Hirschfeld Davis. Evan is …er…a good friend of mine.” Monica finished awkwardly as if unsure how to classify the relationship. He was no longer her boss and they weren’t engaged anymore. Ty’s gaze dropped to her left hand to be certain. Nope. No ring. “Evan, this is Ty Morgan,” she continued the introduction, visibly flustered. “He’s the new CEO of Brandt Morgan Entertainment.” “Ty,” Evan nodded and stood to clasp his hand. Ty still held the height advantage but not by as much as he’d thought. Evan’s gaze was steady and his hand shake firm and confident. It said no bullshit. Ty could at least respect that in the man. “Did I interrupt something?” Ty asked, adding silently, like you making a move on my woman? “Not at all.” Evan replied just as evenly with a ‘fuck off’ smirk. “It seems I’m the gatecrasher here. Monica said she had a business meeting this evening.” “Is that what she…

Welcome. Let’s discuss one of our favorite types of heroes—the rake. The word rake came into use during the Restoration as a wealthy, fashionable gentleman of promiscuous and dissolute habits. The most famous rake of this time is the rake in a series of engravings done in 1735 by Hogarth called, The Rake’s Progress. These pictures document the rake’s progressive deterioration by womanizing and all around self-indulgence. From the 19th century to today, we use the term to define a ladies’ man and more than likely a libertine. There is a multi-volume set of books written in 1825 called, The Lives of the Rakes, by Edwin Beresford. The most famous rake of the Georgian to Regency-era was the Duke of Queensbury, also known as “Old Q.” He kept successive Cyprians, but he also pursued many young ladies. He famously moved to Number 17 Arlington Street, because it was next door to a Miss Frances Pelham. His addresses were rebuffed, so he built a bow window in his house to view the window of Miss Pelham’s, thereby continuing his ardent courtship via window. Yet while that courtship failed, because of his wealth and unmarried status, many women still found him an…