I am working with Harlequin to do something rather innovative for my many loyal readers. I got a lot of emails begging me to right a novella epilogue for NEVER SURRENDER (Bay and Gabe, the main characters). I did that, but I also wanted to take a secondary from that book, Mike Tarik, and add him to this 11,000 word novella. I married the two of them into it so that the novella was not only an epilogue regarding “what happened next to Bay and Gabe,” but also became a bridge to Mike’s book, TAKING FIRE. There are actually THREE books involved, with ZONE OF FIRE (February 1, 2015) coming out first to set up Mike’s book. Then, on February 25th, TAKING FIRE comes out and is Mike and Khatereh’s story. It is followed on March 1st by ON FIRE, Ebook only. It is what I term a “director’s cut” to their story. Unfortunately, in paperbacks, a 100,000 words is the max amount one can write about a story. I over ran that mark by roughly 40,000 words! And I did not want to delete it and forget it. My editor, Tara Gavin, agreed and so did Harlequin. This is…

They say it’s the small things, and I totally agree. Little gestures to profess something larger is enough to bring tears to my eyes. My favorite gesture was when a very nice man carried me over a muddy puddle so I wouldn’t ruin my shoes. I don’t think I can possibly forget something that sweet (and I really love those shoes)! As romance readers, we expect those gestures from our heroes. He must show the heroine in a subtle—or not-so-subtle—way that she is important to him. Her happiness is his happiness. Her pleasure is his pleasure. Even if he gets him nowhere with her, it’s unconditional. In LEFT TO FOREVER, the hero Jacob makes a series of gestures, but one of them was catalytic to the heroine’s self-progression. Isn’t that what’s wonderful about little things and grand gestures? They breathe life intp us—tiny puffs and large ones. They change us. Make us see in different light. So now, I want to share with you two of my favorite grand gestures: 1 – On Frasier when Niles finally tells Mel in front of their very snobby and judgmental social circle that he loves Daphne. To me that was so pivotal for…

Snow was falling outside the window, my two young boys were sleeping upstairs, and these images came to me like a recurring dream; a mother sitting poolside, her daughter playing beside her, and the feeling of freedom whisking through the air like a breeze—freedom from a marriage unraveled. Those are the images and the sensations that first sent me running to my computer. There was a story in my head vying for release. That was in 1991. Fast forward many years, and several children, later, and here I am—a full-time author. I have craved writing since that bitter winter afternoon, when I began poking away at my IBM Thinkpad balancing in my lap on a chair in our guest room. That particular story has yet to be written, but it opened a door for many more to develop. Writing is a curious, and solitary, process for me. I can write just about anywhere with a window and a radio. For the most part, though, I must be alone. I sometimes act out my scenes several times before finding just the right emotions to portray. I talk to myself, urging myself to think harder, be more creative, give the readers what…

Lots of people (and by people I mean “ill-informed snobs”) say romance novels are unrealistic, that they idealize relationships in a way that’s somehow irresponsible and lets women get away with harboring silly fantasies. I could write a whole post on what I think about that, but for now let me just quote one of my favourite authors, Tessa Dare, who said: “Women are constantly told it’s fantasy to expect fidelity, respect, and orgasms in this life and to seek the same in our reading. It’s not.” So, in complete agreement, I would say, yeah, romance novels absolutely idealize love. And not only is there nothing wrong with that, that’s the whole point. But I’ve been thinking lately about how romance novels idealize another kind of love, too: the best friend. If romance novels give us something to aspire to in terms of how we expect to be treated by men, they also model female friendships that are healthy, supportive, and fun. And I think that’s awesome. In my newest release, SLEEPING WITH HER ENEMY, my heroine Amy is left at the altar on page one. Yes, she has to learn some stuff about herself in order to earn her…

There’s one thing about VK Sykes that consistently surprises people: we’re a husband and wife writing team. While Vanessa writes bestselling historical romance as Vanessa Kelly, Randy’s attention is focused on the contemporary romances and occasional romantic suspense that come out under the VK Sykes pen name. He also manages most of the book-related finances and paperwork, while Vanessa handles the promo end of things. So far, so good, right? Because finances, promo, and paperwork can all be done as separate tasks, but writing a book…that’s a different story. People often want to know how we can pull off a writing partnership, much less one between spouses. Because unlike most working relationships, you can’t really walk away from your spouse when you have a disagreement—at least not for long! It has to be resolved or life in our household won’t exactly be kittens and unicorns. The first thing you need to know is that we do try to separate out the various stages of the process so that we’re not doing the same thing at once or tripping over each other. Randy usually comes up with the germ of the idea for each of our contemporary romances, especially since Vanessa…

What’s a recently retired army sergeant to do when he returns home to find himself shunned by the town? In my new Contemporary Romance, FOREVER IN MY HEART, the hero returns home after serving in the army to a town that holds him accountable for the sins of his late brothers. Leading the pack is the girl he left behind who has matured into a sexy and independent woman who owns the hot new café in town. To what end will he have to go in order to redeem himself to the girl he never stopped loving? 1. Own up to his mistakes and to those of his brothers. When Jamie DiSilva returns home after nine years in the army, he intends to make amends to his former high school girlfriend for dumping her in a text. What he didn’t count on was the damage inflicted by his late brothers to the family of the girl he’s never forgotten. With Vicky DiFrancesco grown up and more beautiful than ever, can Jamie convince her to give him another chance? And what about her meddling family who seems intent on keeping him away from her? 2. Convince a sassy café owner into…

What if everyone in the world is born with invisible scales over their eyes? What if these scales cause us to live in a shadow of the real world without ever seeing what’s truly there? What if the real world is far more magical, fantastical and dangerous than we could possibly imagine? And what if for some the scales have fallen off? This is the world of the Jack Staples trilogy. Those who have lost their scales are known as the Awakened and they follow the Author. The Awakened have fought the Shadow Souled and their master, the Assassin since the very first humans awakened. Eleven-year-old Jack Staples knows nothing of the Awakened and their war. He has grown up in the small town of Ballylesson, Ireland in the mid 1800’s. Jack also doesn’t know that he is special. Before the world came into being a prophecy was given of a child who would be born without scales. The prophecy was clear, the child would destroy the world; and the child would save the world. Since the very first scales fell off, the Awakened have been searching for the Child of Prophecy who is both feared and longed for. When…

Babies don’t have rules, of course. That’s why they make such great subjects for online videos. As long as you keep the hand tools and the vodka out of their reach, it’s a lot of fun to watch a bouncing bundle of pure id. Bigger challenges come when they get a little older, and it becomes time to start teaching our children the very abstract concepts of right and wrong. Those were concepts that I was struggling with myself. Not as a mostly-functional adult (quick, hide the hand tools), but as a writer. I had just begun to write seriously, working on the book that would evolve into PAST CRIMES. The protagonist is Van Shaw, a man raised by a career criminal, in the kind of environment where breaking the law is literally all in a day’s work. So during the day I might need to explain to my daughter why we can’t just grab the stuffed hippo and leave the store, while at night I was writing about Van, who would not have been taught the same rule. Van would have learned how to case the place, so that he and his grandfather could break into its combination safe…

I love strong heroines. I love reading them, and I really love writing them. They don’t have to be physically tough (although all three heroines in my Lawmen series for Harlequin Intrigue work for the FBI, so they’ve been through the Academy, including grueling physical training!). Being strong doesn’t mean they aren’t vulnerable, either (a heroine who’s too perfect isn’t very relatable). To me, a strong heroine is someone who is courageous, who does what’s right even when it’s hard, and who has strong values and priorities. FBI profiler Isabella Cortez, the heroine of my first Lawmen book, has very strong priorities: 1. Balance work and play. She’s ready to take an overdue vacation with her two best friends when homicide detective Logan Greer approaches her with a case he wants her to profile. There’s an immediate attraction when they meet and Ella thinks, “Too bad she hadn’t run into him on the beach next week with a margarita in her hand instead of on her last day before vacation, toting a gun.” 2. Put your friends first. Ella has every intention of giving Logan a quick profile, then heading off to her vacation. But when the case file he…

Having written more than sixty books, including AGAINST THE SKY, my latest Romantic Suspense release, I’m always looking for new story ideas.  Which is why, when the opportunity arose to travel for a month to Alaska, staying in the back of a tiny pickup camper–I said yes! With a contract for three new novels, I needed ideas.  A trip to Alaska seemed the perfect opportunity to find new plots and develop interesting characters. AGAINST THE WILD, Dylan Brodie’s story, became the first of my Brodies of Alaska Trilogy, a ghost story that morphs into a tale of love, murder, and redemption. In AGAINST THE SKY, the second book in the trilogy,  Nick Brodie, a former Anchorage homicide detective, has a serious case of burnout.  Nick wants a new life, something that doesn’t include violence and death. Unfortunately when his neighbor, twelve-year-old Jimmy Evans, comes to him beaten and battered, claiming his father was murdered, Nick has no choice but to help him. To make matters worse, Nick has a lady friend visiting from San Francisco.  Samantha Hollis, owner of the Perfect Pup pet grooming parlor, isn’t cut out for the harsh life in Alaska.  Unwillingly swept into Jimmy’s problems, she…