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…

It’s here! That book you’ve been waiting for and had on pre-order for AGES. Release day has finally arrived, and you have it in your hot little hands and you are about to binge read the heck out of that sucker. But life has a way to getting in the way and trying to screw up a really decadent day of reading. That’s okay. I’m here to help. I’ve put together a Release Day Survival Kit to help you read to your heart’s content! Here goes! Something snuggly. The more snuggly the better. Heck, if you have an actual Snuggie, you’re ahead of the game. The more tucked in and comfortable you are, the harder it will be for the world to intrude. I’m pretty sure that’s release day 101. Locked Door. Putting a door between you and the rest of the world is pretty important. Bonus points if you develop a COUGHsicknessCOUGH and take the day for yourself while everyone is out of the house. You’re practically obligated to rest and recuperate so you can get back to taking care of everyone else, right? Really, you’re doing THEM the favor. Warm beverage. You’re already snuggled down on the couch…

Can two people fall in love after seven days of knowing each other? The hero and heroine, Mikhail and Payton from the latest book in my Scandalous House of Calydon series, THE ROYAL CONQUEST, certainly believed it possible. After their initial meeting, the witty and sensual banters, the illicit touches and the daring against conventions to be together, Mikhail and Payton wanted to be with each other. “She had only been with Mikhail a total of seven days, and she wanted to lay her heart and soul down before him. The idea terrified her. “ “I know I adore you. The utter wonder of meeting you and knowing you have taken a piece of my heart, although I’ve only known you for seven days, has not escaped me. I do not need seven weeks or seven years to know you are the woman for me, Payton. I know it now. I see it in your smiles, your kisses, the passion and joy you find in the simple pleasure of life. What I see I admire, and I can only grow to love and appreciate you more.” I remembered when my hubby read my first draft, he said to me, “Seven…

When I was first asked to write this feature on Jayne Ann Krentz, I was thrilled, I love her books and the many genres that she presents us. Then as I thought about it I was totally intimidated. What can I say about this author whose books grace my shelves and have for years? While planning this out I took the time to study up on Ms. Krentz and of course reread some of her past offerings and I found myself falling in love with many of her characters all over again. Now I truly think I know this author better and think I now understand why I, and so many others, read her books. There were some things that I didn’t know about JAK, which gave me even more respect for this woman. She began writing during a stint at Duke University where she worked in the library system. For six years she received rejection after rejection and even thought of giving up on writing but by that time it was a “compulsion” which luckily for us she couldn’t give up. After moving to Washington for her husband Frank’s aerospace career she continued writing and in 1979 her first…

Sometimes the bedroom can get a little… boring. Sometimes, you need to expand your horizons and push the limits of your comfort zone when it comes to getting down and dirty. So if you’re needing a little inspiration, here are some of my favorites! The kitchen counter. Don’t underestimate how hot things can get in the kitchen even when you’re not cookin’ up dinner. The kitchen offers so many ways to get dirty, and loads of position possibilities. In a car at the drive-in movies. Sometimes you just need a throwback, and the drive-ins can do it. You’ve got good old fashioned necking in the car that leads to steaming up the windows when things really heat up. Just make sure you’re a little bit careful, because you wouldn’t want to get caught! In public. For those of you daring souls, sometimes the possibility of getting caught is exactly what pushes you right to the edge of oh yes. It could be the bathroom at a restaurant, the wine cellar at a friend’s party, or if you really want to get risky—against a car in a parking garage. Take caution, because you don’t want your escapades to be captured on…

How does a hard-working single mother and coffee shop manager go from befriending the First Lady and catering a glittering party at the Smithsonian to being placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list? For our amateur sleuth, Clare Cosi, it begins when the President’s college-age daughter becomes a fan of her freshly roasted coffee. Then the young woman mysteriously vanishes, a State Department employee collapses in the shop, and Clare is fit for a frame of kidnapping and homicide. These capital crimes are the last thing she expects to be accused of when she relocates to our nation’s capital, but Clare must solve both mysteries—and discover who framed her—or she may discover firsthand Washington is murder. If you are new to our long-running Coffeehouse Mystery series, don’t hesitate to pick up DEAD TO THE LAST DROP. You can read it as a stand-alone story, and if you like the ride, you have fourteen more in our series to enjoy. But don’t miss this Washington entry. It’s embedded with twists, turns, and hidden secrets about our nation’s capital that were inspired by my own experiences while living, studying, and working in D.C. To read the prologue and first chapter, click here….

I live for the moments when I say something shocking enough that my husband closes his eyes on a slow inhale and shakes his head back and forth. Joy bubbles through my chest, and I celebrate with an energetic fist pump. LOL! Yes, I got him! He is my real life alpha hero. A big personality with a smart wit and a generous heart in a football player physique. And he teases me relentlessly. I’m more silly than funny and my wit runs on the slow side. I’m the person who three days after a conversation will think of the perfect come back. Craaaaaaap…too little and way too late. So, my weapon of choice to tease my husband (and face life in general) is my inappropriate humor, and I embrace it with passion. At this time in my life, and after beating breast cancer (fingers crossed it stays that way) I’ve come to realize that life is way too short to live it satisfying someone else’s expectations or comfort. I want to laugh, I want to love, I want to find joy in the little things and reach for the big things (sooooo many jokes running through my head right…

I won’t lie: When my husband and I decided to open our marriage, I thought, “This is going to be interesting … I better take notes!” And the events of that first two years, getting to date again, having new lovers, shaping our sexual identities—did not disappoint, gifting me with the kind of rich, dramatic material that make books compelling. “Taking notes” spiraled into “processing,” which evolved into blogs, and then into a memoir. Writing WIDE OPEN often felt like slipping between two worlds and landing in a miracle zone. I was writing about possibly the most magical time in my life. Revisiting the discovery that I could have both my husband of twenty years and my new love, Oz, was a delicious treat. And another lovely morsel: writing candidly about open marriage grew an unprecedented loyal readership of people eager to share information and insight on the taboo subject of open marriage; having this supportive audience was a boon, especially since there were times when I felt put in the line of fire. Before publishing the book, I was threatened with a lawsuit and was forced to take a pseudonym. Some family and friends confessed to me that the…

Some of my all time favorite films are holiday romances. I’m not even sure why this is, but I suspect it started in childhood. Maybe it was from watching White Christmas on TV for the first time. I still remember being mesmerized by that final scene when they’re all dressed up in the beautiful Santa inspired costumes and the little sugarplum ballerinas, and suddenly the wall behind them opens up to show the snow falling in the night—and it’s all in living color! For a little girl, it was magical. But even as an adult, I still love Christmas. And since it’s also my husband’s birthday, well, it just seems like a perfect time for some sweet romance. And, really, what’s more romantic than a crackling fire, snow falling outside, and cup of something warm to drink with your significant other next to you. But when some or all of those elements are missing, what about watching Miracle on 34th Street or While You were Sleeping? Count me in—I’ll be there with popcorn and cocoa. As much as I like some of the new flicks like The Holiday or even the latest Hallmark movie, I really do enjoy the oldies….