The holiday season is in full swing and I love this time of year, where the focus is on sharing love and laughter with friends and family, as well as giving back and spreading joy to the community. After all, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas are not about what you can “get,” but what you can give in celebration of life’s blessings. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get off track. Our days are chaotic and often stressful. The weather turns colder and drearier in many parts of the world. The news is depressing and deafening. A couple weeks ago, I felt myself slipping into old patterns and—dare I say it—dreading the holidays, which wasn’t okay with me. So after brainstorming with my PR team, we came up with an event that I hope will carry the happiness and hopefulness of the holiday season straight into 2015. I’m calling it #sightsandsounds of the holiday, and it involves me posting a daily picture to my Facebook, Tsu, and Twitter accounts through New Year’s Day. The pictures feature holiday-related things I’ve seen while out and about (running errands, picking up kids, shopping, etc.) or at home while spending time with my family. If I can…

That’s the Texas Ranger motto, but when Chad Foster’s rebellious brother goes missing, it’s time to put his elite training to use investigating a crime that strikes much closer to home. Turning Los Angeles inside out to retrieve Trey and save their ranch from a ruthless land grab is a no brainer, even if it puts his badge at risk. His only lead is a heart-stoppingly sensuous exotic dancer with a very tempting butterfly tattoo, the woman who helped scam his brother out of their ranch. But staying on top of this redhead’s every suggestive word and sensual move means putting his case—and his heart—right in the line of fire . . . A Texas Ranger, complete with quarter horse, is as out of place in downtown L.A. as a lawman is in the bed of a suspect, but with both their lives at risk, Chad has to put his trust in the one woman who could bring him down for good, and pray that somehow hard evidence is really just a pack of lies. . . Excerpt from FOSTER JUSTICE She was down to a G string, a triangle with lacy ties on both sides and a thong up…

Hello, everyone, I’m Sarah Rayner and it’s great to be back at Fresh Fiction on the release day of the follow-up to the international bestseller, ONE MOMENT, ONE MORNING. My new novel, ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY is published today, December 23, from St. Martin’s Griffin. To mark the launch, I thought I’d share my thoughts on writing about ‘difficult’ subjects, as it’s an area I find both fascinating and rewarding as a novelist. The inspiration came when I was out for lunch with a group of authors earlier this week, and one of them said that it’s only by ‘writing into the dark spaces of our psyches’ that we break new ground as authors, both personally and artistically. Given that ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER DAY is about three people crying out for help and is set in a psychiatric clinic, perhaps it’s little surprise that I clapped my hands and said, ‘I totally agree!’ Writing into the light – or staying in one’s comfort zone – is easy. It’s easy for writers, as it doesn’t stretch us so much, and it’s easy for readers too. There are many occasions when we need the succor of a cozy, reassuring book, and don’t get…

Thank you to the Fresh Fiction gang for having me here to celebrate the release of MARKED today! I can’t believe the day is finally here when Janie and Zane meet in person. Of course, there’s a huge difference between meeting in dream worlds (or on the internet), than in person, right? Even if everyone is totally above-board and honest, reality is, well, different. I’m better in written form than in reality (which might be why I’m a writer, lol!). When you write, there’s time to get the words perfectly. In conversations, I’m always thinking later of what I should’ve said, you know? Also, I’m quite graceful on the Internet because there’s not anything to trip over. I’ve answered quite a few interview questions lately for the Marked tour, and one of the questions has been what my biography would probably be called. I’ve answered: She was Reading a Book and Fell Down a Hill. I’m a klutz. Not kind of a klutz, but a real one with often a bruise or two somewhere. My mom, who totally loves me, has claimed vigorously that I’m not clumsy and that I’m usually just thinking hard about something other than what I’m…

Thanks, Fresh Fiction! Excited to be here, and super excited to share with you my list of Top Five Favorite Angels and Demons from TV and the Movies! So let’s do this thing: 1. From the TV series Angel, that fun-loving, green-skinned, always-had-a-drink-in-his hand entertainer, Lorne! Remember him? He was hilarious. 2. From Supernatural, I gotta give a shout-out to Crowley. Yeah, he’s a super bad guy, but he’s funny. I can forgive a lot if a bad guy has a sense of humor. I love it when he’s on the show. One of the best TV/movie demons ever. 3. Hellboy. Because, hello, Hellboy. ‘Nuff said. 4. Anyanka (Anya) from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Vicious and creative, she’s right up there with Crowley for being funny, but what makes her so special is that she’s also got a sweet, clueless side that is endearing. 5. Okay, so I realize that my list is a bit, shall we say, demon-heavy. Oh, don’t act surprised; you know what I write. ☺ So here’s our token angel, although he really isn’t token. I love him, and he’s actually my favorite on this list. Come on out, Castiel! For those who aren’t familiar with…

Every year from Halloween to Christmas, people begin the frantic schedule of Holiday parties, shopping, family visits, and the marathon of sugary, sweet Christmas movies and romances that play 24/7. Sometimes I feel like the Grinch at the top of Mount Crumpit, “hating the Whos” because of all the “noise, noise, noise, noise” that has become Christmas. Like most of you, I feel the commercialization of the Holiday is out-of-hand. This is apparent in the production of Christmas stories that are put out each year where there are plenty of Christmas miracles but not very many substantial plots. Don’t get me wrong, I watch Christmas movies. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon not the other), The Nightmare Before Christmas, and A Christmas Story are part of my yearly tradition. I also happen to think that all three have depth, cleverness, and really fantastic plots That’s why this list isn’t going to be Christmas stories where wishes and Christmas miracles solve all problems. This is a list for the heartbreaking, the damaged, and the wonderful resilience of the human spirit. LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES by Shannon Lee Alexander LOVE AND OTHER UNKNOWN VARIABLES Charlie Hanson has a clear vision…

Cynthia, congrats on being halfway through your 12-month serial Sinful Rewards! Can you tell us a bit about the trials and tribulations of writing in this story world non-stop for a year? Cynthia Sax: Thank you, Fresh Fiction, for being so supportive of writers. (big hugs) We really appreciate it! I knew when Avon Impulse entrusted me with this assignment, that it would be an adventure. And it has been. Writing a 12 novella serial is very different from writing 12 novellas. One small example: There were deep revisions in story 1 and that changed stories 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Then a month later, I’d receive deep revisions in story 2 and have to change stories 3 to 12 yet again. The links between the stories are so tight that the minor details can change the future. But to be able to play in one world, with one story for over 1,200 pages was amazing. I could properly write a love triangle. That requires quite a few pages. And I could thoroughly examine the complex characters. I had the room, which is a real luxury. What has been the most exciting part…

The Something New series was never intended to be a series at all. My original idea was a runaway bride walks into a dive bar, hooks up with a hot bartender for one night in her quest for self-discovery, ending with her continuing on her journey a wiser, more sexually awakened woman.  My projected word count was 15,000. But, then, Maddie sat down at the bar and Mitch walked up to her and 15,000 words later they were still sitting at the bar and wouldn’t shut up.  It didn’t matter what I tried to write, they pretty much refused to be contained to a few short words.  I conceded, and agreed with them that they deserved a full length, fully fleshed out story.  However, I still didn’t intend to write a series. A lot has changed since that initial writing.  Other than her wedding dress, and a few key facts, the story doesn’t remotely resemble those first scenes. And the more I wrote Mitch and Maddie, the more complex their stories became, and characters just started showing up as I was writing.  It started very organically.  I’d sit down to write X and come away with entirely new information, including…

I did things in my wilding days that make me wince and suck in a slow, tight breath of sadder-but-wiser air. The most humiliating among them is this: I let a man put me on my knees. I let him break me. And he did not deserve that piece of my soul. I was driving through a parking lot when I realized I wanted to put those dark memories into MAKE ME, TAKE ME, and I had to pull over, close my eyes, and go slack in my seat belt until I figured out how to do it. I wanted my heroine to refuse to get anywhere near her knees. The phrase “Not gonna do it” rings through the book. Betsy doesn’t trust anyone, not friends and not family. Growing up in a bar as the daughter of a starry-eyed romantic bartender mom who believes Prince Charming might walk in the door any night made Betsy deeply suspicious of happiness not directly under her control. In her observation, every Prince Charming who walked into her mom’s life also walked out, leaving devastation in his wake. Betsy isn’t ever going to let that happen to her. You and I both know…

“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs As of today (November 22, 2014 when I’m writing this piece), I have written seven full-length Original Sinners novels, seven Original Sinners novellas, and approximately twenty Original Sinners short stories for a grand total of over 1 million words. When writing a series of this scope with stories that span three decades, the challenge is how to keep things fresh and interesting for readers when they know your characters and this world almost as intimately as you (the writer) knows them. That’s where the Steve Jobs quote above comes in. Now it may seem strange to take writing inspiration from a computer designer and CEO, but the late-great Steve Jobs was the man responsible for the smartphone which I assume 99% of people reading this article own. You might even be reading this article on your iPhone (or another brand of smartphone, but let’s be honest, Steve Jobs is responsible for even the non-Apple smartphones). Apple was a computer company that turned into a phone company because one day Jobs and his team were sitting around a table complaining about how…