When Agatha Christie introduced an eager world to the Cozy Mystery, she knew how important settings were. She made readers feel the hot desert sun of an archeology dig and the opulence of a country estate whose host was about to be poisoned. She took us for an exotic ride on the Orient Express. But she also created cozy places like St. Mary Meade that we wanted to keep returning to. When I started writing the Delhi Laine mysteries, starting with A NOVEL DEATH, I wanted to create a world that people would find as comfortable as sinking into a warm bath. With a few murders, of course, to spice things up. I began with the battered farmhouse that Delhi and her in-and-out husband, Colin, rent from the university where he teaches archeology and writes poetry. The kitchen appliances are the original Harvest Gold and work when they feel like it. The living room furnishings of shabby couches and ancestral photographs haven’t changed since their oldest daughter Jane was a toddler. Delhi puzzles things out with a juice glass of wine, curled up in the oversized wing chair. Out behind the house, beyond the pond, is the barn where Delhi…

I’m sitting outside a conference hall somewhere in the middle of England. The birds are beginning their dawn chorus and a hint of light is appearing in the gloom. I’d like to pretend I rise at this time every morning, to sit and meditate deeply on my Bible and to contemplate greater things before starting my two-hour morning work-out. But the fact is – I never get up at this time of day, and I rarely do any of the above before….well, ever, really. I just think I had a little too much cheesecake last night. Weird dreams, an uncomfortable bed and the sub-conscious knowledge that this guest blog should have been with my publisher yesterday combined to thoroughly mess up my sleep. But maybe excitement had a little to do with it too. My debut novel, The Fight, launched yesterday in the UK.  It’s a wondrous moment for any writer when their first-born book is published. The culmination of years (ten in my case) of toil, breakthrough, dreams and self-doubt offer a heady mix of thankfulness and pride. And to get highly positive reviews and congratulations from people who are not obliged to be nice to you is, for…

I’ve been reading for what feels like forever. I love, love, love it. Love. And I love reading romance in particular because, no matter what kind of mood I’m in, there’s a story out there for me. They come in all genres: contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, historical, and when I get tired of those, I can look for the mash-ups of genres. I have more of a love/hate relationship with writing, however. Confession time – I never wanted to be a writer. It looked like a lot of hard work, and hard work makes me sweat. I don’t like to sweat. So that’s what I’m less than enthusiastic about. Now let me give you five reasons why I love writing fantasy romance so much. I love to make people think. If my story resonates with even one person, then I feel I’ve done okay. I try to include a lesson. In DEMON CREED, and really the entire Demon Outlaws series, it’s about acceptance and prejudice. FYI, the demons in my stories aren’t necessarily the bad guys.  Two of the heroines and one of the heroes are half demons. They’re also very human at heart.   I love to make people feel….

“Do not pay attention to my cousins. Every family needs a couple idiots and we keep them around for entertainment.” – Rory MacGregor, LOVE POTIONS To me, family is one of the most important things in my life. So, it only makes sense that I love writing stories where families are a big part of the character’s life. With the MacGregor clan, family is everything—so much so that many of them live in the same mansion. These guys (and woman, sorry Malina) bring a lot of fun elements to the table. Yes, they are sexy Scottish warlocks who are practically immortal. I mean, how can a writer resist a hot guy in a kilt with a knee-weakening accent? The MacGregors will literally die, or kill, to protect each other. Add to that familial bond magickal abilities and centuries worth of mischievous history, and you have some very funny situations. “Ya were going to turn me into a rat? Had I known that I wouldn’t have tried to turn ya into a snake.”- Iain MacGregor, LOVE POTIONS The MacGregor siblings and cousins have been using their magick to prank each other since they were children. I won’t give everything away, but…

I love novellas as a reader and a writer. As a reader I don’t always have time, or the focus, to read a novel and yet I love dipping into other worlds and a novella gives a little bit more than a short story. Over the years I’ve written quite a few novellas (that became really apparent when I recently redid my website and re categorized everything). And it was novellas that got me my first break into publishing. Since then I’ve also written half a dozen novels in 3 different series and I have a few more waiting in the wings. While I’d written novella series (like the SFR Decadent Moon and the erotic paranormal series Sex with Strings) I’d never written a mid-series novella. My Annwyn books are all around 80,000 words, and there is a definite progression of events even though each book stands alone. And yet I had this idea that wouldn’t be shaken even though it didn’t fit with the other three books. The Changeling Soldier occurs after Lord of the Hunt and over the first half of To Love a King—but it entirely set in our world not Annwyn. I also knew that the…

WICKED TEMPTATION is the latest and final book in my Nemesis Unlimited series.  If you’re unfamiliar with Nemesis, I like to describe it as “Leverage/old school A-Team in Victorian England.”  It’s a secret organization dedicated to righting wrongs in the highly stratified world of late 19th century England. In WICKED TEMPTATION, Nemesis’s spymaster, Marco Black, is reluctantly assigned to the case of Bronwyn Parrish.  Bronwyn is a young society widow who has been cheated out of her fortune.  Though nemesis usually assists the underclasses, Bronwyn’s case is special, and both she and Marco find themselves quickly enmeshed in a dangerous intrigue that takes them to Paris, and from Paris to points beyond, all the while fighting an explosive attraction. I’m particularly proud of WICKED TEMPTATION because it’s my twentieth published work.  My first romance novel, LADY X’S COWBOY, came out in 2006, and I’ve been writing and publishing fairly consistently ever since.  My work has spanned from straight historical, to literary fiction (written under my real name—Ami Silber), to paranormal historical adventure, to sci-fi, to steampunk, and now, with WICKED TEMPTATION, back to straight historical.  People ask me if I find it difficult to cross so many genres, to which…

I’m so excited! We’re less than a month away from the launch of the second book in my New Jersey Ice Cats series. Yes, the wait is nearly over. On July 1st, you’ll be able to read A PERFECT TRADE – which, for those of you following the series, is Tru and Jenny’s story. In A PERFECT DISTRACTION, readers met Tru Jelinek and Jenny Martin. Tru is a defenceman for the Ice Cats, who — along with his three brothers — grew up with Jake ‘Bad Boy’ Badoletti. Jenny went to school with the boys and played hockey with them, until she gave it up to become Queen of the Puck Bunnies. Jenny and Tru clearly have a past together; one that has created a bitter rift between them. In A PERFECT TRADE, you’ll finally find out what happened. Here is the blurb: A win-win negotiation?  Truman “Tru” Jelinek’s life is pretty much off the rails. With his professional hockey career on thin ice, and his personal life falling apart, he’s ready to implement some serious changes. Helping Jenny Martin—the only girl he’s ever loved—make her dreams a reality is a good place to start.  There’s just one problem: Jenny…

It helps if they’re hot, let’s just be honest. Even the flawed heroes—the ones with physical or emotional scars—they need to be hot. If a guy doesn’t get your motor running, you’re less willing to take the journey of reading about his mating. These days, the romance genre has broadened bunches. Readers can enjoy heroes from long past, from far into the future and from today. In paranormal romances, heroes often have special powers (although some would say that romance heroes have always known their heroines’ hearts more than any real guy). We love heroes who love their heroine. No matter if the woman is less than gorgeous—or just feels less than gorgeous—the hero needs to see her inner beauty. Let’s be honest, we all feel squishy with a guy who sees a woman’s inner beauty. Heroes are more real to us, and more loveable, if they aren’t terribly hung up on supermodels. Even supermodels get pimples and worry about their thighs being too big. We want a hero who is above all that. I sometimes watch the romances on The Hallmark Channel and I’ve noticed again and again that the heroes and heroines—while not ugly—often look like regular people….

Dear friends and readers — I wanted to share some important news with you in hopes that it will make a difference in your life or the lives of those you love. I have breast cancer. I went in for my routine mammogram in early April and was called back for a diagnostic mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy. They knew just from the imaging that it was cancer. The biopsy confirmed their diagnosis, revealing that I have invasive ductal carcinoma. Fortunately for me, we appear to have caught this relatively early. The tumor is relatively small — 2 cm — and the ultrasound showed clear lymph nodes. The tumor is made up of the most treatable form of breast cancer, which helps, too. My blood work came back normal, as well. Still, we won’t know whether the cancer has spread until after my surgery on June 5. I have opted for a bilateral mastectomy — the removal of both breasts — because I want to do all I can to minimize my chances for a recurrence of this disease. I’m sharing this story for one important reason: Getting a mammogram saved my life. I don’t know any woman who enjoys getting a…

1. Double—and triple—check your overnight accommodations. I learned this the hard way. When the heat is low, crashing at some dive off the interstate is okay. But when the bad guys are hot on your ass, you need something a little more low key. I crashed in an abandoned pet store one night last May, too tired to check the place out properly. Apparently there was a huge chunk of wall missing. I woke up to an unhappy forest dweller in my face—more specifically, a skunk. Let me tell you, keeping it lo-pro while smelling like skunk isn’t easy to do… 2. Always be prepared to bail. This should go without saying, as any situation could turn critical in the blink of an eye. But what about simple things like sleep—or taking a shower? My best advice to those on the lam would be to make sure your wardrobe consists of simple, easy clothing. Don’t even think about those cute wrap around tops or that killer pair of lace up boots… Fashion is going to have to take a back seat to practicality here. And for the love of God, don’t sleep naked. The last thing you want is to…