I’m here today to talk about NATURAL BORN CHARMER, and all the ways in which it is my reading catnip. But first, I need to tell you a story about me, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and pajamas. Last summer, my publisher scheduled lucky me for a book signing with Eloisa James, at a bookstore in SEP’s hometown – and SEP, being the incredibly gracious person she is, invited us both to stay over at her house. AT HER HOUSE. When I found out this was happening, can you imagine my first reaction? Was it, “OMG, I bet her house is gorgeous”? No, though her house was. Was it, “Will she make me oatmeal in the morning?” No, though she did. My response was to immediately take to Twitter, beseeching strangers for shopping guidance. “I need pajamas!” I wrote. “I am sleeping over at SEP’s house, and I have nothing to wear.” Because, you see, I don’t own any decent pajamas. I sleep in ratty old oversized t-shirts. This is all a very roundabout way of saying, I knew Blue Bailey was my kind of girl from the first time she slept in her ratty old oversized “Beer for Breakfast” t-shirt. Actually,…

One Direction is heading to North America for the Where We Are Tour! I don’t know how it is in your house, but in mine, 1D rules. From music to posters to magazines to YouTube and music videos, One Direction is a constant presence in my everyday existence. I’ve been told the future Mrs. Styles even lives with me. She just has to meet him first. Whether you’re a Directioner or not, you’ve probably had that moment where you let yourself fall a little bit in love with a rock star. There’s no denying the appeal of rock stars. They’re talented, edgy, hot, and make singing about emotions look cool. You’ve also probably imagined what it would be like to be the one person a rock star could fall in forever-love with. You could be the person to see past the carefully crafted persona of the rock star. It’s a seductive and tempting dream, but could it ever be more? That dream of more is why this week my top three young adult picks are all about rock stars, musicians, and the people who love with them. WISE YOUNG FOOL by Sean Beaudoin WISE YOUNG FOOL “Teen rocker Ritchie Sudden…

Real life is stranger than fiction. This statement is generally true, and I’m glad, because a lot of my story ideas are sparked by headlines/posts/comments I see on social media. I have a document pinned to my desktop, and its sole purpose is to collect the random things I see and thoughts I have that could one day blossom into stories. I’m inspired by stuff my friends post on Facebook, like: “Entire Family Lives in a Giant Tree House” or headlines on Yahoo! like: “What Would You Never, Ever Do Again, Even for a Million Dollars?” The tree house one…okay, I have to admit that premise would be a stretch for a contemporary romance novel, even though I write humor. But the second one? I think the million dollars challenge would make a great romance novel, because I can put a hero or heroine in that scenario and ask what if? I saw this article the other day about an app called Tinder. Apparently, it’s for singles who want to meet people while traveling. Sightseeing, dinner….fill in the blank. It could be completely innocent, or not, depending on the traveler. Judging by the comments at the end of the article,…

The SEP Read-Along continues this week with our second re-read title, NATURAL BORN CHARMER! Last week’s BREATHING ROOM was a hit with our readers, and Loretta Chase shared with us her top ten reasons why BREATHING ROOM is one of her favorite SEP titles. Top reader comment from week one’s BREATHING ROOM re-read: “I LOVED this book–the setting and characters were great. SEP always creates characters you immediately fall for and root for a happy ending. This may have been the book I officially made SEP one of my favorite authors.”~Sara Edmonds, Texas SEP Fan This week, we will be re-reading NATURAL BORN CHARMER, and the fabulous Tessa Dare will be stopping by tomorrow to share her thoughts on NATURAL BORN CHARMER‘s protagonist (and she has an awesome story to share about her, SEP, Eloisa James, and some pajamas…) So check in tomorrow to find out the details! And remember, this all leads up to the release of HEROES ARE MY WEAKNESS on August 26! About NATURAL BORN CHARMER Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard is the luckiest man in the world: a bona-fide sports superstar and the pride of the NFL with a profitable side career as a buff billboard model for…

On a regular basis I commit one of the worst sins that a reader can perpetrate… I skim through a book before buying it. And not just to discover how it ends—I mean, I do that, too.  But I freely admit, I search through the pages to find out if the lovemaking between the hero and the heroine is, well…hot. It’s what I write, it’s what I love to read. For me, sex is important to the relationship between the hero and heroine. No closed door for me. It’s a form of communication, of bonding, sometimes healing. The characters don’t have to engage in acrobatics for it to be scorching—chandeliers or shower rods not necessary—but the sex does need to have at least 5 of the following 6 criteria: Emotion Sexy dialogue aka Dirty talk Graphic description At least 3 pages in length A purpose No euphemisms In SECRETS AND SINS: CHAYOT, my newest release from Entangled Publishing’s Ignite line, my hero and heroine, Chayot Grey and Aslyn Jericho, burn up the sheets. And the floor. And the shower tiles. It’s through their lovemaking, though, that both find freedom, acceptance, redemption, and healing. Below are some of my fave love…

Fresh Fiction’s own Kate Cornell attended Comic-Con International this month, and she was kind enough to share her awesome experiences with us. Welcome, Kate! Comic-Con International: San Diego. Once upon a time, it was a a convention celebrating comic books. It has since become the place to premiere, explore, and celebrate the world of all things sci-fi and fantasy. This year, I packed up my car and made the nerd pilgrimage down from LA. I had a deal with myself that, if I was able to go in as a professional, I would go in costume. Great choice. If you go, you’ll find so many people celebrating their fandom with amazing costumes, it’s exciting to join them. While so much of SDCC is hurry up and wait (I’ve never been so excited to stand in line!), there is one important thing you have to remember about Comic-Con: make your own good time. On Friday, after, naturally, standing in line for 3 hours to get into a party on an aircraft carrier (yes, literally, an aircraft carrier), we were turned away at the door. Disappointed, foot sore, and a little angry, we ventured back toward the convention center in search of…

I wanted to be a published writer for as long as I can remember but I didn’t actually get it done until I was older than I’d care to say. In the run-up to crossing the proverbial threshold I was reasonably prepared for rejection and got a good workout on that score, to wit, sixty-six literary agents told me to pound sand before one said, yeah, I’ll give you a shot. But I was frankly unprepared or even aware of a number of other things which turn out to be fairly important to the life and times of a working writer, or at least this working writer. Here are the top-five things I didn’t know in advance. And by the way, even if I had known them it wouldn’t have changed my mind one bit about aspiring to the writer’s life. 1. A good third of everything I do is geared to the business of being a writer as opposed to writing. I had no idea! Maybe I’m less efficient than other writers or maybe it’s a function of the fact that I chose not to single worldwide deals for my books or even single English-language deals. I have separate…

Since Netflix started offering complete seasons of television series available for streaming, I started hearing the team “binge watched”. Even before Netflix, I was buying DVDs of my favorite shows and then devoting a weekend to watching episode after episode, no commercials, no waiting a week for the next installment. Bliss! (I can actually admit to watching all the seasons of ANGEL on DVD in one weekend more than once! LOL) But TV seasons aren’t the only binges out there. Before I was a writer, I spent every spare moment being an avid reader and series were always my favorite! However, waiting for the next book in a series I loved was NOT! 🙂 Now that my Night Series is complete, I’ve started hearing from “binge readers”. They typically wait until a series is complete, then load up their eReader with all the books and dive in for a week of total fictional escape! Sounds fun, right? Are you a Binge Reader? Have you ever tried it? My Night Series is now complete! It centers around a secretive race of immortal blood drinkers called, Night Walkers. They’re actually descended from the mysterious Mayan civilization and have been living among us…

This week Amazon launched Kindle Unlimited, and it’s all anyone who uses a Kindle or ereader can talk about. For $9.99 a month, you can read over 600,000 thousand titles and thousands of audiobooks. I know I would sign-up. I live in a small town where book selection is limited even at the library. I like the sheer variety Kindle can offer and while the choices aren’t going to be the most popular or newest titles, I’m excited to try new authors and genres. Not everyone is as thrilled with Kindle Unlimited as I am. Some people call it a glorified library card. Others see it as a game changer for the publishing industry. What impact will this massive online library do for the future of book sales? Will people be willing to buy a single title at a cost which is sometimes more expensive than an entire month’s fee? When you’re a teen and have a limited (or non-existent) income is $9.99 a month even an option? I can’t answer those questions, but in talking to friends about how Kindle Unlimited could change the future of ereading, I did realize two things about myself. One: I love to read,…

My apologies to the Beatles. But those boys were right. Over the years, you acquire a variety of them. I have friends from my childhood, from university, and friends my husband and I made as a couple. When my kids were small, my immediate group of friends tended to be other mothers. My two closest friends are still my sisters. (Not that I don’t love my brother. But there are some things he simply Does Not Want to Hear About.) These groups aren’t mutually exclusive. There’s a fair bit of overlap. In fact, one of my sisters is also a writer. And of course, my husband ranks up there as one of my very best friends. We’ve known each other since we were sixteen and eighteen. He and I, however, have vastly different interests. When it comes to my writing, which makes up a significant part of my life these days, his eyes tend to glaze over. Don’t get me wrong. He’s supportive. But it’s the same reason he doesn’t care to watch World Cup soccer with me. He claims my enthusiasm “isn’t sincere.” So when you find friends who not only share your interests, but also your sense of…