Reading books, watching programmes and going to games is a great way to learn about players. You can also get a wealth of information listening to the commentators — especially when they’re as good as the Devils’ duo – Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick and Glenn ‘Chico’ Resch – and hockey expert Stan ‘The Maven’ Fischler. But, there’s nothing like talking to the real thing. And you don’t get any more real than Mr Devil himself, Ken ‘Dano’ Daneyko. That’s why it was an enormous thrill for me, when Devils’ owner Jeff Vanderbeek arranged for me to meet with Dano. Ken Daneyko was a gritty, physical defenseman, an almost impenetrable wall in front of the Devils’ goal. One of only a handful of Devils to be on all three Stanley Cup-winning teams, Ken won the Bill Masterson Trophy in 2000 for perseverance. No greater tribute could have been paid to Ken, than having his number 3 raised to the rafters. Only the second player in Devils’ history to receive that honour. I met Ken at his gym in Hoboken — Sky Club. There he answered all my questions honestly, openly and with great humour. Whether it was about his pre-game routine, the…

Best-selling women’s fiction authors Claudia Carroll, Sheila O’Flanagan and Julie Cohen will be ready to arm aspiring authors with all the best writing tips, tricks and methods on October 15th at the upcoming WritersWebTV workshop, Getting to the Heart of It: Writing Women’s Fiction. This free-to-watch-live, online workshop will cover all aspects of women’s fiction and viewers will be able to interact with those in studio to help them develop their skills. WritersWebTV has developed a world-first innovation in online education for writers by providing live-streamed interactive workshops to a global audience, featuring Irish and international best-selling writers and industry professionals. The one-day workshops are streamed live from a multi-camera broadcast studio in Dublin. Bestselling authors interact with an in-studio audience of aspiring writers, who present their work for critique. Online viewers can communicate with those in the studio using Twitter, Facebook or email. They can ask a question, take part in a workshop exercise, comment online and benefit from on-screen feedback from the authors in-studio. Led by experienced workshop facilitator Vanessa O’Loughlin, founder of writing.ie, the panel will consider the key elements of fiction writing and furnish viewers with tips, advice and actionable insights to help them improve their…

Are you a fan of games? I am. I even set a series of books set in a fantasy game based on Arthurian legend. My “Perfect Heroes” series is being reissued for the first time in digital form. In the first book, VIRTUAL HEAVEN, the heroine, Maggie O’Brien, considers her life pretty ordinary until she plays a fantasy game called Tolemac Wars. Of course, as the author of this romance, I made sure something goes awry so Maggie ends up in the game where she meets a warrior named Kered. There’s an instant attraction between them, but Maggie can’t tell this man the truth, so she claims she can’t remember who she is or where she comes from. Kered’s warrior code will not allow him to abandon Maggie, who seems defenseless in his world. And when he falls in love with her, he really can’t let her go. This book was so much fun to write as were the sequels VIRTUAL DESIRE (available this month) and VIRTUAL WARRIOR (available in October). I based the books on some lesser Arthurian tales and found there’s nothing more fun than creating my own world. Although virtual reality is not quite a reality yet,…

One of my favorite creative outlets is sneaking off to a movie. Preferably a matinee. Preferably alone. The dark theatre, huge screen, surround sound—it takes me completely away for two solid hours. No phones. No interruptions. (Unless you’ve got a rowdy neighbor.) I love all kinds of movies—drama, suspense, romance, comedy, thriller, even a horror if it’s not too gory, but until I started writing my Renegades series I’d never really given the action scenes in movies much thought. Now, I look forward to watching them with a whole new appreciation. The concept for the Renegades came before I knew much about stuntmen. Now that I’ve researched the industry, I’m even more fascinated and can see countless story angles emerging for these sexy, talented, adrenaline-seeking professionals. Here’s an intro to my Renegade’s series: The rough and ready stuntmen of Renegades are experts in the fine art of death and destruction on the big screen. The best of the worst. When it comes to tearing it down or blowing it up, no one can do it better, faster or with more flare than a Renegades’ bad-boy on a mission. When it comes to pleasing a woman, no one can do it…

Six months to Christmas? The idea in this blistering heat seems far removed, but it won’t be long before we’re preparing for that special time—the shopping for the perfect gift, the parties, the food and family that endears this special holiday to so many. Set in End of the Line, Montana, a few days before Christmas, my emotionally scarred hero, Wyatt Kinnison, oldest of the three Kinnison clan, assumes responsibility of the ranch while his brothers are away on business. Little does he know that a chance meeting, a blinding snowstorm and the unexpected visit of a second-grade class who become stranded at the ranch is about to change his life forever. It’a a transformation for the man the townsfolk call “the Grinch”—nothing at all like his civic-minded, involved step-dad, Wyatt is a loner whose built a stone wall around his heart, determined never again to be betrayed by this thing called love. Poor Wyatt, He just hadn’t expected teacher, Aimee Worth to come into his life, as determined as much to break down that wall. In fact, it wasn’t until Wyatt began to see himself through Aimee’s eyes that he began to trust and find himself worthy of being…

Have you ever made a major life change on a whim? I just did. I bought a house in Ireland! How mad is that? It had been eleven years since I’d done the most adventurous thing in my life; quitting my fulltime event planning job to write. However, I knew I had freelance work and my husband’s income to fall back on. It wasn’t exactly a wild and crazy change like the protagonist Samantha makes in my new women’s fiction book, KISSING MY OLD LIFE AU REVOIR. I’ve been tracing my Irish roots for six years and I’ve traveled to Ireland three times to meet my rellies. I dreamed of owning a writing cottage there…someday…maybe. This past April my dream came true. Following an unexpected business trip to Dublin, I rented a car and drove to County Westmeath to visit my rellies and friends. While having tea with my friends, they mentioned a friend was looking at buying a house in my ancestor’s homeland. When they went online to show me the home, they came across an old schoolhouse that had been renovated into a cute little cottage. They said it would be the perfect house for me. I told…

Writing romantic suspense is an adventure. My heroes and heroines include police detectives, CSIs, DNA experts, and forensic anthropologists like you see on the TV show Bones. The heroine of my new book, EXPOSED, is a forensic photographer. Every time Maddie Callahan grabs her camera and heads off to a crime scene, she is on a mission to help bring criminals to justice. EXPOSED is the latest book in my Tracers series, which focuses on a world-renowned crime lab where an elite group of forensic scientists known as Tracers help police detectives solve their very toughest cases. Maddie loves working at the crime lab and has built a stellar career as a forensic photographer. Her personal, on the other hand, needs help. After a major loss, Maddie has shut herself off from relationships, especially with men. But when she crosses paths with FBI agent Brian Beckman, all bets are off. Brian is determined to get past Maddie’s defenses and gain her trust. When a photograph Maddie took becomes key evidence in a federal investigation, Brian realizes Maddie’s life is in danger because of something she saw through her camera lens. He is intent on protecting her… and also unlocking her…

ONE NIGHT can change everything. At least that what happens in Diane Alberts’s steamy novella ONE NIGHT. British theater star, Justin Holloway, is about to open in his first Broadway show. He should be stoked. But opening night jitters have gotten the best of him; and if one more person tells him to “break a leg,” he just might break theirs instead. When he pushes out of the theatre and accidentally knocks a woman into the street, he does the first thing that comes to mind—pretends he isn’t the show’s lead and tries to charm her into drinks and dinner. Alexis Verdon is not a fan of musicals. Who really goes around singing grocery lists to the store clerk? Too bad she’s promised her bed-ridden sister she would not only attend the opening night of Broadway’s latest jewel, but also get autographs from the entire cast. As if that isn’t bad enough, on the evening before her great sisterly sacrifice, Alexis is knocked flat on her butt by a handsome Brit who won’t take “no” for an answer and insists on taking her out on of all days, Independence Day (hello, we wanted our independence from Great Britain for a…

Spells and spellcasting. The very first spell I clearly remember is salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo. Put them together and what do you get? Cinderella! A magic coach, horses, a footman, glass slippers and a beautiful ball gown and let’s not forget the handsome prince. What makes the fairy-godmother’s words a spell? A spell is much like a prayer said with a great deal of intent, focus, and will that gives words (or nonsense ones) new meanings. Deborah Blake, an authority on Wiccans, explains that taking a shower can be a magical event. Your intent or goal is to wash away the stress of the day. You focus on the water pouring down on you and visualize your stress being washed away. Your will is to apply energy to the task. Along with the words she uses to increase the impact of the magick “Water, water, wash away all the stress of the day,” your shower becomes magickal. So, is Cinderella’s fairy-godmother invoking magick? Her fairy-godmother cast her spell speaking an incantation to create a specific outcome. She clearly imagined what she wanted. She intended the magic coach, horse, etc. to all appear. She was keening focused on the results. And…

There was a time when an author’s only job was to turn out marketable, respectably error-free manuscripts. At least, that’s what they tell me. It may well be an urban myth. Since I was first published in 2006, writers have been expected to wear many hats—publicity maven, internet guru, webmistress, public speaker, Facebook queen and Twitter magnet. Don’t get me started on Pinterest. It should come with a warning to writers who are easily seduced by time-sucks that “Here there be monsters.” Some my author friends have assistants to help them with such things as promo and posting on social networks. One writer I know pays someone to do her research and another has an assistant who specializes in plotting. While I’d never outsource research or plotting, I have to admit it would be a luxury to have someone to deal with the less writerly aspects of my job. However, my writing assistants are incapable of helping me with those things. You see, typing in a tweet requires opposable thumbs. And an IQ higher than 15. My writing assistants are my two dogs—Mack and Harry. They are a pair of puppy mill rejects who found their way into our family,…