I’ve learned as I write, that books have background layers. That which appears behind the dialog, plot, and action. The readers may not even be aware of their influence, but they impact shapes and changes the novel. For me, they are what brings out the emotion, the heart of the story. My latest release in my “Night Stalkers” series, WAIT UNTIL DARK, can be looked at in a variety of ways when viewed through these different layers. Location layer This adds spice and a picture to the novel. WAIT UNTIL DARK includes several settings, traveling far and wide just as the helicopter pilots of SOAR (the U.S. Army’s secretive 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment) do. They are at the nation’s beck and call, saddling up at a moment’s notice to respond to the next mission. Culture layer This is the setting of the people in my novel. In the “Night Stalkers” series, it is military heli-aviation. It sets a tone, it sets strictures on how the character can react and interact. They are highly trained, SOAR requires a minimum of five years experience in military aviation before you can even apply, then the tests are brutal and the training can…

Let’s talk truth. Category romance has always received a bum rap. Touted as formulaic, with cardboard themes and tropes galore, many hard core romance readers have also admitted they love the big single title but would never deign to pick up a category romance novel. This was never my problem. I adored category romance and ploughed through them like a pre-menstrual woman in a Godiva factory. Still, I did find myself frustrated many times as my favorite tropes were either not used in a fresh way, or the story fell flat. Certain limitations seemed to restrict the freedom of the author’s voice, and I always craved just a bit…more. When I first penned THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN, I wrote for myself. I wrote about my all time fave trope — marriages of convenience — but I decided to write it my own way. My hero kissed another woman. I peppered it with lots of snappy humor and tons of dialogue. I originally wrote a secondary subplot of an older romance, which got deleted later in the editing process, but I didn’t hold back. I wrote the kind of story I wanted to see in the genre I adored. And it got…

I was in the middle of writing SCORNED JUSTICE when the show Revenge came on last year on ABC–a show about a burning need to seek revenge on someone who had hurt the lead character. At least that was the impression I got from the ads about the new show. I have to confess I actually haven’t seen the show. But it summed up my story–to what lengths would someone go to get back at another. A person takes the first step in a path of revenge, and before he/she knows it, there is no turning back. The need consumes him/her. When revenge starts consuming the character, the fun really begins. The stakes are heightened. The villain starts to lose it and make mistakes. A show I do watch–Once Upon a Time –has revenge driving the plot. The Evil Queen wants to make Snow White pay for what she did as a child. Revenge is one of the basic motives for a person murdering another. There are others like greed, hate/love, the need for power. When I wrote this book, I wanted to show how far someone could go, how it changed his/her life. And since this is an inspirational…

I was in the middle of writing SCORNED JUSTICE when the show Revenge came on last year on ABC–a show about a burning need to seek revenge on someone who had hurt the lead character. At least that was the impression I got from the ads about the new show. I have to confess I actually haven’t seen the show. But it summed up my story–to what lengths would someone go to get back at another. A person takes the first step in a path of revenge, and before he/she knows it, there is no turning back. The need consumes him/her. When revenge starts consuming the character, the fun really begins. The stakes are heightened. The villain starts to lose it and make mistakes. A show I do watch–Once Upon a Time –has revenge driving the plot. The Evil Queen wants to make Snow White pay for what she did as a child. Revenge is one of the basic motives for a person murdering another. There are others like greed, hate/love, the need for power. When I wrote this book, I wanted to show how far someone could go, how it changed his/her life. And since this is an inspirational…

I am often asked why I chose to write a contemporary novel based on the life of historical figure Harriet Tubman. I suppose it was a natural for me, as Harriet Tubman has always been one of my heroines, and I loved the idea of building a contemporary story around her life. I felt it was important to incorporate a love story into the novel because Harriet sacrificed so much, including her marriage to the man she loved, to fulfill her dream of freedom. Though I didn’t know it when I first conceived this idea, the book release’s timing was perfect for both: February for Black History Month (Harriet Tubman) and also for Valentine’s Day (romance aspect). Before beginning my research and writing, I knew quite a bit about Harriet’s work with the Underground Railroad, but little about her service to this country during the Civil War or her efforts to gain the vote for women. All that was exciting to learn, and it deepened my respect and admiration for this amazing woman. The love story in the book is about Mazie and Edward, two young people of different races who are deeply attracted to one another. Mazie has nagging…

I envy people that can plot every chapter of their book before they start, seriously I do. My best writing buddy does this and I have to say I’m in awe of her skills. I’ve tried to do the character wheel, goal motivation and conflict to help me out but it doesn’t work for me. I tend to go for walks in the early morning with a germ of an idea rolling around in my brain. If I’m lucky it will simmer away nicely until there is something to work with. It might be one sentence or a name. I wrote my first rural romance from seeing a sign on a fence naming the station if surrounded. That is when I sit down and my fingers start racing over the keys. If I’m lucky it will flow nicely. Some days I have to literally pull the words out as I go, some days the words pour out. With RED HOT, it was the location that first struck me. I had a trip to San Francisco and fell in love with the coast road. It took my breath away. I knew I had to write a story set in that area….

Celebrate Valentine’s Day No Matter What! I’m so honored to be asked to write Fresh Fiction’s Valentine’s Day Blog every year and because I really enjoy it. Shockingly, I’ve been at it since 2008! How lucky am I? Over the years, I’ve talked about Romance, True Love, Valentine’s Day itself,   Commercialization of the holiday. And last year, chocolate. So what’s left? Unconditional Love. Who gives it?  Who gets it? Do you need to earn it? Interesting, huh? So here goes – I’ve had a very rough, sad year.  I lost my father in October 2012 and I’ve been one of those very lucky people who had a father who loved me unconditionally.  The loss is huge and gaping, and frankly I don’t want to celebrate any holidays this year.  I just want to get through it.  But in writing this column, I realize how fortunate I was.  Am.  I had unconditional love in my life from both my parents, and my mom is still here.  🙂 I have a husband I love and two girls I adore. But I admit it.  My husband isn’t a romantic.  I can live with that because he gives in so many other ways! …

“Give me something that’s the same—but different.” Sounds impossible, right? Well, it’s not. At least, I hope it’s not. Because that’s exactly what a category romance writer has to do. We have to take fake fiancées, ugly ducklings, and romance with best friends’ brothers and make it fresh. In today’s market, this is arguably harder than ever. It was one thing to make a marriage of convenience story work when people actually got married for convenience. But in the twenty-first century? How do you convince readers today to believe in the magic you’re weaving? How do you draw readers into the familiar love story and yet serve them something that’s up to date and contemporary? I can’t speak for every category writer, but for me, the best way to keep category fresh is to start with the characters, not the trope. For me, the friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience, or fake fiancée story line must be secondary to the characters I’m creating. My hero and heroine have to be real people with flaws, dreams, and vulnerabilities. My readers don’t fall in love with plots, they fall in love with people. So that’s where I start. Once I’ve got my characters, I…

I don’t remember whose slogan that was, but it is a good one. When I was little I didn’t sleep much. My parents gave me a bedtime, tucked me in, sometimes read to me. I was supposed to go to sleep. If they heard me moving around I got in trouble. But I couldn’t sleep. So I lay on my back, listening to the television in the other room, imagining the action. The heroes were valiant (and handsome), the women beautiful and good (women weren’t valiant very often back then as I recall. Things have changed.) Years later I saw those movies. I was SO disappointed. The images in my mind were so much better. I think that’s why so often readers are disappointed when their favorite book is made into a movie. They’ve imagined these wonderful people and worlds, and while the actors may do a fine job, and the director, producers and other filmmakers work hard to make the imaginary world come to life, they just can’t match the power of a human imagination. There are exceptions, of course. But more often than not it’s “just not the same.” I’ve never had one of my books made into…

I love romances.  Reading them, writing them, looking at the hot covers.  I recall reading romances in the Fabio days – you know, when every hero was Fabio with different hair?  I loved the cartoon covers -not only because they were fun, but for the humorous story I knew they promised.  There are so many types of covers.  Sexy covers, sassy covers, dark covers, intense covers.  Ones featuring the couple, some with just the hero, a few with no characters at all.  The ones with babies, puppies, chocolate.  Every one of them sends an image.  A message about the book.  A snapshot, if you will, of the story itself. Covers are that first peek at a story. Like a magnet, they often draw us across the bookstore, or pull our mouse over the screen, toward a particular book.  Actually if I had to say I have one cover peeve, it’d be that it in some way resemble the story inside.  Other than that, I’m an equal opportunity cover lover. And then there are those cover cover-ups.  Made of paper, fabric or felt, they wrap around the book and hide the cover.  My friend has one.  Hers is cute, it says…