When people find out that I’m a writer, the first question most ask is, Where do you get your inspiration? I’ve thought about this a great deal, because it would actually be very useful to know where I find it! But those little sparks of inspiration can make themselves felt at the oddest moments and not always when it’s convenient. Let’s put it this way – inspiration doesn’t come on demand, no matter what music I play, or how quiet the house is, or how close that deadline looms. I wish it did. Truth is – my inspiration sulks. She is the diva that knows exactly how valuable she is and comes out of that dressing room when she’s ready. Not a moment before. And on a good day, when the stars are aligned, she puts on a show I don’t want to miss. Which is inconvenient if I’m supposed to be doing something else. I know I’ve always been a daydreamer and inspiration has treated me like her plaything, at her beck and call. I vividly remember a school PE teacher yelling at me on the basketball court for looking as if I was in “Paradise Lost”. I was…

There are some mornings I wake up and I have no idea who I am. Doesn’t that sound like the premise for a thriller or a sci-fi movie? Well, it’s actually the story of my professional life, and it’s not necessarily a confusing or terrible thing. I use more than one pen name, and to tell you the truth, I love having multiple identities.  🙂 I suppose I’m comfortable with this because, in regular life, I’m an eclectic reader. I also love all kinds of music, food, entertainment, you name it. So it follows that this would branch out into my writing. One side of me is a sucker for a good rom-com, another loves being frightened by horror stories, and yet another is a fantasy geek. Allow me to introduce myselves then…. Identity number one: Crystal Green (author of romance, mostly for Harlequin Special Edition and Blaze) Crystal’s first book was published by Special Edition way back at the turn of the century. That’s over 13 years ago now!  One of her first books took place in a small, fictional Kentucky town called Kane’s Crossing and, from there, she was asked to write Montana Mavericks books, Fortunes of Texas…

With Super Bowl XLVI coming up many people are planning to be couch potatoes while eating unhealthy snacks as they enjoy the game. Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year right behind Thanksgiving, and if you vowed to lose weight in 2013, the Super Bowl may be another obstacle to overcome. Celebrity Nutritionist and author of BREAD IS THE DEVIL (St. Martin’s Griffin/ December 2012), Heather Bauer has a perfect game plan to continue your healthy eating even at a Super Bowl party. Prior to Kickoff Ensure that you aren’t starving by the time your Super Bowl party starts. Make sure that you eat regular meals (i.e. breakfast, lunch, and a PM snack) before you arrive at your party so that you can perform well at game-time. The Defense As a Super Bowl party guest, you will be playing on someone else’s turf, and so you will need to be on the defensive. When you get to the party, hold off on hitting the food table. Converse with the other guests, and grab a glass of water to help fill you up. Allow yourself a small taste of everything at the party that you want….

I’m happy to tell you that THREAD ON ARRIVAL, the fifth book in my embroidery mystery series, was released in December. To celebrate the event, I’m offering one lucky Fresh Fiction reader a copy of the book in either paperback, Kindle, or Nook format.  It’s easy to enter the giveaway—simply leave a comment below with your email address and the format you’d prefer if you’re the winner.  In THREAD ON ARRIVAL, Marcy Singer gets hung up on a tapestry that may lead to sunken treasure and be the motive for murder…. When Marcy’s friend Reggie, Tallulah Falls’ local librarian, asks her to teach an embroidery class as therapy for domestic abuse victims, she gladly agrees. One of the women wants to flee from her abusive husband but is afraid to leave her elderly father-in-law behind. And she thinks Marcy can help. The elderly gentleman shows Marcy a tapestry his grandmother made, which he believes reveals the location of pirate treasure off the Oregon coast. He’ll move to a shelter—provided Marcy takes the tapestry to keep it safe. But when the police arrive the next day to escort him out, they find the old man murdered and the house ransacked. Does…

Since DOOMED came out, I’ve been asked hundreds of times about why I chose to go the cyber route with the Pandora’s Box myth.  So when I was trying to come up with a topic for this blogpost, I thought telling you a little about the book—and my motivation for it—might be the way to go. I’ve always loved the Pandora myth and have always wanted to write a book from her point of view because I think she got a bad rap (as women tend to do in mythology). In the original Greek myth Zeus and Hephaestus mold Pandora from clay as a punishment to Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods — she was specifically created to bring trouble to him and to do exactly what she did, so I find it very hard to blame her for that. Prometheus, of course, knows Zeus is unhappy with him and knows he wouldn’t be sending him a gift without strings attached, so he refuses Pandora. He warns his brother, Epimetheus, to do the same, but Epimetheus is less of a planner and much more impetuous than Prometheus. He accepts Pandora in what is one of the first love triangles…

I get a buzz writing about characters I call a “blank canvas”. Not knowing much about their own history, they’re free to invent themselves as Adam – a baby found at sea amid the wreckage of a ship – does in BIRTHRIGHT. He’s not my first blank canvas character. In MAN WITHOUT A PAST, the hero was found at a bus stop, his family unknown. My CODE OF THE OUTBACK romantic suspense series dealt with three brothers fostered by one couple. The worldwide success of family history TV shows tells us how universal is the desire to know ourselves, and to make up what we don’t know. My fascination with family history began with my own parents who cut all ties with their past after emigrating to Australia when I was seven. Much as I wish I were an alien, and friends have their suspicions LOL, I know I’m basically from English stock with some Celtic mysticism thrown in. But growing up without any close relatives made me wonder about people like Adam, and anyone who is adopted or lost to family in some way. Adam is a sexy-as-sin genius (more wishful thinking, Valerie?) so he isn’t given to fantasizing….

I’m not proud to admit that my mantra for 2012 seemed to be “I’m such a bitch.” I can blame my stress on everything from my hectic writing schedule to my ever expanding buttocks and active children. But let’s face it, I have nothing to complain about—well, except for that buttocks part. Whether it’s keeping the house clean or running the Iditarod, it’s my belief that every woman struggles with balance in her life.  Sometimes, for me anyway, getting groceries is as arduous as running the Boston marathon, but I know it has to be done. Last year I found myself saying no to a lot of events simply because I was tired mentally and physically. But all that is going to change. 2013 is my Year of Yes. Like I said, I have nothing to complain about. I have four books releasing this year and I’ve recently landed two four-book series contracts. Yay me! Woe to my expanding waistline and family time. That means a lot of hours in front of the computer, but if I don’t get this balancing act down soon my family is going to go on strike. Oh, and let me add that they are…

I get a buzz writing about characters I call a “blank canvas”. Not knowing much about their own history, they’re free to invent themselves as Adam – a baby found at sea amid the wreckage of a ship – does in BIRTHRIGHT. He’s not my first blank canvas character. In MAN WITHOUT A PAST, the hero was found at a bus stop, his family unknown. My CODE OF THE OUTBACK romantic suspense series dealt with three brothers fostered by one couple. The worldwide success of family history TV shows tells us how universal is the desire to know ourselves, and to make up what we don’t know. My fascination with family history began with my own parents who cut all ties with their past after emigrating to Australia when I was seven. Much as I wish I were an alien, and friends have their suspicions LOL, I know I’m basically from English stock with some Celtic mysticism thrown in. But growing up without any close relatives made me wonder about people like Adam, and anyone who is adopted or lost to family in some way. Adam is a sexy-as-sin genius (more wishful thinking, Valerie?) so he isn’t given to fantasizing….

I think it’s safe to say that most writers fall for their hero. Makes sense, right? When we write, we tend to play up the things we find dreamy and scrumptious and channel it into our guy. Gunner was an especially manly hero to work with. So, let me set us this excerpt (which I love)… At this point, Jen’s trying to get over Gunner, but he seems to keep cropping up wherever she is – in a non-stalker-like way, though! Poor Gunner is just as frustrated by circumstances; he’s just pretty good at repressing his feelings. But this excerpt is one that shows how fragile his control is when it comes to Jen, and how truly powerful he is. Excerpt: Nothing else to say? I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. I was hurt, breathless, and sad. At least now I know where I stand. No hope, no illusions. “Let’s get back to work.” “Work,” I murmured, trying not to lose it. I had to do something. My nerves were humming with energy and frustration. Since what I wanted to do—kiss him, throw him on the mat, and make him forgive me—wasn’t an option, I’d have to…

Thanks so much to Fresh Fiction for hosting me here today! So, a Greek god, a vampire, and an Army Special Forces veteran walk into a bar… Oh, wait. This isn’t a joke. And it’s not a bar. It’s my writing schedule for the next three months! *grins* After a rush of releases over the past year, I have the biggest gap between book releases I’ve had so far in my career. And that’s a good thing, because I need all the time to write that I can get! So, today, I thought I’d give you a quick introduction to a few of my upcoming books and a juicy excerpt from one! Read on… SOUTH OF SURRENDER, fantasy romance, Hearts of the Anemoi #3, to release May 28, 2013 Hero: Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer Heroine: Laney Summerlyn, freelance writer and horse farm owner Tagline: She’s the only one who can see through his golden boy façade to the broken god within… Why I’m loving writing this book: The plot has challenged me more than anything else I’ve written. The hero is absolutely delicious on the inside and the out. And the heroine, who is…