When I began writing WILD TEXAS ROSE, I felt like I was going home. My footprints were already molded into the foundation of this Historical Romance. I’d been thinking about these characters for years and finally it was time for their story. All four men in this story were damaged by the Civil War but all were going on with their lives believing they’d always be alone. This book is about friendship that always stands fast and how the love of a few women, good or bad, can change a man’s life for the better. This is my 25th Historical Romance, my 35th book and I’m still having a ball. I think what I love most about writing is discovering the characters and letting them tell me their stories. Like breathing , no two people are alike. When I sat down in my study and traveled back to Texas in the 1800’s, I began with Rose McMurray. As a child she drove everyone crazy organizing her world and as an adult nothing has changed. She’s twenty-six and traveled from Whispering Mountain to Fort Worth to help a friend with her wedding plans. From the first, Rose knows something is very…

It’s how she knows the book is going well. I’m sitting off in my writing corner; surrounded by pretty pictures, important sayings, a couple cats, and a bunch of love notes from my lady. Then a laugh just bursts out. I can hear her even now, “You just think you’re so clever.” And she’s right, I do. I laugh, I cry, I get angry when one of my characters screws it all up, and I chortle when I’ve been particularly evil and given them some impossible challenge. I used to be embarrassed about it. As if I was just being foolish, I’d try to suppress it. Then I’d forget myself and find myself wishing I had someone to nudge and wink with. (Thankfully I do. Much of my story lines are worked out while walking hand-in-hand with my wife.) The thing that surprises her every time I mention it is that she’s my audience. She’s the one I hope to make laugh, cry, and sigh. And it works. She’s my first reader (she’s awesome at grammar). And I get to hang out in the corner of the living room and pretend that I’m not perched on the edge of my…

Watching the Smurfs movie (for sadly about the fifth time) I was struck anew by how much more handsome Neil Patrick Harris is as a thirty something than he was as a twenty something. His face has weathered in a beautiful way, full of character and charm. He twinkles like he knows something good.  And that’s pretty damn attractive. Maybe it’s my own age, but I’m taking another look at men of a certain age.  Men who when younger, might not have caught my eye.  As a writer and a reader, I like going on a journey with characters who have some life behind them. I like the “I don’t want commitment” conflict, but it works so much better with someone who has actually been committed and been burned. Or maybe burned someone.  A guy that is aware of all the grey area in life. Men with scars and baggage are intriguing and they make for good reading, but there’s a fine line between an alpha male and a guy acting like a child.  Older heroes can skip all of that –  they can be damaged but  still stand up and do the right thing. Men who are men, I…

Everyone loves the alpha male heroes with which romance novels abound, those men with perfect physiques, perfect good looks, sex appeal to spare, and the aggressive swagger that makes them such a challenge to any woman hoping to persuade them to settle down and fall in love. They are fun to read about, fun to write about, and great to dream about. And of course, they always do fall in love and settle into a monogamous relationship with the heroine. Happily-ever-after is always safe in their hands at the end, and we can all sigh with satisfaction. But what about the poor betas? Is any man without swagger or perfect looks or charisma doomed to the secondary roles in our romances and to the secondary female characters? Can they never be heroes the heroine and an army or readers can sigh over and pull for and–yes–fall in love with? Can they be fun to read about and fun to create and convincing as heroes? Can they be memorable? I think they can, and I have created my fair share of them in my almost 100 books. There is Hartley Wade, Marquess of Carew, for example, of LORD CAREW’S BRIDE, who…

It’s sad, yes, but I have to admit it: I am not a romance heroine. “Why not?” cry those who know me, shocked to the core. Well, let’s be honest, there are traits that appear to be common to most romance heroines, traits and talents that I, unfortunately, do not share. In the interests of brutal honesty, I will reveal them here. First, and probably last, I look absolutely terrible in the morning. And often again by mid-day. Putting on my husband’s largest shirt and padding around in my bare feet and undies will not improve the view, for reals. Nothing on my body ‘sparkles’ or ‘glistens’, no, not even in moonlight. Not my hair, not my eyes, not unless they’re watering because my contacts got something in them. I have hair, not tresses. It does not ‘cascade’ nor ‘flow’ down my back or over my shoulders. On humid days, it tends to frizz; that’s as good as it gets. You can describe every shade of color on my person with a non-descript adverb or adjective. You know the kind: brown, white, hazel, short. I’m simple that way. My best lines always come later. If witty banter is a time-sensitive…

As a very short woman who is contentedly married to a compatibly short man, I have often wondered what it would be like for a petite woman to fall in love with an unusually tall man. My daughter, who is dainty like me, is married to a taller man. Theirs is a happy marriage and they are raising two kids. The difference in their heights is about ten inches. No big deal, right? But what if the hero were a foot and a half taller than the woman who is in love with him? Would it be possible for the two to have a satisfying physical relationship? In the first place, would a tiny woman be able to grab a remarkably tall man’s attention? Common wisdom says “like seeks like,” and that most people are attracted to persons with similar physical characteristics as their own. But what if two seemingly incompatible individuals develop strong feelings for each other? This question ultimately became the theme of my new book, THE RELUCTANT MATCHMAKER. My latest tale is a vivid blend of contemporary Indian-American culture with an unconventional romance—the conflict between two people who are attracted to each other and yet they can’t…

When I first started writing, I was told to write what I know, and what I knew was American history. But ever since reading Austen in grade school, the books I loved to read were Regency romances. So when my editor told me she desperately needed more material for the Signet Regency imprint, I helpfully provided her with a few. That’s how the Regency Nobles started—as three small related category Regencies (they’re still available as e-books online, published by RegencyReads.com. Two characters appeared in the last of those stories who absolutely begged for their own books—the American marquess who inherits a dilapidated manor, and his mysterious “brother” Michael, who doesn’t seem to have a name of his own. My editor agreed that the American marquess deserved a bigger book, and Signet published THE MARQUESS in 1997. After a bidding war, I sold THE ENGLISH HEIRESS, Michael’s story and another sequel, to a new publisher. Except the publishing world was in turmoil then, as it is today, so THE ENGLISH HEIRESS and the sequel never made it to print. I kept the advance and walked away with two manuscripts years later, when I was contracted for too many other books to…

There are many things I’m not super comfortable doing. Topping that list would have to be exercising. I know I’m supposed to do it, that it’s good for me, that it’ll keep me healthy and improve (and potentially prolong) my life. After a gestational diabetes scare with my last kid, exercise is pretty much essential. Sadly, I do everything else on my list before exercising. It has never been a huge priority, and I’ll be honest: gyms scare me. Recently, I got my rear in gear, and attempted to overcome my fear by going to an exercise class – one of those popular barre classes – near my home. It was completely intimidating. All those beautiful women sculpting their already-perfectly toned bodies freaked me out. So what did I do? I signed up for five more classes, just to prove to myself that I could keep up with the big girls. Did I get thinner? No. Did I get toned? A little bit. Did I change? Definitely. It motivated me to ditch the classes and start power walking with a friend. A friend who’s a great conversationalist, who keeps me honest, and who has similar motivations for exercising. In my…

Welcome to Mia Marlowe and her latest release LORD OF FIRE AND ICE. Mia’s work has been featured in PEOPLE magazine and one of her books is on display at the Museum of London Docklands next to Johnny Depp memorabilia. Her previous release TOUCH OF A ROGUE was tapped for Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Romances for Spring 2012.  Want to learn more? Pour yourself a cup of coffee and listen in to Mia’s recent conversation with FreshFiction! Q: Most of the historical romance world is fixated on Regency England. Why did you decide to write about Vikings? A: I love the Regency time period. In fact, right now I’m collaborating with New York Times bestseller Connie Mason for a trio of Regency stories due out in 2013. (Check out my Coming Next page for more about the “Royal Rakes” Series!) But I’ve always been fascinated by Norse culture.  Could be because I’m married to a guy of Norwegian descent. Unlike my hero Brandr, who’s a blond god-like fellow like Thor, my DH is a “black viking,” which means he has dark hair and eyes instead of the usual fair Scandinavian coloring. My DH says it’s because the Vikings used to…

When I started Drake’s Rakes, it was meant to be a trilogy. And then I realized there were nine rakes. Well, ten actually, but one of the rakes emphatically refused to have his own book (his does get his own girl, though. I couldn’t leave Chuffy love-starved and alone). Now, I love long series. But I don’t like having to wait to see how they turned out. I didn’t read the Harry Potters until that last book was out (and a good thing I waited. If I’d gotten to the end of that second last book and had to wait a year for the outcome, I would have strangled somebody). So how do I fix that? Easy. Nine divided by three is three. I’m dividing the series up by heroines into trilogies. Which means it’s just about time for Trilogy #2. Last Chance Academy, the nickname given to the school that our heroines attended. At first that was all I knew about them. Well, except that they had to meet three (okay, four) Rakes and turn their lives upside down while the Rakes attempt to save the Empire from nefarious evildoers (come on. You didn’t think I’d write a book…