I write books set in the past. Life for them is definitely more inconvenient and dangerous. If they get sick, they may well die from a simple infection because there are no antibiotics. If they want to contact somebody they write a letter, then wait a few days for a reply. For entertainment they read or are read to. There is none of the instant gratification that we expect today. But at the theater the other night I began to wonder whether progress is always good. I was in the front row of the balcony. Down below me a sea of little lights twinkled. Special effects? Not at all. It was the whole of the ground floor of the theater on their mobile phones. I find this trend hard to understand. Here these people were in a beautiful old theater with carved pillars, painted murals, a gorgeous ceiling and they are waiting for the moment when the curtain goes up….and all they want to do is check their messages. How many of them would actually have gotten messages saying anything important? Buffett agrees to your offer to buy Walmart? President Obama wants you in Pakistan first thing tomorrow? Or even…

The catch phrase for Las Vegas is so well known you can find it in most television series or films about the fabled Sin City with its casinos and homage to the vices of mankind. Las Vegas is an adult party town where you can gamble, go to shows, see sparkling showgirls and never see the sun—despite the desert location. In every way, it was perfect location for a paranormal romance.  When I wrote SOULGIRLS I knew the Vegas destination was ideal for the Arcana Royale. My First Trip to Las Vegas This may make you laugh, but the very first time I “went” to Las Vegas, I went via Charlie’s Angels’ episode Angels in Vegas. It had my three favorite Angels: Sabrina, Kelly, and Kris working together, fabulous outfits and danger. Yes, it was 1978 and I fell in love with the city. After that came the series Vegas with Robert Urich. He was so hawt, dangerous, and great to know. Every show that took a trip to Vegas had me glued to the screen. When I was nineteen, I got to go to Las Vegas for the first time and it was everything I thought it would be….

Inspiration–and love–can strike in the most unusual places.  The authors of the newly released AN ENCOUNTER AT THE MUSEUM–Claudia Dain, Deb Marlowe, Michelle Marcos, and Ava Stone–share what inspired them to write unforgettable tales of romance blossoming amid the treasures of the British Museum. Deb Marlowe How easy is it to be inspired by the British Museum? There is a story in every book, piece of art, and artifact. Actually there is a story for every person who gazes upon every book, art and artifact, isn’t there, because we all have such personal reactions to such pieces. In writing “An Unexpected Encounter,” I chose the Grand Staircase as the location for my Encounter. I’d done some research and found some lovely period pictures of the museum, but I was struck not only by the grandeur of the wide main Staircase, with its painted ceiling and changing exhibits along the walls and on the landing (hello, have you seen the pictures of the stuffed giraffes?!) but by the thought of the anticipation and pleasure that so many people must have felt in climbing those stairs. And then my writer brain went “What If?” What if the anticipation faded and the pleasure…

Readers of my Sinners on Tour series typically say that the heroes of the series—the five members of the rock band Sinners—have a strong camaraderie that enriches each of the books. They joke around with each other constantly, which also adds to the humorous flavor of the series. I suppose if you live in a bus with four other guys for six months out of the year, you’re bound to form strong friendships, drive each other insane, or a little of both. Jokes will be made. Pranks pulled. Four of the five members of Sinners have been together since high school. They’ve known each other for over ten years. They understand each other’s quirks and limits. They accept each other. They’ve formed a surrogate family over the years and defend each other almost as much as they give each other a hard time. The newest member of the band, Jace Seymour, has only been a part of the band for three years. It’s a dream come true for him. Still, he has a difficult time finding where he fits in this close-knit group. Jace’s book, HOT TICKET, is like the rest of the books in the series, in that a…

If you look at the cover of my new book, you might think being “Cowboy Tough” was all about muscles. Or you might think it meant sticking to the back of a bucking horse for eight seconds. But being “cowboy tough” means something quite different here in the West. It’s not about physical strength; it’s about the strength of your mind and your heart. It’s about dedication, determination, and fighting against the odds. I’ll give you a few examples. If you’ve ever watched steer wrestling, you know it’s one of the most physically challenging events in rodeo. The contestant bursts out of a chute on horseback and chases a grown steer down the arena, then leaps from his horse onto the back of the steer, using momentum and skill to halt the steer’s run and bring the animal to the ground. You couldn’t possibly pay me enough money to even try to do that—but in February, World Champion Stan Williamson showed the crowds at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo that you’re never too old to compete. Williamson won his first buckle in 1979, his second in ’82, but at 65 years of age, he still managed to halt…

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…