This blog was the first thing I had to do today. The very first thing, well right after coffee. Actually, that’s not true. Before I even get coffee, before I get out of bed, I turn on my iPad and check my email. I have a desperate need to make sure that nothing important has come in between the hours of midnight and 7 am…er, 7:59 am. But my alarm goes off at 7. Anyway, without even moving off my pillow, I turn on the iPad, check my email, delete the junk (I get a lot of junk), and deal with anything vitally important. It’s rare, but it does happen. Usually one of my in-college daughters desperately needs me to proof one of their papers. But that didn’t happen today, thank God, and so I then immediately got up, got my coffee, and wrote this blog. Hahahahahaha! Okay, seriously, who actually believed that? No, rather than get out of bed, I go on-line shopping. Shopping is way better than working. Or even getting out of bed! Nothing of interest today 🙁 so then I played an ap game called Sherlock, a Game of Logic. I’m not that logical a person,…

I sat down to write an article, and I thought…what’s more fun, a serious article about writing or an acrostic that can tell the story all on its own? Well, we’re going for the (extended) acrostic. What does every author strive to do? Hook the readers! And what does it take to hook the readers? Here’s your answer: Always remembering that you write to excite the reader Gladly giving up your “me time” for writing time Read as much as you write, to keep your authoring skills honed Evaluating every word that hits the published page for its merit Actively seeking out new plots and subplots so your readers don’t get bored Talking with readers (hopefully often), to keep abreast of what they want in a story Pushing your creativity beyond the limits as you see them Leaving no plot unturned Opening new worlds for your readers, pushing them past their comfort levels Treating each new manuscript as if it is not worthy of your readers’ eyes until it is refined, polished, and perfect   * * * Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of three International bestselling novels, MEGAN’S WAY, CHASING AMANDA, and COME BACK TO ME. She has…

In this evolving and competitive industry, writers must adapt quickly, as well as continuously search for new ways to reach new readers. So now that I’m releasing LIARS, CHEATERS & THIEVES, a sixth novel featuring Detective Jackson, I’ve decided to re-brand my series. By that I mean, I now list SECRETS TO DIE FOR as the primary book, so that it’s the first title in my list of novels. Why this radical change? The first book on my Jackson list used to be THE SEX CLUB, a title I’ve come to believe turns away as many readers as it draws in. The story has served me well, will always be one of my favorites, and I’ll continue to sell it. When I only had a few books on the market, it was an important part of my work. The Sex Club Detective Jackson #1 October 2007 Secrets To Die For Detective Jackson #2 October 2009 Thrilled to Death Detective Jackson #3 September 2010 Passions Of The Dead Detective Jackson #4 January 2011 Dying For Justice Detective Jackson #5 May 2011 LIARS, CHEATERS & THIEVES Detective Jackson #6 December 2011 But now that I’m about to launch my tenth book, and…

Thank you Fresh Fiction for hosting me today! I’m so excited to be here with you, celebrating the release of my Carina novella, LADY SEDUCTRESS’S BALL—an erotic Regency romance. But let’s talk cookies first… This weekend we went to a cookie exchange party… Oh, boy! Let me just first start by saying I will be spending two hours at the gym this morning. This is the second cookie party I’ve been to, (went to one last year too), and it was a blast!  You spend a few days prior to the event cooking up dozens of delicious confections. I of course can never figure out which cookies to make, so I made five different types. In the end I chose to only bring three different types—and I was supposed to bring only one. You bring four dozen of your cookies and put them on display for everyone to see—all while ogling the many other delicious confections. You snack on cookies, share camaraderie with friends, then you take you tin back up to the table and collect some cookies to come home. (Which my family and I each took one bite of every cookie in our tin on the drive home—reason…

I hate having my picture taken, something I blame equally on my mother and her closest friend, mother of my childhood buddies Bill and Stephen. Both moms had old Brownie box cameras, and they were forever posing us in front of something—a bush, a fence, someone’s car—reminding us, “Say cheese,” and then spending the next several minutes squeezing us closer together and wiping dirt from our faces with mommy spit, while our smiles hardened into something resembling the rictus of a death mask. Then when the photos were developed, someone—usually me—was missing the top of his or her head. See what I mean? (You’ll notice the boys are nowhere to be seen, but I do have all my head in this one.) Over the years I’ve had some good photos taken and some not so good ones, like the time I tried to duplicate the crisp, white-shirted look of one of my favorite writers, Tess Gerritsen. With my fair skin I ended up looking more like Robert Pattinson in the Twilight movies. Even if you squinted, I didn’t look like Tess. Recently, I heard from the very nice publicist who works for one of my equally nice publishers. Did I…

This bushy evergreen with white berries has been a part of our collective imagination since the time of the Druids, who believed it held aphrodisiac and healing properties. If found growing on a sacred oak, they would collect it with great ceremony then utilize it during their Winter Solstice celebrations, which included the sacrifice of cattle, feasts (thank you, cow) drink and rowdiness. The Romans believed mistletoe was the product of lightening, a gift from the gods, since it suddenly appeared out of nowhere. In the frozen north, Norse lore holds that the goddess Frigga so loved her son Baldur that she extracted a promise from all the vegetation and inanimate objects around him that they would never harm Baldur, but she forgot to ask the mistletoe. The prankster god Loki discovered this and poisoned Baldur. But not to worry, Baldur was soon resurrected from the dead. Meanwhile the Anglo-Saxons had also noted this bushy green on their slumbering apple trees and the thrush seen on them before the growth appeared. Practical, agrarian folk, they put two and two together and call it mistletoe, mistle meaning dung, and tan meaning twig. Thus calling it “dung on twigs.”  (Sort of takes…

Ready for the second book in the Demons Unleashed series? We’re headed to the “kitchen”…DEMONS LIKE IT HOT by Sidney Ayers A RECIPE FOR DISASTER… Matthias Ambrose is a demon mercenary who never took sides, until his attraction to the spunky caterer he was hired to kidnap leads him to almost botch a job for the first time in eight hundred years. Now he must protect her from his former clients, but even an ice-cold demon like Matthias struggles to resist her fiery charms. OR THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR PASSION… Completely engrossed with planning menus and prepping recipes for her shot at cooking show fame, star caterer Serah SanGermano refuses to believe she’s on a fast track to Hades. But how’s she supposed to stick to the kitchen if she can’t stand the heat of her gorgeous demonic bodyguard? As a diabolical plot to destroy humanity unfolds and all hell breaks loose in Serah’s kitchen, she and Matthias find themselves knee-deep in demons and up to their eyeballs in love… Check out the excerpt from DEMONS LIKE IT HOT in stores / online now! “So you’ve finally decided to join us?” The loud voice boomed in Matthias Ambrose’s ears. He…

Sloane Hall by Libby Sternberg, a novel set in old Hollywood and inspired by Jane Eyre, will be offered for FREE for Kindles by Amazon on December 15 and 16, 2011! In 1920s Hollywood, young John Doyle learns the craft of cinematography when a stupid mistake costs him his job. On a tip, he heads to Sloane Hall, the estate of a famous silent screen actress, Pauline Sloane, where he lands a position as chauffeur. Sloane Hall first offers him peace as he enjoys the bounty of the luxurious home, then unrest as its beautiful namesake returns and starts preparing for her first talking picture. Despite his best efforts to resist, John falls hopelessly in love with his employer. His future brightens, however, when she appears to return his affection, leading to plans for a secret wedding—until other awful secrets intrude, leading to heartbreak and separation. A story of obsession and forgiveness, Libby Sternberg’s Sloane Hall was inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and takes place against the tension-filled backdrop of Hollywood’s shift from silent to sound pictures. Libby Sternberg is the author of women’s fiction and mysteries, including four YA mysteries, the first of which was an Edgar nominee….

Hi Everyone! Thanks for having me here today. I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about something near and dear to everyone’s heart — clothes. In particular I want to talk about the five worst articles of clothing that women endure in order to look sexy. They itch, constrict and pinch, and yet we keep wearing them again and again. Why do we do this to ourselves? The answer is simple  — to make us feel and look sexy. Ah, the things that we do to attract the opposite sex. 1) The thong (AKA G-string) –  It’s hard to be sexy when that tiny piece of fabric is riding up your but, isn’t it? I had a discussion about this on Facebook the other day. There are so many heroines in romance novels who are considered “kick ass.” Do you think that they could still be kick-ass and wear a thong? It would be hard to perform any type of martial arts if you are constantly picking your wedgie. Just sayin’. In my humble opinion, I think the “kick ass” heroine would probably have to wear grannie panties, don’t you think? Grannie panties may not be…

As the nights get longer and the temperature starts to hit freezing more often than not, I’m happy to be ensconced in my office for hours on end. I hate the cold. I would much rather spend my days in sweltering 90-degree temperatures with high humidity than deal with frigid conditions. Sure, I like looking at the snow. It’s very pretty for about two days. After that, I’m longing for open windows and warm breezes. In the summer, I can throw on a pair of shorts and a tank top and head out the door. In the winter, it takes me 10 minutes just to gear up for a 40-minute run (but the shower when I get back feels that much better). I’d rather stay inside when the day is gray, snowy, windy and freezing. I’ll be warm and cozy in my office, playing in my imaginary worlds of magic, deities, and tall, dark and handsome heroes. One of the only things that entice me to get outside during the dead of winter is hockey. My husband and I have season tickets for the Reading Royals hockey team, a professional ECHL team. For the past 10 years, we’ve spent many…