A long time ago, in his 2006 acceptance speech for an Equality Now award, Joss Whedon (one of my storytelling heroes) gave a list of reasons why he writes strong female characters. His final reason? “Because you’re still asking me this question.” I grew up on Nancy Drew mysteries. Nancy kicked butt. Yes. She got herself into trouble. But most of the time she got herself out of trouble too. She was also the one who always figured out what was going on long before anyone else. I loved Nancy. I wanted to be Nancy. I still do. And not entirely because I wish I could be sixteen again. Nancy lived. She got out there and just did stuff. Me? Well, I go to work, come home, write, workout, read, and then do it all over again in the morning. Anyway. Putting my Nancy Drew envy aside, why do I write strong female characters? Here are my top 5 reasons. I’m strong. My mother’s strong. My mother-in-law is strong. I write female characters who take the actions I would take in their shoes. Or at least the actions I hope I’d take in their shoes. Writing lets me pretend to…

Is this something anyone really needs to be convinced of? Lol! I feel like most women can appreciate a guy who can, and will, cook. Especially if he’s any good at it. But okay, let’s talk about why these guys are so…yeah, I’m going to say it…delicious! My new release, HIGH HEELS AND HAYSTACKS features a guy who can cook. Why? Well, because I love food! Lol! But really, because the diner in my fictional small town of Bliss, Kansas needed an owner and chef and… well, Parker Blake stepped up. And I fell in love. And I knew that Ava Carmichael, one of the triplet sisters, who have been transplanted to this little town in order to fulfill the stipulations in their father’s will, would also fall for Parker. In fact, it was clear to me very early on in writing this series that Parker and Ava could not only handle each other, but they needed to handle each other! So, here are the top five reasons (in my opinion) why guys who can cook are hot 🙂 They appreciate just how important heat Some situations call for a little heat, some for a lot. And these guys are…

My favorite genre to read is military romantic suspense and it just so happens to be my favorite genre to write! Why? Military Let’s start with military. I particularly love the research that goes into making my military men and women believable and accurate. I want to portray them as real humans, with their own personalities and not just pigeon-hole them into the big alpha that has no fears. Suspense I love how the suspense in the book will move the story along. As an author, I don’t have to create “fake or contrived” angst because the hero and heroine will have plenty that comes from investigating and battling the villain. Villains My villains are often surprises, where the reader is not expecting the twist at the end. Sometimes, the villain is evident throughout the book and the reader is taken along for the ride of what they are doing and why. Romance I don’t just write mystery, but romantic suspense because to me, the crux of the story is the building relationship between the hero and heroine. It is the catalyst for the entire story, creating the human bonding that survives no matter what the villain has planned. Hero…

In SIT, STAY, LOVE, a large-scale dog fighting ring covering several Midwestern states is exposed, creating national media attention. The High Grove Animal Shelter steps forward to take in some of the abused dogs, dedicating countless hours to care for and retrain them in an off-site location until they are ready and able to be adopted into loving homes. If this sounds like a real-life event that you heard about on TV, well, you probably have. All too often, illegal dog fighting rings are exposed, and some are larger in scale than others. When this happens, area shelters and caring individuals are instrumental in saving animals’ lives with the help and services they provide. Often, whether it’s due to natural disasters, large scale animal abuse cases, hoarding, or similar scenarios, shelters become saturated with newly homeless animals. When this happens, not only is adequate space a concern but available funds are rapidly depleted. Whether it comes about because of a media story or simply because you want to connect with homeless animals and the people who care for them, there are still many ways to support your local shelters. Here are five inexpensive and fun ways to make a big…

By Miranda Owen In general, I prefer the nice guy, Clark Kent-type heroes to bad boys. But if I do like a bad boy hero, I like him to have hidden depths. All the heroes on this list are nothing short of amazing, and would make great fictional dates to snuggle up with for an hour or two this month of love while reading their stories. Benedick Lisle is a vicar, a gentleman, a great listener, and a hunk. This gallery of rogues and rakes are a tantalizing group of charming yet complicated hotties. Callum MacCreath and Mick Trewlove are men bent on revenge, but are swayed by love along the way. Julian Danvers and Ruan Bettancourt fall head over heels by a woman who takes them by surprise. Rhys Tremayne makes an unlikely knight-errant, but manages to wear it well and win the woman of his dreams. Lord Dutton has taken a few well-deserved knocks over the years before proving himself worthy of Anne Staverton. I invite you to check out these six sinners and one saint.   WALLFLOWER MOST WANTED by Manda Collins. Benedick: “Don’t make a saint of me, Sophia. I’m a man. Nothing More. I do…

By Miranda Owen As a fan of romance novels, and somebody who loves making lists, I’m instantly drawn to the many “Best of…” book lists that come out as the year draws to a close. I’d thought about doing one that encompasses the entire year, but then I was struck by how many fabulous books have been published just this fall alone. With each new book I read, the list of books that have blown my mind kept growing. I’ve read some amazing books by a few of my favorite authors, but I’ve also been lucky enough to stumble on one or two books by authors whose books I haven’t read in the past. Three books by new-to-me authors are: WHAT THE EARL NEEDS NOW by Michelle Willingham, A DARING ARRANGEMENT by Joanna Shupe, and A DUKE IN SHINING ARMOR by Loretta Chase. Based on other readers’ recommendations, I read and enjoyed LORD OF SCOUNDRELS by Loretta Chase, but I hadn’t gotten around to reading another book by her until now. I was initially drawn to A DUKE IN SHINING ARMOR because of the runaway bride theme. After a page or two, the delightful witty banter had me hooked. Watching…

Alpha. We all see this word when looking for romance novels to read, but what does it mean? According to the dictionary, the word has numerous meaning, from chemical compounds, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, beginnings, or the most dominant animal in a pack. Hmmm, I suppose for romance authors we take the last meaning for our descriptive word. I describe my heroes as sweet alphas which, I hope, delineates them from what I read in so many other books. My alphas do not grunt their responses, order everyone around, nor expect the woman to sit down and be quiet while the male goes off to save the day. So, what do I mean when I say I write sweet alphas? A sweet alpha is a man unafraid to take charge when the situation calls for it. For many authors, this includes literally telling the woman to sit down and shut up. Not for my books! My heroes respect their women, but also have an innate desire to protect and have no problem stepping up as the situations calls and placing themselves in front to face the danger. A sweet alpha is a faithful to the woman they…

The third book in my MURDER BY DESIGNS series, ONCE UPON A GHOST, has a pesky ghost who likes to wake up medium Bailey Burke by singing. Celine Dion off-key by a dead mobster at three in the morning is so not romantic, but it got me thinking about the power of music and love songs. For me, music has always been a huge part of my life and it inspires my writing. Since Bailey’s relationship with Marner heats up in this book here is my list of top romantic songs. I Will Always Love You. I do love the original Dolly Parton version, but the Whitney Houston version from the movie The Bodyguard is just stunning. Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley. This song is just so sweet and stands the test of time. I could see Marner secretly listening to some Elvis music. Your Song by Elton John. I always said that the first man to serenade me with this song would be my husband. Sadly, my hubby, who we call Mr. Writer, did not sing it to me at any point, but I did use it to walk down the aisle at our wedding. Love…