What’s so sexy about Russia? Hint: it’s not just the mail order brides. Russia, through Western eyes, has always seemed more than a bit mysterious and exotically other. Russia also has more than a hint of the barbarian– from the Cossacks riding down their prey to the steely-eyed, sensual Moscow princes, Russian heroes are more alpha, more determined, more something. Russian heroes move through a fantastically wealthy world of expensive sables, vast country estates, long nights, and absolute, feudal power. Today, there are fewer Russian heroes—the ones I’ve met star in slightly older romance titles, where the heroes are deliciously alpha but slightly more questionable in their pursuit of sensual pleasure and happily-ever-after. Susan Johnson is the queen of the Russian princes. The sensual exploits of Nikki Kuzan (SEIZED BY LOVE) and Sasha Kuzan (LOVE STORM) are unforgettable. In Johanna Lindsey’s SECRET FIRE, Lindsay’s prince ruthlessly drags Lady Katherine St. John off to have his wicked way with her. The illegitimate daughter of a Russian tsar, Rosemary Rogers’ heroine is tracked by her hero through the glittering court of Petersburg in BOUND BY LOVE. Fern Michaels gives us medieval Russia, the Cossacks, and a rampaging hero in WHITE FIRE. The…

I’ve always loved reading. The standard family joke, when I was growing up, was that you could count on me to have my nose in a book. I had stashes of books everywhere: in the car, my bedroom, every other room of the house. I didn’t walk from Point A to Point Z unless I could crack a book open first and thumb through pages as I walked. I probably missed out on quite a few other interesting sights, but I was hooked. I was a reader. It never seriously occurred to me to try my hand at writing until life interfered and quite literally slapped that book out of my hands. I’d been working my dream job for two years at Pixar Animation Studios (I was a technical writer, thank you very much, which meant that I wrote the instructions for the software the studio used to create their movies), when, out of the blue, my boss called me into his office and informed me that I was a tad bit superfluous. And was being laid off. Have a nice day. Oh MY! click here to read the rest, you’ve got to know! Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about…