Y’all, I’m a sucker for an accent. Big time. I’m especially fond of the Irish and Scottish ones. The way the men almost purr when they speak. About two years ago, I discovered why I might have an affinity for the Irish voices. My DNA says I’m 67 percent Irish. I had no idea. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to that accent, or maybe, it’s just because that accent is sexy. In BET ME TO STAY, I made my new hero Liam Irish. He owns a pub in Boston, and it just felt right. Cassie was looking for a strong man, who wasn’t afraid of an intelligent woman.  And when she hears that deep, velvety, accent of his: she’s a goner. I might have also made him have an appreciation for plus-sized women, and he can cook. Who doesn’t want a man who can cook? That’s the great thing about fiction: we can create worlds that are realistic and, at the same time, take our fantasies for a ride. I fell for Liam as I wrote this. And it’s funny, so many people have commented that he’s their favorite book boyfriend. He’s far from perfect, but I love that…

As we speed closer and closer to Boas & Tiaras (click here to buy your ticket) we decided to give you more insight into our attending authors. We’ll highlight one author in each newsletter with five quick questions.     Candace Havens has the floor. Pitch us your newest book in one sentence. I can’t do just one. There’s a new cozy mystery series, the second Hex book called ENCHANT, and a super sexy Marine book on the way. What book made you fall in love with the genre(s) you write? Jodi Thomas was a big influence when it comes to writing romance. Her historicals and contemporaries made me want to create worlds of my own. Tell us about your favorite character you’ve ever written. I always say, Bronwyn, from the Charmed & Dangerous series. I will always love her best. But, I just did a cozy, and the heroine, Ainsley McGregor, is giving Bronwyn a run for her money. What do you do to de-stress when you’re on a writing deadline? I don’t know what this means (smile). I don’t know if it’s de-stressing, but I bribe myself with television. Lately it’s been, write this many words you get to…

What a week it’s been! Tuesday I got together with a small group of people from the DFW Tea Readers group, and had a wonderful dinner of barbecued chicken, baked beans, deviled eggs, pasta salad, green salad, and not only one cake, but two! We also had a lively conversation with author Annette Blair, who writes, not only romance, but also mysteries. I didn’t realize that, so Wednesday sent me to Barnes and Nobel in an effort to attain one or two of her mysteries by using my gift card I won from author Michele Bardsley (who can be seen in November at Readers ‘n’ Ritas.) Saturday had me again meeting the DFW TeaReaders group for a fun and lively tea. Unfortunately we were not the only people in the tea room, and when I went to the restroom I got the impression that one of the elderly ladies from the other group wasn’t really happy about how much fun we were having. See when we start having fun we tend to forget that there are others around, and we tend to get a bit loud. We’re not rude loud, just fun loving loud, and if you’re ever in the…

What are you guys thinking about the new season of “True Blood?” I like that executive producer and creator Alan Ball takes liberties with the story. And what did you think of “Eclipse?” I’m a fan of the film franchise and the series of books. I feel like director David Slade did a great job with pacing in the film. There’s angsty romance, but it’s mixed with some stellar action. He took the best elements of the books made some twists here and there, and created what may be my favorite of three films. In fact, I liked the film better than the book. There are several other books made into films this summer including BEEZUS AND RAMONA BEASTLY, EAT, PRAY, LOVE, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD and “The Switch”. It’s always interesting to see how the adaptations work. Out of all the films coming out this summer, I’m most looking forward to “Eat, Pray, Love.” I really hope they don’t screw it up. One series I wish they would turn into movies or a television show is Annette Blair’s Vintage Magic. The third installment is DEATH BY DIAMONDS. “I was having a discussion about my second mystery with my…

It can’t possibly be June already. Wasn’t it just February? I should be grateful for the warmer weather and the lazy days of summer, but unfortunately there isn’t much time to laze these days. (Smile) I did make myself a promise, and that is reading at least one book a weekend. So far I’m averaging two, and I have to say it’s the one way I can get my brain off of my crazy life and send it into a lovely new world someone else has created. There are tons of fun books and here are a few for you to check out: BLOOD SONG is the first of a new series by Cat Adams (formerly C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp). This is the story of Celia Graves, a vanilla human trying to get by in a paranormal world. “But Celia’s life is rocked when she’s bitten by a master vampire and becomes half human and half vampire,” says Clamp. “Celia’s world was first developed in an unusual fashion. There’s a saying: ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ Well, in the case of this book, a picture was worth a hundred thousand words. Cie Adams and Cathy Clamp were…