I recently had a discussion with friends about pepper spray. . . One friend keeps a canister with her and even sent me the link to the one she likes. I haven’t ordered it yet, but it’s in my cart, ready to purchase next time I place an order. Two of us have daughters who are college-aged and both have been in situations that make me cringe when I think about them. As moms of older children, we can no longer dictate their actions or what places they frequent, but at the same time, we can arm them with something that might help them in a difficult situation. In uncomfortable conditions like dark parking lots, I normally walk with my keys fisted in my hands, one pointing outward in preparation for some kind of attack I’m optimistic will never really happen. I’m even happy to see that as time passes more places are installing the police call boxes that are an easy jog from every position. Also, I’ve read an amazing book about trusting your instincts and being aware of the danger around you. I highly recommend The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. I believe everyone should read…

AMALIE: Hey, Angie, should we tell the Fresh Fiction readers a little about this last book in the Tartans and Titans series? Our kilty little secret….heh. ANGIE: Yes, definitely! WHAT A SCOT WANTS is a hilarious, steamy enemies-to-lovers romance about a stoic Highlander laird who has been burned by love before and an independent heiress who is determined to remain a spinster and run her shelter house. AMALIE: Yes, and when their parents force them into a marriage of convenience, it’s a race against time to see who can make the other cry off first. There’s humor, wagers, antics, constant one-upping, and buckets of sizzling romantic tension. Seriously, buy it and love it (Jedi mind trick). *Hugs each other and does the co-author happy dance! ANGIE: Amalie, I know a lot about you but for those who aren’t as lucky as I am, can you describe yourself in five words or less? AMALIE: Only five words? That’s like torture. I would have to say I’m creative, fun-loving, humorous, passionate, free-spirited. What about you, Angie? ANGIE: I do love to challenge you from time to time! I’m relaxed, creative, inquisitive, cheerful, and active. Amalie, when you walk into a room, what…

Ready for a confession? I have watched Grease 2 at least 300 times.* If you haven’t seen this particular gem of a film, shame on you. First, it starred Maxwell Caufield, basically the hottest guy on the planet in 1982 (the year the movie was released). Caufield plays the nerdy Australian cousin of Sandy from Grease 1. He’s visiting Sandy’s old high school, where the T-Birds and Pink Ladies still reign. He creates an elaborate disguise (LOL—actually just black skin-tight leathers and goggles) and learns to ride a motorcycle to sweep a certain Pink Lady who can’t see past his nerdy exterior off her feet. Which brings us to point two: this musical involves a young, unknown Michelle Pfeifer singing, dancing, and straddling a ladder in an entirely suggestive way as she describes her dream of finding a motorcycle-riding bad boy to sweep her off her feet. For those who know the film, you’re probably already humming Cool Rider. Yeah. I know. For those who missed it, go watch this awesome clip from the film: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RYB317pljts (You’re welcome.) Why, other than the fact that it’s fabulous, am I bringing up Grease 2? Well, here’s a secret–Temptation (Bad Angels #2), was…

I reread my books. There I said it. Yes, I have a TBR pile a mile high, but sometimes, I don’t want a new book to read. I want a book that will give me the emotional journey I need today. Sometimes, when I’m having a bad day and I need a pick-me-up, I know exactly which book will give me that. Sometimes I’m just tired and I need a story that won’t break my brain. Sometimes I just want to hang out with a story that’s more of an old friend than fiction. Here, in no particular order, are my top 5 favorite comfort reads: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh – I love the internal struggles of the characters. They rise above expectation (especially their own expectations of themselves) and their love is so frickin pure. Makes me cry every time and I’ve probably read it 50+ times. Written in Red by Anne Bishop – This story, and the whole series, has amazing worldbuilding. The main characters start out wanting more out of life but don’t know how to go about getting it. They have to make leaps of faith and trust to move forward. Trust is at…

Last fall, the leaves started turning gold and brilliant red. The birds sang as they migrated South, and I was forty-thousand words into creating, The Bewildered Bride. Everything was wonderful. Peace and love seemed to be everywhere. Then, the words stopped.   Nothing. Not a jot. Not even an extended ellipse.   I’m not one to panic, but for a writer to have their characters who had been happily chatting with you to go silent—that’s a Danger-Danger-Will-Robinson moment.   After a long sigh, several hazelnut lattes, prayer, and begging my muse, I closed up my laptop. I shut my eyes and listened. My heroine of The Bewildered Bride, Ruth Croome Wilke, had something to say, and it wasn’t the story on the page.   Her voice, I had suppressed. I’d convinced myself it didn’t matter. She would be happy in the end. When her story became tough and gutting, I stopped listening to her.   I didn’t want to face her truth. I wanted her to bottle up her pain.   I was hypocrite, and why would someone who’s been through so much want to waste her energy on someone who discounted the power of her voice.   Ruth had been…

Can you judge a man by the way he kisses? A kiss is a personal thing, made even more so by how a man feels about the person he is kissing. As a reader looking for the next great book boyfriend, what kind of kisses pique your interest? Soft and slow? Hard and demanding? Tension filled and fierce? Tender and loving? With my newest dragon shifter book—The Rogue King—out now, I thought I’d let you vote for which of the heroes in my two crossover shifter series—Fire’s Edge and Inferno Rising—you would want most for a book boyfriend…based on the way he kisses. Here are the first kisses between each hero and heroine in each book. Vote below. Which is your fav? Fallon & Maddie – The Mate (Fire’s Edge Prequel) Without turning his head away, Fallon addressed the Council. “I’m sorry, gentlemen. I’m afraid I have to break the rules to prove something to my mate.” Maddie’s lips parted on an indignant gasp at his arrogant assumptions. “You don’t know that I’m your—” She got no further. Fallon yanked her into his arms and claimed her lips in a kiss that immediately burned white hot, like her body remembered…

I’ve been published for fourteen years and put out a lot of books – over 70 at last count. Across those 70 books I’ve written the odd pet or two but it seems, in the last few years in particular, I’ve written a lot of pets that have tended to take over the story. In No More Mr. Nice Guy there’s a cockatoo called Shakespeare with a very loud mouth and very poor timing. In Playing With Forever, a tear away Great Dane called Tiny takes centre stage. My first Credence, Colorado book – Nothing But Trouble – showcases Wilburta, a cute little piglet and in the second book which is out in October – The Trouble With Christmas – a turtle called Zoom steals the show. I’ve also written several different pet dogs of varying ages and degrees of…shall we say, attractiveness? As well as fornicating goldfish and even an alpaca. Pets aren’t only cute and fun to write but they deliver the awww factor. They also give we, the readers, insights into the characters because how people treat animals is a true litmus test for the kind of person they are and this is as true in fiction…

Since very few people enjoyed the last season and most importantly, the last episode, of Game of Thrones (myself included), I started thinking of all the other shows I have watched that had equally terrible endings. These weren’t as high on the ratings scale as Game of Thrones of course, but they were still good shows with multiple seasons that finished on a sour note. These are my personal top 5 shows with absolutely dreadful endings. THE SOPRANOS This show was six seasons of crazy—death, backstabbing, lies, violence, drama—then along comes the final episode. With the family enjoying one of a few happy together moments, the screen goes black just as a shootout starts—with no resolution on who lived or died. After dutifully following the show for the full six seasons, the ending was a major let down. TRUE BLOOD This show was absolutely brilliant. It was one of the few shows where it didn’t matter what gender, race, or sexual orientation you were or weren’t—it was equal parts vampire campiness for everyone to love. Not to mention lots of Alexander Skarsgård! After all the twists and turns through seven seasons, it wrapped everything up in a pretty little end-credits…

All of my books have been set in England and Scotland, so it is natural that my husband and I have visited the British Isles over the years.  Here are my favorite things to do. Visit Winchester Any admirer of Jane Austen will eventually find herself in Winchester. Austen died here and is buried in the awe-inspiring Winchester Cathedral. Chawton Cottage, where Jane lived for many years, is nearby. Here I am near the water meadows of Winchester, where it is believed Keats composed his ode “To Autumn.”    Tour Edinburgh One of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Edinburgh, Scotland, is dominated by the castle, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to the child who would one day serve as both the king of England as James I, and simultaneously as James VI of Scotland. That’s the Royal Mile in the background. It was a beautiful, clear day—but cold. Explore London We love cities, and London is at the top of our list. So much to see and do. A short train ride from Waterloo Station and you can be at Hampton Court, home to many royals, including Henry VIII. There are reenactments and demonstrations of cooking and…

Thanks for having me at Fresh Fiction! I’m delighted to be here and chat about one of the elements from my latest release, DEADLOCK (June 25)! What strikes me most about my hero and heroine is that they begin from a place of high-stakes mistrust. One wrong move might get either of them killed. What’s more tantalizing than a couple so overcome with need for each other that they throw all caution to the wind to be together? I love it. And so I present you, in no certain order, my Top 5 enemies-to-lovers romances. A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas It’s hard to say too much about this one without spoilers, so consider this your warning! I was simply floored at how masterfully Maas took a character who seemed to be a villain from the previous book and turned him into a hero. Amazing. (A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES is required reading to get the full impact of this one, but it’s fabulous as well.) WALLBANGER by Alice Clayton When you can hear your neighbor’s, erm, very frequent nocturnal activities through the thin wall separating your bedrooms, how can you face him? This is…