“Sorry I bitched about the seats,” Marissa said, sipping the foam from her beer. I shook my head. “Totally fine, they were expensive tickets.” “It’s just, I wanted the full experience, you know? Front row, being sung to, eyes locking. The whole rock and roll fantasy.” “Oh, I get it—more than you know.” Again, she raised an eyebrow. “Do you, now? Please elaborate.” I smiled wickedly. I wasn’t embarrassed of my days following this band, so why had I acted like I was? I opened my mouth to share the story, but then the drum solo started winding into a guitar solo, and I turned back towards our seats. It was calling to me, like a siren song. I glanced back at the bouncer who stood guarding the floor area, his nose buried in his phone. This was our one chance. I reached back to grab hold of Marissa’s hand and stepped down towards the stage, one foot in front of the other, fully expecting to be stopped at some point…but nothing. Not when we reached the back of the crowd, not when we approached the velvet rope of the floor seats, and not even when we reached the opening…

1–What is the title of your latest release? Not Seeking Mr. Right 2–What is it about? It’s an older woman/younger man romance where 40 year old Ginny finds herself accidentally pregnant from a one-night stand with cute 25-year-old Josh. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I fell in love with Lakeside NY, and the people who live there, when I was writing the Men of Lakeside series. It’s similar to the area I live in, so I’m very familiar with a small town on a lake, where tourists flock every summer. When that trilogy was done, I didn’t want to leave the village and the people behind. The villagers love spreading gossip, but most rally around their neighbors, and show up often in the pages. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  How easily she accepted the idea of a one-night stand. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  Not only is he hot as hell, with sun-kissed curls and a seductive smile, but he’s a responsible guy who wants to do what’s right. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)?  Getting the premise nailed down. I had a few different…

Enemies become lovers in The Goodbye Guy, book 3 in my Men of Lakeside series. In this excerpt, Rachel has come home with Beck from a fancy party… Mocha was waiting for them at the door. The shameless mutt wriggled up to Rachel first, as if the dog knew she was a pushover. And apparently, she was, because even though she and Beck had been kissing and touching in the car, building their anticipation even further, Rachel was on her knees–for the dog–as soon as they got home. “She’s been lonely, poor thing,” Rachel said. That snug blue dress rode up her thighs as she nuzzled the dog. “Don’t feel bad, sweetie. You wouldn’t have had any fun at that party.” Beck gave up the hope they’d be heading straight to the bedroom and dropped to the floor beside them. All the better to be near those bare legs. “Except for the dancing.” She leaned against him even as she let the dog curl up in her lap. “Oh yeah, the dancing part was the best.” He reached out to rub Mocha’s wild hair, then let his hand rest on Rachel’s thigh. “I can’t imagine what kind of video your…

Before I start writing a book, I do quite a bit of pre-writing. I try to figure out who my characters are and then I create a playlist. Once I have a playlist, I listen to it all the time. I listen to it so much that my kids complain because they get tired of the music. It becomes background noise that I use to draft the novel. One song that isn’t on my playlist, only because it wasn’t out when I made the playlist and wrote the book, is “Friends Don’t” by Maddie & Tae. The lyrics are a perfect representation of Owen and Evelyn’s relationship. “Friends don’t call you in the middle of the night Couldn’t even tell you why They just felt like saying “hi” Friends don’t stand around, playing with their keys Finding reasons not to leave Trying to hide the chemistry Drive a little too slow, take the long way home Get a little too close We do, but friends don’t” The actual playlist I used is pretty good, though. When I choose songs, I look for things that represent each character, the mood of the book, and their relationship. I don’t think I’ve ever…

One of the best things about writing romances is that I get to delve into my favorite tropes (back when I first started writing romance, in the olden days, we called them hooks) and wallow in their awesomeness. I can explore those fun fantasies I love to read and put them into my own stories. One of my favorite tropes is Friends-to-Lovers. When emotions start to change between longtime friends it can throw them for a loop, especially when they’re not sure if the other one’s feelings have changed as well. Then there’s the worry that if they do take the relationship to the next level, will it ruin everything they had? Is a romance between friends worth the risk? In THE STANDBY GUY, Carter and Katie are not just best friends, they live next door to one another. Yeah, the Boy Next Door/Girl Next Door trope. I can’t help it, I love that one too. So there’s the added pressure of what would happen if things didn’t go well. Not only could they lose their friendship, but they’re going to run into this person all the time. Talk about awkward. Again, is it worth the risk? Another favorite trope…

If you hang out on Twitter, you might’ve seen a meme going around that asked people to name 5 things they love that aren’t books or people. It’s a tougher question than it looks at first glance, so I spent some time thinking about it. Here’s what I came up with, in no particular order: 1. My DVR – If you follow me at all on social media or if you’ve met me in real life, you know that I watch a lot of TV. Like A LOT. I’ve always been a bit of a TV junkie and having a DVR (as opposed to having to record on a VHS tape – remember those days?) has fed my habit. In the past, as new shows debuted, I had to sift through and decide what I wanted to watch. With small children in the house, more often than not, it was what can I record to watch later. Now, I’m much less choosey. If it sounds remotely interesting, I set a timer to record. I can give more shows a chance. It’s always easier to delete a timer than to try to catch up on a show later. 2. Netflix –…