Hi all! I’m Shae Connor, here to share my new novel HARD DRIVE for the Title Challenge. HARD DRIVE is an F/F college sports romance, set on the campus of the fictional University of Atlanta, featuring a relationship between a computer geek and a softball star. I’ve really enjoyed bringing these characters to life, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading about them. Here’s a little more about what to expect: H is for Happy ending! Guaranteed, naturally. 🙂 A is for Annie, the main character of the story, reserved, quiet, recently out as bisexual, and inexperienced in just about every way. R is for Romance, of course. Annie experiences her first romance after her crush, Eve, asks her on a… D is for … Date! Annie helps Eve with a broken-down laptop, so Eve asks her to… D is for … Dinner, which starts out as just a thank you but ends up leading to more. R is for Rain—or more specifically, thunderstorms. Annie has a phobia, but when they’re caught out in one, Eve finds a good way to distract her. 😉 I is for Introvert. Annie’s a major introvert who deals with anxiety, especially when it comes to…

The last time, there had been only one at the door to take coats. Yet as she moved further into the bar, she saw why they had brought more in. The bar was the busiest Harriet had ever seen…well…anywhere. The dance floor was still there and the couples dancing managed to swing around without colliding with anyone, a skill Harriet was sure she didn’t possess. She was used to open spaces for her dancing. People were standing around chatting on the edge of the dance floor and at the bar, and others were crammed around tables far too small for their parties. “Is it usually like this on a Tuesday?” Harriet whispered as she followed Charlie through the crowds, her hand in his to avoid getting lost. “No, but it’s usually like this when they have a performance,” Charlie answered as he led her upstairs. It was only five or six steps, but it was enough to make it easier to see the stage. “So, they’re all here for Rosalie?” He grinned at her as they sat down. “Yes and no. They’re not here for Rosalie, specifically, but they are here to see her and the other girls she sings…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BREATH BETWEEN WAVES 2–What is it about? It’s an historical sapphic romance set aboard the fateful maiden voyage of RMS Titanic, where the main character, Penelope Fletcher, is moving to America and is sharing a cabin with Ruby Cole, a free-willed Irish woman who Penelope is immediately drawn and attracted to. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book? That it’s just one place? But in all honesty, the Titanic was such an incredible ship for its time and the sheer luxury and glamour of it was fun to reproduce while writing—even if the characters are sailing in Second Class and so don’t really experience much of the more lavish amenities. 4–How did your heroine surprise you? The way she handles the sinking. All throughout we see that Penelope isn’t really sure of herself or where she stands in the world, or with the people in her life. But the sinking brings out another side of her that I really hadn’t expected as I was planning and drafting it. 5–Why will readers love her love interest? Because she’s spunky. And outgoing. She is one of those people who has…

We look at each other across the shop. Or, more accurately, I glare at her. Thankfully, there’re no customers present to witness my daily mortifications by a uni student barely younger than me who loves to mop up the floor with my pride. The truth is we met in a book club a couple of years back, and we became fast friends. She gave hilarious reviews, which turned out to be handy for the shop. She thought I was delightfully quirky. It would have been the perfect spring romance, except that I’m attracted to men, and I was together with my ex. At any rate, we’ve got the banter down, especially now that I rely on her help in the shop. Customers love her, too. She pretends to reconsider. “Or how about ‘Aubrey Barnes, Fierce Defender of Books’? That’s got a superhero thing going on. More sympathetic, I think. Am I right or am I right?” Gemma gives an impish smile. Once upon a time, I was just Aubrey Barnes, ready to go for pints or a gig or the occasional big night out. Back before life became too real. Now, I’m twenty-three going on forty-three. I sigh, noting the…

1–What is the title of your latest release? Heirly Ever After 2–What is it about? A young woman is attending her sister’s royal wedding–sans a date who broke up with her after she dropped out of college for him–so she takes a date with a Scottish man she meets on the train who happens to be the outcast of the royal family. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love the Cotswold feel of an English country town with rolling hills and the historical aspects of the castle that I built in my head in Heired Lines from watching a lot of Secrets of Great British Castles 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  She wasn’t supposed to be this dang persistent. In my head originally she was spunky, but I kept having to tell my brain one thing and she wanted to do another. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  That he’s genuine. His story could have been very different and he could have been a villain or an anti-hero. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)?  To make Lord Jacob a real hero and not an anti-hero. 7–Do…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Rough and Tumble 2–What is it about?  Grant and Darryn, two friends, college roommates, and gymnastics teammates who discover they’ve fallen for each other–but one of them has already moved on with someone else. What happens when that relationship turns sour? 3–What word best describes your POV hero?  Snarky! 4–What makes your love interest hero irresistible?  Sweetness. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Grant turns to his twin sister, Annie, his parents–and Darryn. Darryn turns to Grant and to his parents. 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  It’s in my city, Atlanta! The University of Atlanta is fictional, but its location is near where another college sits, and I used to live across the street. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? I’m a plantser. I do some planning/plotting before I start writing, but then I make changes and add/remove elements while I’m writing. 8–What is an ideal writing day for you?  A quiet cabin in the woods or a beach house. 9–Do you listen to music while you write, need total…

Before I wrote my new book A First Time for Everything–which is also my first New Adult romance–all my romances were in third-person and alternated between the hero and heroine’s point of view. This is a satisfying, tried and true approach to romance novels, and I toyed with the idea of doing the same thing with A First Time. But I wanted to give readers what they like and expect in a New Adult book, which is first person, and I thought a change in my usual approach would be an interesting challenge. I went with first-person present, which gives the book a super immediate and raw feel, because everything Hannah experiences is being processed in the moment. That’s how things feel to everyone falling in love, but I think it’s especially true when we’re falling in love for the first time. The next decision was whether to alternate between Hannah and Casey’s point of view. I initially wanted to, but when I thought about writing from a twenty-one-year-old guy’s point of view, I gave a mental shudder. How could I possibly get into the mind of some horny college guy? I seriously couldn’t go there, not at first. I…

What does the phrase “do no harm but take no crap” mean to you? Some people interpret it to mean living your life on your terms but being sensitive to the needs, wants, and expectations of others. Or being empathetic, but not at the expense of your soul. Staying in your lane and minding your business but helping when and how you can. Being a good citizen but also taking care of yourself. No matter what you decide, it’s a philosophy that is impacting a lot of people in many different ways. Self-care comes to mind for me when I think about how I apply this to my life…setting aside time to take care of myself and do the things that feed and inspire my soul. And yes, that means cutting out the toxic elements that pop into my world here and there. I’m the kind of person who likes to help others but I’ve learned over the years that there are people who will take advantage of that and will, without hesitation, drain you dry. So having a philosophy like this one makes it easier to draw the line when a situation is getting out of control. I still…

With the success of binge-worthy content like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Dumplin’, Good Omens, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Anne with an E, streaming services are becoming the new go-to when you want to adapt a book. Now that Netflix has snatched up the rights to Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, I’ve started thinking about what I’d like to see them tackle next. Here are five of my favorite books that I think Netflix could do justice. The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones This is a melancholy urban fantasy about a girl who makes a pact with a demon for tuition money. (Honestly, if it were me… I’d consider it.) Agreeing to serve the demon for two years, Dee quickly finds herself in over her head, but at least she’s not alone – she’s also working among some other hapless teenagers who made similar deals. She finds herself falling in love with one of her fellow charges, but she’s determined to ignore it, especially considering there’s no guarantee she’ll survive the length of her contract. This book has become one of my all-time favorites, and I think a movie adaptation would give it some much-deserved spotlight. And who knows?…

I love romance, but my second favorite genre has to be science fiction, specifically speculative fiction like time travel and alternate realities. In my new book, Lost Years, the hero travels many miles in search of the girl he loves. I love the paradox of these storylines. Here are my top five favorite time travel movies. Have I forgotten any? Do you agree with my list? Do you love or love to hate these movies? 5) Back to the Future: who can resist a classic? In this eighty’s comedy, Michael J Fox accidently travels back to the fifties in a custom time machine. He happens to run into his teenage mother, who ends up crushing on him. Once you get over the ick factor, it’s a really cute story. 4) Time Cop: Another oldie but goodie. A police officer who travels through time to stop a shady politician? Yep, I said it. I imagine one of the biggest issues with time travel is the money-making opportunities. If only I’d known how huge Apple or Microsoft were going to be and I’d invested a few thousand. If you could go back in time would you risk it? 3) About Time: this…