I have had a love affair with American History, especially America’s “Old West” nearly all my life, probably because I grew up on TV westerns like Gunsmoke and old western movies starring Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. But I truly believe there is a part of me who, in another life, lived in the west, either as an Indian or a pioneer woman. My top five reasons for loving the West would be: The magnificent landscapes The phenomenal growth of our frontier The rugged pioneers The fact that men set their own laws, sometimes “on the spot” The respect and admiration most men of the West had for the pioneer women who dared to join them in a savage land And a sixth. . . complete strangers often ended up marrying out of need and loneliness, which is what my book is about. Excerpt: August 1869 Kate ducked into the tall grass as soon as she heard men’s voices. She slowly crawled to get close enough to listen, then parted the dense, yellow blades to see five rough-looking men gathered around a lonely, half-dead cottonwood tree. One of the men raised up in his stirrups and flung a rope over…

It’s so fun to be back on the Fresh Fiction Blog! If we haven’t met before, I’m Lisa Kessler and I write paranormal romances that have plenty of twists and turns, danger and adventure, and sexy romance that will curl your toes. I love writing paranormals, but I don’t stop with vampires and shifters. In the Sentinels of Savannah series, I’ve got a sexy crew of immortal pirates, but they’re not vampires. Their final plunder as mortals turned out not to be gold, but the Holy Grail. They’ve been immortal ever since, living and working at their favorite port city, Savannah Georgia! My new release, Pirate’s Pleasure, is book 3 in my new Sentinels of Savannah Series but it can be read as a standalone. Why pirates in Savannah? My grandmother was born and raised just outside of Savannah in Darien, so I’d visited America’s Most Haunted City before and pirates are a big part of their history. I’ve wanted to write a pirate series since the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out, but I didn’t want to write a historical soooo… One day it hit me! What if the pirates were still here, today? Immortal. They all have…

From Chapter 1 of TIGHTROPE:  “There is no need to fear robots,” Dr. Pickwell declared. It was clear that the suggestion that robots would displace workers annoyed him. He raised his voice to be heard above the murmurs of the crowd. “I urge you to consider that these machines could take the place of soldiers. Wars of the future will be fought with robots, not human beings. Think of the lives that will be saved.” “You’re mad,” someone else shouted. “You want to create robots that can kill? What if these machines of yours decide to turn on their creators and try to destroy us?” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Pickwell snapped. “Robots are nothing more than mechanical devices. Fundamentally, they are no different than the cars we drive or the radios that we use to get our news.” “Futuro looks mighty dangerous to me,” the man in the front row called. “Nonsense,” Pickwell said. “Allow me to demonstrate how useful Futuro can be. Futuro, what is the forecast for tomorrow?” The robot answered in a scratchy, hollow voice. “There will be fog in the morning but by noon the day will turn warm and sunny. No rain is expected.” Pickwell faced his…

HEART OF THE TEXAS DOCTOR by Eve Gaddy Heart of Texas #1 Opposites attract… Graham McBride is a cardiothoracic surgeon and the eldest of the McBride siblings. Dedicated, hardworking, traditional, and oh, yeah, hot. But Graham married young and divorced, and is now convinced no woman will tolerate his dedication to his career. When he meets Bella Benson at a party he’s immediately attracted to her, probably because she’s totally different from any woman he’s ever dated. …but can they stay together? Bella owns one of the local hair salons. She’s young, hardworking, successful and unconventional. And to Graham there’s no denying that, from the tips of her rainbow- colored hair to the soles of her fancy turquoise cowboy boots, Bella Benson is smokin’. Bella is no more interested in getting serious than Graham. After all, other than a sizzling physical attraction, they don’t have a lot in common. But oh, that sizzle! Irresistible right? So they jump into the fire, both confident they can keep their emotions in check. Love and passion rarely stick with a plan, and while Graham has expertise in repairing hearts, he is disastrously clueless figuring out his own. Can he prove to Bella that…

THE WAY YOU LOVE ME by Miranda Liasson Angel Falls #2 Welcome to Angel Falls, a charming small town where hope, friendship, and family lead an unlikely couple to their happily ever after. Gabby Langdon has always tried to make people happy. She even went to law school to please her father, and now she’s a highly successful-albeit bored-attorney. But Gabby secretly dreams of being a writer, so for once she does something for herself-she signs up for a writing class taught by best-selling novelist Caden Marshall. There’s only one problem: her brooding, sexy professor is a distraction she can’t afford if she’s finally going to get the life she truly wants. Recently divorced and suffering from the world’s worst case of writer’s block, Caden is in Angel Falls to get his life back on track. He’s focused on teaching and providing a stable and loving home for his young daughter, Ava. The last thing he needs is to jeopardize his new job, which means keeping plenty of distance between himself and his talented new student-no matter how tempted he is by Gabby’s beauty, kind heart, or the sparks that fly whenever they’re together. Romance Contemporary [Forever, On Sale: January 29, 2019, Mass…

My newest release, #MOONSTRUCK, which goes on sale July 17, is the second in my #Lovestruck series for Montlake about “hometown” girls who fall in love with celebrities, with the help of social media. In #MOONSTRUCK, Maisy Harrison is a hairdresser and lead singer in the fledging rock band Yesterday. She and her three brothers play in a local bar once a week—and dream of making the big time. It’s actually her friend Angie’s obsession with international pop singer Ryan de Luna, though, that puts Maisy and Ryan together when he comes to town to perform in concert. And the obvious question I get asked a lot is, am I—or was I—ever a fangirl of celebrities? The answer is, YES! And I kind of still am. I make a daily stop at eonline.com to catch up on entertainment news. I’m glad that I had no Internet or social media growing up, because I can see how that might have gotten me in trouble. I might have cyberstalked some celebrities back then! I’ve never had a backstage pass to a concert, as Angie and Maisy do in #MOONSTRUCK. When I was a teenager, going to concerts wasn’t something my parents could…