“I’m not asking you to forgive me, only to trust me that this was necessary. For both of our safety.” Her vision blurred with instant, furious tears. Helpless anguish. “I can never trust you. Do you realize that? How could you even suggest it?” “Have I ever hurt you?” he demanded tightly, then swore and looked away, seeming to realize as he said it that he was inviting the vitriol that climbed like bile into her throat. “I meant physically. Look, I’ve been waiting for the right time to resurface. I need to know you’re safe when word gets out that I’m alive. As of today’s debacle, it’s out. Please come with me and let me explain.” She realized the ache in her other hand was from gripping her phone this whole time. All those people inside this tiny rectangle, all those “friends” who’d been so sympathetic, eating up her grief like bitter chocolate bonbons. Where were they now, when she was in real trouble? Not here. She fingered her pendant, thinking of Nels. He was a reliable friend, but they weren’t exactly soul mates. She didn’t have anyone. That’s what she’d come to terms with since Giovanni’s disappearance. For…

Writing for Harlequin Presents, I always know my hero will be exceptionally wealthy. It’s part of the promise to our reader that she will be swept into a glamorous world of luxury, visit exotic locations, and have a passionate encounter with a hero who is lord of all he surveys. These powerful men believe they’re impervious to love, or at least that they can control whom they love the way they control everything else. That arrogance has been winning my heart since I found Harlequin Presents. (Which was in high school! I won’t tell you how long ago that was, but I married my high school sweetheart and our kids are now grown). I have always adored the ruthless, embittered heroes who take an entire book to let down their guard and admit they’re falling for their plucky heroine. It makes the way they turn to mush when a baby is in the picture all the more satisfying! (Think of the old cartoon with the bulldog and the wide-eyed kitten.) I swoon when they discover they are hopelessly ill-equipped to look after a baby, yet suffer a surge of protectiveness that forces them to rise to the challenge. When I…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Revelations of a Secret Princess 2–What is it about?  When Princess Caro discovers the daughter she’d believed dead is still alive, she’ll do whatever it takes to be with her. Even taking on the role of nanny in disguise, because her little girl’s guardian is one of the world’s most powerful men who has no intention of giving her up. This story is full of secrets, scandal and passion. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  Desperate. 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  The tender, caring side he hides behind his stern façade. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Each other! 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The Swiss Alps. It’s a little like the setting for The Sound of Music but with higher mountains, more meadow flowers and better chocolate. Plus there’s a castle set high on a mountain. Sigh. 7–Are you a plotter (follow an outline) or a pantster (write by the seat of your pants)? Pantster, or as I prefer to call it ‘organic writer’  I know my characters and conflict and go from there. 8–What is an ideal writing…

A RING TO TAKE HIS REVENGE started out as a very different story. One that didn’t quite work the first time round. But with my editor’s careful guidance I found my way towards the right story for Antonio and Emma. Of all the changes that I made, Emma was the one who took me by surprise the most. In her, I found a survivor. Someone who had battled to be where she is when she meets Antonio. After a double mastectomy at the age of 17, she is on the road to reaching her living list goals, but Antonio is about to make her realise that she isn’t done fighting yet, because now she must reach for what she wants for herself. Cancer is something that affects so many of us, whether personally or through family members, friends, or loved ones. And it’s different for every single person. I would not claim to have represented everyone’s struggle with it, nor do I believe that there is a right or wrong way to take that fight to where it needs to go. You do what you have to do. My mother was sixty when she was diagnosed and it rocked us….