THE NIGHT ISLAND Exclusive Excerpt   “What do you know about the list?” she asked, not bothering to answer his question. “If it’s the one I’m looking for it’s a list of names of people who took a certain psych test several years ago.” “The informant offered to sell it to you, too?” she said. “And, apparently, to whoever got here first.” “The list wasn’t the only thing the first buyer took.” She glanced back at the door, remembering the energy on the metal handle. “Whoever it was grabbed our informant as well.” Luke Rand’s eyes got a little intense. “What makes you so sure the informant didn’t decide to disappear after making the first sale?” The disturbingly soft way he asked the question rattled her nerves. She needed to stay focused. “Just a guess,” she said in her coolest tones. She could tell he knew she was lying, but he did not press her. She hurried on. “You came to the same conclusion, didn’t you?” “Yes.” “So, if the informant and the list are gone, why are you still here?” she asked. “I thought it would be interesting to see who else showed up.” “Right.” She paused. “That was…

Who is Ravenna Chastain? How would you describe her to readers? From the book description, she sounds like she lives a complicated life. JAK:Ravenna possesses an unusual skill set that makes her an excellent criminal profiler.  She realizes that’s pretty much the same skill-set required for successful matchmaking so she decides to change career paths. Her own dating life is a little more complicated because she’s got this weird talent for starting paranormal fires.  She makes men nervous.   How would you describe the dynamic between Ravenna and Ethan? JAK: Ravenna is looking for a man who isn’t afraid of her fire talent. Ethan Sweetwater comes from a family with a long history of hunting human monsters. The Sweetwaters are in a different line these days but he’s got the old family talent. Ravenna’s thing for fire doesn’t worry him but she’s starting to wonder if she might be dating a mob guy.   I started reading your books because of so many rave reviews from my fellow readers in online book groups. The thing that gets mentioned more than anything else, is how fab the main characters are. They stay with you long after you finish a book. What…

by Debbie Wiley Books have been part of my life for as long as I remember. Even before I could fully read on my own, I remember my grandmother reading to me and listening to books on record albums, following along with the words in the accompanying book. Everyone knows the last two years have been tough, but for this reader, it’s been worsened by a reading slump. Instead of turning to books for comfort, I’ve watched a lot of mindless television, much to the chagrin of my husband. Fortunately, a few recent reads have really jumped out at me and tugged me into the storylines, snapping that reading slump into tiny pieces! One of the tricks often cited to break a reading slump is to reread old favorites. My twist on this is to read authors I’ve loved over the years. CURSE OF SALEM by Kay Hooper perfectly fit the bill! Not only have I loved Kay Hooper’s books dating back to the 1980s when she wrote category romances, but I’ve also faithfully followed her Bishop Special Crimes Unit series, devouring them as soon as I could get my hands on each new installment. CURSE OF SALEM returns to the town…

by Debbie Wiley I miss attending book conventions. I’ve been lucky enough to attend quite a few in Orlando, Florida over the years, including Romantic Times (now known as the Booklovers Convention), RWA, and the Shameless Book Con. Memories of attending RT and RWA with my mom often pop in my head when reading certain authors because some of those authors are ones my mom introduced me to  their books when I was a teenager. Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz will always be loved by me not only for their books, but for the memories Mom and I are even now still making as we share a love for their writing.  Just this morning, Mom and I were chatting about the time she met Nora Roberts at RT. Her hands were shaking as she clenched a book in her hands hoping to meet Nora Roberts and get a signature- and she did, making a memory that lasts even now when she’s not as mobile and Covid has her stuck in her home most of the time. Books can tie us together in more ways than stories, but here are a few recent books from authors Mom and I have…

Catalina was halfway back to the office, walking fast, when her phone vibrated. She yanked it out of the pocket of her coat and glanced at the screen. Daniel. “Please tell me you’ve got a lead on Olivia,” she said. “Nothing yet, but you need to get back here now.” “Almost there. Why? What happened?” “There’s someone here to see you. Says it’s urgent. Says it’s about Olivia.” “Put him on the phone,” Catalina said. “Hang on,” Daniel said. The voice that came on the line was masculine, eerily calm, cool and controlled. It was, she concluded, the kind of voice that could lead you out of a burning building. It was also a voice that, under the right circumstances, could scare the living daylights out of you. “My name is Slater Arganbright,” he said. “Oh, shit,” Catalina whispered. “I realize you’ve got some history with my uncle. We can talk about that later. Right now we’ve got other priorities. I understand your business partner, Olivia LeClair, is missing.” Okay, so she had been on the verge of calling Victor Arganbright. It was one thing to put in a call for help. It was something else entirely to discover that…

My top five favorite workplace romances? The author who immediately comes to mind on workplace romances is Jayne Ann Krentz. Most of her early heroes felt like cowboys in the boardroom. I used to eat up her contemporary romances like they were going out of style. So I’d have to put an oldie but a goodie, Sweet Fortune by Jayne Ann Krentz, on my list. And if she’s there, then I have to also add Susan Elizabeth Phillips and the first in her Chicago Stars books, It Had to Be You, about a woman who inherits a football team yet knows nothing about the sport. The humor and conflict between the hero and heroine are laugh-out-loud funny. And the steam factor is high! On a less contemporary note, I’m a huge Shelly Laurenston fan, and she’s known for writing zany paranormal romances. But one workplace romance that’s stayed with me is Big, Bad Beast, which pits wolf shifter and former Marine sniper Dee-Ann Smith up against Ric Van Holtz, her boss. I laugh and flip page after page whenever I’m reading Shelly Laurenston’s books. Staying in the paranormal lane, I’d have to go with Thea Harrison’s The Elder Races series,…

Looking Glass Trilogy #1 January 2011 On Sale: January 3, 2011 352 pages ISBN: 0399157026 EAN: 9780399157028 Hardcover $25.95 Add to Wish List Mystery Amateur Sleuth, Romance Paranormal Buy at Amazon.com California Suspense, at last Fallon’s story In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz Jayne Ann Krentz follows up her highly successful Dreamlight Trilogy written in collaboration with her two alter egos, Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle with a brand-new story arc that begins in a secluded coastal town in northern California. Scargill Cove is the perfect place for Fallon Jones, confirmed recluse and investigator of the paranormal. It’s a hot spot, a convergence point for unusually strong currents of energy, which might explain why the town attracts misfits and drifters like moths to a flame. Now someone else has been drawn to the Cove Isabella Valdez, on the run from some very dangerous men. When she starts working as Fallon’s assistant, Isabella impresses him by organizing his pathologically chaotic office and doesn’t bat an eye at the psychic element of his job. She’s a kindred spirit, a sanctuary from a world that considers his talents a form of madness. But after a routine case unearths an antique clock infused…