Welcome to the Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Follow along all week for great authors, delicious food, awesome books, and fun book giveaways. Each day, two authors will share a recipe they think their main characters would enjoy together. We hope you enjoy, add some meals to your recipe collections, and learn about some fabulous books along the way!  *** Piper J. Drake’s Butter Mochi In FOREVER STRONG, just released January 28, Ying Yue, has been kidnapped and subsequently rescued by Zu, leader of the Search and Protect team. She’s made welcome by Pua with snacks and refreshing drinks. Later, Kalea cooks for the team and the food she provides represents safety and a sense of home. As the chemistry between Ying Yue and Zu grows stronger, Zu finds himself wishing he could cook some of his favorite dishes for her. Food, the sharing of it, and the heart that might go into the cooking of it is a key element in the way I build my characters and their relationships. It can bring together a team and give you the sense of family, either born or found. Butter mochi is a Hawaiian treat made with sweet rice flour, resulting in…

As part of our countdown to Readers & ‘ritas 2018, our Meet the Author interviews help you get to know the authors joining us in Texas on November 9-11. Read on to get acquainted with Piper J. Drake, and purchase your ticket to meet her in person at Readers & ‘ritas! Pitch us your newest book in one sentence. Be sure to include the book title. K9 handler Arin Siri and security specialist Jason Lande join forces to take down a human trafficking ring in the Hawaiian islands in FIERCE JUSTICE. If you could meet one of your characters in real life, who would you choose and what would you do? I’d love to meet King, Arin Siri’s canine partner from FIERCE JUSTICE. We’d take my Corgi, Corbin, and go for a long doggy play date. What gets your creative juices flowing when you’re brainstorming a new story? Music and movement help my thoughts flow. I put together playlists to listen to, dance alone in my apartment or hotel room, or go for long walks. Which part of Readers & ‘ritas are you most excited about? This is my first Readers & ‘ritas and I’m very excited to meet all…

In April of 2017, I went to Hawaii for a long weekend to research locations, people, and food on Oahu. For readers new to my books, I try to make my stories action-packed with robust love stories and there’s always at least one character with an intense appreciation for food. Oahu has some great local dishes and here’s a bit of insight into the research I did on each of them. Some of these might pop up in TOTAL BRAVERY, or my characters might enjoy them in future books. Loco Moco This meal hits all the right spots either late at night, early in the morning, or just about any time of day. It comes in many variations but the basic concept is white rice topped with one or more hamburger patties, a runny fried egg, and brown gravy. It’s savory and rich, hot and filling. Matthew J. Drake, our friend (we’ll call him The Roaming Artist), and I tried loco moco in several places at several times of day. Our hands-down favorite was late night at the Rainbow Drive-In served simple, with no-frills, on a Styrofoam plate and eaten with plastic cutlery. It was amazing. Actually, we didn’t get…

Falling for a co-worker is a bad idea. It has the potential to make work complicated, there’s conflict of interest, and things can get very awkward if the romance ends. Yet the temptation is so real. Here’s my top five reasons for loving co-worker romances like my CONTRACTED DEFENSE. It’s a bad idea, theoretically That’s what we love about it. There are few things more wonderful than taking a chance with a bad idea and having it turn into something mind-blowing in the best ways possible. It’s forbidden In many workplaces, company policies do not allow inter-office relationships, especially between managers and subordinates. There’s something about the risk, the excitement, that makes the romance irresistible. The connection Attraction between co-workers has the added boost from understanding each other’s work, possibly their passion. Especially in a dangerous line of work like Adam and Victoria from Safeguard, there’s an extra depth in knowing the person you’re involved with understands the sacrifices you make and the hard decisions you have to face. The proximity This one builds on the previous three. When you’ve got the spark, it only intensifies as you work together over time. Whether you’re in the midst of the romance…