We’ve all been told never to judge a book by its cover, but the truth is, that’s exactly what we do, especially when we’re shopping at an online site. Graphic designers work hard to create covers that, even in a size no larger than your fingernail, grab your eyes and don’t let go. So what happens when, seduced by that gorgeous cover, we buy the book only to discover that the story inside doesn’t deliver on the implicit promise of that cover? The author described the hero as an adorable beta male, but the alpha guy on the cover would make the head of a werewolf pack slink away in fear. The story was erotic paranormal, but the cover was a cutesy cartoon. The heroine of the story was a fiery redhead, but the cover model was a die-away blonde. The cover depicted smoldering lust between the H/H, but the story was cozy small-town love. The story featured characters with diverse backgrounds, but the cover models were all Caucasians. The book was part of a series, but the cover looks nothing like the other books in the series. Mismatches of this sort can create all kinds of issues for not…

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….

Back in early 2014 I first conceived the town of Blue Valley, Montana—the setting of both my Big Sky Cowboys series, and my current Navy SEAL Cowboys series. From the very beginning, it was a rough-and-tumble town inhabited by rough-and-tumble people. Most of the cowboys weren’t your traditional sort—a disgraced hockey player, the town screw up, and then a trio of Navy SEALs with physical and emotional scars. It’s that trio that makes up my Navy SEAL Cowboys series this year. It’s been a truly amazing experience to write about three injured SEALs coming to Blue Valley to build a ranch that will act as a foundation for wounded veterans such as themselves—those who need a place to feel useful again, to engage in some therapeutic horsemanship. And in the case of Revival Ranch’s three SEAL founders, fall in love. Coming to the end of a series is never easy. It’s a bit like moving away from home. For four years, I’ve spent a lot of time in Blue Valley, and for the past two I’ve been building Revival Ranch right along with my characters. I’ve spent hours there, imagining what it looks like, sounds like, and sometimes even smells…

It’s no secret that I absolutely adore ménage stories. There’s something just downright decadent about having three (or more) people getting hot and heavy in a relationship. The relationship arcs often take similar paths that you see in romances with two main characters, but a really good ménage has an extra level of depth because of the complicated relationship dynamics. It’s really four relationships in one! Each character must have a satisfying relationship with the other two members of the triad, and there’s the triad as a whole that needs to function smoothly. Whether these relationships are MMF (male-male- female; where the heroes are bisexual and intimate with each other as well as the heroine) or MFM (male-female-male; where the heroes share the heroine but aren’t intimate sexually with each other), they are so much fun to read! It’s definitely complicated, but when you find an author or book who pulls it off spectacularly, it’s one of the most rewarding reader experiences to have. You get the awesome relationships, and the opportunity to read some of the hottest sex scenes out there. Two is amazing, always and forever, but three (or more) just ups the game to a whole new…

When I was writing THE MORAL COMPASS, the first novel in the Shaking the Tree trilogy, I went in search of a suitable image for the cover. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any pictures of women in 1850s costume that even came close to what I wanted. So, using my knowledge of history of costume, pattern making and garment construction, I made a costume, found a model and photographed the image I had in my head. Most people would probably leave it there. However, I was writing a trilogy, so I had to make more costumes for the different periods in which my books were set. A bustle dress for the 1870s and a leg-O-mutton sleeve ensemble with a huge hat for the 1890s came next. This process has sparked an obsession. I love everything about making costumes; from the research, sourcing the fabric and trims, drafting the pattern, construction of the garment, making the accessories, and the hours of hand finishing these garments require. And the cherry on the cake is photographing the completed outfits so the images will make good book covers. So far, I’ve made garments representing the Regency period (c.1815), early Victorian (1840s), mid-Victorian (1850s), mid-late Victorian…

Your new book – MAVERICK – is a spin-off of your “Cat Star Chronicles” series. What made you want to revisit that world? How are the two series connected? Basically, this is a next-generation series. The children born to the characters in the previous books have grown up and are falling in love while getting tangled up in all manner of exciting adventures. I’m giddy that the hero in MAVERICK is the son of one of my all-time favorite characters – Captain Jack. Will longtime readers see shades of his mother? What qualities do you like endowing a hero with? Who are some of your favorite heroes – both ones you’ve written and ones by other authors? Funny thing about Larry, he’s like his mother in more ways than he realizes, except for one. His language isn’t as colorful as Jack’s. Call it a child rebelling against his parents, but you won’t catch him saying any swear words that the average reader would object to. What his Scorillian navigator, Brak, thinks about his favorite figures of speech is something else altogether. 🙂 I like handsome heroes who are intelligent, have a good sense of humor, aren’t too stuck on themselves,…

Dear Readers, I’m excited about the publication of my book Cowboy Charm School.   It’s been in the works for a long time. I played around with the concept for more than five years before I actually got around to writing it.   Book ideas generally come to me in scenes.  I’ll suddenly visualize someone atop a runaway stagecoach, scrambling over a roof, or running from a burning building and then have to figure out who, what, and why. The scene that popped into my head for Cowboy Charm School was a bride and groom standing at the altar about to say, “I do.”  Suddenly, a tall, handsome stranger runs into the church yelling, “Stop the wedding!”   I finally figured out that the stranger is Texas Ranger Brett Tucker, who thinks he’s saving the bride from marrying an outlaw. He’s mistaken, of course, but his accusations cause the bride and groom to break up.  Feeling terrible for what he’s done, Brett decides to work to bring the estranged couple back together again. God knows he means well.  But as the old western saying goes: When buying a horse, don’t consult a pedestrian; when courting a woman, don’t ask the…

Texas is a big state, and a great many of our male citizens wear cowboy boots and a Stetson or other brand cowboy hat. That doesn’t mean that man is a cowboy. Texas also hosts some huge and amazing rodeos, so especially during rodeo season, everyone togs up in western wear, as though they know which end of a horse is which. So, when I say REAL COWBOY, I’m talking about the men who actually work on a ranch, ride horses, shovel out stalls, plant crops, raise cattle and have a whole different way of looking at life than the city fellows. A real cowboy is generally down to earth, would do anything to help a neighbor, and they have a certain inner confidence that comes across. Gotta love a Real Cowboy. 1) Real cowboys know how to treat a woman. If you have ever loved and been loved by a real cowboy, you wouldn’t have to ask. <g> 2) Real cowboys do not wear baggy, saggy pants, and they do know how to fill out their Wranglers 3) When a Real Cowboy walks into a room all the women know there’s a man in the room…and so do the…

When I first set out to write this series – Band on the Run – this was not quite the way I had it planned.  It was going to be a trilogy, but unrelated. For those of you who know me, I’m kind of known more for my family sagas, but the chance to write something a little different fed my creativity in a way that nothing had in a while.  So how did we end up here? After much discussion, it was decided that the music trilogy would be an off-shoot of my Shaughnessy Brothers series. Why? Because Riley Shaughnessy is a rock star whose band is on hiatus. 😊 CUE THE INSPIRATION!! And so the series now had it’s players and its foundation and I have to say, I have loved every minute of it. You see, music plays a large part in my life. I’m married to a drummer. My older son was in a band.  Overall, we are a family who LOVES music, so the thought of writing books set in the music world fascinated me. BUT…I was going to take a different approach to writing about a rock band. I wasn’t writing about life on…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Erin Nicholas. Writes:  Playfully sexy, fun and flirty contemporary romance with heroes who are laid-back, dirty-talking charmers, heroines who know exactly how to handle them (and wrap them around their little fingers), and secondary characters that often threaten to steal the scene. Going Down Easy is the first of a hot new series set in New Orleans and will be melting e-readers on August 28th. About: Hopeless romantic who uses naughty words (in her writing and real life) seeking other avid readers who are okay with that and who love a dirty-talking hero with a sexy, southern drawl and a panty-melting grin and who want to see him fall absolutely head over heels for a woman who   …well, also loves all of that but has some pretty high walls for him to bring down before she’ll let him too close. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Someone who finds single dads especially sexy. Someone who has had, or is atleast willing…