How many times have you had to defend your reading preferences? If you read mysteries, science fiction, or even thrillers, I’ll bet you’ve rarely had to explain their appeal to a doubting audience. But if you read romance, that’s a whole different proposition. Why do I read romance? Because the women never settle. They expect–and get total respect from the men in their lives. They expect—and get unconditional love. That’s it. They expect—and get the mate who is perfect for them. That’s the whole answer in a nutshell. Don’t stop now, read the rest and find out about a cool contest Visit FreshFiction.com to learn more about books and authors.

Can it really be October already? I hope so! I love this month, and here is why… Cooler weather. I admit it. I hate the heat and humidity of summer in the south. Being hot makes me cranky. Ask my husband, he’ll tell you it’s true! But a miraculous change in the weather sweeps in around the first of October each year. Mornings have a cool nip in the air, and the mid-day sun is warm but not breath-stealing. The first hints of autumn arrive. I love wearing sweaters, the smell of fallen leaves and the evening temperatures that let me jog in the neighborhood without melting. Welcome cooler weather! Football! By October, high school and college football seasons are in full swing. I love football. In fact, it is one of the few sports I do enjoy watching. I love the school rivalries, the excitement, the sweaty men in tight pants , and spending a Saturday afternoon (and often the evening too!) curled up on the sofa with my hubby watching all the games. Football is a great pleasure of the Fall. The holidays. October means Halloween and an excuse to decorate my house with pumpkins and buy chocolate!…

I’ve been reading romance novels for over twenty years and writing them for over ten years. They are a significant part of my life. I’ve watched trends come and go, and I’ve been part of some of those trends. But one thing remains constant: The heroes and heroines fall in fall. Romance novels are about romance. The Art of Desire is an erotic romance. It’s a wildly passionate book where the characters fall crazy in love while having crazy, heart-thrilling sex. I was accurately quoted in Candy’s June Inside Books column (thanks, Candy!) about how my books used to get censored, and I’d like to expound on that quote, posting it in its entirety. In the old days, I used to get censored by my editors because my love scenes were too graphic, so when the erotica subgenre exploded on the scene, it seemed inevitable that I become part of it. Even my readers kept asking, “When are you going to write an erotica?” So I did it! The Art of Desire is my first really, really sexy book. No censorship. No holds barred. But in spite of the sensuality, I wanted it to be highly romantic and deeply emotional,…

I had every intention of writing a blog about my latest release for Silhouette Romantic Suspense, SAFE WITH A STRANGER (the first book in my new trilogy called The Safekeepers.) The Safekeepers is a series of suspense novels about bodyguards for children–with the fun addition of Mexican witchcraft and a family curse. Or maybe I could’ve blogged about connected books. That seems to be my thing lately. My last series for Silhouette was six books long! I just don’t seem to be able to write single books anymore. I like fleshing out characters over several books and really enjoy revealing a series-long connection inside each book. But as I was sitting here at my desk, my mind wandered off (as it usually does,) and I began thinking about why I write at all. As I have said before, I hate to write. Really I do. Oh, I love telling stories. I love getting into the heads of my characters. I love doing research. And I love finding just the right word to make a sentence sing. But the process of sitting my back end into a chair and shoveling out the words makes me want to cringe. In fact, right…

Anna Marcus, the heroine of my book Seduced for the Inheritance is a tough cookie. She’s dealing with the fallout of divorce and bankruptcy, and is freshly bereaved. Then she runs into my arrogant, demanding (and of course, irresistible) hero. Anna has just unexpectedly inherited her childhood home, a tiny cottage in the middle of the huge Paradiso estate. When estate-owner Naldo de Leon tries to buy back what he sees as an integral part of his own domain, does she hand it over with a whimper and run away? Heck no. She’s constitutionally incapable of doing that. In fact, the more he tries to rush her and goad her into selling, the harder she fights back. She’s as stubborn, proud and insistent as Naldo…something he slowly, but surely, comes to appreciate and admire. Anna is an ‘alpha female’ who can’t be pushed around, even by the most determined ‘alpha male.’ I enjoy writing the kind of strong heroines who stand up for their beliefs and their rights, even when that makes life more difficult for them. Perhaps I enjoy living vicariously through them. In real life I dislike conflict and will sometimes let an annoyance slide to avoid a…