I was raised by intellectuals. I was told romance was ‘trash.’ And we did not fill our minds with trash. Since I didn’t know any better, I simply believed it. That’s the definition of prejudice! Then the worst happened. Both of my parents became terminally ill at the same time. Because I was a nurse, and they wanted to die at home, I coordinated with hospice and cared for them there. A fellow Red Cross nurse who knew what I’d be going through just shoved a book in hands and said, “Here. Read this.” I’m glad she didn’t tell me it was a romance novel or I would have politely refused it. That book changed not only my opinion, but it also changed my life. The book was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It was so intelligently written and such an incredible escape when I badly needed one. Every time my parents had visitors or were napping, I was reading that book. When I reached the end and learned that there was a whole series, I hungrily read on. Now, I should probably be embarrassed by this, but remember, I had never read a romance novel—so the fact that I didn’t know I…

A knock on the door interrupted Molly’s perusal of the Colorado criminal statutes. Completely caught up in the sentencing guidelines that may be her mom’s future, she jumped at the sound. Warrant, on the other hand, didn’t even lift his head off the floor where he was sprawled out over an air-conditioning vent. Instead, his tail thumped lazily a few times before he fell back asleep. The dog’s reaction made Molly fairly certain of who was at the door. As she stood up, she swallowed a groan at the feel of her spine popping back into place. Glancing at the clock, she saw that she’d been hunched over her laptop for most of the afternoon. It was no wonder her body was protesting. After peeking through the peephole in the front door, she unlocked it and swung it open. “This is becoming a habit.” “What is?” John slipped past her, striding into the house as if he owned the place. Making a face and pretending that she wasn’t glad to see him, she closed and relocked the door. “You showing up on our doorstep uninvited.” “If you want me to leave, I can take this very valuable information and go.”…

Things can go south really quickly when you’re a wolf. The wolves of the Great North Pack cannot pass as human, or at least not for long because for three days out of thirty, during what they call the Iron Moon, the Pack must be wild. With no fingers or words to protect themselves, they are simply wolves—large and self-reflective wolves—but still, a nuisance species easily killed by a bullet or a bolt or a Buick. Since settling in the Adirondacks, the Great North has survived by a combination of secrecy and careful application of human laws and human money. It worked well and they flourished over the 350 years, but then the Pack was discovered by Shifters, ancient enemies who can change but don’t have to be. The Shifters knew not only what the Pack was, but also when they were at their most vulnerable. The Pack fought back but still lost several of its most powerful wolves, a prescription for chaos in a close-knit community tied by bounds of hierarchy. Varya Timursdottir knows the price of chaos. The last of a once-great Russian pack from the rocky, wind-scoured island between the Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, she…

When it’s colder, I love to walk, because it’s hot here for so much of the year. I love to hike on trails and when I visited my son in Omaha, Nebraska, in early September, they had a really, early snowstorm, so we walked through a forest that still had snow all over. The bad part was that I didn’t get to see the wolf reserve, second year in a row, because it closes the first time it snows for the season. I love fantasy and whimsy. Taking a walk through the forest and finding a couple of miniature snowmen sitting on a bench beside the path, was just plain fun. I love photography, so I try to capture special moments and that was one of them. I missed the deer beside the trail before she bounced off into the ravine though. I captured the shadows of a tree, stretching across a frozen moss pond. I photographed shelf mushrooms covered in snowflakes, and the walkway we walked along, careful not to take a spill on the slushy, slippery snow. Climbing stairs in the woods, climbing a fallen tree to get to the other side of the path, all made the…

I am SUPER excited for The Chai Factor by Farah Heron, which is out in June 2019. It’s everything I love in a romance: a heroine who makes her own rules, a ton of “opposites attract” tension and a fun situation that brings the characters together. This fun story also touches on some serious and important topics, like dating someone of a different culture and how opening minds will open hearts.  This is an #ownvoices romance and Farah’s debut is at the top of my ‘to read’ list for 2019! Summary: Thirty-year-old engineer Amira Khan has set one rule for herself: no dating until her grad-school thesis is done. Nothing can distract her from completing a paper that is so good her boss will give her the promotion she deserves when she returns to work in the city. Amira leaves campus early, planning to work in the quiet basement apartment of her family’s house. But she arrives home to find that her grandmother has rented the basement to . . . a barbershop quartet. Seriously? The living situation is awkward: Amira needs silence; the quartet needs to rehearse for a competition; and Duncan, the small-town baritone with the flannel shirts,…

He saw Elliott’s car just after he pulled up. He was thinking of the snakes, big cats, and occasional black bear that might be around the lake. Animal attacks were rare, but they were a possibility. He grabbed a handheld radio and popped the trunk to get a rifle. After checking to see if it was loaded, he pocketed some extra rounds, shouldered his backpack, and headed toward the car. He knew Millie Powers had been inside it looking for a clue as to who owned it, but he looked inside to satisfy himself before striking out. After circling the car a couple of times, he finally found a set of tracks leading along the shore and followed them. About two hundred yards from the car, he found his first clue. It was a tube of oil paint—­burnt umber. That was when he remembered that Elliot was an accomplished artist, so he took a picture of the tube of paint, put up a marker to indicate where he found it, then dropped the paint tube in an evidence bag and kept moving. Lon paused a moment along the shore to look around and slowly became aware of what might have…

Welcome back to the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors will be on the blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and a recipe for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy this festive week. Today we are joined by paranormal romance authors from Sourcebooks Casablanca! Enjoy, and come back tomorrow for more fun! Missed our previous roundup posts? Check them out here! Mystery Authors Contemporary Romance Authors Historical Romance Authors TERRY SPEAR, YOU HAD ME AT JAGUAR Jaguar agent Howard Armstrong has a mission, protect Valerie Chambers at all costs while they take down the bad guys in the tropical country of Belize. The romance just happens. He wants to do a lot more than guard her hot body. Still, when in Belize, taking a moment to have a really special dinner with the woman who has stolen his heart—they start off the meal with shrimp cocktails—jaguars love seafood. Medium rare steaks are perfect for hungry big cats. A baked potato topped with all the good stuff—sour cream, butter, cheese, chives. Grilled asparagus and slices of avocado for their human halves. Cabernet Sauvignon to make the night…

When you get right down to it, most stories in the romance genre are fated pairings. The hero and heroine either “meet cute” or “meet against all odds,” often disliking one another in the beginning. The romance in Mystic is not only a fated pairing, but it is also against all odds. Aidan Banadänsk finds Sula Enduran as the result of a recurring vision, although the romance isn’t even hinted at in his vision. He only knows she is in danger and he must rescue her. What he doesn’t realize is that the rescue is only the beginning of their story.   Most of my stories involve pairings that seem fated, beginning with Slave, the first book in the original Cat Star Chronicles series. In her quest to rescue her kidnapped sister, Captain Jacinth “Jack” Rutland needs a man to pose as her master on a planet where all women are enslaved, so she buys a male slave whom she dubs Cat. The attraction between Cat and Jack is immediate and strong, despite the fact that she is human and he is Zetithian. Moreover, she had to travel halfway across the galaxy to find him in the slave market on…

I’m so excited to launch the first book of Outlaw Mail Order Brides, THE OUTLAW’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE. I’ve wanted to tell these stories ever since I wrote Tally Shannon and her band of fugitive women into To Love a Texas Ranger (Men of Legend, Book #1).  Tally Shannon’s stepmother put her into an asylum to get rid of her following the death of her father. A year later she escapes along with other women in the same situation and they take refuge in Deliverance Canyon. Each wears a tattoo on her cheek, put there by the warden for identifying purposes which makes going into town impossible. In addition, Tally has a price on her head. The warden is desperate to get her back. After a year of living in hiding, Tally yearns for a better life for her and her women. Luke Legend and his wife Josie have started a private bride service for people like her who are living in the shadows and she starts corresponding with outlaw Clay Colby. Only another fugitive will know what it’s like to be hunted. Clay is also desperate for change and has decided to make a town out of the hideout where he’s been…

Grabbing his coffee mug—because cutting coffee out of his diet was not going to happen—he walked out onto the deck and sat down. This was something that really did relax him, and he had to admit, it was nice to be able to stay out here and linger rather than rushing inside to get ready for work. Except…every time he came out here, he looked for Sophie. He was still kicking himself for the way they’d ended things when she was here. It wasn’t his intention to make her feel bad or for her to leave the way she had. But in that moment, he was feeling a little overwhelmed and he knew he hadn’t handled things well. And in the process, he’d hurt her feelings. While he wanted to apologize to her, he wasn’t sure how. Sure, he could’ve gone to the water every time he saw her, but every time he was about to step off the deck, he chickened out. Partly because he wasn’t really sure what to say, and partly because he was afraid he had misread the situation and maybe she was only interested in him as…you know, a patient. And man, would that suck….