Our poodle-mix, Houdini, loves his stuffed animal friends. He takes very good care of them, gently gnawing them and periodically arranging them decoratively on our bed or couch. When we adopted our chihuahua-mix, Sheba, she acted like she’d never seen a toy, and her instinct was to grab those stuffed animals and shred them. Her attack on his toys was very distressing for Houdini. He would circle, faster and faster, when she was destroying a toy, working himself into a frenzy. After the destruction, he would lie next to the pieces looking quite mournful. Then, suddenly, Sheba stopped destroying the stuffed animals. To this day, I don’t know what happened between them, but Sheba became blind to the stuffed animals. She acts like they don’t exist. I like to believe that as Houdini and Sheba developed their bond, she became aware that her actions distressed him and decided to stop. Now, Houdini keeps his collection of stuffed friends in good repair. If you come to visit, he’ll show them to you one at a time. Sometimes, guests think he wants to play tug-o-war. He does not. He merely likes to have others admire his collection. Excerpt from Tail for Two:…

Fall in Texas is the perfect time of year to enjoy cooler weather. At Twin Oaks Ranch, that means more than fun campfires, cookouts, trail rides, and family get-togethers. It’s time to take stock of the ranch after summer growth in the pastures, as well as damage to trees and bushes by high winds and storms. This year there was quite a bit of clean-up on my agenda after a wild–weather-wise–spring and summer. What to do? Fortunately, my cowboy neighbors are always ready to lend a helping hand, so I called on them. As we worked on the ranch, I took photographs to show readers how art imitates life in my cowboy firefighter novels. Photo 1: Zander wears a harness that is a potential life-saver. If a line breaks, the harness will keep him from falling to the ground. He climbed up a shade elm that had been damaged by straight-line winds. He cut out the limbs, but he saved the trunk. We expect to see new tree growth appear in the spring. That will be a happy day for us all. Photo 2: Rod can wield a chainsaw with exact precision. In this case, thick blackberry vines had grown…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Joanne Kennedy! Writes: I write light contemporary Western romance set in small Wyoming towns and on ranches like the ones that surround my home. My authentic working cowboys are challenged by women who are fish-out-of-water that absolutely refuse to get back in the bucket. My secondary characters range from cranky old men to schoolteachers to kids of all kinds. Happily ever after doesn’t come easy in my books, but the rougher the road, the better the story–and the more you discover about what really matters in life. About: I live in a secret hideout on the wild edge of Wyoming, an hour away from everything. Much as I love my mountain sanctuary, I’m glad I have a Facebook page (Joanne Kennedy Books) where I can meet readers and share photos of my hiking adventures with our three dogs. There are three cats, too; I have no idea how I ended up with that many pets, but they love starring in my books. I’m crazy in love with…

When Derrick picked Genie up at TyTyler’s house, she appeared to be shy. He figured she was embarrassed to be sneaking around when she was a grown woman, but she was living in her father’s house, and he seemed to be less than enthusiastic about the budding relationship. He hoped to be able to show Genie that he was proud to be seen with her and wanted to deepen their ties. “You’re sure you want to keep Angelique tonight?” she asked Leah. “Of course. Go on now. You deserve a night out.” Leah made shooing motions with her hands. When Derrick handed her up into his truck, he assured her that he would bring her back to TyTyler and Leah’s house whenever she wanted. Genie enjoyed the beautiful countryside as they drove toward Langston. The moon was just rising and it cast a glow on the snowy scenery. There must have been a million stars strewn across the night sky, and all of them were twinkling for her pleasure. “Beautiful night,” she said. He glanced at here and reached for her hand, placing it on his thigh. “Not nearly as beautiful as you are tonight.” A flush of warmth filled…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  HERE FOR YOU 2–What is it about?  A niece is a caregiver for her great aunt who is in the advanced stages of dementia. Months later, Rachel finds herself in need of a caregiver. It’s an emotional journey that tests the faith of family, friends, and even a man of God. I like the steadfastness of Nicholas’ love for Rachel through the uncertainty of her trial. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  One word–wholeness–physically, mentally, spiritually 4–What makes your hero irresistible?  Besides his hot looks, Nicholas is a humble, committed man of God. When he falls for Rachel, his love is fierce, pure, and endearing. He is the epitome of a man who is concerned about his woman’s whole being. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  Family and God. For Rachel, her two sisters and best friend; for Nicholas, his parents and brothers 6–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Nashville is more than the music capital of the USA, it’s filled with historical significance in American history from slavery, the Woolworths sit-ins to the civil rights era. It was fascinating uncovering such…

My favorite tropes to write have traditionally been Friends-to-Lovers and Second Chance romance. The reason is, out of all those familiar tropes, those are the two I’ve seen played out in reality most. There’s something hopeful about them, and while not every pair of friends can morph their relationship into a healthy romantic one, and not every relationship deserves a second chance, there’s definitely some appeal there. More than tropes, though, I have favorite themes. My main one is redemption because I believe that those who truly want to right the wrongs of the past should have a chance to do so when that redemption doesn’t lead to the ill effects for someone else. Another theme I often write about is self-discovery. That’s been a big theme in my life, especially over the last few years. My characters are just imperfect people, looking to be loved in a healthy, fulfilling way and that something I think we all want, regardless of orientation, gender, race, color, or creed. When reading romance, which I don’t get to do as much as I’d like, I read pretty widely, without regard to trope. I do have a few tropes I won’t read, including racists…

S: Summer E: Evie A: Alpha S: Sweetgrass O: Opening up to N: Nature * O: Orrrroooo! F: Forever Wolf * T: Tenderness H: Home E: Endures * W: Wildness O: Our L: Love is F: Fierce — Read on for an exclusive excerpt from SEASON OF THE WOLF: Pups spend their first years wild. Then comes the dreaded Year of First Shoes when they have to begin to learn how to be in skin. The First Shoes are supposed to wait for the adult wolves to come before they get into the water, but they are too anxious. . . Something splashes, followed by excited yips and yells made by children who aren’t used to the form until one of the older ones calls out: “Tasha felled!” Leonora starts to run, hampered by sandals. I run, too, hampered by the jostling of injured ribs, but Constantine races past me, wolf-fast on two legs. The children huddle to the side of the dock as his feet pound down the dock and he launches himself far out into the water, cutting through it like an otter. At the edge of the dock, I lie down, my arms in the water where…

Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Kathryne! Please tell us about yourself and a little bit about your new book, HIGHLAND GLADIATOR. Thank you so much for having me! I’m a 19-time USA Today Bestselling author in Medieval Historical Romance. Think knights in shining (or dented) armor, and that’s me. This book was both a blast and a challenge to write for a couple of reasons – first, this is Highlander and I normally write everything set in Medieval England. I swear I know Medieval England better than I know my home state of California, so working in Scotland was an interesting challenge. Second – this isn’t Medieval, but Tudor, so it was a little more advanced time-wise than my usual 13th century domain. During this period in time, there was still the usual Scotland vs. England stuff going on, but there were some external politics going on as well when it came to Scotland and how it dealt with England. It made for interesting reading. This is the start of a new Highlander series, called Scots and Swords, and has been described as “Gladiator meets Fight Club.” Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this new series? What do you love most…

Duke woke just after daybreak, but when he heard rain on the roof, he knew morning chores were going to be messy. He rolled over on his back and began mentally going over the tasks for the day. He’d still been up when Hope came home last night, and he knew today was her day off, so she was likely sleeping in a bit. Jack tried to be protective of Hope, but she was just as strong-willed and independent as her sister, Mercy, and somehow that became what was most special about her. Lord knows, Jack was forever smitten. Duke sighed. He really didn’t want to grow old alone. He wanted to be smitten, too, but for whatever reason, he’d never found that certain someone. And the very next thought that went through his mind was of Cathy Terry. He wondered if she’d been able to sleep much last night and if she needed help with anything. He’d left his number with her, but he knew she wouldn’t call. That left the next move up to him, so he got up, showered, shaved, and dressed, then made his bed before going downstairs to start breakfast. Because of Hope’s work schedule,…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  BEYOND POWER is a romantic suspense. It’s book 2 in the Florida Wildlife Warriors series, but it can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. 2–What is it about?  Here’s the back-cover copy for a sneak peek: Sultry romantic suspense set in Florida’s untamed wilderness. . . When your heart’s involved. . . If you dare venture beyond Disney’s magic and Miami’s high-rises, you’ll find yourself in Florida’s untamed wilderness. A bush pilot and officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Josh Tanner is one of the tough cops needed to manage these rugged areas. And the minute he finds Delilah Atwood deep in the woods without a good explanation, he knows something is very wrong… All the stakes are raised. . .                                 Delilah barely escaped her ultra-fundamental militia family years ago. Now she’s back to save her sixteen-year-old sister, and no government man is going to stop her. Josh isn’t going to stand by and watch Delilah risk her life, but unless he can get her to trust him, she may end up being the next victim. 3–What word best describes your heroine?  At first, awkward. Delilah is super-smart and much…