1–What is the title of your latest release? THE BEST KEPT SECRET   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?  After she rescues her sister’s ex from a loopy response to pain meds, Nyla has to keep Leo’s biggest secret while trying not to fall for him.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?  Nearly all of my 40+ published rom-coms take place in the Pacific Northwest. I’m a fourth-generation Oregonian, so this region and its quirks will always have my heart. While The Best Kept Secret takes place in a tiny town in northern Washington, fans of the series will recognize some of the Oregon-based smokejumpers who make an appearance (but don’t worry if you haven’t read others—all the books are standalones!)   4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?  Definitely! She’s one of the kindest, most caring and earnest people I know. Even though she can’t keep a secret to save her life, she’s the sort of person who’ll have your back no matter what.   5–What are three words that describe your hero? Loving, hard-working, father. That last one is really at the core of who Leo…

She rested her hand on her chin, studying him a moment. “Why do you think you burn through girlfriends quicker than most guys change socks?” “Geez, are you my shrink?” It wasn’t a bad question, though. Kayla shrugged, seemingly unfazed. “No, but one of my sisters just did this communication workshop she was telling me about. It’s all about self-reflection and owning your mistakes and shortcomings in relationships. Not that she needs it, since she’s ridiculously happily married, but she loved it.” There was that flash in her eyes again—a sign there was more going on inside that beautiful brain of hers. “Anyway,” she said. “She just sent me this book she got at the workshop. All this talk about self-reflection and shortcomings made me wonder if you have a theory about why you’ve been through so many breakups.” Tony scratched his thumbnail over a mark in the bar and tried to come up with an answer. One that didn’t make him sound like a total asshole, which he probably was. “I don’t know. Lousy schedule, maybe? Smokejumpers are gone so much that it’s tough to have a relationship.” That was dumb. Grady made it work with Willa. Kayla knew…

Hello, and thanks for inviting me to hang out with you here at Fresh Fiction! Who brought the wine? This is my last stop on a blog tour that’s been devoted entirely to bad dates. We’ve all had them, right? In my new romantic comedy, FRISKY BUSINESS, my heroine endures more than her share. After vowing not to date any more wealthy men, Marley embarks on a quest to date only blue collar guys. While the plan makes it easier for her keep her distance from Will—the quirky, unlikely millionaire she desperately doesn’t want to fall for—it sends Marley down a path of truly terrible dates. But like most romance novels, Marley and Will’s story has a happy ending. I’ve been sharing my personal bad date stories throughout this tour, but now it seems appropriate to wrap things up with a happily ever after of my own. Not long before the release of my debut romantic comedy, Making Waves, I went through a pretty lousy divorce. Um, we’re not to the happy part yet. After the dust settled, I reached out to a male acquaintance who’d been through his own divorce a few years earlier. At first, I asked him…