Since I’m housebound like the rest of the country, and unable to make my usual summer treks to see friends and attend various conferences, I thought I would wistfully talk about my summer plans. Fortunately, my home state of Montana is one of the nicest places in the world to spend the summer. Mountains so… Read More
If there is one thing that gives a world some color in a book, it’s the use of expressions. A world’s terminology, vocabulary, nomenclature—even its cursing!—can create a vivid setting that pulls in a reader. In all my fantasies I try my best to weave in language that feels unique and organic to that world…. Read More
I love roses. Most flowers, actually. Looking back, I probably could’ve made being a florist a career. My favorite of all flowers is the hybrid tea rose. I like to cut them and bring them into the house, let their fragrance fill each room. I guess it stems (no pun intended) from when my dad… Read More
Hearing a character’s voice in your head is one of the strangest parts of writing. Each voice is distinct, unique to that person in some way. How does it happen? That is a question I have yet to satisfactorily answer. A novel is constructed by using different tools, description, narrative, setting, and dialog among them. … Read More
We all have our favorite romance tropes, those hooks that make us one-click a book without even reading the back cover copy. (For me, they’re second chance, forbidden romance, and opposites attract.) And then there are the ones we pretty much stay away from. (For me, it’s been secret baby, love triangles, and…enemies to lovers.)… Read More
The birth of a child is beautiful and special and life changing, but sometimes things don’t go as expected. You’ve heard the phrase about counting to see if your baby has all ten fingers and toes, but what if they don’t? And what about the number of chromosomes? The morning my first child was born—almost… Read More
Romance readers love bad boy heroes, and I must admit I do, too. The wicked smile, the wicked sense of humor, the wicked ability to figure out exactly what makes the heroine tick and to use it for his own bad boy ends. His wickedness in bed. These are all swoon worthy. So, why can’t… Read More
Lyn Cote here… I’m in the midst of writing a Christmas novella for the upcoming Sweet Romance Reads Novella series, titled “Puppies for Christmas.” (Six authors have gotten together to release novellas once a week, starting October 1st–so watch for these. All of them have puppies and Christmas in them! Imagine that? My novella is… Read More
Yes, please give me more. At least that’s how I felt when I lived in the south! Several years ago when I lived in Texas, I was preparing to write a series set there, and it was hot, so hot. Ninety days or more of three digit temperatures. My mind went to Alaska—I really wanted… Read More
Hi, my name is Ophelia, and I write about romance. I read about romance. I eat, drink, talk and breathe romance. Romance makes me happy. Have I mentioned I love romance? But let’s talk about the writing part. My newest novel, Never an Amish Bride, hits all the elements of your standard romance: chemistry galore,… Read More
Dominant doesn’t equal psychopath, and while I’m at it, submissive doesn’t equal victim. I have recently seen several kinky erotic romance novels where the ‘dominant’ is actually a psychopath. Maybe I get hung up in terminology because of my degree in psychology, but I feel the urge to make this distinction, and to call things… Read More
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