What Do a Scientist and a Spy See in Each Other?
I had an author friend once tell me that your hero and heroine should be the absolute worst people in the world for each other. Anything less just wouldn’t be compelling enough to keep readers turning pages. My personal feeling is that’s a tad, well, overboard. But the basic idea definitely creates conflict. Which is… Read More
Christi Barth
Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series. Christi can always be found whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.
Don’t Mind Me, I’m Simply Distracted…
In my newest thriller, A CRY IN THE DARK, the heroine FBI agent Violet Rainwater investigates brutal murders where the killer blinds his victims before ending their lives. But she’s also been looking into a cold case abduction—her mom’s. She’s calculated, persistent, and diligent in getting the job done whether it’s a present homicide or… Read More
Jessica R. Patch
Publishers Weekly Bestselling author Jessica R. Patch is known for her dry wit and signature twists whether she's penned a romantic suspense, a cold case thriller, or a small-town romance. When she's not getting into fictional mischief with her characters, you can find her cozy on the couch in her mid-south home reading books by some of her favorite authors, watching movies with her family, and collecting recipes to amazing dishes she'll probably never cook. Sign up for her newsletter "Patched In" at www.jessicarpatch.com. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.
Meet-cute-Disasters
Romance readers love a good meet-cute. I bet most readers can recite their favorite meet-cute from memory. Me? I like to write what I call meet-disasters. Take that first moment of the love interests meeting and dial up the awkward. For example, in The Wedding Dilemma, the couple met when he had to rescue her… Read More
Mariah Ankenman
Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious daughters and loving husband who provides ample inspiration for her heart-stopping heroes. Her books have been nominated for the prestigious RWA Golden Heart and CRW Stiletto awards. Whether she's writing hometown heroes or sexy supernaturals, Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone's day a little brighter with one of her books.
My Favorite Romantic Movies
It’s that time of year where romance and all the frilly sayings and gestures that go with it isn’t frowned upon. At least, I hope it is. Considering I write romance for a living and so, always have those things on my mind, I probably shouldn’t care what time of year it is. But alas,… Read More
Lacey Baker
Lacey Baker, a Maryland native, is a wife, mother, Nana and an author. Family cookouts, reunion vacations and growing up in church have all encouraged Lacey to write heartwarming and inspirational stories about the endurance of family and finding love. She is the author of the Sweetland series and Hallmark Channel Original Movies:A Gingerbread RomanceandChristmas In Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing. While Lacey's books may touch on a couple's physical relationship, that's not a focal point in their journey to love and those scenes are not explicit.
Writing Must-Haves
By Kerri Carpenter In my new book, Come What Maybe, my heroine Lauren returns to her hometown of Seaside Cove, Maine, post-Covid, to check in on her sister and grandmother. Since Lauren is a successful social media strategist, she can work from anywhere. In fact, throughout the story, we find her working from her Grams’s… Read More
Kerri Carpenter
Award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter writes contemporary romances that are sweet, sexy, and sparkly. When she's not writing, Kerri enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous) rescued poodle mix, Harry. Visit Kerri at her website, on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to her newsletter.
Strong Heroines
By Connie Mann I love reading stories with strong heroines. Especially when the author gives enough backstory to help me understand and sympathize with the circumstances that produced that tough outer shell. Nine times out of ten, these tough ladies are warm and loving underneath, and it takes an equally strong hero to convince them… Read More
Connie Mann
Connie Mann is a licensed boat captain and loves writing romantic suspense stories set in Florida's small towns and unspoiled wilderness. She is the author of the Florida Wildlife Warriors series, the Safe Harbor series, as well as several stand-alone titles.When she's not dreaming up plotlines, you'll find "Captain Connie" exploring the beaches along the Florida coast and captaining eco tours on the Indian River Lagoon in New Smyrna Beach.She is also passionate about helping women and children in developing countries break the poverty cycle and build a better future for themselves and their families. She and her husband love hanging out with family and friends and heading off to explore new places. If those days include time on the water boating, so much the better.
Connie Mann is giving away a print copy of DEADLY MELODY, book 3 of the Safe Harbor Series, to one winner.
When Characters Don’t Do What the Author Planned by Lyn Cote
What’s the author to do? To think? Well, usually I smile because that means that my characters have become REAL. Once a reader said to me, “You act like these characters are real.” And I said, “Within the pages of the book, they are!” If my characters do not behave like real people with minds… Read More
Lyn Cote
USA Today best-selling author of over 40 romances, Lyn Cote writes award-winning contemporary and historical romance. Her brand is "Strong Women, Brave Stories." Her books feature a strong heroine, often a multi-cultural cast of characters and authentic history or contemporary life. She lives with her real life hero in a lakeside cottage in the northwoods with two fun cats. (She loves dogs too. :-)
Tripwrecked
If you were to spontaneously uphaul your life, and go anywhere in the world––where would it be? That was the question I asked myself before embarking on Tripwrecked. To paint a vivid picture, this was at the start of lockdown in Ireland during the Pandemic. I was back at home, living with my parents that… Read More
A. Poland
Fueled by a worrying tea addiction (with a tattoo to prove it), A. Poland is a rom-com writer from Ireland who delights in telling stories that make you fall in love with the characters and give you that squee feeling in your chest. Three words A. would use to describe her writing are funky, silly, and spicy. Which, coincidentally, is also their dancing style. When they're not daydreaming of the next meet-cute, A. works as a video producer and a full-time dog mom to her pride and joy, Gizmo.
When a hero comes along…do you swipe left or right?
I love classic romance heroes, and after writing No Rescue Required, the latest in my matchmaking series, Smart Cupid, I wondered which classic hero would make the best modern-day book boyfriend. Is a contemporary heroine more compatible with the broody guy whose passionate depths know no limits? Or the sexy, devoted guy with a big… Read More
Maggie Kelley
After ten years of survival, aka working, in Hollywood, this former actress and current author of sexy contemporary romance is living happily-ever-after in Pittsburgh with her longtime sweetie, AKA Husband Number 1, and their two punky kids. When not carpooling to birthday parties or testing her gourmet cooking skills by throwing a frozen pizza into the oven, Maggie daydreams about sneaking off to the Vegas or Napa, or even just the movies. A love of red wine, Italian food, and music round out her list of life's greatest joys. Oh, and Tuesday night karaoke, totally underrated fun.
Miles and Miles of Adventure
by Jennifer Bonds It’s that time of year when so many of us will be hitting the road to visit loved ones, celebrate the holidays, and make memories with a warm hug and a bright smile! I don’t know about you, but I’ve always loved road trips. Give me all the snacks, the loud music,… Read More
Jennifer Bonds
Jennifer Bonds writes sizzling contemporary romance with sassy heroines, sexy heroes, and a whole lot of mischief. When she's not writing or wrangling toddlers, she can be found curled up with a good book and a bottle of wine. Jennifer lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where her overactive imagination and weakness for reality TV keep life interesting. She's lucky enough to live with her own real life hero, two adorable children, and a pair of rambunctious dogs. Loves Buffy, Mexican food, the Winchester brothers, and all things zombie. Sings off-key.
Coral Cafe’s Vegetarian Supreme Pizza Recipe
In Coral Cafe, the second novel in my Coral Cottage beach series, Marina Moore creates a vegetarian pizza for her new beach cafe. Readers often ask me to include recipes for the dishes I write about. You’ll find some, including this one, in the back of my books, and I’m posting others here on the blog…. Read More
Jan Moran
Jan Moran is a USA Today bestselling author of heartwarming fiction, including the feel-good, contemporary beach series of Summer Beach, Coral Cottage, and Love California. Her riveting, immersive historical family sagas include Hepburn's Necklace, The Chocolatier, The Winemakers, and The Perfumer. St. Martin's Press, Goldmann/Penguin Random, and Newton Compton have published her novels, along with her imprint, Sunny Palms Press. Jan's books are also available in large print and audiobook editions. Her work is translated into German, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Lithuanian, Polish, Bulgarian, and other languages. At present, Jan is working on the next books in her series, adapting The Winemakers for a dramatic television series, expanding her catalog of books and screenplays, and forming partnerships for film and television projects. She has been featured in numerous publications and on television and radio, including CNN, Women's Wear Daily, Allure, InStyle, and O Magazine. As an editor and writer, she has covered fragrance, beauty, and spa travel for various publications from Cosmopolitan to the Costco Connection. Jan is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and the University of Texas at Austin. As an entrepreneur and former CEO and board member, she speaks on entrepreneurship, the business of writing, women in business, and other topics. In her former life, Jan was the founder and creator of Scentsa, a touch-screen software program for retailers and brands. The fragrance and skincare programs (FragranceIQ, SkinIQ) are at Sephora stores in the US, Canada, France, Mexico, Brazil, and Denmark. The Scentsa program was sold to Sephora. As a speaker, consultant, and major brand/retailer spokesperson, Jan has spoken before numerous groups such as libraries, the San Diego State University Writer's Conference, Fashion Group International, The Fragrance Foundation, and The American Society of Perfumers. She has represented brands and retailers in media for several major PR companies, including Edelman and DeVries. Jan lives in San Diego County and is available for select in-person or online consulting, training, and speaking engagements.
Jan Moran is giving away a copy of FLAWLESS and a $20 Amazon or B&N gift card to one winner!
Getting to the Holidays
“Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go,” went the old song. Merry, merry. No worries. The horse knows the way, the sleigh is heated. Grandma is perfect and nobody ever gets grumpy. Not so in my world. The grandmas were all lovely and worth visiting. It did seem, however, that… Read More
Sheila Roberts
Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. She's happily married and has three children. She's been writing since 1989, but she did lots of things before settling in to her writing career, including owning a singing telegram company and playing in a band. Her band days are over, but she still enjoys writing songs. Sheila's books are best sellers and often appear as Reader's Digest Condensed Books. Her novel "Angel Lane" was named one of Amazon's top ten romances in 2009. Her novel "On Strike for Christmas" was a Lifetime Network movie and her novel "The Nine Lives of Christmas" is currently being made into a movie for Hallmark. When she's not speaking to women's groups or at conferences or hanging out with her girlfriends she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women's hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.
Sheila Roberts is giving away an advance reader copy of MERMAID BEACH to some one winner.
Latest from our Blog
What Do a Scientist and a Spy See in Each Other?
I had an author friend once tell me that your hero and heroine should be the absolute worst people in the world for each other. Anything less just wouldn’t be compelling enough to keep readers turning pages. My personal feeling is that’s a tad, well, overboard. But the basic idea definitely creates conflict. Which is… Read More
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