Writing vs Re-Writing

on April 18, 2023

What I love about being a writer is that no matter how long you do it, you will always be learning. And I enjoy that I get to continually learn things that help me improve my craft or open me up to things I hadn’t considered before. One thing I recently learned about myself was… Read More

A.J. Locke

A.J. Locke

A.J. Locke is an author and artist, originally from Trinidad & Tobago, now residing in NYC with her daughter. She's your typical over-caffeinated artist with too many ideas and not enough time to write them. She slays at urban fantasy but loves exploring other fantasy genres as well as poetry and children's picture books. She's a bookkeeper/child wrangler by day and moody writer by night.

https://www.ajlockewrites.com

Why I Love Books with Smokin’ Hot Sex

on September 29, 2022

Look, I understand that on-page sex in a romance novel isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. And thankfully, there are a plethora of “closed door” romances and every heat-level in between to indulge everyone’s different idea of the perfect romance. But, to me, taking the sex out of a romance novel would be like taking half… Read More

Gina L.  Maxwell

Gina L. Maxwell

Gina L. Maxwell is a New York Times, USA Today, and #1 International bestselling author living in the upper Midwest, despite her scathing hatred of snow and cold weather. As a lifelong romance novel addict, she began writing as another way of enjoying the Happily Ever After stories she's always loved. Her debut novel in 2012, SEDUCING CINDERELLA, hit the bestseller lists within the first month of its release and continues to be a favorite with readers a full decade later. When she's not reading, writing, or spending way too much money on planners and office supplies, she enjoys hanging out with her son and daughter who've left the nest, snuggling with her fur babies, and dreaming of her someday-move to someplace tropical.

http://ginalmaxwell.com/

PUTTING YOUR OWN STAMP ON A VAMP by Marlene Perez

on February 4, 2021

To celebrate the release of The Afterlife of the Party, the first book in my teen vampire trilogy, I’m giving away a signed copy to US residents only. I’ve always been fascinated by vampires. I think it started because my older sister was a fan of Dark Shadows and used to watch it when she… Read More

Marlene Perez

Marlene Perez

Marlene Perez is the author of paranormal and urban fantasy books, including the best-selling DEAD IS series for teens. The first book in the series, DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK, was named an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers as well as an ALA Popular Paperback. DEAD IS JUST A RUMOR was on VOYA's 2011 Best Science Fiction, Horror, & Fantasy List. Her novels have been featured in Girl's Life, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan. The Disney Channel has optioned the first three books in the DEAD IS series for television. She grew up in Story City, Iowa and is the youngest of twelve children. She lives in Orange County, California with her husband and children. Visit Marlene at www.marleneperez.com.

https://www.marleneperez.com/

The Supporting Cast

on November 24, 2020

My Dark Desires series takes place in the distant future where man has fled to the stars. It’s a mixture of science fiction, paranormal, and romance and it follows the adventures, romantic and otherwise, of the crew of the spaceship, the Blood Hunter. It’s always been my favorite series to write, mainly because absolutely anything… Read More

Nina Croft

Nina Croft

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of nine-to-five work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain. Nina writes all types of romance, often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

http://www.ninacroft.com/

Being Creative in Dark Times

on February 24, 2020

We live in dark times. Every time we turn on the news or get on social media, we are bombarded by some other horrendous news story or tragedy. While I was writing Echoes from the Veil, I struggled to find time and space to breathe. My mind became so cluttered with current events, that some… Read More

Colleen Halverson

Colleen Halverson

As a child, Colleen Halverson used to play in the woods imagining worlds and telling stories to herself. Growing up on military bases, she found solace in her local library and later decided to make a living sharing the wonders of literature to poor, unsuspecting college freshmen. After backpacking through Ireland and singing in a traditional Irish music band, she earned a PhD in English with a specialization in Irish literature. When she's not making up stories or teaching, she can be found hiking the rolling hills of the Driftless area of Wisconsin with her husband and two children. She also writes as C.B. Halverson.

http://colleenhalverson.com/

Shifter Planet: The Return by D.B. Reynolds

on October 25, 2019

The first full manuscript I ever wrote was a fantasy that I submitted to a writing contest sponsored by one of my favorite authors. I’d been reading fantasy and science fiction since I was 13 years old, and knew that’s what I wanted to write. I didn’t win the contest, but I received some very… Read More

D.B. Reynolds

D.B. Reynolds

D.B.Reynolds is the award-winning author of the popular Vampires in America series, as well as other paranormal fiction. She lives with her husband of many years in a flammable canyon near Los Angeles, and when she's not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else's.

http://www.dbreynolds.com/

“It’s Die Hard…with romance…”

on October 22, 2019

I’ll admit it, Die Hard has long been my favorite movie. Some might say this is a strange choice for a romance writer—but then, some might say I’m a strange romance writer generally…yeah, moving on! I’ve loved Die Hard ever since I first saw it in the cinema as a teen. I loved the wise-cracking… Read More

Janet Elizabeth Henderson

Janet Elizabeth Henderson

Janet is a Scot who moved to New Zealand fifteen years ago. Among other things, she's been an artist, a teacher, a security guard at a castle, a magazine editor, and a cleaner in a drop-in center for drug addicts (NOT the best job!). She now writes full-time and, so far, has written eighteen books. When she isn't living in her head, she raises two kids, one husband, and several random animals. She survives on chocolate and caffeine.

https://janetelizabethhenderson.com/

When Lightning Strikes…

on June 27, 2019

It was only two years ago that I started developing the idea of Odin’s Bastards—I was sitting at a writing seminar at the Romantic Times Convention in Atlanta, listening to Entangled Publishing’s own Liz Pelletier talk about story ideas and the trilogy sprung into my mind. Valkyries. Bastards. And the women who love them. I’ve… Read More

Sheryl Nantus

Sheryl Nantus

Sheryl Nantus is an award-winning romance writer published by Entangled, St. Martin's, and Harlequin's Carina Press. When she's not writing about hunky heroes, she is sipping tea, playing board games and writing haiku. A total fangirl at heart, she met her husband through an online fanfiction community and currently lives in Pennsylvania

http://sherylnantus.com/

Location, Location, Location

on May 9, 2019

In my new book, 8 Souls, the story of Chessie and David is set in Villisca, Iowa, which is a real-life place. In fact, it’s even a bit infamous, as the site of eight unsolved axe murders that took place in June 1912. While writing the story, I couldn’t help but compare what it’s like… Read More

Rachel Rust

Rachel Rust

Rachel Rust is an author of young adult books. In both reading and writing, she loves all things mysterious, romantic, and thrilling. If it's a whodunit, she's all about it. When not making up stories, she can usually be found with her family and their two dogs --- a pug and a chug (chihuahua/pug).

https://rachelrust.net/

Love’s Inferno: Why Sex Needs To Be Part of the Story

on November 15, 2018

I’ve written a book with no sex scenes, The Curse of the Brimstone Contract. I’ve written a book full of sex scenes, Carnal Blessings. The difference between those books was not whether I was in the mood to write sex scenes or that the market demanded sex scenes. Instead, the decision to write a book… Read More

Corrina Lawson

Corrina Lawson

Corrina is a writer, mom, geek and occasional superhero. She's a former newspaper reporter with a degree in journalism from Boston University, she works from home writing romance novels with a geeky twist and as the Content Director of GeekMom.com. Her novels include The Curse of the Brimstone Contract, a romantic steampunk mystery; the award-winning and USA Today-recognized superhero romance series, the Phoenix Institute, which includes: Phoenix Rising, Luminous, Phoenix Legacy, Ghost Phoenix, Ghosts of Christmas Past, and Phoenix Inheritance; and the erotic Freya's Gift, a tale of Vikings in North America and a fertility ritual.

https://corrina-lawson.com

Corrina Lawson Contest

Corrina Lawson is giving away a $25 gift card from Amazon, Kobo, or B&N, to one reader.

Enter Here

The Valens of Legacy – Where did those stories come from?

on October 13, 2014

by Sherrel Lee Thanks for stopping by to read this blog posting.  I thought I would tell you a bit of how myth, legend and lore became the central focus for the Valens.  I’ve always love myth and have read the classics stories–Greek, Celtic, Roman, and Norse and I realized that as much as I… Read More

Sherrel Lee

Sherrel Lee

Sherrel Lee lives in a land called Texas and is the wrangler of a fearsome Yorkiepoo named Rogue Little Woof (Half Yorkie half Poodle weighing in at a hefty eight pounds). She is a mother and grandmother who encourages her family to live life on their own terms, and to laugh as often as they can.

She is fascinated with the real and mystical worlds of Urban Fantasy and Romantic suspense chasing murderous villains through the pages of her books. Sherrel loves to hear from her readers and welcomes you to send comments and questions to her email address [email protected].

http://sherrellee.com

The Dark and Dangerous Hero

on November 21, 2013

Is there anything better, hotter or more intriguing than a sexy, brilliant and tortured hero? A man or a male, if you’re reading paranormal, who’s been deeply and irrevocably hurt by his family, a woman or another in his para clan? Lord, I don’t think so. I love them dangerous and lusty – undecided about kissing… Read More

Laura Wright

Laura Wright

Writing is my Obsession

Unlike many of my peers in the writing world, I wasn’t a writer or a reader until I left high school. During my youth I was into theater, song and dance, commercials and boys. I loved romance surely, but I had never read a romance novel until my late teens. With that said, I remember the day I did like it was a moment ago — my aunt gave me the Jude Deveraux novel, Knight in Shining Armor and I couldn’t put it down until the very last word. Then I went straight to the library and got another — then another until I’d read everything she’d ever written. After that, it was McNaught, Howard, Schone, Kleypas, and the Silhouette line, Desire. I instantly loved those emotional, sexy reads, so much so that I began to carve out ideas for my own stories, themes that were unique to me and moved me. In 1997 I enrolled in UCLA extension writing classes, met my mentor and critique partners and since have never stopped writing. I was committed then and I still am now; the need to tell my own romantic stories a full on obsession. My first manuscript was rejected, and though the second one was as well the editor who’d rejected it wanted to see something else from me. I had something (note to authors; always keep working, even after you’ve sent in a proposal) and sent it right away. The day I got the call telling me Desire wanted to buy Cinderella and the Playboy was the best day of my life. That is until I married my husband, and had my two beautiful children. But I must say, writing is much like motherhood — tough, grueling, surprising, delicious and for me, a dream come true.

If you’re interested...

I was born and raised in Minnesota. It’s where my love of all things green, wet and grown in the ground comes from. As you read above, before writing I was an actor, singer and dancer, specifically a BALLROOM dancer — an instructor and competitor as well. That work took me to many places like New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. I live in Los Angeles now, but I’m always thinking about greener pastures — literally.

http://www.laurawright.com