Readers who have been following my books for more than a
handful of years know that I like to write all kinds of books. I love all kinds
of romance—from sexy and fun to emotional and complex, from historical settings
to the Young Adult world. Falling in love is a wonderful and intriguingly
complicated business no matter that age, no matter the era, and I’m completely fascinated
with it.
That’s why I’ve been very lucky that Harlequin—and my
readers!—have been so patient with me over the years as I dream up new ways to
tell the Boy Meets Girl story. Before I ever sold a book, I wrote medieval
historical romances. Those were the stories that first drove me to a computer,
the stories that wouldn’t let me go and demanded I figure out how to be a
writer. They are a core part of my inner storyteller, and I will always have
another historical inside me even if I’m not actively writing them at this
time. One day, there will be more of them.
But the readership for historicals was tricky to reach.
Editors are mindful of trends in this smaller segment of the romance
readership, buying more medieval books some years, and very few medieval
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| Available April 19 |
Pinpointing Harlequin’s “red cover” books as something I
quite liked, I tried to pen something in the style of then-Temptation authors
Lori Foster and Stephanie Bond. I had so much fun I couldn’t stop writing them,
certain I was closer to the mark. I sold two Temptations and got a request from
my editor to try writing something even newer—a Harlequin Blaze.
At the time, Blaze was a miniseries within the Temptation
series. But I thought I understood what the editor wanted for the new line. I
quickly sold three Blazes and found myself busy writing for two lines. It was a
dream come true for me since I was getting to tell lots of stories and could
bend my voice in different directions for each series. Too soon, however,
Temptation stopped publishing, leaving me with extra time and creativity to
spare.
I promptly turned back to those medieval historical
manuscripts. Didn’t I love them? With my new writing confidence, I revised
them, editing and polishing. Soon, I sold two of them to Harlequin Historicals
and happily went back to work for a second series, moving back and forth between
Blaze and Historicals.
Harlequin welcomed the occasional other project, too. A
Special Edition for a continuity. A few Special Releases and a Signature
Select, other Harlequin programs that gave my Muse fun opportunities to tell
still more kinds of stories. Things were rocking along just fine until book
sales of all kinds started to fall.
I kept writing because I enjoyed it so much, but I had to
work harder and write more to maintain the same level of income I’d made in
prior years. Harlequin felt the squeeze, trimming some of their series from six
books down the four books, streamlining their offerings. They worked to find
better distribution for the books, moving some of the series to digital only.
Publishers and writers alike wondered how to stay viable while the industry
experienced massive growing pains.
As always, the writing sustained me, as did the readers. I
started writing sexy books again, this time for Harlequin Desire, and I’m
balancing this with the Superromances, keeping my Muse happily engaged and
busy. My first one, His Secretary’s
Surprise Fiancé was a March release and my second, Secret Baby
Scandal will be available May 1 for download. By the time September
rolls around, you can read the fourth book in my Heartache, TN series for
Superromance, Whispers Under a Southern
Sky. I’m having a great time. One day, I just know a medieval warrior will
ride into my life and sweep me off my feet, demanding I tell his story. And I
will. But for now, I’m lost in a world of rich and powerful billionaire heroes,
and I couldn’t be happier to linger…
**What kind of hero is captivating you lately? Billionaires,
cowboys or Vikings? Athlete heroes or sexy sheriffs? Share with me today and I’ll
send one random commenter a copy of my first Desire, His Secretary’s Surprise Fiancé!
