Baby on board

Last month I attended the Romance Writers of America national conference in San Diego, California. What a fabulous conference in a wonderful city! I loved every minute of it—well worth the long journey from Australia.

Another reason I enjoyed it so much was that my latest book for Harlequin Romance had just been released, The Bridesmaid’s Baby Bump. Book signings are an important part of the conference and it was nice to have a brand new book to sign.

At the Harlequin signing, Romance Writers of America conference in San Diego

 I learned during the two signings I took part in that people were intrigued by the title and liked the fact there was obviously a pregnancy in the book. I’ve always been partial to “secret baby” and “surprise pregnancy” themes in romance novels so it’s no surprise I enjoyed writing this particular story. The pregnancy becomes a huge source of conflict for my heroine Eliza and hero Jake—as well as a great source of joy. However I’ve been careful to ensure that it doesn’t overshadow the growing relationship of Eliza and Jake as they fall in love. The baby is the icing on the cake, so to speak!

This looks rather like I imagine my heroine Eliza would look - contemplating the changes to her life that come with a surprise pregnancy!

 What about you? Do you like a pregnancy in a romance novel? What about a baby? I’d love to read your thoughts!

I’ve got two signed paperback copies of The Bridesmaid’s Baby Bump to give away. Make a comment if you’d like to be in the draw. Please include your email address.

Kandy Shepherd is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Connect with Kandy on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

No Limits by Katherine Garbera

I'm really excited for No Limits the first book in my Space Cowboys series that will be released at the end of the month.  I have always been a little bit obsessed with the space program and when I pitched the idea of astronauts who were training at a facility on a Texas ranch my editor was excited for it.

Here's a little teaser:

Some cowboys are outta this world… 

Astronaut Jason "Ace" McCoy tried to escape Cole's Hill, Texas—and the memory of Molly Tanner's dark eyes and strawberry-scented hair—among the stars. Now he and Molly have jointly inherited her father's struggling ranch. And having failed his latest medical tests, Ace is on leave—maybe forever. 

He's determined to sort things out with the ranch and get back to Houston as soon as possible. What he isn't counting on is that Molly's only gotten more beautiful over the years…and she still wants him. The passion between them is hotter than rocket fuel—and just as dangerous. He can't promise anything as long as there's a chance to go on another mission. But even in orbit, this attraction has no rules…and no limits.

Click here to preorder No Limits!  Amazon ~ BN ~ Harlequin

What are you obsessed with?  Tell me to be entered to win an advanced copy of No Limits!

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Fiction, fact and His Little Girl

Way back in1997 I wrote a book called His Little Girl. It didn't get a US retail release and it's still only available as a digital download in the UK. This is the original UK cover; it's not exactly inspiring but I can't bear to use the hideous cover they've put on the Kindle edition.

Why am I talking about this book now?

I recently attempted to regain the rights to the book so that I could give it a new lease of life. Unfortunately I did not succeed but my publisher is keen to push it a little and so, to help editorial find the right words to promote it, I wrote a brief outline of the story.

My hero is John Gannon (a war correspondent) who risks everything, including prison, to rescue a child he'd fathered when hiding out with her mother, grabbing comfort in what might be their last moments on earth while under bombardment in Sarajevo.

They are strangers and when the danger passes they go their separate ways - she to find her family, him to file his report, although he gives her his card in case she needs help.. Three years later he discovers that she has died and the child fathered in that moment of terror is in a refugee camp. Any doubts about her parentage are blown away the minute he sees her. She is the image of his grandmother at the same age. Aware how long it would take to go through the formalities - and all the terrible things that could happen to her in the meantime -  he grabs her and runs.

The extraordinary thing about His Little Girl is that just as it was published a real life story, very similar, was revealed in the British press.

While reporting from Sarajevo in the early nineties, legendary British war correspondent, Michael Nicholson found 200 orphans living in a mortared and shelled building - four had already been killed and he smuggled Natasha, a nine-year-old who had been abandoned by her mother, out of the country, claiming that she was his daughter, owning up when she was safely in Britain. Despite protests from the Bosnian authorities Nicholson succeeded in adopting her and later published his experiences in his book, "Natasha's Story" which inspired  the film Welcome to Sarajevo.

Michael Nicholson's story was a true story of compassion and courage, mine was a romance (because of course there was a brave, strong woman who helped them both), but I love the fact that a story I spun out of my head could and did happen in real life. And had an equally happy ending.

Addison Fox: Odds & Ends

I don’t know about you, but I often envision myself as the lone mess maker in a sea of immaculate, well-bred people whose home is always in order, purse is always clean and car is always clutter-free. I moved recently – a state which should have made my own personal disorder of books strewn about, papers cluttered on desktops and general state of disorder vanish – and I’ve yet to have that happen. Instead, I’ve still got one or two boxes in each room and a small pile on the dining room table I can’t seem to dismiss no matter how many times I look at it.

How does it happen?

And where – for the LOVE OF GOD, WHERE?? – does it all come from?

I don’t try to be messy. Nor am I particularly fond of collecting anything beyond books. Yet as I sit here typing this I am staring at a stack of mail, three cords that go to various electronics items, a lone light bulb and three old cassette tapes that have no home yet which I can’t seem to part with.

I’d like to say this is a new phenomenon, but sadly, my entire life I’ve been a clutterer. I’m clean – the house is cleaned each and every week like clockwork – but the piles are easily moved to dust and then go right back where they are. Why? Is there something in my personality that can’t quite part with things? Or is it something more? (As a writer I’m driven to ask myself this…and then attempt to force the trait on a poor, hapless heroine who would probably rather have a nice, neat clean desk!)

As I keep looking at the piles on my desk, my gaze also lands on a recent card from my aunt, a photo of my friend’s son who just graduated and a wine stopper given to me by another good friend. More clutter, to be sure, but signs of love and affection and warmth.

It’s in those small signs that I think I really understand why I’m more prone to clutter than the pristine beauty of empty desks and spotless tables. For all the mess it brings, clutter also brings those little reminders that we’re loved. Those quick clues and modest symbols that remind us that we get up every day, go out into the world, and bring small pieces of it back home with us.

So what about you? Are you in the clutter camp? And whether you are or are not, I’m open to any and all suggestions of how to manage the piles!!

Thanks for joining me today!
XO,
Addison



Despite early ambitions of being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She lives in New York and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest release, THE ROYAL SPY’S REDEMPTION, from Harlequin Romantic Suspense is on shelves now. You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com 

Roxanne Snopek: The Joy of Communication

For many of us introverts, especially if we've been in "the cave" (ie: writing / reading / working alone for any length of time) social interactions can be daunting.

Talking. To real people. Where to begin? What to say? How to say it? To whom? Sometimes at parties, I feel like The Simple Dog, just wanting my own happy square of linoleum to stare at.

Let's face it, a lot can go wrong when I draw breath to speak. I detest the flavor of my own feet, and spend a lot of time considering my words before I let them out, but still end up with way too much toe-jam in my teeth.

There's what I say. There's what I *thought* I said. Then there's what I actually meant, and how I said it.

There's what you heard. And what you *thought* you heard. And what you thought I meant, and how you interpreted it.

If I squirm because I have to pee, you might see the squirm, think it means I'm not interested in you, turn away. I see you turn away and sink into myself, certain I've bored or hurt or offended you and do the only reasonable thing: hide in the bathroom for the rest of the evening.

I’ve discovered I often write characters who talk too much, sometimes without thinking. I love them for being brave enough to share themselves like this, even if it ends up going so badly wrong, before it ends up right. I feed them a lot of toe-jam before they succeed!

In CINDERELLA’S COWBOY, my shy heroine Cynthia Henley has a nervous stutter to overcome, and two gorgeous stepsisters, Maddie and DeeDee, who have the world by the tail and want to “fix” her. I adored watching Cynthia grow into herself!

And I can’t wait to show you what’s in store for her stepsisters. Maddie’s story, THE CHOCOLATE CURE, comes out in January 2017, with DeeDee’s THE CHOCOLATE COMEBACK releasing April 2017, as part of the Love at the Chocolate Shop series from Tule Publishing. This 12-book multi-author series begins in October and the first two books are available for preorder from iTunes here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/melt-my-heart-cowboy/id1136480600

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/a-thankful-heart/id1137789914 

I adore these covers and I think you’re going to love the stories inside as much as I do.

True communication is a never-ending challenge - and such a joy when it happens. I strive for it in Real Life, and in my books.

Who will you connect with today?

**
Excerpt from CINDERELLA’S COWBOY:
A pair of golden-green eyes stared out from between the bale of straw and the wall of Cynthia's office, then blinked, once.
“Mrrt.”
Doing business out of a barn might not be everyone's cup of tea but the cats were a perk. Especially when they were kittens.
     Cynthia hunkered down onto her hands and knees and nudged the china plate across the concrete floor. The scrawny creature swiveled his ears but held his ground. She was definitely making progress.
     She gestured to the slice of turkey with her ballpoint pen, then spoke into it, as if it were a microphone.
     "Tell me, Mr. Tiny Orange Feline, what makes DMC Solutions the best choice in today's business climate?"
A simple question, right? The kind of thing a media and communications specialist would be perfectly positioned to answer, right?
     She pointed the pen at the kitten. In a high, squeaky voice, she answered.
     "Cynthia Henley is poised, polished and perfectly presentable. She uses the right words, in the correct order and never ever embarrasses herself or others."    
She pointed the pen back at herself.
     "Thank you, Tiny Feline. We believe you to be biased by turkey-breast interference and thus unreliable, but we appreciate your kindness."
     The kitten stretched out his neck and snatched the turkey, just like the Marietta Weekly journalism intern who posted Cynthia's recent Interview of Shame on YouTube.
     The intern was long gone, but the paper's online Business Focus column had never had so much traffic.
If only she hadn't bumped into Chad Anders first. Coming face-to-face with one of her most embarrassing moments had awakened the monster that lay coiled inside her, ready to flick its forked tongue up her throat and spawn new, improved embarrassing moments.
I provide services my clients won't find elsewhere.
She'd meant to sound earnest but nervous hyperventilation made it come out like a spaghetti western madame offering up a room service special.
I'll do anything to muh-muh-meet their needs.
Why didn't someone stop her? Or shoot her?
Ha-ha. I muh-mean, not uh-uh-anything, anything. Ha-ha.
Bray like a donkey. That'll help.
DMC Solutions is uniquely puh-puh-positioned for today's buh-business cuh-cuh-cuh-climax.
Oh, the humanity.
**
https://www.amazon.com/Cinderellas-Cowboy-Montana-Home-Book-ebook/dp/B00WRP0DHG

CJ Carmichael: Love and Hope…And A Good Cause

About a year and a half ago I was contacted by a digital publisher from Saskatchewan (the province where I grew up and went to University) and invited to participate in an intriguing project. Joanna D’Angelo from Lachesis Press wondered if I would be willing to contribute a short romantic story to a three book Anthology. Proceeds would be donated to ovarian cancer research.

As I had my own ovarian scare and surgery about thirteen years ago, I felt this was a cause I had to support. So I sent a message to Joanna that I was in! Several months later I was working on a story that we would call Devoted To Her Cowboy. I was on familiar ground, writing a small town rodeo cowboy (Blake Timber) and the strong but sweet local girl (Shelby Turner) he’s never forgotten. The twist was in the subplot as the hero soon discovers that his beloved grandmother is undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer.

For a peek at the creative process behind this story, check out my Pinterest Page. Here you’ll find all the visual elements that inspired Blake and Shelby’s story.

I’ll be joining my publisher and donating all proceeds from this project to Ovarian Cancer Canada. I would be so grateful if you would help this project be a big success. Love and Hope is available for preorder on Amazon, Kobo and Indigo. Please share this news with your reading friends—your help is greatly appreciated in our quest for better treatment and a possible cure for Ovarian Cancer.

Thanks and Happy Reading!

C. J. Carmichael

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Susan Sands: A Dog Story

I'm blogging today about my recent crazy dog day. First, you have to understand that I lost my

Boudreaux

fifteen-year-old Golden Retriever/Lab mix last year. She was our love. It was a devastating blow to our entire family. Boudreaux, our remaining love, a five-year-old Italian water dog (Lagotto Romagnolo) misses her as much as we do. Boudreaux has some anxiety/fear-aggressive issues with the groomer and vet's office, so we normally have his exams and vaccines handled when he's under general anesthesia during grooming. Yes, I said general anesthesia. Besides this little issue, Boudreaux is a smart, friendly, and extremely affectionate family member. But he needs a pack.

I applied to a local pet adoption rescue in our area after trying the county animal shelter. Most at the shelter were pit bull rescues or puppies. We simply don't want to take a chance on an adult pit bull, and we don't want a puppy. The rescue asked for a vet referral. They called and told me I was likely going to be denied because I couldn't prove I'd purchased enough heart worm meds for Boudreaux, and that Boudreaux wasn't up to date on his vaccines. I told them I was using my other dog's meds who'd passed. And previously some given to me by a friend whose dog had recently passed. BTW, that stuff is quite expensive. I also believed that Boudreaux had received his vaccines the last time we'd had him groomed. The vet neglected to tell me they'd not given them to him, as they wanted to check some blood work. With Boudreaux's behavior, neither of us had much chance to discuss anything. The goal is usually to get him home as soon as possible after he's done...but they never told me he hadn't received his vaccines.

I was upset at the idea of being a bad doggie mom, so I loaded him up, called the former vet I'd used prior to the grooming, and brought him right over. Poor Boudreaux. I let the judgmental, pissy, shaming pet rescue worker push me into acting before taking the time to think through a plan of action. Boudreaux's anxiety caused him to fight the workers hard enough to pull a muscle in his leg, bite his tongue and bleed for hours, and then poop and pee all over himself. He was only a couple months over due for these vaccines. But you'd have thought I'd left him outdoors in sub-freezing temps to starve, the way I was spoken to and treated. If I can't be trusted with saving an animal, then who? My dog is healthy, well-cared for, heart worm negative, and besides HATING going away to the groomer or vet, a real sweetheart. Do they want me to buy a puppy from a breeder instead? I told him I was trying to save an animal instead. He hung up on me when I suggested he not try and shame me.

I've also managed to raise three rather well-adjusted kids thus far. I really do think kids are harder in most cases.

Then, to top off the day, I was rear-ended by Pokemon Go hunters. No damage, but Geez!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer!!

Susan

Pick a City for Romance! Annie West



As you know from my blogs, and hopefully my books, location is incredibly important to me. Whether it's a coastal area or mountain locale, or a rambling old house, or a city, I usually find at least one location in every book really 'speaks' to me as I write. That location is as important as another character to the development of my story and the way my characters interact.  I've had heroines who've struggled on dairy farms or found themselves in windswept deserts or isolated castles! But sometimes a city location is just right for a story. For instance, my current one, THE FLAW IN RAFFAELE'S REVENGE takes place in New York, as well as in country Australia and the Caribbean. My lucky characters - they really can be jets-setters!

 





 

Most of the time I don't deliberately set out to choose a location for a story, it chooses me. That's what happened with New York in FLAW, when I wanted a place as far from rural Australia (where Lily lives when the story opens) as I could get. And with Sao Paolo in Brazil for DAMASO CLAIMS HIS HEIR when Marisa finds herself unexpectedly pregnant to the most dangerous man she's ever met. And the quaint old city of Prague in Europe seemed the perfect place for Flynn and Ava to marry in THE SINNER'S MARRIAGE REDEMPTION.

 

 

A VOW TO SECURE HIS LEGACY is about a woman who believes she only has months to live. She decides to experience life to the full, and so of course, she includes Paris on her bucket list, where she meets a suave, charismatic Frenchman who turns her expectations on her head.

 

 

When I needed a palatial inner city apartment for a man intent on revenge against his English father, it seemed natural Rafe would move to London in RAFE'S REDEMPTION. I loved the glamour of that city as a backdrop to the tension between Rafe and Antonia, the woman he blackmails into being his mistress.



Some books almost grow from their setting. I knew from the first that SEDUCING HIS ENEMY'S DAUGHTER would be set in Sydney, and that sun would shine on the harbour, making it look it's spectacular best.

Right now I'm considering writing a few more of my HOT ITALIAN NIGHTS novellas and Venice is a distinct possibility for a setting. After all, it's such a romantic city and I was lucky enough to visit in the last couple of year so I have a good feel for the location.

So now it's your turn. I'd love to hear what city or cities you think might make a good setting for a romance. So much the better if it's one I haven't mentioned.

I'm giving away a copy of my first HOT ITALIAN NIGHTS novella: BACK IN THE ITALIAN'S BED to someone who comments. Do come back later to check the name of the winner - I'll post it in the comments section.

August is when?!!

Somehow the summer has flown by and now I'm facing down one of the busiest Augusts I've ever faced! June was taken up by college graduations and weddings - well, my youngest son did both of those! Usually, late June and most of July is taken up with RWA preparations but I can't even blame that this year since it's the first RWA I've missed since 1998.

But somehow July whipped on by me anyway. And those who know me are probably saying there must be a writing deadline coming soon and you would be correct. I also accepted an invitation to be part of a Celtic ghost anthology, coming out in time for Samhain/Halloween. So that meant writing my brains out even before I need to write my brains out on my next book. . . due August 31!

Yeah, that's how I roll....LOL!

I have actually had the chance to read a few books and would love to share them with you - in case you need a couple more romances to read this summer...


First - I grabbed up Annie West's newest one - The Flaw in Raffaele's Revenge - and read it in ONE day! It was hot and a great romance - try it if you haven't! (I think she may be talking about it here tomorrow so stop back!)



Then,  a friend suggested an author I'd never read - Emma Wildes - and I confess, I'm in love! Her historical romances were out a few years ago and I tried to savor the first one - An Indecent Proposition - it didn't work and I stayed up late two nights finishing it. A steamy, old-school historical romance with a wonderful secondary romance, too! I've since bought up print copies of her other books so I've got lots to read!


And finally, I found another new-to-me author - Kerrigan Byrne. She's getting rave reviews on her Victorian Rebels series so I read the first one - The Highwayman -  and ordered the next 3! Again, old-school historical romance - this time sexy and so emotional. Her next one comes out next week and I wish I could read it as soon as it gets here... but. . .

Now, I'm heading straight downhill into my next deadline. AND -- going to Scotland  on August 31! Yes, finally returning there after 7 years and I'm so excited. I have research places to visit for my upcoming books and Blas Festival concerts to attend.  Lots of photos will be posted all over my social media places.

So that's my summer -- how's yours going? Read any good books you can recommend to me or done anything fun? Please share in a comment and I'll be choosing two commentors to receive a copy of the "Once Upon A Haunted Castle" coming September 27!

Terri is thrilled to share that she'll be writing 6!!! more medieval Highlander romances for Harlequin over the next few years! Her next one - Kidnapped by the Highland Rogue - will be available in print on September 20 and in digital on October 1! Stop by her website for lots of info!

Don't Look Now.... August is Coming

by Joanne Rock

I used to love the month of August. As a child, it felt like such a long month of endless summer days, each one bluer and hotter than the next. It was a month of wildflowers and cicadas, ripe tomatoes and sweet corn. I hoped for an invitation to my cousin's swimming pool, eager for the chance to spend some of the hot month splashing and squealing in the cool water.

Even as a teen, August could be counted on for a good time. As a northern girl, August was still a summer month, with school never starting until after Labor Day. I could drive up to an Adirondack lake with friends, picnic late into evenings on long summer days when the light lingered until 9 o'clock.

Oh, August, how you've changed.

As the parent of a school who attends school in the southern U.S., my whole year is recalibrated. For a few more years at least, August and I are not on speaking terms. School begins now in August. Early August. The unfairness of it all!

Even when I lived up north, September and I got along okay. It's my birthday month, for one thing, and that helps. But as the weather started to cool and I started to feel ready to return to work, I didn't mind when a big yellow school bus carted off my noisy crew.

These days, as my sons are older and all but one is off to college or beyond, I'm really not inclined to give up any time with my youngest. School doesn't deserve him. He's charming and entertaining and I like him under my roof. There's no big yellow school bus anymore, but a sporty silver car he drives himself. I have to peel myself away from the window when he pulls out of the driveway. I miss him.

I guess I miss a time I won't have back again, and school in August is a reminder of things that I miss. Maybe, once my youngest is off to college and my life grows quieter again, I'll find my way back to the month of wildflowers and cicadas, ripe tomatoes and sweet corn. I'll read books on endless summer days and enjoy the lingering heat.
For now, however, I refuse to think about back to school or back to work or anything else that involves too much effort in August. In my heart, I'm still waiting on that invitation to my cousin's pool...

**What does August mean to you? Back to school? The arrival of local sweet corn? Catch me up on what you think of when you turn that calendar page and I'll give one random poster a copy of my September release, Whispers Under a Southern Sky, book #4 in my Heartache, TN series for Harlequin Superromance!

Eve Gaddy: RWA 2016

Every summer Romance Writers of America has a huge conference. This year it was held in beautiful San Diego, California. Over 2000 authors and publishing and industry professionals meet for workshops on everything from the mechanics of writing, to experts in various fields discussing their professions and how they might relate to characters, to things like promoting your books and social media. We network with agents, editors, publishers, and other writers. We attend the RITA and Golden Heart awards ceremony (Romance Writers most well-known contest). I love the RWA National conference for a variety of reasons, but the main one is I get to see my friends, many of whom I only see once or twice a year. 

Left to Right: Katherine Garbera, Eve Gaddy and Julia Justiss

Left to Right; Eve Gaddy, Nancy Robards Thompson, Julia Justiss

My friends and I correspond online all the time, we FaceTime, we talk on the phone, but meeting in person is wonderful. And it can be magical. There's something about being around a lot of other writers, talking writing, thinking writing, and breathing writing that makes the air crackle with creative energy. (Chocolate also helps.:) And as my friend Julia Justiss puts it, we get to be writers. Just writers. We're not working another job, we're not moms, wives or grandmothers. (Unless our family comes with us.) 

If we get to the conference early enough we might go sight-seeing. Or shopping. This year I didn't get to do as much since I managed to break my toe the first full day I was there. First thing in the morning, yet. Stupid doorstop! (Seriously. Broke my toe.) So I spent a lot of the first couple of days I was there in my room with my foot propped up. I did manage to hobble down to the bookstore on the waterfront.

And I went to some dinners and parties. 

All in all it was a fun and rewarding conference. I saw old friends, met new ones, and even managed to write some. And when I came home I got the beautiful cover for my newest book, Love Me, Cowgirl, which will be out this fall.

Visit me at my website: www.evegaddy.net or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EveGaddyAuthor or Twitter: @evegaddy

P.S. I have a book up on www.authorshout.com/cover-wars . If you get a chance go vote for your favorite cover. Voting lasts all week long. Mine is my fave.:)

#WriteTip: Make Your Own Space

Kristina Knight's summer workspace: swim practice!

Follow a few authors on Instagram or Pinterest, and you'll find all kinds of writing and reading space boards. There are the pictures of amazing European and Asian libraries, DIY hacks to create the perfect office in everything from spare bedrooms to a small corner of the living room. Some authors have office spaces in renovated garages or backyard sheds. I saw one DIY project that involved a gazebo and butterfly bushes and lightning bugs...I'm still not sure how they trained the lightning bugs to stay in that particular area.

I don't write in any of those places, although I do have an office (in a spare bedroom of our house) with an actual door that actually closes (not that anyone bothers to stop at the closed door). But nine times out of ten, I don't write in there. This summer, most of my writing has been done at our YMCA pool because bebe made the swim team. That's my Apple Keyboard right up there, with a view to her favorite lane. I've written at our library, our Starbucks, on our back deck and in our living room, too, depending on my mood.

Because I write in so many different places, I thought it would be fun to ask some other writers where they get down to the business of writing books. Here's what they had to say:

Historical romance author Sharon Cullen said, "I don’t have an office and to be honest, while I’d love one, I don’t think I’d use it. I write in my recliner. LOL. I’ve trained myself to block out the TV and anything else going on. Up until last week (when we painted the room) I had research books piled up next to my chair and had created a mini-office. Now I’m trying to be a little more organized. I do plan on creating my own office once one of the kids moves out and I can snag their room. But I think I’ll always prefer my recliner."

Constance Phillips' - ready for writing!

"I have a spare bedroom in my home that is a designated office space. It's decorated with a lot of my favorite things, and I have a large monitor on my desk that I can plug my laptop into.  I think it works best because it's comfortable, quiet (if I want it to be) and my space," said Constance Phillips, contemporary and paranormal romance author.

Contemporary romance author Nicole Flockton writes in a variety of places, "I don't have a designated office. I have a desk set up in the corner of the living room and I usually write there," said Nicole. "I wear headphones and listen to a writing playlist that I've added to over the last couple years. Being summer I've also taken to writing at the roller rink when I take the kids to give them something to do."

"I prefer to write in my office, with the door closed, and with music playing softly in the background. For some reason, it acts like a time warp, and I get lost in the writing and get much more done," said Elley Arden, contemporary romance author.

Jill Kemerer's office - aren't those folders awesome?

Inspirational romance author Jill Kemerer goes the office route, too, and don't you love those folders!
I need some like that! "I write in a spare bedroom with oodles of fun office supplies in the closet. I have a large desk to spread out my planner, essential files and notes, and the door is usually open, unless l'm frazzled," said Jill.

"I have a home office but I never use it because it only  has 1 little window. I like to write anywhere that is bright and quiet. Generally that means I end up in my living room because it's full of windows, gets an amazing breeze in the summer, and a glorious nature view wherever I look. Sometimes I write on my front porch for the same reasons, and if I just need a change of pace I write in the dining area, but that is rare," said contemporary romance author Christine Warner.

Your turn readers (and authors), where is your favorite place to get lost in a book?

Kristina Knight's second book in her Billionaire Cowboys trilogy, What the Heiress Wants, is available now; book three will release in September. 

The Billionaire Cowboys trilogy by best-selling author Kristina Knight continues with What the Heiress Wants.

Denver publishing heiress Miranda Clayton craves more from life than society parties and shopping sprees, but her tycoon father refuses to take her seriously. Her solution? Beat him at his own game by going to work for his top competitor, Connor Reeves, in Las Vegas.


Connor isn't fooled by Miranda's new plan for a second. He knows exactly who she is; what he doesn't know is why she's pulling him into her games. After their first meeting, Connor knows what he wants - Miranda in his bed! But the more he's around his new vice president, the more he wants something deeper than a short-term fling. The question is does the lady want Connor - or his business?

Amazon  B&N  iBooks  Crimson Romance

You can find out more the book and Kristina on her website, and feel free to stalk follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

Tessa Shapcott: Let Them Eat Cake!

I’ve just returned from attending the RNA’s annual summer conference, which this year took place at Lancaster University.  This is the UK’s equivalent of RWA.

The word from attending publishers and agents was that, in the UK romance fiction market, the overall trend continues to be escapism, so think city girl goes cosy—country cottages, seaside idylls, sewing bees and tearooms.  There must be touches of luxury, glamour and material comfort too.  The writers who succeed are those who can pick up and run with these themes and give them a fresh spin and a unique voice.  This ‘cupcake’ genre has a healthy pick-up overseas; one author, Alexandra Brown, showed how she had scored great success in North America with a series based around a knitting circle, and also in Indonesia with books set in an old-fashioned department store.

Cupcakes have dominated the romance market since around 2008-9 and show no sign of waning.  This doesn’t surprise me.  It feels like the world has been very unstable since then.  Recession, terrorism, war and mass migration surround us. No wonder women seek comfort in intensely feminine themes and dreams, tinged with nostalgia.  But I do sometimes wonder if this wanting to have our cake and eat it over and over again is leading agents and publishers to narrow their acquisition strategies and not take so many chances on talented new writers aiming at other romance genres.

Contact me at http://www.tessashapcottbookeditor.com

Barbara Ankrum: Summer Fun Facts!

July marks the beginning of the second half of the year. Vacation time. Lakes, beaches, mountains and RWA conferences. I didn’t make it to conference this year, but I definitely plan on finding some water nearby soon. You?

Summer is also the time when we take the books we’ve been piling up over the year and lose ourselves in their pages in the cool shade of a tree. Everything We Keep, by Kerry Londsdale is out in ebook format, and is one of the first ones I plan to read.  Jane Porter’s the Lost Sheenan’s Bride is high on my list, as well as Eloisa James’ latest novella A Gentleman Never Tells.  I–eh-hem—happen to have a beach read out this summer myself, but more on that later.

Since it’s too hot to think about anything too deep, I thought it might be fun to take this month’s blog and share a few things you didn’t know about me. So here goes:

1. I grew up loving animals—dogs, cats, you name it. But my big crush was on horses and my father, a closet cowboy, indulged me with riding lessons young, which only fueled my fire. I desperately wanted a horse of my own, but it wasn’t until I had graduated from high school that my parents moved to a farm in Tennessee and bought a couple of Tennessee Walkers for my younger sister and I.  Candy and I were inseparable when I wasn’t away at school or working. But on one particularly bad day, she kicked up her heels while racing up a mountain slope and tossed me off, breaking one of my vertebrae and cracking a shoulder blade. Needless to say, I was much more cautious after that and translated much of my love of horses into my books. I still, however, secretly think we (the horses and I) communicate psychically. I’m weird that way.

2. I’ve been lucky to be married to the same, sweet guy for thirty-seven years. He’s the inspiration for all of my heroes and the one who made me believe in happily ever after.

3. I wanted to be an actress for most of my young life and really wanted to star in Westerns (because…horse love). But I had babies and ended up doing commercials while raising my family. I did a few dozen national commercials, including a Hertz commercial with OJ Simpson and Jimmy Conner and one many remember, a Head and Shoulders/Girl On The Bus spot. So, yeah. I’m famous for scratching my head.

4. My husband used to be an actor and did a voice in the original Star Wars – Wedge Antilles. Kind of a major/minor character who was played physically by Irish actor Dennis Lawson, but voiced by my husband, David, because they wanted an American accent.  That job has taken him all over the world for celebrity signings—Japan, London, Boston. He originally auditioned for George Lucas for C3PO, but got the V.O. gig instead. I get to bask in his fandom now and then.

5. I have taught novel writing for almost twenty years. I started at UCLA Extension and taught privately for many years after that. The talented Laura Wright, Beth Kendrick and Jeannie Lin were a few of my students and we’re still good friends today. I love teaching.

6. I once did a past life regression in trade for some editing work. And if you believe in such things, it became clear to me that my first book ever, HOLT’S GAMBLE, an Oregon Trail book, was inspired by a past life of mine on the emigrant trail from Arkansas to Texas.  Then again, I’m a writer and I may have just made it all up under hypnosis!

Well, that’s a little about me.  Hope you all have a fabulous July/August. Until next time, hope you find some time to squeeze in my latest novella, RECKLESS IN LAGUNA, part of Kaira Rouda’s Laguna Beach Kindle World. It’s a second chance love story about two people with dark secrets who get a chance to start over in Laguna Beach and it’s only $1.99.  Needless to say, it’s a beach read!

hi! I'm really excited about my upcoming release, A Court Gesture, book 8 of my It's Reigning Men contemporary royal romance, so thought I'd share a sample chapter. It's coming out August 16. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One

Larkin Mallory normally loved her job. Retained unexpectedly in the Rome bureau of The International Chronicle after her one-year internship suddenly morphed into a staff position (thanks to a reporter who decided not to return after maternity leave), she often found herself waking up in the most breathtaking European cities, sent there by her editor to cover stories that ranged from hard-hitting journalism to special-interest feature pieces.

It gave her a chance to really spread her wings professionally, sometimes doubling down with her journalistic chops to cover meaty stories, but also being able to delve into fluffier pieces about, say, cheese rolling contests in England. She liked to say you’ve not lived until you’ve watched a bunch of less-than-sober revelers race down a steep hill in pursuit of runaway wheels of cheddar. Especially considering paramedics are at the ready for the inevitable injuries that come with being accidentally run over by nine-pound spools of wayward cheese coming at you with the velocity of a speeding train.

Never once had she challenged her editor, Piers Woodberry, a paunchy, balding, white-haired Brit who’d held stints at various European tabloids before settling down to work for the more austere international paper. He was usually fair-handed in assigning stories, and Larkin couldn’t think of a time she got stuck having to interview someone she didn’t want to talk to.

The fair-skinned reporter with cascading blonde curls and soft blue eyes tended to hide behind thick tortoise-shell eyeglasses and frumpy clothes, and enjoyed her quiet little slice of the world. She dressed in neutral colors so as to not draw attention to herself, and loved to travel, but only when she could do so on her terms. Not one to indulge in expensive hotel rooms, fine dining or fancy clothes, she was perfectly happy wandering the streets of a given city in yoga pants and trainers, grabbing easy street food (crêpes in Paris, kebobs in Istanbul or supplì in Rome) rather than having to dine alone in a restaurant where she feared she’d stick out like a sore thumb simply because she was on her own.

Even though the reality was that she was alone, and she made no mistake about it. The very nature of her job meant she didn’t get to focus on nurturing friendships, apart from a few colleagues in her office. So while Larkin’s professional life was fulfilling, her personal life was somewhat lacking, right alongside her wardrobe and her sense of self.

Somehow she wasn’t particularly good at envisioning herself as more than the nuts and bolts reporter she was, even though she had the good fortune of doing it in a wonderful part of the world. After all, she wasn’t stuck covering city sewer commissions into the wee hours of the night back home in Virginia where she grew up. Instead, she could as easily find herself strolling along the Champs-Ëlysées as through the rabbit warren-like alleyways of the medieval medina in Marrakesh. In some ways it was a gilded life she led, but somehow she managed to tamp down the exotic nature of it by insisting on being plain old Larkin Mallory, the girl who played flute in her high school marching band and wore thick corrective glasses that perhaps helped others not be able to see her for who she was, which was fine by her.

Larkin was putting the finishing touches on a story about a man who was walking through the Swiss Alps backwards when her boss shouted for her.

“Mallory,” her barked. “You’re going to Fashion Week. Milan. I just lost Silvia, who was supposed to cover it. She’s got bed bugs and isn’t coming back until she’s rid of them. Which means you’re on the Fashion Week beat until I say you aren’t.”

Larkin blanched. Fashion Week? She no sooner belonged in the rarified world of high fashion than she belonged in a medical lab concocting the cure to cancer. Both environments were so not in her stratosphere. She knew precisely nothing about fashion except that you put on your clothes every day and hoped that they matched. And wearing all black kept you from having to even worry about that.

“But Mister Woodberry,” she said, a pleading look in her eyes as if she were a cow imploring the butcher sharpening his knife not to proceed with the impending slaughter. “You’d be better off asking anyone to do that than me. Take Paolo, for instance,” she said, pointing at her colleague standing at the Nespresso machine fixing his fourth espresso of the morning. “Paolo, see, he’s Italian. He knows the world of fashion. Just look at him! He dresses in various shades of black, always so chi-chi and clearly up on the best of what to wear.”

Paolo looked up from his task. “But of course,” he said, tossing back his espresso as he returned to sit at his desk. “La bella figura. It’s the Italian way.”

“Bella figura?” Larkin said. “What the heck is that?”

Paolo stood up again, placing his hands casually in his pockets and striking a pose. He cut quite the handsome figure in his hipster-cut black wool pants and dark gray pin-striped button-down, with a coordinating lighter gray silk tie. His dark hair was perfectly groomed, his face cleanly-shaven, his sleek shoes polished and stylish. “La bella figura is the Italian way of life,” he said, adjusting the knot in his necktie, punctuating his point. “It’s about presenting our best face to the world.” He swept his hands along his body as if to demonstrate.

Larkin nodded. “So yeah,” she said, nodding at her colleague. “That.”

“That?” Piers said.

“I mean Paolo’s your man,” she said. “He’d be perfect to cover Fashion Week. He’s clearly knowledgeable about it and very fashion-forward. He’s Italian, and that helps. Plus, he’s handsome, which I’m sure will get him in with all of the beautiful fashion models for interviews and such.”

Her boss shook his head. “Too late,” he said. “Paolo’s traveling with the Pope to Africa.”

“Awwww, man,” she said. “I’d love go with the Pope to Africa. I’d do a great job. I like that pope. He’s a good guy. Besides, I’m Catholic. He’s my people.” Of course she knew Paolo was likely even more Catholic than she, being Italian and all.

“No can do,” Piers said, shaking his head. “Paolo’s up on his shots and has been taking his malaria medicine. Besides, you don’t cover someone to be a cheerleader for them. If I wanted that I’d give you pom-poms and a megaphone. Sorry,Mallory, everyone around here is locked into assignments and you’re the only one I can spare,” he said, tapping her on the nose with the tip of his pen. “That’s what comes with being low man on the totem pole. But chin up! Maybe you can get some fashion pointers while you’re there.”

Larkin sighed and grumbled. Fashion pointers, indeed. Crap. It was going to feel like high school all over again: the dowdy girl in the band trying to blend in with the prima donna in-crowd beauties. This was gonna suck massively.

A Court Gesture is available for pre-order here:   iBooks  Nook  Kindle  Kobo

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