TAMMY FAULKNER—A LONE WOMAN IN A SEA OF TESTOSTERONE

My guest is romance author, Tammy Faulkner. For those who may not recognize the name—yet, she's part of the dynamic writing duo known as Lydia Dare. 

Tammy is here, today, to share her magically sinful fairy tale of a fae who's mission is to save the Duke of Robinsworth by improving his attitude, among other things. It's a sassy tale complete with mayhem and a wicked grandmother—not quite the same sort of wicked you would associate with fairy tales, but definitely shocking. Well, at least to the ton. *giggle* A woman, I mean Fae, after me own heart. And then there is Ronald...   

So how does an author, who has a houseful of rough and tumble males and has a touch-me-not attitude, manage to write such wonderful happily ever after stories? It's a mystery. *grin* I love mysteries and Tammy's latest story!

I am a lone woman in a sea of testosterone. That sounds like a book in the making, doesn't it? If you know me, you know that I am a mom of boys.  There’s not a girl in sight at my house, aside from the dogs and they don’t really count because they will often side with the boys over me, mainly because the boys drop more food than I do when they’re eating.  It’s a fact of life.  He who is the messiest eater is loved the most by the dogs.  Go figure.

I think this sea of manliness and me being adrift in it is one of the many reasons I write romance.  Don’t get me wrong—I love nothing quite as much as sitting on the bleachers during a football game and watching boys pound one another into submission.  Or rooting from the edges of a gymnastics competition for my youngest son as he flips and twirls and does amazing things with his body that I could never even dream of.  But in the midst of all this manliness is still… me.  And I’m a female.  I believe in the happily ever after. I believe in love and romance and that little quiver in your stomach when you see the person you love and you didn't expect him or her to be there.  (And I still have that little feeling even after twenty years with my husband.)

I got honored by my lovey dovey friend the other day with one of those “I’m thinking about you,” posts today on Facebook.  She’s famous for them, and I always give her a hard time when she posts them for her brother and sisters.  By “hard time” I mean that I interrupt their love fests with my own e-hacking and e-puking emoticons.  Her love posts are always something wonderful and glowing, like her own little bit of sunshine she’s spreading around the world.  My own sister would fall out on the floor, either laughing like crazy or with dead shock if I ever posted such a thing on her page.  With all my romance novels and all my own ways of sharing love with the masses, I am not a very affectionate person.  My family calls me the touch-me-not because I am sort of one of those “don’t slobber on me” people when someone tries to hug me. 

I am a little envious of the hug-givers—they seem like they are so welcoming and so full of sunshine.  Yet I can’t always make myself hug them back.  My blank stare turns into something akin to panic and then my hand shoots out to shake with them instead.  Then I feel bad.

I write romance novels because I believe in the happily-ever-after.  But you won’t often catch me being one of those lovey-dovey sorts of people.  I wish sometimes that I could do it.  But it’s just not me. 

However, I think I’m going to go try to post some love on my sister’s Facebook page and see how it goes. She’ll either be really touched by it and say awwwww.  Or she’ll fall out laughing.  I will admit that my friend’s lovey dovey post did make me feel kind of warm and fuzzy for a bit so maybe there’s something to it.  I’m going to test it out and see.

• How about you?  Do you practice random acts of kindness?  
• Do you share lovely little thoughts for your friends in public?  
• Or do you just go around hugging everybody?

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

A LADY AND HER MAGIC Tammy Falkner

Rules Are Made to be Disobeyed...

Sophia Thorne is new to the Regency's glittering high society, which resembles her magical homeland only insofar as both places are filled with ridiculous rules. Which means no matter where she goes, she's bound for trouble...

And Scandals Are Meant to be Shocking...

The Duke of Robinsworth has flaunted and shocked society for years. In a moment of fateful mischief, Robinsworth encounters the enchanting and distinctly scandalous Sophia. Between her streak of magical mischief and his penchant for scandal, they're about to take rule-breaking to a whole new level...EXCERPT

Do click on the cover. It enlarges and I love the cover art!

As half of the Lydia Dare writing team, Tammy Falkner has co-written ten books, including A Certain Wolfish Charm and In the Heat of the Bite. A huge fan of Regency England, her new series explores the theory that the fae can walk between the glittering world of the ton and their own land. Tammy lives on a farm in rural North Carolina with her husband and a house full of boys, a few dogs, and a cat or two.

For more information, please visit http://www.tammyfalkner.com and follow her on Twitter, @TFalkner.

A LOVER OF ALL THINGS SCOT—VICTORIA ROBERTS

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My guest is historical author Victoria Roberts. She’s a lover of all things Scot. A bonny lassie after me own heart! 

I was able to pull her head out of the highlands, and the cloud of midges, long enough to answer a few questions, and apply soothing balm for the midge bites and some fine coffee to wash away the ones she might have inadvertently breathed in… 

Victoria, welcome to Over Coffee. That’s quite a story you wrote and I have to say, I love your two main characters!

Thank you for having me. It’s great to be here.

• Did you try other genres before you hit with this one?

No. It’s funny you ask that because over a year ago I sat down with one of my male friends and told him I write Scottish historical romances. Contrary to what one might think, he was actually pretty interested and asked me the same question. I was curious why he asked me that and this was his response. 

"I admire you for knowing what you want and going after it. You didn't play around with writing another genre in the hopes someone would notice you." I had never really thought of it that way, but I guess that would be true.

• Why this genre instead of another?

As soon as I picked up my first Scottish historical, I recognized this is where my path led. In reality, that’s when Temptation in a Kilt was born. But don’t get me wrong. I love reading other genres such as paranormal, regency, urban-fantasy, etc. It just so happens to be that Scottish historical romance is where my heart lies. And as long as I still have stories to be told, this is the genre where I’ll be—well, as long as the readers keep enjoying my wee Scottish tales.

• What excites you about this genre?

How much time do we have? *checking watch*

It all starts with Scotland. The bonny glens, lochs, heather, castles, history, clans, Highlanders, men in kilts—yep, I could go on and on and on. My family will tell you the same. With a country so rich in history, Scotland is the perfect backdrop for a historical romance. Throw in an alpha-Highland laird and a feisty lass and the possibilities are endless.

  

Now whether Scotland’s political past adds to the drama of writing this genre or the never-ending battles between the clans, there is definitely something for everyone. Don’t you agree?

Vickie, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. I wish you the best with this series!

Thank you so much for having me here today. Great questions!

 Amazon | Barnes & Noble
| Books-A-Million 

Temptation In A Kilt

She’s on her way to safety...

It’s a sign of Lady Rosalia Armstrong’s desperation that she’s seeking refuge in a place as rugged and challenging the Scottish Highlands. She doesn't care about hardship and discomfort, if only she can become master of her own life. Laird Ciaran MacGregor, however, is completely beyond her control…

He redefines dangerous…

Ciaran MacGregor knows it’s perilous to get

embroiled with a fiery Lowland lass, especially one as

headstrong as Rosalia. Having made a rash promise

to escort her all the way to Glengarry, now he’s stuck

with her, even though she challenges his legendary

prowess at every opportunity. When temptation

reaches its peak, he’ll be ready to show her who he

really is…on and off the battlefield. First Chapter Excerpt on Amazon Book Trailer

Victoria lives in western Pennsylvania with her husband of nineteen years and their two beautiful children—not to mention one spoiled dog. When she is not plotting her next Scottish romp, she enjoys reading, nature and antiques.

Victoria Roberts writes sexy, Scottish historical romances about kilted heroes and warriors from the past. 

You can find her: Facebook, Goodreads, Website 

MONDAY MUSINGS: OVERCOMING THE GLITCHES AND TEARS—ROBIN MAXWELL

Photo:Atlas Remix

When I was a kid, Saturday morning television was a treat for my siblings and I. Cartoons and then Tarzan. I loved Tarzan and his ability to live and talk with all the animals of the jungle and he had absolutely the coolest tree house (recreating that house encompassed hours of time and effort on the part of my brothers and I—complete with ropes to swing on)! I wanted to be Jane. What life to live. 

It's my pleasure to have bestselling historical fiction author, Robin Maxwell, visiting with us today. She has written a fabulous story about Tarzan's mate, Jane Porter— who better to write Jane's story than an novelist who writes historical fiction? This story is told from Jane's point of view. Jane is a highly educated woman of her time (Edwardian) and from a sheltered position of wealth and yet she chooses to leave all that behind and become Tarzan's mate.  

It’s rare to be asked about the glitches and tears of this writer’s life, but I’m glad you asked.

I’ve had so many laughs over the years with my loved ones.  It’s necessary condition of friendship. My husband, Max Thomas, is one of the silliest men alive. But the glitches and tears, in my case, were whoppers.  2006 was “The Year From Hell” (I didn’t know there’d be four more in a row after that to rival it).

I’d just gotten a deal with NAL/Penguin to write SIGNORA DA VINCI, and had just begun extensive research into the Italian Renaissance (my past five novels had taken place in Tudor and Elizabethan England and Ireland, so I was in completely new territory, with dozens of research books piled high around me.  In January my mother, Skippy (from whom I inherited my sense of humor) who was living with Max and me – was taken by cancer.  She’d been not only a wonderful mom, but my first and greatest champion as a writer.  Never once did I hear from her: “Get a REAL job.”

There’s nothing quite like your mother dying, but I found some solace in creating a new world in my head and on the page with Leonardo da Vinci, his mother Caterina, the movers and shakers of Florence and their heretical secrets: what I called the “Shadow Renaissance.”  But the next blow was imminent.  My best girlfriend and comedy screenwriting partner of thirty years (with whom I shared some of the best laughs of my life) who lived down the country road from me in our remote high desert town, moved halfway around the world – back to her native Australia. 

It was a hot July day.  I’d just begun getting over that double-whammy, and enjoyed my first conversation with SIGNORA DA VINCI’s wonderful editor, Kara Cesare.  It was a long, leisurely talk about the characters and the period, and I felt so lucky to have a simpatico editor.  Half an hour after we hung up, a wind-driven wildfire roared down from the mountains above our property.  When a helicopter dropped a load of water on our house (while Max and I were still inside – our only evacuation order!) we knew we had to get out immediately. Max and our Doberman got in one car as black and orange smoke descended.  The two parrots were with me in a second.  I barely had time to go back and rescue a clothes hamper full of my research books from a house I knew would be toast within minutes. With Max in the lead we made a run for it through smoke so thick I could barely see my hood ornament, down our narrow dirt half-mile long driveway.   Suddenly Max stopped short.  Behind him I stopped, too.  Before us was a wall of flames so high we could not see the top…and it spanned the entire width of the driveway.

Surrounded by fire, we couldn’t get out of our cars to confer, and we couldn’t turn around.  My worst nightmare has always been burning to death in a flaming car wreck.  Our usually talkative 35-year-old African Grey parrot, Mr. Grey (the Jerry Seinfeld of birds who never stopped talking and was another constant source of laughter) who was sitting in the seat next to me, was completely silent.  Then with horrified amazement I watched Max’s car disappear through the wall of fire.  I was stock still.  What should I do?!  I couldn’t turn back.  I couldn’t stay where I was.  All I knew was that I trusted Max’s instincts.  I trusted him with my life.  So I took a deep breath and gunned it. 

It turned out there was not one wall of flames.  There were three!  In one of them my car started stalling out (no oxygen in the engine), but I floored it and sped out the other side, nearly crashing into the back of Max’s car waiting for me there.  But we were not clear of danger yet.  Once on the main road there were neighbors in their cars barrelling out of their driveways, and a poor doomed horse running by…on fire.  I later learned that Max’s car had tried to stall not once, but three times during our escape.

While we made it out alive, our nearest neighbor and his dog were killed.  Eighty square miles were toast.  Our home and a few trees around it were saved by the water drops.  But our once-beautiful high desert paradise looked like a moonscape, and it was a wildlife graveyard. 

A few months later, our darling fourteen year-old Doberman, Shiva, left this world.  Soon after that, Max underwent bi-lateral knee replacement surgery and rehab.  The following year Mr. Grey, after seven surgeries, died.  The next year his gorgeous, cuddle-bucket wife of 25 years, Cookie the Cockatoo, followed him.  But the Grim Reaper was not done with us. In 2010 my stepdaughter, mother of four, grandmother of seven, passed away. 

Max and I both suffered from post traumatic stress disorder for three years from that moment in which we were a single piston-stroke away from being burned alive.  Strangely, during those five years I wrote three novels, each of them helping me get through the worst of my depression and anxiety.  Sitting down to write felt like sinking into a warm bath.  And it was an escape into fabulous worlds as well.  Never did I appreciation the strength of my creative life and its ability to heal me.

Now, six years later, our wilderness property has come back to its former glory.  Max became my research assistant, story partner and first editor on JANE: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan, and we have never been healthier or happier.

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

Cambridge, England, 1905. Jane Porter is hardly a typical woman of her time. The only female student in Cambridge University’s medical program, she is far more comfortable in a lab coat dissecting corpses than she is in a corset and gown sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of traveling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.

When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father to join an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Africa is every bit as exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined, but Jane quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity’s past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes. 

EXCERPT (ON AMAZON)

I’m about to launch my “Book Club Weekend Getaways” at our beautiful high desert wildlife sanctuary.  Please visit me at www.robinmaxwell.com and www.HighDesertEden.com. 

Bestselling author and screenwriter Robin Maxwell often wonders how growing up a suburban New Jersey girl, an education at Tufts University as an occupational therapist, stints as a music business secretary, parrot tamer, casting director, dozens of Hollywood script development deals and marriage to yoga master Max Thomas prepared her for a career in writing.  After fifteen years and eight novels of historical fiction, including Signora da Vinci and The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn (now in its twenty-fourth printing) she is preparing to jump genres with the publication of JANE: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan (Tor Books, September 18).  The first Tarzan classic in a century written by a woman and told through the eyes of the ape-man’s beloved Jane Porter, JANE is enthusiastically supported and authorized by the estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

You can find Robin on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and WEBSITE.

BOOK REVIEW: AN ECHO THROUGH THE SNOW

I had a chance to read several fabulous books recently. Polar opposites in genre, but that’s okay—I love the variety! 

Those who know me are well aware of my love of animals (currently I have three horses, six dogs, and a dozen cats; not to mention raising food animals) and I have quite a few of them. Living on a twenty-five acre ranch in the middle of nowhere, I can indulge that love. I love them all and I spend more time with my animals than I do people.

In my family home was a collection of Jim Kjelgaard’s books they were dog-eared and well read. I loved his books. A favorite, aside from Stormy, was about a husky named Churi (Snow Dog and Wild Trek). I think that’s when a 10 year old fell in love with hard working huskies. Of course, the stories were told from both the point of view of the dogs involved and human characters. Books like these were an adventure indeed.

I’ve always admired and respected huskies as a breed. They’re incredible dogs, loyal to a fault, protective, incredibly smart, and hard working. I’ve seen them joyously race in front of sleds and there is nothing like the sound of racing huskies ready to run. 

If you want to see what it looks like and give you a feel for the incredible speeds these dogs can do, take a look at this video on You Tube. Now imagine being the one on the sled.

I've had huskies and husky-wolves. I didn’t race them but it was fun teaching them how to pull. When my son was born, I had two. They were around until he was 9 and they were protective and so patient with his little self.

Today, I want to share a great read from Debut author, Andrea Thalasinos. Forge Publicity approached me about a new author, and her haunting story racing huskies. I couldn’t resist reading it.

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, 

AN ECHO THROUGH THE SNOW 

Rosalie MacKenzie is headed nowhere until she sees Smokey, a Siberian husky suffering from neglect. Rosalie finds the courage to rescue the dog, and—united by the bond of love that forms between them—they save each other. 

Soon Rosalie and Smokey are immersed in the world of competitive dogsled racing. Days are filled with training runs, the stark beauty of rural Wisconsin, and the whoosh of runners on snow. Rosalie discovers that behind the modern sport lies a tragic history: the heartbreaking story of the Chukchi people of Siberia. When Stalin’s Red Army displaced the Chukchi in 1929, many were killed and others lost their homes and their beloved Guardians—the huskies that were the soul and livelihood of their people. 

Alternating between past and present, telling of a struggling Chukchi family and a young woman discovering herself, An Echo Through The Snow takes readers on a gripping, profound, and uplifting dogsled ride to Iditarod and beyond, on a journey of survival and healing.  

 

My thoughts:

 An Echo Through The Snow is a rich, emotion packed debut by an author who both loves and understands huskies and how that special bond between human and animal can change your life. Anyone who has rescued an animal will tell you that you’ve won that animal’s love and loyalty through that one act of kindness. Animals know.

 So it is with Rosalie Mackenzie when she rescues Smokey, a half starved and neglected Siberian husky. He’s known very little love and kindness in his world. Rosalie can relate because she’s in the same boat. You might say they rescue one another and both learn to heal from past wounds to the soul and spirit. They regain the courage to see their self worth and enable them to embrace life and the joys it offers. That one act of kindness brings Rosie from aimless existence to a focused life as she comes into contact with others who love the breed and race them.

There is another, older, story that intertwines with Rosie’s love of her dogs. The story is of a Chukchi native, Jaantaa, from Siberia. The Chukchi viewed the Husky as Sacred Guardians—the soul and livelihood of the Chukchi people. Jaantaa’s story is about her trying to save her beloved guardians from massacre by the Red Army in 1929.

Both Rosie and Jaantaa are connected through the huskies. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but there is a real connection—an echo through time and snow.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It touches your emotions and makes you both laugh and cry. The author creates very vivid characters (like Tariem, Cheyuga, Arlan, Jan and Dave—loved Doc). She shares her own love of sled racing and the huskies that run those races. She puts you on the spot to receive the love from these magnificent dogs—giving new meaning to dog pile—and on the runners of the sled as it races through the snow.

Fabulous and engaging read!      

 

MONDAY'S MUSINGS: FAVORITE GENRE AND MY GUILTY SECRETS

I love to be entertained. I appreciate creative spirits that provide my entertainment for me, whether it’s a book, movie, music, or just an enjoyable evening over a well cooked dinner and good conversation afterward.

The problem with choosing a specific genre in anything is difficult because I’m eclectic in my choices (especially music) depending upon the mood I’m in. 

ALEX CAVANAUGH BLOGFEST
List of partcipants

I write predominately sub-genres of romance. No apologies offered for that, it’s something I enjoy. One would assume that my favorite movie genre would be the same. While I will say there is always an element of romance in the movies I enjoy, my favorite movies are adventure/action. I’m more apt to choose movies along the lines of The Fast and The Furious (what’s not to love about Vin diesel—see romantic interest, right?), Die Hard, Independence Day, Terminator 2 Judgment Day, Gladiator (loved it 5 times), Xmen movies, and Cap’n America and The Avengers. And anything StarTrek.

Before you rip away my girl card, I did love True Lies, Lake House, 50 First Dates, Under The Tuscan Sun, Pearl Harbor, Man From Snowy River, Miss Congeniality, and Princess Bride—does that count? Romancing the Stone—see, that’s a romance, right? I loved the Leetle Mule.  To be honest with you? I guess my guilty pleasure would be love of action/adventure stuff.

Book genre: Romance, although I’m not into mushy or sappy, I do like happy endings and hate endings that are ambiguous.  Blame that on being raised with seven brothers. Some of my favorite authors include much of what I love in movies—lots of danger and kick ass action. Probably why I like paranormal—it has romance and danger. I love Christine Feehan (especially her Ghostwalker series and I’ve read every book she’s written in all her series), Donna Grant—yep warriors, Anita Cleny, Sara Humphries, Lisa Renee-Jones—more warriors. Loved anything written by Anne McCaffrey—read all her books too. My next favorite, or rather equally favorite genre is thrillers—preferably political. Or romantic suspense. Oh. Um, that would be more kick-ass danger stuff, wouldn’t it? Okay, I liked Gone with The Wind and Historicals by Catherine Coulter, Jayne Anne Krenz, Julie Garwood—now there’s romance for you.

Music? I can’t pick one. Really. I can’t.

It all depends upon my mood at the moment. I can enjoy Pappa Roach, Nickel Back, and Breaking Benjamin equally with Windham music, Ottmar Liebert (I love Spanish guitar and back before my hands blew I played classical guitar), and David Arkenstone.  I enjoy instrumental jazz, most Celtic music; love the richness of Pavarotti and Placido, and 40’s torch singers. Country is something I like but more when I’m traveling and I can sing along—I grew up on it and sang in a country band in my 20’s.

Although I do have a guilty pleasure—Enrique Inglesias and he’s helped me set the mood for a few love scenes. He knows how to play sexy and generate heat in much of his music, but particularly this piece—Heartbeat 

While I enjoy movies, if I had to choose two it would have to be books and music. Choose only one? Books. I can make music.

I’ll leave you with a favorite scene of mine from a movie that has a bit of all—adventure, action, romance, and thrilling moments. This scene never fails to raise goose bumps on me.  Jim’s Ride. Man From Snowy River. 

Ps.

1. I apologize that I can't actually embed these two links here. For whatever reason, it won't let me anymore.
2. Monday is now my longest workday. I'll try to pop in and read everyone's as I can between calls.  

JOYS AND TRIBULATIONS

My guest is fiction author, Kristine Grayson, aka Nelscott, Rusch. I truly enjoyed her article, today, on the joys of being a storyteller. It's an encouraging read that acknowledges the downs but concentrates on the ups of a writing career.

When people ask me about the trials and tribulations I’ve had in my writing career, I often stare at them blankly. I think that, for me, the writing profession is like childbirth. I forget the pain the moment it’s over.

That’s because I love my work so very much. I go crazy when I’m not writing. If I go without writing for more than a few days, my husband orders me to go write. Not because he usually orders me around or he feels that I need to work, but because I get so cranky when I’m not writing that he’d rather have me write than not.

That said, you need a lot of stamina and optimism to be a professional writer. I’ve been one for more than thirty years now (and that’s a sentence I didn’t expect to write so soon!) and I’ve been through some things that would make anyone’s hair turn white. (Mine has, by the way.)

Rejection? A million times. Rejection continues throughout the career. You don’t get used to it. You don’t get even. You just learn that your writing isn’t to everyone’s taste.

Orphaned? That means have I lost an editor in the middle of a project? I stopped counting after the first dozen. I’m not making that number up. I was orphaned five times on one book series alone. The acquiring editor left the day I turned the first manuscript in. I try not to take that personally.

Out of Print? Not any more. I have sold my entire backlist under all of my pen names, from Kristine Grayson to Kris Nelscott to Kristine Kathryn Rusch. But five years ago, most of my books were out of print. That was how the business works.

Bad Reviews? Oh, yeah. Some are laughably bad, like the one that favorably compared my book to Steven Spielberg movies—as if that’s a bad thing. But others are just taste, again. Sometimes someone reads my stuff and doesn’t like it. Oh, woe is me. Then I turn around and carp about a novel that I just read that I didn’t like. We all have taste issues. We all have things we like and things we hate. If I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning.

Unfulfilled promises? If I counted those, I’d get really depressed. Only two book editors in a career filled with more than thirty book editors ever fulfilled all of their promises. That’s it. The short story editors were all a dream to work with and remain so. (Except for those who continue to reject my work, of course!)

So what’s the upside? Well, honestly, it’s all upside. I get paid well to make up stories. I stay home with my cats, set my own schedule, get up when I want to, answer only to myself (and those cats), and live in a fantasy world. Sometimes my made-up world is dark, as in the Kris Nelscott mystery novels. And sometimes it’s just plain goofy, as in all of these Kristine Grayson Charming books.

Either way, I have a blast.

See why I forget about the pain? There’s just too much pleasure involved in this entire profession for me to spend my entire life whining about how hard I have it. No one dies if I fail to get to my desk. No one gets injured if I type a bad sentence.

I think I have the best job possible. And I remember that each and every day.

CHARMING BLUE

He lived through ages with the curse of attracting women...who end up dead...

One upon a time, he was the most handsome of princes, destined for great things. But now he's a lonely legend, hobbled by a dark history. With too many dead in his wake, Bluebeard escapes the only way he knows how—through the evil spell of alcohol. But it's a far different kind of spell that's been ruining his life for centuries.

How will she survive this killer Prince Charming?

Jodi Walters is a fixer, someone who can put magic back in order. She's the best in Hollywood at her game. But Blue has a problem she's never encountered before—and worse, she finds herself perilously attractived to him. Excerpt 

BUY: AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, INDIEBOUND

Before turning to romance writing, award-winning author Kristine Grayson edited the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and ran Pulphouse Publishing (which won her a World Fantasy Award). She has won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award and, under her real name, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, the prestigious Hugo award. She lives with her own Prince Charming, writer Dean Wesley Smith, in Portland, Oregon. You can find Kris: website, Facebook

KAREN KELLEY—TRIUMPH AFTER SIX LONG YEARS OF WORK

My guest is best selling romance author, Karen Kelley. She writes sexy, quirky romances and paranormal romance.

Karen shares a bit about her road to publication and her tears and triumphs along the way.

Thanks for inviting me for coffee. I have to admit I’m hooked on Café Mocha. I didn’t always drink coffee, but late nights and deadlines had me reaching toward something that would keep me awake and semi alert.

You asked me to share the laughter and the tears, the glitches and triumphs. That would be a book in itself! But I wouldn’t want to do anything else. It took me 6 years of hard work and a wonderful group of friends before I sold my first book. I talked my husband into mailing it because I couldn’t face the looks of pity from the postal workers. That was on Tuesday. On Thursday morning Hilary Sares from Kensington called to make an offer. Yes, it can happen that fast.

I dedicated the book to my mom and dad. My dad had passed away the year before from cancer and my mother’s health wasn’t good. I quit work, brought my mother to live with my husband, and me and stayed at home to take care of her. Those were lean times living on one income, but I would do it all over again because every time I lifted my mother from the bed to her wheelchair I felt the warmth of her arms around me. She told me stories I’d never heard and we laughed and we cried and we bonded like I never could have imagined.

She was so excited when I sold, and again when Kensington sent me a big mock up of the cover, and so proud when I told her I’d dedicated it to her and daddy, then I read her the dedication. I guess I knew she wouldn’t ever hold the book in her hands and I wanted her to know just how much I loved her. She passed in May; my first book was released in August.

I wrote 19 books for Kensington, one for Berkley and then I found Sourcebooks and I continue to write my quirky romances, even more sexy than my earlier ones.

Where There’s a Will is the second book in my brand new series. Haley lives her day to day dreary life until she’s stood up by a coworker. That night she cries herself to sleep and prays for a miracle.  The next morning a handsome nephilim (half angel/half man) rings her doorbell and promises to give her the miracle she’s been waiting for. Ryder rings more than her doorbell.

If you’ve ever felt like you were on the outside looking in or someone made you feel inferior, then you might enjoy Where There’s A Will. It’s a story about discovery and love and it’s very sexy and a little funny, too!

Who wouldn’t want an immortal on her doorstep promising to make all her dreams come true? 

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

Her Fantasies Were Wild But Buried Deep...

Haley Tillman words hard at being a good girl, hiding her rich fantasy life in the pages of her diary. But being good doesn’t seem to get her anywhere with men, and her confidence is on a downward spiral. She's ready to try something altogether different, but hasn't a clue where to start. In a moment of desperation, she prays for a miracle...

He Might Take Her Beyond Them...

Ryder is the perfect combination of powerful angel plus normal hot–blooded man. Crossing into the mortal world could cost him his existence. But mortals are like a potent drug to Ryder, and Hayley is quickly becoming his drug of choice... excerpt

Currently Karen writes for Sourcebooks and the Brava Imprint with Kensington Publishing and has the fabulous Kate Duffy for an editor. Karen writes full-time, and collects junk which she fondly calls antiques. Her husband can still be talked into mailing her manuscripts and also helping with her publicity. She has two grown children, one son-in-law and four grandchildren and a very spoiled Pekinese. She loves sitting on the patio on a warm spring day and procrastinating about her approaching deadline. 

You can find Karen: Facebook, Goodreads, Website

WENDY HOLDEN ON INSPIRATION FROM THE ROYAL WEDDING

My guest, international bestseller, Wendy Holden. She writes juicy romantic comedy with a lovely edge of the satirical and biting wit. You can't help but laugh and shake your head over her lively, well drawn characters. 

Today she talks about her research into creating her characters and the fun she had in writing her anti-heroine, Alexa.  

Current events inspire most of my books. The one that inspired my latest novel, Marrying Up, was the recent Royal Wedding in Britain because I’m fascinated with Kate Middleton’s social trajectory. One thing’s for sure, it didn’t come about by accident. That girl worked her ass off to get that guy.

What I’m most interested in is how people move between social classes, or try to. For a comic writer like me, the trying is the where all the best comic material is and in Britain we have a very long tradition at laughing at people who try to ‘better themselves’ as it’s known. It’s a strange contrast to the United States, where no one thinks it’s odd to try and improve one’s circumstances and it’s the American Dream to move up in the world. In the UK, we try to keep people in their place, although, of course, people have no intention of staying in their places, and why should they? I didn’t keep in my place, that’s for sure (see my website if you want to know more, www.wendyholden.net) 

The British class system looks rigid and impenetrable from the outside but in actual fact it is extremely flexible. You can get all the way up, just like Kate Middleton did, despite having a mother who was an airhostess. Although of course being an airhostess has in itself bagged other women men with titles – Queen Noor, for example, met King Hussein on a transatlantic flight. You see what I mean? I’m very interested in all that, in the loopholes and rear doors that allow people with ambition to move from humble circumstances to more exalted states. 

In Marrying Up, my anti-heroine, Alexa, is a sort of disaster version of Kate Middleton. She’s desperate to bag herself a titled husband. She’s no aristocrat herself, but she works the system as best she can. Her first effort is to get a job on a society magazine so she can get invited to smart parties and meet smart people. That doesn’t work so she tries hanging out at posh funerals and picking up men there. She’s incorrigible and pretty immoral, but I admire her spirit and her guts. I actually like her better than the book’s real heroine. Wicked characters are much more fun to write than good ones! Perhaps because they’re closer to real life. 

Marrying Up is partly set in a glamorous Mediterranean kingdom a bit like Monaco, so it allowed me to use one of my favourite settings. I’ve loved the South of France for 25 years but of course things change so much so I simply have to go back every single year and make sure it’s all still the same! I’m so glad I write glam romantic comedies instead of inner-city slasher novels, as the research wouldn’t be half so much fun. My subject area also requires that I read enormous numbers of glossy magazines and celebrity lifestyle publications. Funnily enough, many of these – British Hello and OK especially - have some quite subversive writers on them who use the unthreatening context to ask their famous (and usually pretty dumb) interview subjects some pretty subtle questions. I get a lot of inspiration from this sort of thing, although I’m not interested in sleazy celebs, just the very rich ones. Their route upwards is always fascinating and gives me ideas for future characters in the Alexa vein. Anyway, I hope you enjoy Marrying Up, it was a blast to write and I’ve been lucky enough to get some great reviews for it in America. This is thrilling to me, an obscure foreigner, to make any sort of an impact in your great and glorious country. I feel extremely fortunate and completely amazed.

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, INDIEBOUND

MARRYING UP: A RIGHT ROMANTIC COMEDY 

Beautiful but broke student Polly and scheming social climber Alexa may have grown up in the same place, but they couldn't be more different. Polly's just fallen for Max, a handsome country vet. But Alexa can't be bothered with love—any guy with a pedigree will do, mind you, as long as he comes with a title, a mansion, and a family tiara.

Alexa wiggles her way into friendship with Florrie, a clueless aristocrat who could support entire countries with her spare change. Suddenly the grandest doors swing open for Alexa, and a new life is so close she can taste it. Polly could care less about Max's money, but his mysterious habit of disappearing scares her. What's he hiding?

Razor sharp in its wit, and as fresh as newlywed royals, Marrying Up reveals how sometimes a rags–to–riches story can rip a girl to shreds—and how sometimes the rewards of love aren't always what you expect. EXCERPT

Wendy Holden was a journalist on The Sunday Times, Tatler and The Mail on Sunday before becoming a full-time author. She has written nine novels, all Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers. She is married and has two children.