Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

By Robin Kaye No, I’m not talking cards or tennis or even chess--I’m talking played like a kid on the first day of summer vacation. I’m talking running with your arms out and soaring like a plane. When was the last time you rolled down a grassy hill? Skipped? Made annoying popping sounds with your mouth over and over and over again just to drive someone mad? And for those of us who remember, when was the last time you wrapped your arm around your best friend and did the Lavern and Shirley walk? For me, it was yesterday. Aren’t you jealous? Come on, admit it. You’re picturing a fluffy forty-eight year-old woman making an ass out of herself. Part of you is laughing, but deep down inside, you remember what it was like to soar with nothing more than your imagination to hold you up. You remember how much fun it was to roll down a hill. You remember the smell of the grass; picking leaves out of your hair; and how annoyed you’d get when you rolled slightly off-kilter. You remember what it...

On a recent visit to Boise I decided to see a few of my favorite people and escape my three teenagers. Naturally I went to Humpin' Hannah's—after all, there aren't many places my kids can't follow me. Thank God my kids are still under age and Karma cards. Well, here's what happened...  I swung the door open to my favorite bar in Boise, Idaho, Humpin’ Hanna’s. My eyes went right to Karma Kincaid, manning—or is it womanning the bar. Karma looked toward me and her face broke into a grin. “Hey, Robin! When did you get back in town?” She slid under the pass-through and gave me a big hug. “Yesterday. It’s great to be back. I’m supposed to meet Jessie and Fisher here.” Karma’s eyebrows rose. “What for?” I tossed my bag on polished mahogany and claimed a stool while she scooted back behind the bar. “I’m here to interview them. My book, Call Me Wild, came out August 7th and I thought it might be fun to get their take on having their entire ro...

By Robin Kaye I love Chocolate, coffee, and my husband not necessarily in that order. I love coffee in the same way I love air—I need it to live, but I can enjoy it—who doesn’t love the first whiff of the ocean when they’re headed to the beach, or that scent of home after a long trip? Coffee for me is necessary for life but also something I look forward to every morning, afternoon, and most nights too. Loving my husband is easy because like most men, what you see is what you get. The morning he proposed, he didn’t have a ring, a speech, or, it seemed, a plan. He just looked over and said, “So, you want to get married?” We’d only been dating four months; I think his proposal was as much a shock to him as it was to me. After I said, yes, he went right out (without my knowledge, mind you) and sold his motorcycle, his most prized possession, to buy me a ring. He might not be the hearts and flowers type, but with him, I never wonder if I’m loved. Over the years, he’s given up much more than...

By Robin Kaye When I was a kid, I did a lot of skiing—my family had a place in Sun Valley, Idaho and we’d usually spend three weeks a year there skiing. Like most other skiers, every night before I went to bed wearing my pajamas inside out and backward—a signal to the snow gods that I was ready for fresh powder—I’d pray for snow. I prayed, not only because the skiing on fresh powder would be great, no, I had another reason—I longed to ski virgin snow. I’d wake up extra early after a snow and arrive on the mountain well before the lifts opened with a backpack full of bribes for the lift operators—warm scones and hot coffee worked the best. They’d be bundled up against the early morning chill, sweeping the snow from the chair lifts and sometimes, if I got very lucky, they’d let me ride up before the mountain officially opened so I could be the first skier down. There’s nothing like skiing virgin snow—the only sound you hear is the wind whispering through the trees, the swish of your own ...

By Robin Kaye How Would You Like A Copy of Wild Thing Under Your Tree? I walked into Humpin’ Hannah’s—my favorite bar in Boise and scanned the room. My eyes landed on Hunter Kincaid, tall, dark, handsome, and quiet—he might as well have had a do-not-disturb sign tattooed on his forehead. It was a good thing I rarely follow directions. I strode over to him and took the stool beside his. “Hi, Hunter.” He turned toward me, “Hi. Do I know you?” “No, but I know you. How’s it going?” He gave me that patented confused look most of my characters wear the first time I meet them in person. He had no clue as to who I was, and from the looks flying across his face, I could tell he considered yet decided against being rude and ignoring me. “Good. How ‘bout you?” He waved over the bartender who was also his sister. “Karma, get my friend here a drink, will you?” Karma’s eyebrow rose. “Friend?” She pushed her blonde, curly hair off her shoulders and gave me a once-over. “Robin Kaye,” I said as I set ...

Happy Halloween, everyone! To tell you the truth, the whole Halloween thing is kind of lost on me. I've never been much for dressing up and going trick-or-treating. I've always had a great fondness for very good chocolate, the kind you won't find given out when going door to door, freezing your tush off (in my neck of the woods at least) and wearing a costume designed by your mother to get back at you for the pain of childbirth. Yeah, I got over the whole Halloween thing young. I believe it was in the first grade when my mother dressed me up as the toothless fairy, but I digress. Just because I'm not a huge fan of Halloween does not mean I don't believe in things that go bump in the night...or in my case, broad daylight. My grandparents lived next door to Mrs. Romeo in Brooklyn for forever and Mrs. Romeo and my grandmother were best friends. My mother and Mrs. Romeo’s daughter, Janet, were born six months apart and grew up together. They too were best friends. They ...

By Robin Kaye One of the things I struggle with as a writer is showing the moment when my hero and heroine realize they have fallen into the huge abyss that is love. Still, there are signs a person has fallen head-over-hiking boots in love. My heroes tend to be faster out of the blocks than my heroines when it comes to this. Maybe it’s because I have a tendency to write difficult women with issues and no real need for a man. They are strong, independent, and some say clueless when it comes to love. Or maybe it’s because deep down inside I like the idea of a man chasing a woman, wanting her so badly, he’s willing to do just about anything to win her heart. Sigh…yeah, that’s probably it. So here is a Top Ten list for heroines: You know you’re in love when… 10 . You’re together and you automatically walk to the passenger’s side of the car instead of the driver’s side—even when it’s your car. Let’s face it, guys like to drive and a woman has no need to prove to her significant other that s...

By Robin Kaye Available for preorder, coming December, 2011! Whitewater-rafting guide Hunter Kincaid lands his dream job–guiding sportswear models through Idaho's rugged wilderness for a photo shoot. When he meets Toni Russo, the goth New York manager of Action Models, there are enough sparks to set the forest ablaze. When Hunter finds Toni's book on how to marry the man of your choice, he studies it as a joke. Before long Hunter realizes he's never cared enough for a woman to bother working this hard to get her. But the last man in the world this city girl wants is a Survivor Man wannabe... Here's a little teaser, if you want to read the rest of chapter one, stop by my website Wild Thing - Book one of Domestic Gods Gone Wild... Toni Russo stood on the porch of the Sawtooth Inn ignoring the mountains cutting the bright blue sky, concentrating instead on Hunter Kincaid’s very confused, very green ey...

By Robin Kaye Last night I met with my critique partners and went over the changes I’ve made to On the Wild Side . As I crawl toward the end of a book—sometimes it feels as if I’m crawling over glass—I find myself going back to tweak a scene here and there, just adding a line or two, or a thought to up the tension or connect the dots so that the big black moment is indeed black and not gray. Although I’m adding a ton of words, it feels as though I’m making little forward progress. A few books ago, I’d probably be freaking out right about now, but since this is my 5th, I’ve learned that ‘looks’ can be deceiving. In a blink of an eye I’ll be typing those dreaded words: The End . Why dreaded, you might wonder. You’d think I’d be thrilled to complete yet another manuscript. Believe me, part of me will be doing my version of the Snoopy Happy Dance while another part morns the loss of my characters. I’ve spent the last six months in their heads. I know their life stories, I’ve laughed and c...

By Robin Kaye Summer is always an exciting time of year. This summer especially because I just sold a new series to Sourcebooks – The Domestic Gods Gone Wild! Series. You’ll get to meet the heroes and heroines in my next book, Yours For the Taking . It will be released in January. If signing my new contract wasn’t exciting enough, the same day I signed on the dotted line, I received a phone call telling me that my book Too Hot to Handle won the Holt Medallion for Best Romantic Comedy! The thing I love most about the Holt Medallion is that it is judged by readers, the very people I write for, not the publishing elite. I’m completely over-the-top because Romeo, Romeo won last year too, so this year’s win completely shatters my concern that it was all a big fluke. Well, almost. The Romance Writers of America’s National Conference takes place every July. This is something I look forward to all year. For those who don’t know me, I’m a bit of an extrovert. (okay, you in the peanut gallery...

By Robin Kaye Joanne recently wrote a blog about falling in love and the altered state of consciousness that is brought about by infatuation. This is something I tend to suffer from with every one of my heroes. Joanne’s blog was wonderful and as all great blogs do, it got me thinking. Always dangerous, I know. The one question I’m usually asked by readers and interviewers alike is which of my heroes is my favorite? The answer I always want to give is the next one. I have a nasty habit of falling in love with my next hero—the one hero I’m not supposed to be writing about. I’ll be writing one book, and a secondary character will invariably appear and steal my heart. I’m fickle that way when it comes to fictional men. I’m just lucky that hasn’t been my problem in real life. If it were, I doubt I'd still be happily married to the same man for over 20 years. When I wrote Yours For the Taking , which will be released in January, 2011, I met a bevy of new characters—several of which were ...