Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

April 7 is release day for Full Contact , the third book in my Redemption series of standalone erotic fighter romance novels!  To celebrate I want to share the top three things I learned about mixed martial arts while researching the series. 1.       If you have a dirty mind like me, MMA is full of sexually suggestive terms. Fighters take the "dominant" position, and try to force opponents into "submission." Some favour the Ground and Pound, and others like the good 'ol Rear Naked Choke. And don't get me started on the "mount." Time to whip out your copy of Fifty Shades of Grey. 2.       Fighters train with dummies. Often life-like (although sadly not anatomically correct) fight training dummies come in all manner of shapes and sizes, with names like Grapple Man and my personal fave, the Submission Master. Dark and mysterious, the Submission Master “holds its arms and legs up where they belong… not flat out on the floor....

What is a hero? The dictionary definition suggests a hero (or heroine) is a person admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. By and large, the hero's status is achieved through outward facing actions, capable of being judged by others. In other words, heroes don't always look like this (although it is nice when they do): Heroes abound at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Canadian speed skater Gimore Junio gave up his spot in the 1000 metres to his team mate who had a better chance at winning a medal for the team. Canadian cross-country ski coach, Justin Wadsworth, himself a three-time Olympian, replaced the broken ski of a Russian skier he had never met because, as he put it, "I wanted him to have dignity as he crossed the finish line." US hockey player T.J. Oshie cemented his role as a hero when he modestly said, "The American heroes are wearing camo. That's not me." By contrast, romantic heroes face an inward j...

Surprise! Surprise usually evokes one of two emotions: fear or pleasure. If the setting is threatening—a dark alley, a creepy house, my daughter's bedroom—then we feel fear. If the setting is welcoming—a birthday party, a sunny room, a chocolate shop—then we feel pleasure. Surprise is also the key to humor writing. In other words, humor is created by confounding expectations. I saw a great example of this the other day on Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews' Facebook page :   Why is that so funny? Because we expect seduction and instead we get naughty cross-dressing! Of course, there is a catch. To write humor, you have to have a sense of humor. You need to see the humor in any situation, delve deep into life's most embarrassing or cringe-worthy moments and take them out of context. Suddenly events that may not have seemed funny at the time can make you laugh. And when incorporated into a story, they can make readers laugh, too. Although my sexy MMA fighter romance, Aga...

MMA fighters are hot. Don't believe me? Check out a few MMA websites, maybe watch a live event, drool over Georges St-Pierre's Facebook page (I do!). You will discover man candy abounds in the rings and cages of the MMA world. And what better way to celebrate the September 3 release of my erotic MMA fighter romance, Against the Ropes, than by convincing you that fighters are not all hot, sweaty bodies and tight little shorts over toned **ahem** bottoms. They are serious professional athletes, consummate performers, and definitely worth a shot on the dating front. So, without further adieu... 10 Reasons to Date an MMA Fighter Warning: not for the faint of heart, persons under the age of 18 or anyone expecting a gratuitous reference to the infamous "rear naked choke hold". 1. For an MMA fighter, it's all about technique. 2. They know how to score from many positions. 3. MMA fighters always use the best protection. 4. "My boyfriend is an MMA fi...

I am a karateka. I am a breaker of boards, a puncher of stomachs, a twister of elbows, and a kicker of shins. After spending most of my formative years in the karate dojo, I can walk down the street at night with a confidence I would never have had if my father had not insisted I learn to defend myself at the tender age of nine. But self defense was only one of the lessons I learned from my first karate instructor, the enigmatic, Sensei J. Sensei J was a giant of a man. Legs like tree trunks. Fists like bricks. He had a shock of curly brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a voice so loud the school gym shook every time he opened his mouth. I have no idea what he thought when he saw the skinny nine-year-old girl in the pink kitty tank top and shiny, satin blue shorts trembling in the corner, but I do remember his reaction to my soft, little girl voice when I whispered my name. "If you can't talk, you can't shout. If you can't shout, you can't fight. If you can...