Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

by Joanne Kennedy When I was a kid, my sister and I used to hunt for four-leafed clovers in the grass. These elusive little good-luck charms never seemed to turn up when you were looking for them--but when you least expected it, you'd stumble across one by accident. That's how luck works. By definition, it's a happy accident of fate, and I always seem to stumble into good fortune when I least expect it. And while hard work, perseverence, and focus help determine our lives, it's often luck that has the most influence in leading us to our destiny. Here are four strokes of good luck that led me to the here and now: Finding my Place: I moved out West in 1992. At the time, I thought I was running away from home. In reality, I was running to home--to the place where I belonged, and the place that has defined me ever since. Finding my Hea rt: I met my husband by chance. I was running a bookstore; he was a customer. We definitely weren't looking for love, but after ...

by Joanne Kennedy Today I'm celebrating the launch of my fourth book, Tall, Dark and Cowboy. I'm always excited when a new book hits the bookstore shelves and slides on into the e-readers. I feel like my characters have finally been set free as they come to life in the minds of readers. Not only will readers finally get to meet former trophy wife Lacey Bradford and cowboy Chase Caldwell; they'll also get to know Sinclair, the world's ugliest dog; Cody the wildman/four-wheeler/short-order cook; Fletcher Galt, the crotchety neighbor who's as accurate with a shotgun as he is with a well-aimed insult; and all the other denizens of Grady, Wyoming. When Lacey arrives in Grady, she brings nothing but the beat-up muscle car she drove in high school, an ugly stray dog she found at a gas station, and a philosophy of life defined by the motto W.W.S.O.D. ("What Would Scarlett O'Hara Do?"). The rich man she married turned out to be a crook, and rather than live o...

The theme this month is "things that go bump in the night. That's easy , I thought. I'll just put up a scene where my hero and heroine "go bump." A nighttime love scene. But posting intimate moments online, without any context, for readers who haven't watched the romance develop, doesn't seem fair to the characters. So I decided to do a different kind of night scene. One that leads to bumping, but where no bumping actually takes place. All that goes bump in this scene is the hero and heroine's hearts. This is from Tall, Dark and Cowboy , which comes out November 1st. Lacey Bradford left home for a fresh start, bringing nothing along but a beat-up muscle car, an adventurous heart, and a really ugly dog. She ends up at Chase Caldwell's ranch - a place that's as foreign to her as another country. In this scene, she's left the ranch house to take a walk while Chase does chores. She sits down on the ground, crossing her legs yoga-style, and lo...

Cinnamon rolls with gooey melted frosting. Chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven. A hot fudge sundae with rich, hot fudge sauce dripping into swirls of melted ice cream. All these things can be hot and sweet at the same time. So why are "sweet" and "hot" opposites when it comes to romance? When the term "sweet" is applied to a romance novel, it means the book has heart and emotion. But it can also be a code word for "no explicit sex." I've had this label applied to my books, and one one level it makes sense. I admit that my worldview is a little on the sweet side. I believe people are basically good, that neighbors care about each other, and that love is a risk worth taking. So it's understandable that reviewers call my Western romances "sweet." But my cowboys and cowgirls resent the label. They might be nice people with big hearts, but they know how to burn up a bedroom. And I don't believ...