Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

A warm Casablanca welcome to fellow Sourcebooks Casablanca author Elisabeth Staab, whose paranormal romance, King of Darkness , is now in stores!  Today my youngest son and I went to visit King of Darkness at Barnes and Noble to celebrate its release. He doesn’t realize it, but he’s been there pretty much for this book’s entire creation. The opening scene came to me late one night while I was rocking him to sleep, and much of the first draft was typed one-handed while he napped in my lap as a squirmy newborn. Of course, he’s a little too young to get what “mommy’s book” means. He’s got lots of books. A whole shelf full. Kids feed off of their parents emotions though, and he could tell I was excited so he was practically over the moon. He didn’t want to put the book back on the shelf when it was time to go. He was dancing so much I couldn’t get him to stay still for a picture. And he loved the cover. Big time. Huge ups to Jodi Welter for the awesome cover. I mean I loved ...

By Leah Hultenschmidt, Senior Editor It's no secret that a lot of romance readers are dipping into YA with great relish these days. And, seriously, what's not to love? Along with some highly complex emotional stories, there's also the delicious thrill of all those firsts--first crush, first kiss, first heartbreak. As a Valentine treat to you, here's a look at what's on shelves now and coming soon from our Fire line of teen reads. EMBRACE by Jessica Shirvington Available March 6 "Shirvington's debut is smart, edgy and addictive—and sure to leave readers clamoring for the rest of the series." — Kirkus Reviews , STARRED "One of the best YA novels we've seen in a while. Get ready for a confident, kick butt, well-defined heroine." — RT Book Reviews "Fans of romantic fantasy with a paranormal twist will find Violet and her adventures captivating." — VOYA On her 17th birthday, everything will change for Violet Eden. The boy she ...

“The Night is Mine” – Book #1, February 2012 from Sourcebooks/Casablanca Vampires? No! Serial Killers? Nuh-uh! The Night Stalkers is their own name for the real-life U.S. Army’s 160 th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, SOAR. They fly the nastiest helicopters ever to cross the night sky. Their mission, to transport and protect Rangers, SEALs, and Delta Force operators while they’re fighting in some of the worst places you can imagine. We rarely hear of their successes (Grenada, Panama, bin Laden) because of their secrecy, and only rarely of their failures (Takur Ghar in Robert Redford’s “Lions for Lambs”, Mogadishu “Black Hawk Down”), partly because they have so few failures and partly because even during those two disasters, they achieved incredible tasks under impossible conditions. A romance series? Oh yeah! Once I’d discovered these guys I just had to write about them. And what better way to stir things up than to drop a strong woman in their midst and watch them twitch. Of...

At last! A well-known romance author who shall remain nameless—Shh! It's Claudia Dain—has been overheard on more than one occasion telling authors that they shouldn’t think of their work as their babies. “You wouldn’t sell your baby, would you?” Of course not! But my daughter didn’t sleep through the night until she was four. Perhaps if someone had offered to rent her… Okay. That wouldn't happen either. Still, preparing to launch a book eerily resembles those first weeks of being a new mom. For example, I’ve noticed some inattentiveness on my part, but that’s all right. Cinnamon crackers aren’t too horrible in chili. My clumsiness, however, is an embarrassment. A hot guy looked at me in the grocery store the other day, and I ran over a display of taco seasoning. What the hey! I’ve never seen a good looking guy at the grocery store before. What was he doing there? I’m only grateful I’d showered before I ran out the door, which is an accomplishment some days. New moms k...

  A Big CasaBabe welcome to fellow Sourcebooks Casablanca Author Tes Hilaire! Her debut romance novel, Deliver Me from Darkness , is now in stores and she's here to celebrate! Teaser from Deliver Me from Darkness… Karissa stepped forward, her brown eyes locking on his as she stared him down. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you drink because at one point in time, many a many years ago, you were human. Maybe you still remember the sweet sting of the alcohol hitting the back of your mouth, the spreading warmth as it burned in your belly, and the lazy waves of indifference that rolled in with it, demolishing all cares or worries. Maybe you were an alcoholic, or had the propensity to be one at least, and now, being what you are, and not being able to escape from it, you are instinctively succumbing to the addiction. In short. You are weak.” “Weak.” The vile word rolled like a jagged stone in Roland’s mouth. “That’s right.” Her mouth curled up in a saccharine smile, small white t...

Heroes, and Our Childhood Games... When I was a child most of the popular stories began with “Once upon a time...” We read about foreign lands and mythical creatures in addition to our favorite classics of Dr. Seuss, Aesop Fables, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and Greek Myths.  Thus, our games were ones that took us to places like Greece where we acted out the tales of Zeus and so many others. We also had the standard imagination games of Cowboys and Indians; Post Office; Hospital; Grocery Store; and Comic Book Superhero.  This playtime collection provided the heroes and heroines for many, many afternoons of joy and became the basis for stories, dreams, and future aspirations. Recently, I spoke with friends who have children aged 3-10 and I learned there is a brand new game afoot called SEAL TEAM.  Where kids dress in SEAL Team-ware, which might or might not be limited to wearing an item with a Trident on it, black clothing, or camouflage attire in addi...

There are two pages in every book I never skip, and those are the dedication and the acknowledgements. Often, even in a really awesome book, those pages are some of the most interesting. I like to know to whom the author has dedicated the book, and I like to know to whom they are grateful. Knowing those two things about an author also tells me a lot about them as a person. For example, it tells me who their friends are. Recently, I was thanked in the acknowledgements of my friend Ashley March's book Romancing the Countess . I have to tell you, it was fun to read the acknowledgements and see my name there! Dedications often let me know what challenges authors faced when writing their books or who they are especially close to. I've dedicated books to my parents, my sister, my best friend, my critique partners, my daughter, and my husband. Last year my critique partner Tera Lynn Childs dedicated her young adult novel Sweet Venom to me. I was so honored and thrilled at the same t...