Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Enormous shout-out to all the authors who attended RWA Nationals this year and made it the BEST EVER! That includes our Sourcebooks authors, who are incredibly enthusiastic and full of energy. At our hosted signing, every single author ran out of books. We were thrilled to welcome some of our newest authors into the house at our author dinner, where the food was fabulous, the good cheer was flowing (and there was a conga line to prove it), and the ride back in Cinderella horse-drawn carriages was the highlight of a truly fabulous evening. We are grateful to all the bestselling authors who brought their wisdom, experience and valuable information to share with the entire community. And, we loved meeting aspiring authors who came to learn, to grow, and to perfect their craft. The Sourcebooks team had nonstop meetings with buyers, reviewers, agents, editors and industry professionals from around the globe, exploring innovative ways to connect ...

Oh, I used to love the alpha guys – like Robert Beaumaris in Georgette Heyer’s Arabella – the ones who are good at everything and know everything. And you’re riding in the carriage thinking you’ve risked it all on a crazy elopement, and then find out he’s actually taking you on a visit to his grandmother and all your agonizing problems have already been solved. (Wait, why don’t I like that?) I’ve created some alpha heroes in my time. But something happened to me along life’s way, and I shifted my allegiance to men like Freddy in Cotillion and Adam in The Civil Contract . These beta guys get things wrong, and they worry. They aren’t completely sure of themselves. In fact, they’re the opposite of arrogant; they don’t know how competent and charming they actually are. And when the heroine tells them, they’re often surprised. How endearing is that?  So, these days, I like writing about a hero who has a few problems, as well as the (eventual) willingness a...

My youngest child turns 21 today. Which is no excuse for my forgetting that it's my turn to blog (oops). She's working in New York City and I won't get to see her on her special day. Bummer! But I am thinking of her. And not much else since my brain is still in a fog following the annual Romance Writer's of America conference. Elissa, then. Elissa, now. The sweet girl actually called me at her time of birth. "Hooray, I'm really 21!" And I remembered holding her for the first time all those years ago. And I remembered turning 21. It was the year I graduated from college. And got married. Same year. Which seems kind of crazy looking back, but it worked for me then. I'll celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary next year. For my daughter, it's also the year she will graduate from college-- and she wants to work in publishing! She's currently an editorial intern, a job she loves, and I hope she lands her dream job following her graduation....

Literary Escapism is doing an exclusive cover reveal of HER SECRET AGENT , an X-OPS Novella releasing Dec 2nd from Sourcebooks!  The story takes place in 2003 when the Department of Covert Operations (DCO) was still new. The hero is John Loughlin, the Director of the DCO, and the heroine is a beautiful shifter he's trying to recruit for the organization named Cree Forest  It’s a sexy action-packed story that gives readers inside info on the DCO, as well as gives them the skinny on some very important stuff that the other characters in the novels aren’t privy to...yet. So, yeah, there are lots of OMG moments ahead for the X-OPS crew. It's also my first interracial romance.  I'm very excited about it! You can check out the cover reveal and get a sneak peek here! http://www.literaryescapism.com/43664/exclusive-cover-reveal-her-secret-agent-by-paige-tyler *hugs* Paige "Hunky Heroes, Kickbutt Heroines, Unforgettable Romance!" http://www.paigetyler...

Less geeky people than I gaze about their home and think, “What if the walls were a cool sand color, and I bought that plush modern carpet at Ikea with the overlapping circles…?” I don’t do that. Instead, I gaze at my website and think “What if the background were a faded montage and I used that cool plugin to…?” Unfortunately my pie-in-the-sky website designs are hardly reflected in my current site design due to these horrible constraints called time and energy. However, these last few weeks, I’ve made baby steps towards solving a web problem that’s been plaguing me for months. I have collected a massive library of primary source book and journal resources across the web. (I’m a junkie for old illustrations and house plans.) However, my cyber library’s organization is akin to a closet with no shelves that I’ve been tossing books in willynilly for years. Needless to say, all the research in the world is worthless if you can’t find anything. To remedy the problem, I de...

I have to admit, in my mind at least, rabbits and romance have little to do with one another. Though a romance-minded boy bunny did approach his lady friend while they were eating my backyard clover one evening this spring.        She rejected him out of hand, as so many of the ladies in my novels reject their heroes. At least at first, before they realize that love is worth taking a second look at.   While I write my new Regency series Terror of the Ton for Casablanca, I spend a lot of time on my back porch, enjoying the cool mountain breezes while I am transported by my characters to 1820's London. The people in my books keep me busy, and make me laugh, but as much as I love watching their stories unfold in front of me, I must admit to daydreaming, too. Surrounded by beauty, I spend a lot of time looking up at the verdant green and drinking in the lush peace.       So far, no bunnies have worked their way ...

            So most everyone here knows me as Jade Lee. I write steamy, funny regency era historicals. But every once in a while, I just want to cut lose with a fun contemporary with lots of young sweaty sex. I'm not talking 50 Shades or any kink. Just a hero and heroine who are both at a turning point in their lives. And while they're dealing with all the life challenges, they end up discovering love and passion with each other.             That's where Kathy Lyons comes in. She's my contemporary alter ego who just let's fly in quick, fun, sexy books. Her latest Two Week Seduction is out now in ebook. [insert cover] Buy links and the first chapter can be found here. [Insert link to my webpage] It's gotten great reviews, so buy it now and enjoy!             And for those who want a little more, here’s an excerpt of ...

A little over a year and a half ago, I was writing for fun, looking for work, and wondering how to break into the writing world. It was November, 2012, the middle of NaNoWriMo, and I was determined to be a winner. And then I got the most wonderful, unexpected Tweet ever. Sourcebooks wanted to me to turn one of my stories into a novel. Fast-forward through the most wonderful twenty months of my life. I got to watch my story grow up into The Longest Night — a book I’m proud to share, with cover I’d love to frame and hang on the wall. Even better, I finished my second book, The Deepest Night , set in the same world as the first, with equally awesome cover art. Want to know the funny thing? I’m actually not a big romance reader. I love sci-fi, fantasy, and Cold War and espionage thrillers. I enjoy paranormal romance for the paranormal, rather than the romance. So maybe that’s what makes The Longest Night different. It’s not love or even lust at first sight. Instead, it’s the...

This year, for the first time, I'm attending the national Romance Writers of America conference. But I'm not going to talk today about how excited I am to meet my editors and agent in person (for the first time ever!). Or how many authors I'll be fangirling over. Or the workshops, or the chance to talk with author friends, or the books galore. Nope, today I'm just going to talk about getting there. I live in the Midwest, but not near any travel hubs. So flying can take quite a while, especially since I can make flights get canceled with my mere presence. (It's a gift.) But with relatives at each coast and to the far north and south, travel is a necessity. I just prefer to go by car when I can. So I'm road-tripping to RWA--today, actually. I've scheduled this post ahead of time, because when you read it, I'll be cutting my way southward to San Antonio. I'm bringing music, snacks, and--courtesy of my library--a few audiobooks. My hope is that ...

Feeling like death warmed up today and in bed with the flu, so in lieu of the post I had planned, here's one  of my favourite scenes from Forged By Desire (available September 2014). Here's the blurb: Captain Garrett Reed of the Nighthawk guard has a deadly mission: capture a steel-jawed monster preying on women. He hates to put his partner, Perry, in jeopardy, but she’s the best bait he has. Little does he realize, he’s about to be caught in his own trap. Perry has been half in love with Garrett for years, but this is not exactly the best time to start a relationship—especially when their investigation leads them directly into the clutches of the madman she thought she’d escaped... “I knew you grew up somewhere in the East End, but Bethnal?” “Why not?” Garrett challenged. Perry tugged on his coat. “With all your cologne, fancy waistcoats, and polished boots, who would ever expect it?” “People see what you present to them. I learned that early enough...