Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

I’ve always been an audiophile -- music, theta-wave binaural beats, sound machines with weird nature noises, and...  podcastery ! A recent   request for recommendations with which to fill my ears met with oh so much goodness, I just gotta share.  For what’s going on in romance... The Wicked Wallflowers Club   – You know how folks always tell you to research what’s going on in your genre? Well, here you go: what’s going on in romance. Billed as “a podcast for empowered readers and writers of romance,” this show interviews hot authors, discusses new releases, and isn’t afraid to confront issues affecting the genre. Their recent episode about representation was timely.  Apple | Twitter  @WckdWallflowers Magi Romance is another romance-genre podcast, but it explores some of the less well-known nooks and sub-genres. I loved their recent interview with Veronica Scott, who discussed science fiction romance as well as more personal stuff like her process and her background worki

For the last four years I've worked solid, only taking trips to writer's conferences or autographings. Never for my own enjoyment. But....next month I'm going to the beach! My sister and I have rented a beach house for a whole week. I'm pinching myself, wondering if this is real. Yep, it is. It's located on Bolivar Island in the Gulf of Mexico. You have to take a ferry from Galveston, TX to get to it. The pirate Jean LaFitte used to have a home on the island and for a time used it for a base of operations. Maybe I'll look for buried treasure! There also used to be a fort here in the early 1800s called Fort Las Casas. The "Mother of Texas" Jane Long wintered in the abandoned fort with her toddler, a maid, and her dog. Jane gave birth to a second child. Their food was running out and she only had a rusty cannon for defense. To make the Indians think the fort was still inhabited, she fired the cannon each morning and raised a red petticoat up

I’ve been doing some research on bathing in the Regency period. Did you know that they actually had showers that early on? It was quite the innovation.  There were some drawbacks, however. First of all, the water was not heated. That might have been pleasant in the summer, but in any other English season it was probably beyond bracing.  Second, the shower used the same water over and over. A pump took water from the lower basin (around your feet?) to a cistern at the top. Repeatedly. And for successive showerers, I guess. That doesn’t sound too appealing.  I wonder if the person had to pump for himself? Or did a servant stand there and do it? Bathers choice, I suppose. Having seen this, I’m filled with gratitude every time I turn the tap and get lots of hot water for my shower.

Ever since reading Twice Loved by Lavyrle Spence, I've always loved reunion stories. So when I started writing Every Deep Desire , I was so happy when I realized that ex-Green Beret Rafe Montfort and Juliet Capel (the hero and heroine) had not only once been married but they'd grown up together on a remote sea island off the Georgia coast known as the Isle of Grace.  This fact allowed me to weave in memories of their childhood adventures and show how, despite living in rural poverty, Rafe and Juliet were able to find happiness in their isolation. They spent hours watching the constellations trail across the night sky, picnicking in the Back Meadow, fishing barefoot in the creeks, and canoeing through the tidal estuaries that snaked across Juliet's land. And every time they met, Rafe carried contraband--a napkin holding his mother's brownies he'd stolen from her trailer's kitchen.  Rafe and Juliet spent hours lying in the grass, beneath the hot su

In Maggie Wells' newest release, a basketball coach knee-deep in scandal needs a PR miracle and fast. When Millie arrives to save the day—and his reputation—their chemistry is instant. But can these two high-powered professionals come together without starting a new scandal of their own? Read on for an excerpt from Play for Keeps by Maggie Wells. He pounced on the hint of vulnerability. “Are you telling me you have feelings?” “Good Lord, Ty,” she blurted, exasperation overcoming her. “Of course I have feelings. I’m not a robot.” “For me.” He skirted the end of the table and came to a stop beside her chair. He stood unmoving, waiting for her to expound, but she didn’t. He was a ballplayer, used to intimidating opponents with his superior height and strength, but he didn’t scare her. She found him…breathtaking. “Do you have feelings for me?” he asked, enunciating each word with precision. Before she could suck in a little oxygen, he leaned down, effectively cag

If you haven't yet experienced the authentic, gritty world of Kari Lynn Dell's Texas Rodeo series, her latest installment should definitely be on your to-be-read list! Want to give Kari a try?  Read on for excerpt from Fearless in Texas, available now. Melanie polished off the last bite of her cold-cut combo and stood to brush the crumbs off her sweatshirt before pulling on her coat. As Wyatt had predicted, the air had cooled quickly, although the breeze had also died to a mere rustle in the knee-high bunches of grass. Beyond the broad north-south valley that held the main highway, the sun hung low over a smaller range of hills that would lie north and west of Pendleton. If she remembered correctly from her map, the massive Columbia River must be just beyond that rise, flowing east through the Tri-Cities of Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland, Washington, then making a sweeping U-turn back to the west, forming the border between the states on its way to the Pacific. Mental

Are you an animal lover? Then you won't want to miss the next book in Debbie Burns' phenomenal Rescue Me series! In Sit, Stay, Love , an ex-military dog handler and a shelter worker find themselves working together—and before long, they can't help feeling a little puppy love! Read on for an excerpt from the book. By the time Kurt stepped back into the shop, Kelsey was picking up their coffees from the barista. A flash of lightning lit the western sky. “Seems like we’re going to get hit with another round. Want to make a break for it? It’s about a half a mile from here, isn’t it?” he asked. “Probably closer to three-quarters.” She was still working to ignore the impression that his arm had left against her body. “Let’s step outside and check it out. There are awning-covered shops for the next quarter mile. We could get closer at least.” “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think awnings offer much protection from lightning.” They stepped out into the dark,