Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Usually on New Year's Eve, I'm reflective. What happened during the year? What can I change for next year? What are my thoughts, memories, goals? This year, my daughter was home for the holiday for the first time in years. I had my (grown) children, my dogs, my husband, a full glass of champagne, and nothing but sheer joy in the moment.  And I realized that my theme of 2018 is just that, living in the moment. Not on my phone. Not in my head. Not stuck on what I should have said, done, or need to do next. Just taking it all as it comes, being present to enjoy every minute as it unfolds.  My daughter with her dog, Henry (a Havanese), and her boyfriend,  Joe. Not pictured, my son, Nick.  Bandit and Pepper, my Pembroke Welsh Corgis (looking at my not-pictured husband, probably  holding treats).   So far, so good. I hope your year is going well and brings you everything you wish for and more. I'm leaving the Casablanca Authors blog, but I wi...

Politics got you down? Or maybe, looking up? Yeah, let's not talk politics. But one of my personal heroes was a past president. Who happens to be immortalized on Mount Rushmore. Can you guess? It's Theodore Roosevelt. I've been a fan since fifth grade, when I wrote a report on him for Social Studies. I think we could use more Teddy Roosevelts. Ironically for a man of action, he became president by chance. President McKinley was shot while giving a speech and it fell to Teddy, Vice-President, to step in. At the age of 42, Roosevelt remains the youngest man to take office (Kennedy, often thought to be youngest, was 44). What's so great about Theodore Roosevelt, you ask? The Bullet Points: A sickly, asthmatic child, he overcame his health problems by adopting a strenuous active lifestyle. Asthma? No thanks! I've got too much to accomplish. (I have asthma. No easy feat to overcome it). He's often defined by his "robust masculinity." Swoon! ...

Happy Monday! I'm starting my week with excuses. You haven't seen a new book from me for over a year now. What's my excuse? A. The dog ate my manuscript. B. My writing is terrible and no one wants a book from me. C. I'm going through a major personal transformation. If you chose A... wrong. Though I wouldn't be surprised. I have two corgis and one of them, Bandit, (the tricolor) is a major force of destruction. You can follow Bandit and Pepper on Instagram! (Yes, they have their own page). If you chose B... fortunately wrong, but you've hit on the secret fear of writers everywhere. The fabulous Deb Werksman, my editor at Sourcebooks, still wants more from me, but we haven't agreed on a new proposal. And I've stopped sending them for now because... C! C is correct. It all started with a haircut. For years, I had long hair. Or at least just-past-my-shoulders hair. And I was fine with that. But I had a hair appointment. "Let's go r...

But first... The first book in my Edwardian series for Sourcebooks is on sale now! Thornbrook Park $1.99 for Kindle ... go get it! The price is already back up at Nook and Google Play . I hate for you to miss a good sale.  Now, back to diversity. I've been on a Young Adult kick and I finally read Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park . I loved it. It's not just for the teens. The themes and feelings inspired are universal.  After I read it, I raved to my daughter (a younger adult), who informed me that she has been in some discussion groups that were highly critical of Rowell's depiction of Park, a Korean and Irish American, and mostly, Park's mom, a Korean woman in America. I thought Rowell's depiction was fair enough, but I'm not a Korean American. My knowledge is limited. And that might be the problem of writing about people different from your own culture and experience.  But what's the solution? I am not a man, but I...

Jane Austen might have set the standard for delightful heroines with Lizzie Bennet and her fine eyes, and even finer observational skills and witty retorts. I love Lizzie, and her modern equivalent (arguably) Bridget Jones. The great thing about writing historical heroines, for a modern writer, is that the heroine's career path is limited enough to avoid judgment. The writer doesn't have to worry about giving her a career that reflects her abilities and strengths without coming on too strong or too brainy.  It's perfectly acceptable that a Regency or Victorian, even Edwardian, heroine would be sitting around sewing, or visiting friends, or shopping in the middle of a weekday. Her hero might also avoid any serious employment. The challenge is getting them together enough to let the romance develop without boring the reader. Oh, look, they're sitting down to tea again! They're going out on horseback again! He's studying her figure as she crosses...

My grandfather was my hero. He passed away a few weeks ago, in his own home, his own bed, ninety-nine years young, as he liked to say. Don't be sad for me! I miss him, yes, but he lived. He loved life, and he made sure to experience it to the fullest. He was my greatest influence and the best man I've ever known. My high school graduation.    When I sit down to write, I try to create men like him. Kind. Gentle. Determined. Strong. Ethical. Adventurous. When I read books, or watch movies or shows, I look for the heroes who live by the same principles. He put the needs of others before his own without ever compromising himself in the process.  He was born at the end of WWI and enlisted in WWII (Army/Air Force) but he never got to fight. He scored so highly on tests that he skipped basic training and went right into intelligence and meteorology. He would predict the weather for flights (and missile tests) and come home (when he got to come home) with a briefcase hand...

When 2017 arrived, I told myself that I would make sure to try new things. I've always wanted to learn to knit. My son helped by presenting me with a beginning knitter kit for Christmas. I had no excuses! I had to get started.   And once I got started, I introduced my daughter to knitting. She caught the bug, too! And quickly surpassed me. I started working on a snood. She made a whole blanket. I finished my snood. She started a scarf. I made a hat. She's on to decorative table covers. Now we inspire each other! How quickly I went from being a beginner knitter to obsessing over new yarns, new patterns, what can I make next? It's a great way to unwind. And like with writing, the process can be as exciting as holding the finished project (okay, maybe not quite as exciting, but definitely satisfying). DO you knit? Or have a similar hobby? Are you crafty? What's new to you in 2017? Connect with me on Facebook if you have any knitting tips or projects to s...

For a short time when I was a kid, I wondered if I really belonged with my family. Okay, sometimes, I still wonder but now I have good reasons. My family... don't get me started. I'm the little one on the right. But as a young child, I fantasized that maybe, it was possible, that I was a fairy princess accidentally abandoned in a flower field and discovered by the mortals now raising me as their own. With Grandma, and my older sister. Still waiting for those powers to kick in. Unfortunately, appearances were too hard to deny. I have my dad's crooked smile and my mom's chin, and look enough like my older sister to be mistaken for her. I had to face the facts that I was where I belonged, a mere mortal, and my magical powers weren't simply lying dormant until I came of age. Darn! But the idea of the orphan heroine still appeals to me. One of my early favorites was Sarah Crewe in Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess , an early influence in what ...

If you follow me on Facebook , Twitter , or Instagram (and you should! Come on over!), then you already know my struggle. I mean, news! Exciting news! I have a new puppy! I wasn't really planning on getting a new puppy at this time. I have a Pembroke Welsh corgi. Like Queen Elizabeth II, I love my corgis. But one was enough. And that one, Kylie, is pretty old. Kylie is sixteen. She sleeps almost all day, and when she does move, you can see the effort it takes her. But she has been my devoted companion and the joy of our house since my kids were little. They're all grown up now. But I still have my Kylie. The plan was to let Kylie live out her days in peace and then hold off on dogs for awhile. I married young and started a family right away. I thought, how nice to not have anyone to care for, for once in 26 years. But then my daughter got a puppy, Henry. And Henry came to visit Kylie. And Kylie, who never liked other dogs in her youth, was suddenly up and running ...

I've never written a sports-themed romance but the Rio Olympics have put me in the mood. There's Water Polo (drool)! Fencing and Archery (fun for historical fans)! Diving and Swimming (does a body good)! Rugby (All those Alphas)! And of course, Gymnastics! The women are amazing athletes, and they can dance, too. (Is it fair that the women have to dance through their floor routines but the men just tumble? Oh well). And we're just getting into Track and Field. But I'm not sure I've seen a lot of these Olympic sports represented in romance. There is baseball, hockey, football, and NASCAR in romance. What's your favorite sport to read? Or do you prefer your romance without athletes? What are you enjoying most about the Olympics?

I went to play all weekend. With the Book Obsessed Chicks. They had a fabulous beach BBQ and I was there! But I stayed late to tour wineries and forgot to blog. Have you ever been to Long Island? It's gorgeous. There are lavender fields! And there's wine! Plus lots of farm stands and of course, beaches and boating. And romance readers. Who could ask for anything more? My thanks to the Book Obsessed Chicks for a fabulous weekend! And as penance for being late to blog, I'll share my Sexy Fail of the week. Maybe the decade. I read a tip that if you wrap your wet hair in little coils around your head, you'll end up with soft, sexy beach waves. I tried it and... I ended up looking like Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter. Uh-huh. Not doing that again. Fortunately, I was able to tame the waves in time. Have you been to Long Island? Do you prefer beach or mountains? Any beauty tips to share?