Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

by M. L. Buchman Wait, the 4th? As in July 4th? Yep! For authors, holidays start months ahead of time. Christmas books are released in October, which means they're written over the sweltering summers. Valentine's Day stories make some sense, written in the dark of winter about the hopes of, well, not spring, but at least February. And for my second Independence Day romance, the novel started well before that. For the fun of it, I thought I'd trace back through my notes for the origin of this one. Huh! Okay. In a way it started three years ago when I released my first July 4th romance: Frank's Independence Day . Now Frank Adams, head of the Presidential Protection Detail, has turned out to be one of the more popular characters in my Night Stalkers series, and not just the Night Stalkers White House series either. Of course his wife, Beatrice Ann "Beat" Belfour might have something to do with it. Two years ago they figured prominently in the Preside...

So here I sit with a couple of my favoritest books. In this photo I spot science fiction, thrillers, romance, Alice in Wonderland, and Winnie the Pooh all mixed into a bunch along with classics and The Phantom Toll Booth because everybody has to have read that one. (You haven't?! Go forth now. Fetch. Read aloud to kid, spouse, yourself. Repeat often.) Over my other shoulder lies much more romance, research, and travel. ML with books and a parrot Sometimes I just stand in front of the shelves and marvel at all of the wonderful words I get to choose from. I also get quite humbled that I would dare put my words on the shelf beside these. It took me a while to get up the guts, but sometimes you just have to prove that you belong. The top shelf of the center book case is all my books. (Okay, padded with some multiple copies to fill the space.) But there's a whole shelf that's just me and my work. And guess what, those are my favorite books. Sure Ayn Rand, Tolkien, and...

There's a phrase I read years ago about hiking through a marshland. The author said that you finally just give in and become one with the mud. Heat is like that. I wilt and I melt and I whimper, and then I take a half dozen friends hiking up Breakneck Ridge overlooking the Hudson on a 105-degree day. Okay, I was also much younger and stupider then, but weren't we all. And it was an amazing hike! (And I got a great girlfriend out of it too. ) I often think about that day as I now live in the temperate Pacific NW where going out of doors on those few rare 90-degree days of the year is unimaginable. Of course, on the hottest day so far this year, my wife and I did decide to voyage forth on a 4-mile hill walk through one of Portland's oldest neighborhoods. It was a great hike! Of course any time spent with my wife is. (Yes, there's a reason I'm a guy writing romance.) Well, this summer I get to double the heat. Book 2 of my Night Stalkers series is launching from So...