Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Five of My Favorite (Not So Typical) Heroic Traits: 5.     He doesn’t always have to be the hero. I love when the hero’s there to help when he’s needed, but he also knows when to step back and trust that his love can handle the situation. It’s great getting rescued and all, but sometimes it’s more fun to be the one to rescue him . 4.     He’s shy. Confidence is hot, sure, but I have a soft spot for a rough and tough guy who gets a bit tongue-tied in the presence of his crush, especially if… 3.     He’s also secretly hilarious. If he makes me laugh, he’ll steal my heart. 2.     He’s really good at horseback riding. Whether he’s a cowboy or a Mountie, there’s just something about a man who knows what he’s doing on a horse. The tight pants don’t hurt, either. 1.     He loves animals. I mean, puppies and hot guys? Yes. Grumpy cats and hot guys? Yes. Rescued baby goats and hot guys? Yes. The combina...

It's been fun this year to see two very different heroes come into their own: Lord Marcus Bowles, a second son and Jonas "Bacon" Braithwaite, man of business for the Earl of Greenwich. Both men appear as key secondary characters in the Midnight Meetings series. Now they get their own books, but as men, they couldn't be more different. So, here's a reader poll for you. Which hero archetype appeals to you the most? A) A handsome wastrel, drowning in his unhappy but privileged life? OR B) A stoic blue-eyed commoner, once the village rebel, facing his past? Then again, maybe the cover helps you decide. Try this: Option A On Amazon OR Option B On Amazon There's another way to pick a man. Aretha Franklin sang her wisdom, telling us  It's in His Kiss. Let's put Aretha's wisdom to the test, shall we? Kiss A (the hero let's the heroine take over): She flattened a hand on his ches...

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...

A few months ago I signed a contract for three more books, and I have been working on the first one diligently ever since. I can't tell you how excited I am about this series I've titled The Expendables. Here's a little about it. --> Twelve hot British noblemen—Dare you to pick just one. With England on the brink of losing the war against Napoleon, Lieutenant Colonel Draven asks 30 younger sons of the nobility—the best, the brightest, but most importantly, the expendable—to form a troop and conduct a suicidal mission. Against all odds, the mission succeeds, which leads to even more daring assignments for the ramshackle unit, who continue to risk their lives for their country. After the war, the surviving 12 soldiers return to London and frequently meet at a club known as The Draven Club. The “Draven Dozen”—hellraisers before they left for war, now a group of restless renegades —must settle back into Society and the world they left behind, facing new th...

It started with a snake. Or rather, a photo of a snake, posted by a Facebook friend—a photo of a large (6-7 foot) black rat snake that apparently found its way into her shed.   Responses to said photo ranged from “Eek!”, “Ewww!”, and “Yikes!” to the ever-popular “Why did it have to be snakes?” This is a reaction with which I completely sympathize, no doubt stemming from my early exposure to far too many National Geographic specials featuring poisonous snakes. And Rudyard Kipling’s classic story, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” brilliantly adapted by Chuck Jones into an animated 1975 short.   The mated cobras Nag and Nagaina would give anyone nightmares. My personal interactions with snakes have been brief, harmless, and infrequent thus far, which I fervently hope will continue to be the case. However, that didn’t stop me from a near freak-out some years ago when I almost stepped on one, which was lying across a footpath and doing its best impression of a broken twig. My sandal...

Heroes are a continuing source of fascination for anyone who reads or writes romance. For some, only an alpha—powerful, passionate, possessive—will do. Others prefer betas: kind, caring, considerate, who tend to be more a source of comfort than a source of conflict for their heroines. Personally, I can see the appeal of both.   I like a hero who is strong, capable, and knows how to take charge. But I also like a hero who can be gentle, thoughtful, and doesn’t have to prove he’s got the biggest one in the room all the time. Who doesn’t have to dominate or, worse, conquer the woman he loves. Plus, exposure to some of the old-fashioned bodice rippers of the ‘70s and ‘80s makes me extra-picky when it comes to alpha heroes: too many of those guys would have sent me screaming in the opposite direction if I were the heroin e. Just as I have no use for bullying alphas, I have an equally low tolerance for smug alphas. The ones who sit on top of the food chain, complacent and en...

Some women love military men. Others go for the sports heroes. I've always been partial to poets and musicians. My first crushes were on pop stars. David Cassidy, Simon Le Bon. Later on, I fell for dead poets. Shelley, Byron. Apparently, I took the idea of unrequited love a little too far. But when I think of the men who have inspired me most romantically, I think of men who appreciate beauty and sadness, love, and art. Brooders. It's no surprise that I still have trouble creating really strong alpha heroes. Alpha men just aren't my thing. But lots of romance readers love a good Alpha hero, so I keep trying my best. In Thornbrook Park, I introduced the Thorne brothers, Gabriel and Marcus. Marcus, the younger brother, was a poet in the body of a prizefighter. He took on physical challenges to impress his father and brother, but he always preferred settling down with a good book. I tried to make him into a strong Alpha male, but readers, and Eve Kendal, saw him ...

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...