Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

On Valentine's Day, Mr. Roberts was kind enough to give the whole family the gift that keeps on giving. The flu . Yep, the entire Roberts clan is down with the sickness. As I sit here curled up with an afghan, hot cup of tea, and box of tissues, I'm gazing out the window at the sub zero temperatures and wondering if this brutal torture will ever come to an end. I live in Pittsburgh, and gloomy winter days are what this time of year is all about. Yeah, well, I'm done with that. Finished. I've had enough. Bring on the sun and my 70 degree weather. My poor dog, Zoe, won't even brave the cold. Once we let her out the front door, she quickly does her business, then bolts around the back of the house to be let back in--all in less than one minute. lol Due to this lovely weather upon us, my kids haven't had school for the past two days. My husband is in construction and hasn't worked for the past two days. And guess what? On top of that and the flu, every...

How many of us are tired of this scene? Cold days, cold nights, what's a girl to do? These sub zero temperatures are just what I need because when the temperature is above twenty degrees, I have a tendency to feel guilty that I should be doing something other than curling up with my laptop in front of the fire. Yet, I long for the days of walking on the beach with sand between my toes. This weather is far from desirable, but the cold winter nights are a writer's paradise. Love scenes in front of a raging fire. Being stranded in a deserted cabin to shield your loved one from a storm. A Highlander removing his kilt as a makeshift blanket. Och, aye. What was I saying? Oh, yes. The weather can definitely inspire an author. But sometimes we're fortunate enough when an idea comes out of nowhere. I love those! In my latest novel, To Wed a Wicked Highlander, this was a scene I created in order to torture Lady Sybella MacKenzie. And yes, I had a strong desire to bathe after ...

by Olivia Cunning When I moved to Texas last July, I knew that my winters wouldn't really be winters anymore--not by a Midwesterner's standards. Last winter, I still lived in Nebraska and this is the kind of thing I dealt with for several long, depressing months. I remember using this thingie a lot. Ugh! I hate this thingie. Driving was an icy, slick nightmare for three months. I had to dress in layers. I was always, always cold. And as someone who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder, I would spend months trapped indoors feeling, well, sad . I even owned one of those fancy blue lights and sat in front of it for half an hour a day. It helped. A little. But it didn't do anything for my constant state of cold. I hate winter. I never understood the appeal of snow. To me, snow means a lot of back-breaking shoveling and dangerous driving conditions. Apparently, some people think it's pretty. It does cover the ugly dead landscape of winter. I'll giv...

While you are all enjoying summer it’s the middle of winter in Oz. Not that Perth gets really cold (I was freezing my butt of at RT in Chicago), but when the temperature drops below 65F we break out the scarves and jackets. I know some of you are now laughing, and I do too as I grew up in Tasmania were anything over 70F was a summer day. Since the weather isn’t making me feel warm I went looking for some hot heroes. I’ve just discovered the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearn. It’s urban fantasy and the hero is a two thousand year old tattooed Druid. (If you’ve read ‘Kiss of the Goblin Prince’ you know tattoos and magic are my kind of thing in a fictional hero). Spartacus: Vengeance DVDs are about to arrive in my mail box any day now (runs out and checks again). I pre-ordered the series as I missed the start of it while I was travelling in the US (for those of you in the US scratching your head and wondering why I’m so far behind we get everything months late in OZ). I love this s...

Yes, I'm ducking the flying rotten tomatoes. Summer is my least favorite season. Why? Two reasons: heat and humidity. I mean, I chose to go to Penn State because it was snowing the day I went there for a visit - April 29. I lived in East Halls and had to cross Parking Lot 80, aka The Tundra. You should have seen those snow piles when they plowed that big flat wind-whipped vast expanse of nothingness. (Sadly, I believe Parking Lot 80 no longer exists). So here we are in summer. Normally, my family goes to the shore every summer, but this year we're taking a pass on our annual vacation because we've planned a different, longer one. To the mountains. Where there's snow. Yep, we're headed to Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming this year. I made this trip when I was 14 and LOVED it. Especially the pictures of us in our shorts and flip flops throwing snowballs at each other. I plan to do the same thing 31 years later with my own kids. We'll be stopping at RomCon in Den...

’Tis the season… Winter is my favorite time of year. I know, I’m crazy. But I did elect to go to Penn State because it was snowing the day I went for a visit—April 29. (Well, okay. That was only one of the reasons, but still…) In the four years I was there, I never hated the snow. I was the first one out in the quad making a snowman or taking part in snow fights. Even with my (ridiculously) long driveway nowadays, I’d rather shovel it by hand then use the tractor. (Although, that is fun if the chains stay on.) People talk about the sense of isolation in the winter, with being closed in, but I love it. I turn on the fireplace (note to self: next house, have a wood-burning fireplace. Gas is nice, but it just doesn’t have the same effect.) and curl up on the sofa in my office with my laptop and wool blanket (from Mom’s trip to Ireland – thanks, Mom!) and tap away at the keyboard. I just discovered my local cable provider has a channel that is just a fireplace, complete with crackling, log...