Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

After the holiday excitement, January can seem downright dismal. Here in the Midwest, we’ve been suffering single digit temps. When it’s time to hunker down, I have a few tried and true pick-me-ups to see me through the cold months. Here’s what makes my winter survival list.     Wool Socks —not sexy, but they help keep my toes warm. The rest of my body might be room temperature, but my toes are always cold without my favorite striped socks. Argan Oil —the real stuff. Cold pressed and a little pricey, it keeps my skin from drying like a raisin.  Warm Vanilla Sugar Scrub by Bath and Body Works —makes my skin smooth and smells so comforting.  Soup —I can’t get enough this time of year. I like to make a huge batch in the crock pot. My favorites are potato, beef and barley, and chicken tortilla. Nothing is better than coming home to the aroma of savory soup. Today, I made minestrone. Mmmm. Veggies (fresh, frozen or canned), meat, beans, noodles or ...

I'm super excited because I'll soon be sharing some great news about my new series, Body Shop Bad Boys , toward the end of the month. In the meantime, I'm offering a fun bundle of McCauley Brother goodies to one lucky newsletter subscriber. If you're interested in a signed set of the The McCauley Brothers books, a Marie Harte tote, swag, chocolates, and a McCauley mug, sign up at my Facebook page and click Newsletter . Until then, how about a sneak peek at Test Drive , the first book in my Body Shop Bad Boys series? BLURB:   Johnny Devlin is a devil-may-care charmer with a sullied past. Stealing cars landed him in jail, but he learned his lesson. The last seven years working in Webster's Garage have taught him how to work hard and play even harder. Johnny has always had his eye on the pretty bartender with the rockin’ bod and soul-deep eyes. But she’s rejected him more than once. Still, that doesn’t mean he won’t come to her aid when some dirtbag ...

My first notions of love and romance came from fairy tales, of course. Most notably the Disney versions. Who hasn't imagined being one of the princesses? My personal favorite, Cinderella. I'm old school like that. But after that, before I got into actual romance novels (age 12, plucked right off my mother's bookshelf-- she had no idea), I was falling in love with Rochester and Darcy. It's a wonder I didn't marry a dark and brooding man with a wife in the attic, or someone I really hated until I realized I loved him. But no, I married a good-natured, generally happy guy, who only took a little convincing. Okay, a strong nudge.   My kid sister, thirteen years younger, had a completely different romantic inspiration. Anne of Green Gables by L. M (Lucy Maude)Montgomery. Don't get me wrong, I loved Anne, too. Read the books, enjoyed the character. But Kristin, my sister? She became a total Anne Shirley fan girl. And thus, Gilbert Blythe fan girl. It helped tha...

You know, sometimes I think hubby and I are crazy. We like to run, which probably seems insane to a lot of people. I mean why run if no one's even chasing you, right? But once a year we drag a carload of stuff to the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. We have to take a carload full of stuff because we never know what the weather is going to be. Regardless of what they say in the weather report, they're almost always wrong. So, we bring winter hats, gloves, and rain gear, among other things. Basically something for every occasion. Thankfully we didn't need any of out cold weather gear this time. Starting temperature for the run was a beautiful sixty degrees. We did the half marathon this time, which is 13.1 miles of glorious fun in the parks. There are people cheering, characters waving, and bands playing, not to mention performers on stilts. There's no better way to while away the miles. We had a great half marathon! The best part of the whole thing is that i...

I don't often write about beta heroes, because alphas are so interesting. But I have a theory that every beta is an alpha to the right woman, or at least, is the right man for her. In my novel,  Love On A Midsummer Night , beta Raymond  Earl of Pembroke waits for ten years before he is reunited with the love of his life. But even after all that time, he is still in love with her, and as they begin to work out their differences, and heal the pain of the past, he is loving and kind. Raymond supports and helps Arabella even after she had left him flat to marry a duke. When he realizes that she was kidnapped by her father and forced into an unwanted marriage, he becomes even sweeter to her. One thing I really love about betas is their sweetness. Another hero who is an alpha but who has some beta tendencies is Jamie Frasier from  Outlander . Like all good betas, he listens to his wife and sympathizes with her, even when he doesn't agree...

We’re in January now. The holidays are over, but not the post-holiday cleaning. Family has left but not the post family colds and flus. Presents have been opened and adored, but the credit card bill is looming. Let’s face it, add in the dreary weather and January just sucks. That’s why I take the time in January to… A. Catch up on my email. I can spend hours reading about the best way to lose holiday weight. B. Catch up on shopping. Post-holiday sales? My favorite! C. Sleep. Who wants to face January anyway? Hopefully, I’ll take a nap and wake up in February. D. Meditate. It’s what I do when I don’t want to face what needs to be done. A few minutes of “ohmmmmm” are a few minutes when I don’t have to launder clothes that are too tight anyway from the holiday desserts. (Those clothes should stop eating like that! Lame joke, but it made me smile.) Answer: D -- I certainly catch up on email and sleep, as much as I can. And I have enjoyed a few post holiday sales, though mostly I’m ...