Beaches, Backroads & Books

Today, I'm welcoming authors Nancy Fraser & Patti Shenberger who are here to discuss their new book Gambling on Love and tell us a little about writing with a partner. Check out the link at the bottom to learn how to win a prize by following them on their blog tour.     Welcome Ladies! Tell us a little about your new book, Gambling on Love, Book One of the McCade Legacy .       Gambling on Love mixes a number of traditional tropes (e.g., forced marriage, opposites attract) with a modern assumption that the woman in the relationship isn’t some dutiful, simpering wife, but rather a feisty, sometimes naïve, bundle of energy and ambition. While the heroine comes from a wealthy family, she’s grounded in humanity. Our hero’s family is just as wealthy but have worked hard for their money and don’t use it as a bargaining chip to get what they want, as our heroine’s father does. When Jake’s and Felicity’s two distinct personalities clash, spark...

As soon as I saw this picture, a character popped into my mind. Actually a new character popped into my mind and an old one revisited. Does anyone who read my books want to guess which character this reminded me of? What about you? Does it prompt an idea for a character, a plot, a scene? Tell me what you see, think, or feel when you look at this picture.

This has always been one of my favorite groups to listen to while writing.  

I recently signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press for my gothic romance, When Swallows Fall .  I haven't been so excited about a book I wrote in a good long time. I loved writing this book and I can't wait to have others read it. (Here's where I tell myself I shouldn't get too excited because I might be delusional and it might really suck.) Many, many moons ago, I fell in love with gothic romance. Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, Madeleine Brent, and Daphne du Maurier, they were the queens of the genre and alongside their books on the library bookshelves was a treasure trove of lesser known princesses whose work I devoured just as hungrily. The very first book I picked from the "adult" shelf at the library was a gothic and I was hooked from that moment. From the dark and brooding hero to the haunted heroine, I loved every ghostly encounter and shiver of suspense. Sadly, it's nearly impossible to find a new gothic romance now, but I would love to s...

The guy in this video was kind of my inspiration for Drake Sexton in Shades of Silence .

I've decided to do something different each day of the week, but I'm going to skip Saturdays unless I have something really, really exciting to say. Although in that case, I'd probably say it on Facebook, so I can safely say I will rarely blog on Saturday. Here's how I plan to break it down. Although I have been known to veer off the path now and then, even if it's a path I created myself. So, I can almost guarantee this won't always be what happens, but I'm going to try. I always love to get comments, so please don't hold back. Sunday - Sunday Serenade. I'll post a link to a song that has inspired me, touched me or that I just really enjoy. Maybe I'll discuss it or maybe I'll just let you enjoy it. Monday - Blessed silence. I'll post a picture and a caption, but little else on Mondays. Maybe it will be something I found at a yard sale over the weekend. My daughter and I yard sale almost every Saturday, so I usually have a treasur...

Summer afternoons sitting beside my mom while she read to us, trips to the library, a box of Victoria Holt novels found at a yard sale when I was 15, all equaled countless summer days lost in the pages of a book. I still can't think of anything more relaxing than the sun, sand, sea and a good romance novel. As summer nears, what are you reading? What books are on your summer reading list?  If you're looking for suggestions, I'm hoping to offer you a few over the next few days. From author interviews and guest bloggers to giveaways and reviews, you're sure to find something that sparks your interest. To start with, be sure to participate in Sizzling Summer Reads over on The Romance Reviews. You can win a free electronic copy of my book, Sweet Sacrifices , as well as dozens of others. Just click on the Sizzling Summer Reads poster to visit the website and start participating. See The Romance Reviews' four star review of Sweet Sacrifices ...