I think I always knew I’d be a romance writer. I can remember thinking about it when I went to bed at night. For several years in my early teens I’d think up stories about dark prince heroes who were misunderstood by society, but who would and could be healed through the power of my love. I dreamt about being kidnapped in a coach as I was taken to my palace, held for ransom and then falling in love with my captor, and never wanting to leave him. I saw the face of a dark-haired man in my dreams, like it would become my future. And in a way, it did.

I don’t know if this is what every young girl dreams about, but I did. I was drawn by the power of love and how it made people become better people, how it transformed everyday existence into something miraculous.

Stories such as Beauty And The Beast and Phantom are filled with a similar sister fantasy. The power of love takes a hulking power dark individual and reveals in them their true higher self, the beauty of that special part of them that allows love to warm their doorway. Gives them the courage to act with integrity, to do the right thing in the end. The Beast allows Belle to go, and she decides she loves the strange creature who will sacrifice his own future to assure her of one. The Phantom, driven by his obsession with Christine, finds it in himself to free her when she confesses her true love for him.

In my Navy SEAL stories, I try to portray an elite warrior, trained to the highest of combat readiness, one of a handful who can pass the tests physically and mentally, who are driven to do what they do for the love of their country, the men they serve with, and the innocents they strive to protect. They are driven to do the right thing, even when it costs them their lives. Because they have that ethos, that love of life and the bond of brotherhood, anything is possible. The highest calling to them is that juice of life that makes them want to be the best of the best.

We get criticized often for our simplistic stories of love and the Happily Ever After we write. Almost like there is something more noble about writing “the way it is,” instead of writing about the fantasy of what could be. As romance readers, I know you would disagree with that. You’d probably smile and feel sorry for the person who said such folly.

But no one can dispute the facts that over 50% of all the books that are sold are romance novels. And far from being a fad, the trend is spreading throughout the globe. What a fantastic time to be a romance writer.

What about you? Do you believe in the transformative power of true love?

Sharon Hamilton
Life is one fool thing after another.
Love is two fool things after each other.
Author Page ** Sharon’s Blog ** Sharon’s Website ** Facebook**Twitter
Sharon’s Newsletter

My Royal Pride series is based in a small farming community in Pennsylvania. There are several factors that made me pick this setting for my books, but the main reason is that I love small towns. It’s much different living in one versus a city. I’ve lived in both and here are the top ten differences I’ve noticed.

In a small town…

1. There’s often only one diner, one drugstore and one fancy restaurant. (Fancy is defined as having a menu, whether it’s a paper or a laminated one.)
2. There are multiple bars, sometimes one on every street.
3. When you walk into any business, people welcome you be name.
4. Dating your best friend’s ex-girlfriend is common and acceptable. So is running into multiple exes in any given day.
5. The best person to ask for gossip is usually the mailman.
6. Discussions on everything from world peace to the local chili contest can be had at the local diner.
7. You don’t have to worry about getting locked out of your house. It’s rarely locked and if for some reason it is, your neighbor has a key.
8. People will notice a change in your routine immediately and question you about it.
9. If you get in trouble, everyone will find out and never let you forget it.
10. And finally…when you need help, there’s always somebody there to give it to you.

Favorite Obsession
Nancy Corrigan
Book 3, Royal Pride

Centuries after what should have been a blessing from a goddess, Mira has gone from the chosen daughter to a woman shamed. She’s found a tentative peace among her family and the females they’ve chosen to mate. And despite the potentially fatal consequences, Mira has found the one thing she never thought she’d have—love. Josh is the only male she’s ever wanted, desired and burned for, and he’s the only man she can never hope to keep.

One glance into Mira’s exotic feline eyes and Josh is lost. She’s everything he never knew he wanted and loving her becomes a passion he can’t deny. The obstacles keeping them apart seem insurmountable, but Josh knows he’s the man Mira needs. With every passionate encounter, every stolen touch, his certainty that he and Mira belong together grows. He’ll defy every shifter decree and fight to his dying breath to convince those around them of the truth—Mira belongs to him, mind, body and soul.

A Romantica® Paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Forbidden love…Undeniable passion.

Author Bio

Nancy Corrigan believes in unending love and epic tales with a paranormal flare. She enjoys transcending the boundaries of reality to take her readers on an erotic, emotional and romantic journey.

She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband and three children. When she’s not weaving sizzling fantasies, she works as a chemist in a pharmaceutical lab.

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Chico Burnside is one of the two heroes in my new release from Samhain, Hungry Heart. It’s my eighth novel set in Konigsburg, Texas, and Chico has shown up (or at least been mentioned) in five of the eight. He was always a secondary character, the bouncer at the Faro tavern, best friend of one of my heroes (Tom Ames in Brand New Me), part-time employer of one of my heroines (MG Carmody in Fearless Love) and all-around stand-up guy.

But I always wanted to do something else with Chico. He had so many possibilities. He was a Very Big Guy, to begin with, a type I’m partial to. He had a dry sense of humor, and he knew when to use his slightly terrifying presence for maximum effect. The more I played around with Chico as secondary character, the more I knew I wanted him to have his own book and his own heroine. But it took me a while to figure out who that heroine would be.

Readers made a few suggestions, but they were always along the line of the woman Chico dated in Brand New Me—tough girls who’d been around who seemed to be the type to show up with somebody like Chico, or somebody like the man Chico had seemed to be in the other books. But I knew there was more to him than that. And I wanted to give him a Significant Other who’d shake things up a bit.

Enter Andy Wells.

Andy is another recycled character since she showed up briefly in Long Time Gone. Andy’s an administrator with the Texas Department of Environmental Quality. I enjoyed the idea of a shy scientist and a bouncer, particularly a bouncer who had a lot of hidden talents and a large, curious family. Nobody in Konigsburg expects these two to be together, but they are. Andy has a little trouble dealing with that, but Chico knows he’s struck gold.

I loved dealing with Chico again, and I loved giving him someone who really appreciates him, which Andy definitely does. In fact, she becomes the only woman in history to refer to him as Hon, a fact that seals her status as his One True Love.

Here’s a bit of their first real date:

“We’re here,” she said.

He looked up. His truck was parked at the curb. Her porch light gleamed in the darkness. A couple dozen steps, and she’d be home. He pushed the front gate open, then followed her through.

Okay, you’ve got this. No problem. Except, of course, that he didn’t. He hadn’t felt this awkward since middle school.

She turned on the top step, looking down at him, or as down as she could look when they were basically nose to nose. “This is where I say I had a great time and thank you. Which is true. I did have a great time. And I do thank you. But it still sounds sort of weird to me.”

He frowned. “Why weird?”

She gave him a slightly rueful smile. “Because it’s such a routine thing to say. I feel like I should come up with something better.”

He shook his head. “I’ll take it.” His right hand moved to the back of her neck, almost without his thinking about it, and he drew her lips down to his.

Random thoughts drifted through his mind. She was so soft, so warm. How long had it been since he’d touched a woman like this? Kissed a woman when it wasn’t just a prelude to something else, when kissing was the main event?

He moved his hand up to the back of her head, let his fingers slide into her hair, trace the shape of her skull. He changed the angle of the kiss, brought his tongue to her mouth and tasted her.

Honey. Sweetness. A hint of fragrance. Gracious Lord above.

And here’s the blurb for Hungry Heart:

Peace, love, and barbecue—with a big order of sexy on the side.

Konigsburg, Texas, Book 8

Sous chef Darcy Cunningham is less than entranced with small-town Konigsburg’s obsession with barbecue. But her future career as a chef de cuisine requires expanding her culinary horizons, so she talks the Barbecue King, a.k.a. Harris Temple, into taking her on as his apprentice.

However, learning Harris’s professional secrets wasn’t supposed to include falling for his spicy blend of smoky sexiness and laid-back charm.

Chico Burnside specializes in flying under Konigsburg’s small-town radar, but lately life has been going a little too smoothly, even for him. Hoping to shake things up a bit, he talks Harris into teaming up for Konigsburg’s first barbecue cook-off. But once shy scientist Andy Wells catches his eye, Chico’s got more on his mind than brisket. Like enticing her out of her shell to show her just how tenderly a big guy can love.

As the competition ignites, so does the romance. Until a natural disaster threatens to derail Konigsburg’s dream team before the grills even get good and warmed up.

Warning: Contains hot sauce, hot sex, and a whole lot of smokin’ action.

Samhain Store | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

I’ve thought a lot about that as I’ve written my Cowboys of Chance Creek novels. First and foremost, I think it’s his pride in his work. We all know a lazy cowboy won’t remain a cowboy for long. Ranch work requires long hours and backbreaking labor in all kinds of weather. A cowboy can’t be a wimp and he can’t be a slacker, either. And a hardworking, honest man never goes out of style.

A cowboy’s rugged individualism adds to his draw. He can work with a crew to bring in the cattle or build a barn, but he’ll never be dictated to and he’ll never back down from his principles. A man with a mind of his own will always be sexy.

All that hard work develops muscles, and let’s face it—we love muscles. Cowboys don’t get those puffed up steroid-induced he-man muscles, either. They get the real deal: long, lean, rock-hard biceps that can help lift a hay bale or fix a fence, or pick you up and carry you to bed.

Last but not least, let’s not forget his sense of humor. It’s quiet, it’s dry, and it’s lurking when and where you least expect it. Getting a smile out of a cowboy is enough to set your heart a-flutter. But getting a full-on laugh out of one brings joy you can hold onto for a rainy day.

I love cowboys and I love writing about them. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about them just as much. Check out my Cowboys of Chance Creek series which starts with The Cowboy’s E-Mail Order Bride (Free!) and ends with my latest release—The Cowboy Rescues a Bride. Check out my follow-on series, The Heroes of Chance Creek, which begins with The Navy SEAL’s E-Mail Order Bride (available now in the SEALs of Summer Box set and available on May 20 as a stand-alone novel).

I love country music. Love the sounds, the stars and the lyrics. In the car I can resist turning up the volume and belting out the words at the top of my lungs. (One of the things that I love about it is that I can actually understand the lyrics and I’m not totally embarrassed to sing them in front of my kids.) It’s a newfound love for me – growing up in New York City, you don’t hear much country. But since I move to Maryland, the northern tip of the South eight years ago, I’ve become a big fan. (I’ve also gotten into NASCAR, but that’s another story. Literally –I wrote about NASCAR in my debut release Revving Her Up :)).

Why do I love country music so much? It’s about real life. Situations that we all face. Problems and triumphs everyone can relate to. So many times I’ve found myself nodding while listening to a song on the radio. I know what that feels like. That’s happened to me. I enjoy listening other kinds of music – alternative rock is my fave for dancing around the living room – but no styles speaks to my life the way country does. And I can’t count the times that I have listened to a country song and thought I could write a story about that.

And I have! My latest release Nashville Trio, A Music City Ménage follows the passions of Ashley Ford, Rob Porter, and Ty Monroe through the highs and lows of love and passion in Music City, USA. Nashville Trio combines both friends-to-lovers and second-chance storylines into a romantic and sexy m/m/f novel, which I had a blast writing.

Nashville Trio was inspired by my overall love of country music, as well as some of its greatest recent hits. More than any other story I’ve written to date, Nashville Trio had a very definite soundtrack that kept me pumped from the first page to the last. (And if Rob Porter reminds anyone of a certain New Zealand/Australian country crooner and part-time American Idol host, that’s not a coincidence). Here’s a list of some of the songs and stars that helped me bring Nashville Trio to life:

• Country Girl (Shake It For Me) – Luke Bryan
• Famous in a Small Town – Miranda Lambert
• A Modern Day Prodigal Son – Brantley Gilbert
• Boondocks – Little Big Town
• The Good Stuff – Kenny Chesney
• You Gonna Fly – Keith Urban
• I Hold On – Dierks Bentley
• Whatever It IS – Zac Brown Band
• Stuck Like Glue – Sugarland
• Come Back Song – Darius Rucker
• Redneck Woman – Gretchen Wilson

Country music fans will recognize those names and probably most of the songs too. If you’re not familiar with country music, but want to learn, this is a great list to start with.

Here’s more about the novel inspired by those songs, Nashville Trio, A Music City Ménage, available now at most online e-book sellers:

Music City, USA.

After years of hard work country music duo Sweet Talk is on the verge of success. Singer Ashley Ford swore off the romantic entanglements that cost her mother her musical career, but her playing has fallen flat. She needs a spark.

Where inspirations strikes

Co-singer Rob usually find his pleasure with men, but when Ashley runs back to the arms of her ex lover Ty, he realizes that he’s no longer content being only a friend.

A tangled trio

Pride kept Ty from pursing Ashley to Nashville. When Ashley returns to his bed, Ty vows not to give her up again, even if it means sharing her with a man he finds aggravating – and surprisingly attractive.

When secrets and ambition seem poised to destroy her chance to be a star, Ashley must decide if she’s willing to risk it all for a Nashville Trio.

Thank you Delilah for letting me share my crazy country passion and my new release!

Now let’s hear from y’all – love country or hate it? Who are your fave singers? What songs make you crank the volume and sing? Time to confess!

About the Author:

Joy Daniels writes romance that’s Smart, Sexy and Down-to-Earth. She loves erotic romance because it allows her to expose her characters completely – strengths, flaws and scars. She’s originally from New York City, (and still a loyal Yankees fan!), but since moving south, she’s developed passions for NASCAR and country music. Both feature in her recent stories. In addition to writing (and reading!) she enjoys yoga, belly dancing, and growing veggies in the Washington, D.C. area with her scientist husband and two curious kids. She loves to hear from readers so drop her a note at authorjoydaniels@gmail.com, stop bywww.authorjoydaniels, or find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joy.daniels.author.

First, thanks to everyone who purchased Her Only Desire. I hope you’re busy reading it, and when you’re done, I hope you’ll leave a review or tell a friend about it. I’d love to be able to write more books in that series, but it really depends on you! If you love it, you’ll tell someone about it!

I’m busy starting a new project today. I spent yesterday drafting brief descriptions of the stories in a new series. Something to follow the Delta Heat cops books. This series will follow a group of firefighters at one firehouse. More sexy fun, I promise! So, while I craft that opening scene, here’s a question for you…

Of all the simple little pleasures you enjoy in life, which do you enjoy most of all?

I can tell you, my simple pleasure centers around a cup of tea… I love spending time with my daughter’s family. It’s a nearly nightly thing, meeting for a cup of tea, talking about our day, playing with the kids, and maybe watching a movie or surfing Pinterest for fun jewelry or craft ideas. We know life is fleeting, so we do our best to stay closely connected. At the center of it all is that cup of tea. There’s something magical and calming about sharing it.

Some people may not know that I was an RN in the psychiatric field for many years. I found it fascinating, mostly because we’re still learning so much about the mind, personality, and behavior of human beings. Now toss into the mix a creative brain and you have something really interesting.

Someone once told me, “You don’t think like other people.” She was a fellow writer and didn’t mean it as an insult. She meant it to help me…and it did.

Writer Juliet Bruce, PhD paraphrased creativity researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi best when speaking of creative people. “Instead of being an individual, they are a multitude.

“Like the color white that includes all colors, they tend to bring together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves. Creativity allows for paradox, light, shadow, inconsistency, even chaos – and creative people experience both extremes with equal intensity.”

I think she meant to say the color ‘black’ since white is the absence of color and black is what you get when you mix all colors together. Oh well…I went to Mass College of Art, so you can blame it on them.

Here are a few qualities he lists, as Bruce summarizes and I identify:

1. A great deal of physical energy alternating with a great need for quiet and rest. (*Check)
2. Highly sexual, yet often celibate, especially when working. (*Check with husband.)
3. Smart and naïve at the same time. A mix of wisdom and childishness. Emotional immaturity along with the deepest insights. (*Um…yup. Double check.)
4. Convergent (rational, left brain, sound judgment) and divergent (intuitive, right brain, visionary) thinking…(*What left brain? The only sound judgment I demonstrate is letting other people take care of the rational stuff.)
5. Both extroverted and introverted, needing people and solitude equally. (*Check—especially at writers conferences.)
6. Humble and proud, both painfully self-doubting and wildly self-confident. (*More about this later.)
7. May defy gender stereotypes, and are likely to have not only the strengths of their own gender but those of the other as well. A kind of psychic androgyny. (*?)

For more, see Bruce’s post “Understanding Creative People” – and Csikszentmihalyi’s classic book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, plus his article “The Creative Personality: Ten paradoxical traits of the creative personality.”

It’s that intensity (passion) that can get us writers into trouble, in my opinion. Speaking of painful self-doubt…John Lennon had huge issues with self-esteem. Even during the height of Beetle Mania, he thought he was a fraud.

I vacillate wildly, just as mentioned—especially after reading a review. Horrible thoughts go through my mind if a review is a bit negative. Everything from “What’s the matter with that broad? Can’t she recognize my brilliance?” To, “Oh, God. I’ve been found out. I suck. I’m a hack, and now everyone knows it.” For self-preservation, I no longer read consumer reviews. They seem to be the harshest and my assistant would have to talk me off a ledge.

But when I receive a fan letter (okay, these days it’s an email) I realize I’m doing what I was meant to do. I’ve entertained someone. (Yay!) Even so, I have a hard time using the word ‘fan.’ I have readers. When someone calls themselves a fan of my work, I’m flattered and humbled. When they call themselves a fan of me, my mind goes a little numb. No—they can’t mean that. They don’t know me.

Or do they? How much of who we are goes into our books?

Thomas Wolfe said, “Every novel is an autobiography.” (*Gulp.)

Even though I’ve never met a vampire or werewolf, I have the type of creative imagination that makes them very real. They live in my head. They speak to me and all I do is take dictation. (Talk about crazy!) If they are real to me, they become real to my readers—and apparently that is happening. I received an angry letter because my heroine was “selfish” when she let her true love give up his immortality for her.

Something to note is that I had a different ending to that story—one that the reader would have loved. An editor made me change it, and all I can think now is, “Why did I let myself be pushed around like that? I suck.”

Well, dear reader, I apologize! I shall try to be true to myself and my characters in the future. I’ve always thought of myself as a “girly-girl,” but I can fight like a man if I have to. (That must be where androgyny comes in.) If an editor again tries to force me to compromise part of my story that makes sense, I will drag said editor into the middle of Times Square and…

No. I really won’t. But I’ll be more assertive. I promise.

Here’s where a lot of creative writers (including romance authors) are showing their testosterone levels. We’re taking charge. We’re self-publishing our books. And we’re doing it our way.

Many are just dumping their agents and publishers and have decided to handle the business as well as the creative parts of publishing. The big benefit of this is keeping a much higher percentage of the profits. Even among these authors, the smart ones will hire artists and editing professionals to make a good product better—and then keep the rest.

Some authors (like me) are becoming ‘Hybrids.’ We continue to work with professional publishers and agents for some books, but we self-publish other projects on the side. The self-published books are called ‘Indies.’ My first Indie is The Cupcake Coven (release date May 5, 2014.) Here’s a quick promo:

Pretty Wiccan Rebecca Colby borrowed money from her father to start her bakery, and now he’s calling the loan due. When she learns he fell off the gambling wagon and owes big money to some scary people, she has to start making a profit—quickly—and hope the loan shark takes payment plans before anyone has an “accident.”

Hot cowboy Dru Tanner is looking for his missing sister who left Texas to explore their New England Wiccan roots. She’s the only family he has left and losing her is not an option. Dru has to hide the fact that he’s not Wiccan long enough to infiltrate a Portsmouth, NH coven, which is the only lead he has.

Dru needs a job and a place to stay. Rebecca needs cheap help, and he’s willing to work for nothing. Perhaps he can pick her brain about Wicca and she can learn how to run a business from a ranch foreman—if lust doesn’t drive them crazy first.

Log line– *This was written by Dorine Linnen of Romance Junkies, but it’s better than the one I wrote. LOL

“Entertainment abounds when a coven of witches whip up a few spells to help their friend hold onto her bakery while losing her heart.  Can a long distance romance work between a cowboy and a baker if they believe in magic?” 

I hope you’ll give my crazy brain a chance to entertain you.

The Cupcake Coven should be available at all e-tailers (like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com) for only $2.99.

Print copies cost a little more, but you can have your library get one. Every sale will help me continue this insane path I’m on. I want to thank my blog host Delilah, and thank you for your support and encouragement.

Here’s a picture of a bracelet I made and will give to one commenter on Delilah’s blog! I know she makes beautiful jewelry too, but just like writing, our styles vary.

Biography of Ashlyn Chase

Ashlyn Chase describes herself as an Almond Joy bar.  A little nutty, a little flaky, but basically sweet, wanting only to give her readers a satisfying experience.

She holds a degree in behavioral sciences, worked as a psychiatric RN for several years and spent a few more years working for the American Red Cross.  She credits her sense of humor to her former careers since comedy helped preserve whatever was left of her sanity.  She is a multi-published, award-winning author of humorous erotic and paranormal romances, represented by the Seymour Agency.

She lives in beautiful New Hampshire with her true-life hero husband who looks like Hugh Jackman with a salt and pepper dye job, and they’re owned by a spoiled brat cat.

Where there’s fire, there’s Ash
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