Stella is. . .A Marked Man!

Susan: Okay, so she's a woman and her book title is A Marked Man. Sue me, I took literary license. But y'all didn't tune in to read me. You want to hear about this book! So without further ado, Heeeeeere's Stella.! Hey, girl. How was New Orleans last week?

Stella: Amazing–it’s always amazing. That city reminds me of a really good stew filled with the best and most unexpected ingredients.

Susan: What a luscious description. It’s obvious you love setting your stories there.

Stella: New Orleans has had more influence on me than any other city I’ve explored–including some I lived in for a long time. The moment I set foot in the French Quarter I feel I’ve arrived in the middle of a carnival, or in an old, French fairground. Not that I’m unaware of the seamy side of the city and the problems, but every city has those elements. It’s just that in New Orleans everything is more colorful, louder maybe, like looking through a kaleidoscope with sound. Nothing stays still for long yet I can sit back, watch, and soak up the whole thing. When I come away I see memories in my mind and they’re all really neon. New Orleans is drama, and drama is great story stuff.

Susan: Do you like the cover for A MARKED MAN? It sure looks marvelous on the stands.

Stella: I’m so pleased with this cover. There’s the seething atmosphere of the bayou country, but the human images are sensual. This is a steamy, sensual, suspenseful book. Yes, I think this is the right cover for the story.

Susan: But it’s what's between the covers that we’re really dying to hear about. So dish! Share a few sound bites about A MARKED MAN with us.

Stella: “Just the facts, Ma’am :)”

Susan: No, no, feel free to embellish

Stella: Annie Duhon is a fighter who has made her own breaks. She has worked her way from high-school dropout and victim of abuse, to achieving her dream. She is the manager of Pappy’s, Toussaint’s most popular place to dance and eat.

Confidence has been hard won and it isn’t easy for her to accept the obvious interest of Max Savage, a successful plastic surgeon. Is this incredible man in her life too good to be true?

Behind the public Max is the secret Max who was twice accused of murdering women and twice acquitted for lack of evidence. Legally, he is an innocent man. And Annie might never have had reason to doubt–or fear–him if another woman wasn’t missing, feared dead, right here and now in the middle of Annie’s exciting new world.

Max is a marked man who has unwittingly attracted danger to anyone he’s cared about. Now he loves Annie, and knows with chilling certainty that he faces one last chance to unmask a killer before there’s nothing left to fight for.

Susan: This is such a fabulous book!!! I gobbled up every word and wanted more. I’ll be waiting for the next book in the Toussaint series.

Fools Rush In?

Or, would we chose jumping rope over bungee jumping?

Ideas ambush me. One an hour, ten an hour, goodness knows how many of those things crowd into my head. This is sort of how it all works:

"An alternate universe, parallel to this one. A gateway between. A chance to travel back and forth. Wow, that would be fabulous. I'd put on my travellin' shoes at once."

Rapidly followed by:

"Sure you would. After you figured out how to anchor yourself in this world and set up an absolutely fail safe system for your rescue if the pathway closed unexpectedly."

or:

"Africa. Those crooked black trees against blood-red skies. Endless mountains. Travel by Jeep, sleep in a tent, really experience adventure. Yeah, I want to do that and I will."

Even more rapidly followed by:

"They've got wild animals. You're afraid of them. And it's so hot. You croak in the heat. And bugs! And snakes! Well, I could do it if I wanted to, but I don't have time right now."

So, do these examples of "waffle and chickenhood" mean that I never do anything spontaneous? Nooo, not entirely. If you're going to need swift action in an emergency, you want me around. I do emergencies really well. My brain switches off and I run on training and instinct. In fact I am fearless then. Get out of my way unless you've got something useful to bring to the situation.

However, I may hesitate about going to a party because I could discover I didn't like it when I got there. Does this mean I've been to a lot of unpleasant parties? Nope. Don't ever remember not enjoying a party to some degree, but it could happen . . . This tends to mean that I am happy to accept invitations but then I suffer great doubts (and rehearse many excuses--all of them reasonable--for not being able to get there) only to arrive and love every moment.

Dear, dear, this is turning into a self-analysis session--not at all what I had planned.

The other day as I was working on my latest book, set in New Orleans and featuring Marley Millet, a psychic with abilities as dangerous to her own health as they can be useful to crime fighters, I had an idea: "I've got an idea," I shouted to my husband through two closed doors. "Nope, not at idea. A fact. We're going to New Orleans next week. Five days should do it. I'll map out everything I want to see and do and call a few people I'll be talking to. You get it booked, please. You're so good at that bit."

Jerry heard mutterings from a distance, arrived in my office and listened to a repeat of what I'd already said. Being the amazingly adaptable person he is, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Okay."

And off we go.

Now think about that. An original, spontaneous idea. A decision. And positive action without any second-guessing. It feels so good that I intend to do more of this.

Bungee jumping and kissing snakes are still out of the question.

Ooh, I had another thought: "My new book is just coming out. A MARKED MAN will be on the shelves--is on the shelves. I don't really have time to leave when I have so much to do to for the release. But, gosh, the trip is booked. They won't give the money back."

I should go, shouldn't I? Gray Fisher's the hero of this new book and he shows up in a lot of places he's not supposed to be. Got to look at those places first hand. I always do that. And I want to know more about a certain house in the Quarter, too, because I'm not sure if it's really there, or if it was and isn't now, or ever was. Such a dilemma.

What's the matter with me? I can do it all and I'm fearless . . . almost . . . sortof and sometimes.

I'll send out some excerpts from A MARKED MAN and Susan Anderson (a brilliant jewel of a woman) is going to interview me on the book for all of you. But I'll go to New Orleans and wallow in beignets cafe au lait . . . I mean, research material, so that I can give the next story my all. And when I get back I'll hope to have some juicy tidbits to pass along.

Cheers, Stella

Jump rope or bungee jumping--which line are you in?

Are you spontaneous or do you like to weigh your actions really carefully?

Do you ever wish you were like someone else, someone either more or less daring?

Susan's Addiction, As Seen on TV

I usually turn on the television when I’m eating. It doesn’t particularly matter what’s playing—it’s merely something to gaze at while I eat my breakfast, my snack, whatever. It’s a benign enough habit—until I run into an infomercial.

I’ve always considered myself a level-headed woman. But put me in front of a half hour program designed to sell me something I have absolutely no need of and I turn into a brainless idiot (a redundancy, I know—but fitting).

I’m the demographic for which infomercials are designed. I don’t know what it is about them, but I always think everything is essential, especially if makeup is involved. Whenever the soulmate catches me at it he says, in his best cop voice: “Step away from the phone and hand me that remote, nice and slow. Now, lady! Step. Away. From. The. Phone.” Then he switches the channel to golf.

It brings me down every time.

My rehabilitation is avoiding infomercials entirely. If I do come across one while channel surfing, I just keep on going. And if I can’t quite make my thumb hit those channel buttons, I force myself to analyze the product objectively. (And ooh, does that hurt, not being the analytical sort) You are not going to look like that 30 year old model with her perfect skin, I warn myself sternly. Your thighs will not look like Suzanne Sommers'. And if your high end blender gets bogged down making smoothies, what do you think the chances are that little bullet shaped thingie is going to whip up a perfect one without the usual glitches? So, I’m definitely getting better. I’ve identified my compulsion and am taking steps to avoid situations where I can indulge it.

But I’m telling ya. . .it’s one day at a time.

How about you? Any guilty pleasures that you know aren’t good for you, but you indulge anyhow? Come, on. Fess up. You can tell Mother Susan.

Elizabeth G. laid low

Elizabeth G. has been laid low by food poisoning/a foodborne virus, so she won't be blogging today. She sends along her best wishes that everyone stays happy and healthy as we start a new year!

Jayne Announces SIZZLE AND BURN

I'm thrilled to tell you that SIZZLE AND BURN, the latest book in my ARCANE SOCIETY series, will arrive in stores on January 29. In it you'll meet Raine Tallentyre, a psychic sensitive whose most recent romantic relationship came to a screeching halt when she made the mistake of revealing her paranormal abilities. Aunt Vella, a gifted but troubled soul, had warned her years ago to keep her talents a secret. And now that poor Aunt Vella—her last blood relative—has died, Raine has resigned herself to a lonely life.

But when she travels to Shelbyville, Washington, to clear out Aunt Vella's house, Raine's highly developed sensitivity leads her to a horrifying discovery: a young woman bound and terrified in a basement storage locker. The victim has survived, but the culprit is still on the loose. Without warning, a new man enters Raine's life—investigator Zack Jones. One thing's for sure, he's not afraid of her abilities.

There's a huge complication, however: Zack Jones is working for the Arcane Society. This secret organization, dedicated to the study of paranormal phenomena, shattered Raine's family with an act of betrayal long ago, and she's not about to trust them now. But as a killer makes her his target, and a cabal of psychic criminals known as Nightshade operates in the shadows surrounding them, Raine and Zack must rely not only on their powerful abilities but on each other . . .

Here's a little taste of the story:

* * *

His eyes were a shade of blue that made her think of glaciers and gunmetal. He wore a black leather jacket, black crew-neck pullover, dark pants and low boots. She knew immediately that this Jones was every bit as dangerous as the one who had terrified her on that long ago night...The invisible energy he generated stirred the hair on the nape of her neck...

"How do you know so much about me?" she asked.

“The agency I represent is very good at gathering information in a hurry," he said. "But I didn’t have to read your file to guess how you would feel about being paraded around in front of the media as a police department psychic.”

“No?” Her chin came up a little. “Why is that?”

“Because I would feel the same way.”

“Is that so?”

“Given what you’ve been doing for the Oriana police for the past eighteen months I’m assuming you’ve got your aunt’s talent or something close to it. You hear voices in your head, right?”

She went very still.

“Relax,” he said. “I know where you’re coming from. I see visions.”

* * *

One more thing: I'll be doing two signings for SIZZLE AND BURN, Seattle and Honolulu (hey, touring is tough, really). If you can't attend either event remember that you can order a signed copy by contacting the Seattle Mystery Bookshop several days BEFORE the date of the signing (that would be like right about now). On the day of the event I'll inscribe the book exactly as you wish and the staff will send it to you in the mail. Signed books make great gifts!

SEATTLE, WA
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
12:00 Noon
SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP
117 Cherry Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-5737

* * *

HONOLULU, HI
ALOHA!!!! If you live on Oahu, come celebrate Valentine's Day with me!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
12:00 noon - 1:30 p.m.
BESTSELLERS BOOKS & MUSIC
1001 Bishop St.
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 528-2378

Sincerely,
Jayne

What does "busy" look like?

Wow, am I glad that the Quills voted to make this as much a newsletter as anything else. It saves me from taxing my already strained brain this morning.

1st, no looking at typos, okay? If I scramble a word, let's just forgive me and move on. I wrote this blog once, the computer froze up, and only half of it was saved. I'm still fuzzed up about it!
2nd, sorry for the forthcoming stream of "see what I've been doing" notes. It's all I've got today!
3rd, thank you for reading this mumbo jumbo anyhoo!

So why am I so busy?

Well, I just finished SERVANT: The Acceptance, the 2nd book in my new L.L. Foster urban fantasy/horror series. I'm zoned! But also excited.
I finished the book, then stewed and stewed on the ending. It just didn't feel right to me, ya know?

So after a week, I gave up, deleted 20 pages, and rewrote them. Now I like it a whole lot more. Shew.

Here's some of the great praise I got for the 1st book, which really makes me want to keep readers happy with the 2nd book!

SERVANT: The Awakening.

“The first book in a new series, The Awakening features a unique heroine, a wonderful hero, and a likable sidekick…The gritty, atmospheric, inner-city setting, graphic violence, and raw language are perfect for a story that unfolds, scene by scene, like a graphic novel and cries out to be graphic-novelized en route to the movies. May this be just the first in a long series.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Entertaining paranormal romantic suspense that grips readers…Romantic fantasy readers and fans of Buffy and the movie They Live will want to read the first tale in the human war against demons.”—Midwest Book Review

“A new name and an enticing new series propels Lori Foster into an exciting new direction…Servant: The Awakening practically blew me away…[It’s] brash, darkly edgy and insightful. And all grown up. Kudos to Ms. Foster for this fascinating, utterly unique fantasy.”—Romance Reader at Heart (romancereaderatheart.com)

“Fascinating…a new twist on demon slaying.”—Fresh Fiction

“With Servant: The Awakening, L. L. Foster shows she has a true gift for writing dark urban fantasy…The Servant Series will be addictive.”—The Romance Readers Connection

“Brilliant…The tone, intensity, and sheer grittiness of this book is awesome. I think Ms. Foster was channeling early Anita Blake, Eve Dallas, and a dash of J.R. Ward…a great intro to a series that I will be following religiously!!”—Night Owl Romance (nightowlromance.com)

“Dark, gritty, raw…urban fantasy at its finest… As can be expected from the darker alter ego of Lori Foster, L.L. Foster delivers characters that are engaging yet in your face…This looks to be the beginning of a really great series. Get your copy today and get in on the ground floor.”—loveromancesandmore.com

Sweet, huh? I LOVED the great promo Berkley did for the book, especially those awesome banners that showed up in so many stores.

Now I have a Winston novella, Double The Pleasure, due Feb 15th, and then another single title (straight romance, titled My Man, Michael) May 15th.

Wasn't I cutting back? Well, yeah. Sort of.
The novella is written. It was one of those things that just came to me, so I had to get it on paper. All I really need to do now is go back and check it over, so that's not a big deal.
The Winston guy is a twin, so the brother's story will be out sometime later, and it's titled: Double The Fun.
Cute! Gotta love those Winstons!

I head to Florida next weekend for a 2-day conference, so that ought to help rejuvenate me. I'm taking hubby along, and we have a room overlooking the ocean.
The trip will put me a little further behind. But I'll catch up. I always do!

Now, and through the next few months, I'm also working hard on my and Dianne Castell's READER & AUTHOR GET TOGETHER event in June. Every day, more registration forms come in. I sort them readers from authors, log them in, and send them verification by way of an invitation to a yahoo "announcement-only" email loop. Right now we have about 70 authors registered. Whoo hoo!

The list of industry professionals is pretty darned impressive too! Major NY editors and agents, publishers, book buyers, publicists... I'm jazzed!

And of course, I have Hard to Handle, a new romance, out Feb 5th so there are a lot of booksignings and such lined up. So far, the reviews have been favorable for the most part. Not that I lose a lot of sleep over reviews. I've had more than my fair share of icky ones, and very nice ones. I've learned that it balances out.

Oh, and super fun! With my current series featuring MMA fighters ala the UFC, you already know what a big fan I am of the sport. Well, at the last event I got to meet a lot of fighters, (I think I already told you that) and I also did a phone interview with hunky fighter, color-commentator, Frank Trigg.

That's a photo of Frank with Mason, my youngest son who just turned 21. (There's a photo of me with Frank on the below-mentioned website.
The pictures were taken at the last live event we attended. We'll be going to another live event March 1st. Can't wait!
(To see a LOT of fighter photos, mostly with me hugging them, check out the photo shows on my myspace page - www.myspace.com/mostlymam )

You can read the interview on Frank now posted on TapOut magazine's website:
http://www.tapoutmagazine.com/index.cfm?ac=NewsDetail&CM_Content_ID=38

Just for fun, I created a Valentine's Day card for my readers! The inside says, "You're still my hero."
Whenever I get between books, I play around at my cafepress store for a few days to let my brain rest.
It's still creative work, but not writing, and that gives me time to churn on the next plot or two.
Readers who enjoy my heroes will often tell me they have their own real-live hero at home. So... ta da! There it is in a card.
So what have you all been busy with?
If you could sit down for an hour or two of quiet time with your favorite author, what would you say to her?
What author would you most like to sit down and visit with?
It's a real farfetched idea, I know, because I never talk to people who've just been lounging, relaxing their bones, for any length of time! We all stay so swamped.
But it's my life, and I love it.

I hope you're loving yours too!

FROM GARBAGE TO GOURMET with Stella

From Garbage to Gourmet: RATATOUILLE

One helter-skelter paced little movie and my attitude toward rats is forever changed–as long as they’re blue with pink noses and great big eyes.

ANYONE CAN COOK blazes across the cover of Chef Gustave’s cookbook and a rat like Remy, a rat with daring, intelligence and big dreams is ready to believe the title. He is a gustatorial wizard with the nose of a sommelier extraordinaire:) At last, with the help of M. Gustave’s book, he will create great dishes and cast aside garbage forever.



Trumpets here!



After getting his claws on a copy of ANYONE CAN COOK, Remy of the adorable pink nose, leaves his dumpster-diving family behind in the underworld and sets forth, or rather, up, from the evil sewers to the city above. Only then does he discover he has lived beneath Paris, home of the world’s finest chefs.

Enter Linguini, down-and-out carrot-top on the hunt for work at Gustave’s. While Remy watches dreamily over the gourmet kitchens of the restaurant, Linguini mistakenly makes a mess of the soup, and Remy rushes to correct the error. Result? Voila! The best soup ever and Linguini is in the spotlight.

Too bad Linguini can’t cook.

But Remy can and he is persuaded to work with the wayward redhead in a cunning plan to keep him producing dishes par excellence.

An ambitious but evil usurper in the world of culinary ambition sets out to take Linguini down. Imagine the terrible danger to Remy. Ego, the food critic who makes and breaks restaurants lopes upon the scene, cadaverous body and baggy black eyes curled and ready to pounce. Remy’s family shows up and stirs the dangerous dish in the making (sorry).

Mon Dieu, such claw-biting drama.

But, the film has its messages:

Your only limit is your soul.
Focus on what you left behind and you will never be able to look ahead.
Change is nature.

And!

Not everyone can become a great artist
But a great artist can come from anywhere.
Passion rises above all obstacles . . .

The journey, the failures, the triumphs and a beautifully animated production shows off each theme to greatest advantage.

On a not-so inspiring evening I visited RATATOUILLE and came away wearing a great big smile.

Have you seen this piece?
If you have, what did you think?
How do you feel about animated movies?
What recent, or not so recent, movies do you recommend?

Happy New Year!
Stella

ELIZABETH ON THE LOOSE

I just signed a new contract with my publisher, HarperCollins. Thanks to their patience and understanding, I'm two months into a sabbatical!

I don't have a book due until October 1, 2009.

If I had Lori's emoticon skills, you'd see backflips, champagne fizzing, balloons floating, and smiley faces all over the place. But I don't, so you'll have to imagine those things...unless Celeste can drag some out of the ether. ;)



What am I going to do with the next ten months? Travel, clean closets, travel, edit my way-too-big library, travel, and READ. And travel--did I mention that?


That means I'll be popping in and out of Quills without warning. No set days. No twice-monthly blogs.

I'm not just being lazy. Really.

The places I like to travel don't have uplinks. I mean, what's the point of traveling if you do the same things you do at home?

But don't worry. I won't forget about y'all. I just won't be in touch as often.

Sure a rose is a rose. But what's the story with some of these names?

Do you ever wonder where people come up with their email addys? I do, every time I update my email list. I understand, of course, that a lot of people simply use their given name or a variation of it and leave it at that.

But others tell you something about themselves, email handles like justboycrazy, alwaysblushing, readingaddict, littleminx, blythspirit, imcheeky, gatorhater, dramamama or sixofnine.

Others give you a hint of the things people either enjoy or perhaps wish for, such as ottergal, shoecrazed (my kinda woman) nomosnow, sliverofmoon, shouldhavebeenacowboy, stargazer, stargal and starfishgal.

In regards to those last three, many of the contest entrants from both here and my webpage, which comprise much of my database, often run in themes. Since we’re romance writers around here, of course we get the entries from likeminded readers/writers such as: romancebooklover, romancechica, romancenewz, romancetreasures, romancewriter and romancereader with various numerals, initials and underscores attached (I’m not including entire addies for obvious reasons). Then there are the pixie people: pixieframe, pixiequeen, pixiedragon, pixiekitty and someone who’s just plain pixilated. On the snow front I’ve got: snostorm, snowangel, snowbear, snowbird, coupla snowflakes, a snowleopard, snowqueen, snowyowl, snowwhiteinfiniti and snowzapped.

Did I mention the ladies? Just a few out of a bunch on my list include ladybug, ladycat, ladychatalot, ladyclearskies, ladyluck, ladymacaw, ladyofmyst, ladyofthelake, ladyontherocks, ladyraidersmom and lady-fill in the name.

Some, like femchauvinist, luckybooboo, and Ladytramp, seem like oxymorons, and others I just like for my own reasons. Boobear, for instance, is one of my nicknames for my cat Boo, motherdriveninsane, because I’ve been there, bookbeyotch cuz it’s got attitude and figgy-fig and tiztazz, simply because they’re catchy and make me smile.

But the ones I really wonder about are those that are different for reasons that aren’t readily obvious to me, such as prettyinpoison, StupidNurse (don’t want that one assigned to my case if I’m ever in his/her hospital) sweetmassacre, aroseoffeathers and, oh so many more.

Have you seen an email addy that tickled your fancy or caught your attention? And, hey, since I took these largely from people who stop by this site, if you're lurking and see your e-addy on my list here, drop in and tell me what inspired your choice.

Because inquirying minds wanna know.

Jayne Reads: NIGHT LIFE

Jayne, here, again. Yes, I know this is usually Elizabeth Guest's slot but since she can't make it today, I'm blogging for her. It dawned on me that this would be the perfect opportunity to finish off my mini-series of blogs on books written by my sister Quills. So, today, I give you:

NIGHT LIFE by Elizabeth Guest

The Story: Egyptologist Christine Day is drawn to the Royal Palace hotel/casino in Las Vegas by its breathtaking authenticity. Turns out there's a reason why the casino is so realistic, right down to the hieroglyphs on the walls: The owner, Adrian King, is an ancient Egyptian king who has awakened in the modern era to find himself on the brink of becoming an "Eater of Blood and Breaker of Bones" -- the Egyptian version of a vampire.

Why I Read the Book: The vampire story is hugely popular but has, in my opinion, become predictable and derivative. I was looking for a different take and NIGHT LIFE is definitely it.

What I Got from the Book: A very romantic rather than bloody/gory version of the vampire story. Adrian King is not a foul-mouthed, hardassed hero who has to use the "F" word in every third sentence. This guy was once a sophisticated Egyptian king and he still has the style and the elegant manners!

One of the Author's Unique Talents: Elizabeth Guest delivers a fascinating twist on the vampire story by drawing on the mythology of Ancient Egypt. Her research is solid which makes it all the more intriguing.

What the Author Had to Say About Her Own Book:

"People frequently ask what inspired me to write a paranormal vampire romance. In one word: Seti. I created the ancient pharaoh Merneptah Seti first. As I wrote about him, I fell in love with the character. I knew I had to find the right kind of contemporary story in which to bring this man to life. I've also had a lifelong fascination with ancient pharaonic Egypt. NIGHT LIFE, NIGHT HUNGER, and future books in the Pharaohs Rising series are a dream come true for me!" ...E.G.

Last Word: Romantic

Until next time,
Jayne

Jayne Reads: SIMON SAYS

Happy New Year!

New Year, new focus here at RWQ. You might want to read the new introduction at the top to get the details but, what it comes down to is that, in addition to some regular blogging, we're going to use this forum as a sort of online "newsletter" that is designed to keep you informed about signings, new releases, events, backlist, cover art, and works-in-progress. We'll also introduce you to other authors, tell you what we're reading and generally let you know what's going on with us.

Speaking of what I'm reading, this is the next in my mini-series about books written by my sister Quills. As I've explained elsewhere, I'm not doing reviews here. Rather, I'm using the series to tell you why I think each of the Quills has been so successful in her own way; why the books work.

SIMON SAYS by Lori Foster:

The Story: Set in the rough, tough, competitive world of MMA -- mixed martial arts fighters-- this is sexy romantic suspense featuring a gutsy heroine who is blackmailed by a creepy step-father and forced to track down the hero, an extreme fighter. Secrets abound.

Why I Read the Book: Lori is renowned for her edgy heroines and alpha males. I'm a sucker for both.

What I Got from the Book: An edgy heroine and an alpha male. Also, lots of neat stuff about a macho, testosterone-fueled world I would otherwise know nothing about: Mixed Martial Arts.

One of the Author's Unique Talents: World Building. No, this is not a phrase that is generally associated with contemporary romance. It is used most often to describe Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction. But, trust me, in crafting her series based on extreme fighters Lori has created a complete and fascinating world that is, to my knowledge, utterly unique in romance. She proves that you don't have to do vampires and werewolves to deliver sexy alphas.

What the Author Had to Say About Her Own Book: "As a people watcher, I often imagine unique characters in a different “who, what, when, where” setting. That’s what happened to me with the UFC and Pride fighters – basically, MMA, or mixed martial arts, athletes. They are the most honed, ripped, fast, strong, all-around talented athletes (just ask me, I’ll tell ya) so naturally, my fertile mind wondered how that much machismo dealt with every day life, and more specifically, romance. From interviews I’ve seen, these highly capable guys are also... nice! And family oriented. And polite. To make it to the top level of any career, you need smarts, and dedication, and control. They’ve got it all!

If you can’t already tell, the athletes fascinate me. My books aren’t so much about them fighting, as it is about a fighter with all that capability dealing with the pitfalls of falling in love. I’m having a blast with this series. After Hard to Handle, out in Feb, I have at least two more books planned for the series, but maybe more. We’ll see!

Last Word: Hot.

Until next time,

Jayne