News & Views

Hello Reader, Apparently, our ancestors had a very different definition of romance. Today, if you want to meet someone, you might try a dating app. A few centuries ago? Halloween. Because long before October 31 became costumes, candy, and arguing over whether candy corn is actually food, Halloween was apparently an excellent opportunity to figure out who you were going to marry. And some of the methods were… questionable. 🎃 Ye Olde Halloween Dating Advice 🔥 Set your potential husbands on…

A quick observation: I think your Halloween costume says something about you. More specifically, I think it says something about the kind of romance you read. I have absolutely no scientific evidence to support this theory. (Note: this has never stopped me before.) 🎃 What Your Halloween Costume Says About Your Romance-Reading Habits 🧙♀️ WITCHYou like competent women, questionable decisions, and men smart enough not to underestimate either. 🧛 VAMPIREMorally gray is not a warning.It’s a…

A quick observation. There are three little words romance readers wait an entire book to hear. I love you. And don’t get me wrong. I’m a romance writer. I love those words. But in romantic suspense? I think there might be three others that can be just as powerful. I believe you. Think about it. She says someone is following her. I believe you. She says something doesn’t feel right. I believe you. She tells him something happened—something frightening, or painful, or so unbelievable she’s…

A slightly different note from me today. Normally, when you hear from me, I’m sitting behind a computer somewhere, surrounded by fictional people who refuse to behave according to plan. Today? I’m in Oklahoma City for WriterCon. For the next few days, I’ll be surrounded by writers, editors, publishing professionals, and other people who understand that having lengthy conversations about imaginary people is perfectly normal behavior. I’m looking forward to it. Writing is a funny profession. So…

The Wilde Side I love a good “I love you.”I’m a romance writer. Of course I do. But there are two words that might get me even more: “I’ll stay.” Being there, being present, is often the most important thing in life. Attraction is great. Love matters. But consistency, presence, and choosing the other person when things aren’t easy are what sustains a relationship. He’s there when she’s frightened. He listens when he can’t fix it. He sits beside her when there isn’t anything useful to say. He…

The Wilde Side One of my favorite kinds of heroines isn’t fearless. She’s determined. She knows she’s in over her head……and she keeps going anyway. Because courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s deciding something else matters more. Readers (and non-readers!) often equate strength with: winning every fight never asking for help never making mistakes even: acting like a b1+ch. But that’s not strength. Real strength is: asking difficult questions refusing to look away trusting the right people…

Every now and then I come across a book that makes me think,“My readers would probably enjoy this.” Today’s one of those days. If you enjoy gothic atmosphere, supernatural mysteries, missing persons, and small towns hiding dangerous secrets, I think you might want to take a look at Red Falls by Linda Garnett. One thing that immediately caught my attention was the premise: a disgraced journalist investigating a vampire book launch only to uncover something much darker beneath the surface. It’s…

A quick observation. I’ve never been particularly interested in writing damsels in distress. Not because there’s anything wrong with rescue scenes. (I love a good rescue scene.) But because the moments that stay with me happen afterward. When the danger has passed.When the adrenaline fades.When the hero realizes the woman beside him doesn’t need someone to take over… She needs someone willing to stand beside her. That’s a very different kind of strength. The heroes I fall in love with don’t…

A quick observation. People often assume billionaire romance is about the money. The private jets. The sprawling estates. The luxury resorts overlooking impossibly blue water. Those things are fun to imagine, of course. (I certainly enjoy writing them.) But when I think about the stories that stay with me, none of those are what I remember. I remember the hero who noticed she was overwhelmed before anyone else did. The one who quietly stepped between her and danger. The one who kept his…

I love a good romance.Obviously. But if I’m being honest, one of my favorite story elements has nothing to do with kissing. It’s found family.The people who show up when they don’t have to.The ones who choose each other, over and over again. The friend who answers the phone at 2 a.m. The teammate who steps between you and danger without hesitation. The person who knows exactly how broken uyou are and stays anyway. Maybe that’s why found family stories hit so hard. They remind us that…