Contemporary

For many years I was a historical writer. I loved to read contemporaries, but I was drawn to the past and well, I didn't want to live in the here and now. But eventually, I decided to try my chances with a short contemporary. Parent Trap was always one of my favorite movies so I decided I would write about a set of twins, and what would happen when one sister pretended to be the other.  Read More

Late 2008
Colorado Springs, Colorado

“So this is hell? Very scenic.” Claire shivered and slouched over a steaming mug of coffee, wishing it were a bathtub she could crawl into. The lobby of the Evergreen Lodge was polished ski-lodge elegance and pretty much guaranteed to give the budget overlords coronaries. A huge stone fireplace in the middle radiated a welcoming heat from all four sides. Overstuffed chairs were intermixed with coffee tables and potted plants. Tiny white lights decorated the rafters and looked like diminutive stars against the dark oak. The dining room took up half the lobby, and dozens of windows let the wild mountain view in while keeping the cold out.  Read More

Melissa Cutler here, and I'm so excited to be on RomCon® celebrating today's release of my debut book, The Trouble with Cowboys. The culinary world meets ranch country in this steamy contemporary when disgraced chef Amy returns to her hometown roots and butts heads with her new restaurant's key supplier, cattle rancher Kellan Reed. I love reality TV shows that feature experts in their field doing what they do best, such as So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, and Project Runway, and tapped those as inspiration for chef Amy and her story.  Read More

The Kitchen Sink Hero

I’m Holley Trent. I write contemporary romances set in rural Eastern North Carolina. They’re usually a little offbeat because, well…I am, too. My characters tend to have a lot of layers. Sometimes to excess, I think. I’m always finding “one more thing!” to complicate their personalities.

I swear, I try not to throw everything (including the kitchen sink) into my character outlines. I don’t want a heroes and heroines who are caricatures even if they are appearing in a comedic work. Whenever I read a book and see a character who is just too…well, too much, I roll my eyes and scoff.You know the type: the international man of mystery who was once a famed opera singer, decathlete, super-spy, and slayer of hearts.  Read More

Seasons of the Heart Book 2

Lord, if this rain’s gonna cause another flood like ya sent Noah, I hope You’ll give me a sign to get to higher ground. Can’t have my bakery blowin’ off the face of the earth in this wind, either, as we’re countin’ on these pies and cakes for the big party tomorrow!

Miriam Lantz slammed the whistling window shut. When was the last time they’d seen such a fierce wind? Rain pelted the roof of the Sweet Seasons Bakery Café, not quite drowning out the troubling thoughts that had wakened her in the wee hours. Too often these past weeks she’d dwelled upon Bishop Knepp’s vow to somehow get her out of this business and into his home. Ordinarily it wasn’t her way to fret so, but Hiram Knepp could stir up more trouble than a nest of ornery hornets, if he had a mind to. It hadn’t made him one bit happy, when an English fellow had outbid him to buy this building a month ago.  Read More

My goal in life was to become a topnotch journalist. I loved writing. Always had. Ever since I can remember that’s all I ever wanted to be. Suddenly, the goal was at hand. Within reach. I got it. My first big byline! I beat out all the other reporters at the scene and the paper printed my story. MINE!

So… there I was drinking coffee and reading my story. My headline! GEORGIE PORGIE PUDDING AND DIE by me, Susan Weston. Word for word just the way I’d written it. I’d been first on the murder scene the night before, even before the coppretty good look at the body. Turned out to be a guy I knew from the neighborhood. Not a sight I’m likely to forget. It made me feel good that my story got printed. This was my big chance. Things were going to change now. No more fluff pieces for me. And then s, so I got a everything went haywire. The phone rang. Of course I answered. The voice on the other end sent goosebumps up my arm, down my spine, and chills down to my toes.  Read More

No Sale is Ever Final

A few years ago, my husband and I went to the British Isles with our travel buddies. On our last day, in Scotland, my husband and I sat on a bench in a large, shady, treed park, a perfect place for gazing up at mighty Edinburgh Castle. 

As our thoughts turned to going home, we shifted into souvenir and “thank you” gift mode.  Jenners is the oldest department store in Edinburgh and is  short walk from the park. My husband and I decided to explore the store and separated to look on our own.   Read More

I’m thrilled to be here at RomCon® today to chat about my debut novel, Lowcountry Boil! I love introducing Liz Talbot to new folks, though bless her heart, she’s had her hands full lately. In Lowcountry Boil, Liz has to come to terms with the one who got away—her obsession with Michael Devlin, her True Love. Regrettably, Michael married Liz’s cousin, Marci the Schemer. Now, of course, there were extenuating circumstances, you understand—like Marci’s made-up pregnancy—but still, most folks in Stella Maris, Liz’s home town, will tell you that she should have gotten over all of that years ago.   Read More

December 1937
Lucy Turnbull knew better than to wish for a pony for Christmas this year. Besides receiving the upsetting news that Santa Claus was only make-believe (Tommy Farley had popped that beloved bubble several weeks ago), Lucy had been assured by Mama in no uncertain terms that she was not getting a pony—and furthermore, Lucy had no business asking for such nonsense. “You might as well ask me to buy you the moon,” Mama firmly told her at the dinner table.“ Read More

Everyone has a story. I have a story about a neighbor and a shotgun and another neighbor’s dog – and soon after that, the neighbor with the shotgun tried to get elected to the town board. Now, that was scary.

I could tell you about other neighbors. Stories that are sad, scary, happy and funny. And family members... My family has STORIES! I won’t tell these stories here for obvious reasons (such as not wanting to be sued and not wanting my relatives to stop talking to me). Instead I’m telling stories of residents of a tiny Wisconsin village in my new Miracle Interrupted series. Read More