Is there anything more powerful than a redemption story? This month I’ve been writing my next Christian hockey book, The Love Penalty (out January next year), and because I like to give my readers different types of stories so they don’t all sound the same, I figured it was time to explore some aspects of […]
Love in the Kitchen (+giveaway)
Did you know September 10-16 is Chef Appreciation Week this year? How exciting is that?! I know, I know, it’s back-to-school season, but I’ve already written a back-to-school post. Yeah, I’ve already written a food post too, but this time I thought it would be fun to talk about those who fulfill our fictional food […]
Big Year, Big Goals
I turn 49 in just under a month. Which means that this time next year, I’ll be a breath away from clocking 50. I know; I did the math and it’s shocking. :-) So, I’ve been thinking about what I can do to mark this major milestone. My tightening jeans and a set of awful […]
Fake Dating Bliss
There’s something about a fake dating romance that gives me all the feels. It’s the tension of will they/won’t they fall in love paired against the is it or is it not real? I know some people don’t like this trope because of the lying aspect, but that’s actually one reason why I like to […]
Loving the Grump
I’m finishing up a non-fiction book right now where my editor and I break down ALL the “types” of romance characters that we could think of. Billionaires, Cowboys, Widows, Single Parents, Athletes, Pirates, and on and on. It’s been a super fun project (and I’m learning a lot). When we were only three weeks out […]
Telltale Tropes + Giveaway
Mention tropes around a group of readers or writers and everyone seems to perk up a little. Folks often have strong opinions about the best and worst and readily give their opinion when asked. But what do our favorite tropes reveal about us? By definition, a trope is a particular theme an author uses in […]
Second Chances in Love: Why We Can’t Resist A Romantic Do-Over
Hey there, romance lovers! Have you ever wondered why we’re so captivated by stories of second chance romances? There’s something about the idea of two people finding their way back to each other that’s just so… irresistible. It’s as if love’s saying, “Hey, I’m not done with you yet!” But why are we so drawn […]
Does Age Make a Difference
The books I’ve written have a variety of ages for the hero and heroine. I’ve written stories with heroes in their thirties and the heroines in their twenties. I’ve written stories with heroines who are older than the heroes. I’ve written stories with heroes and heroines who are close to the same age. When I […]
The Thin Line
You ever hear the phrase: “it’s a thin line between love and hate”? I’m pretty sure it comes from a song (at least that’s what’s in my head now) but it’s something that I see often in one of my favorite book tropes, enemies-to more (aka enemies-to-lovers). I like to find out why two people […]
Widows and Widowers in CCR
I’ve been doing a lot of work on a side project lately that has involved examining some of the common characters in romance (cowboys, billionaires, athletes, law enforcement, etc). One of the characters that I have been spending some time studying recently is Widows and Widowers. I love these stories, but I only recently understood […]