boxing the octopus

I rarely talk up my own books in this space, so I'm hoping you'll indulge me for a moment. Eight years ago today, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, bringing flood waters that destroyed most of New Orleans and caused a mass migration of evacuees into Houston. While I was helping with relief efforts, carrying water to evacuees who waited in the 100+ heat to be processed into the Reliant Center, a New Orleans police officer told me, "This is great for con artists and media people." That offhand comment was the initial inspiration for my novel,  The Hurricane Lover . My prime directive is always to tell a good story, but this book was a soul project. I wanted readers to really feel what happened here that summer, to see the human faces and be reminded that, while both government and mainstream news media failed us spectacularly, We the People came together with strength and compassion. As part of my research for  The Hurricane Lover , I slogged through thousa...

Eight years ago today, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, bringing flood waters that destroyed most of New Orleans and caused a mass migration of evacuees into Houston. While I was helping with relief efforts, carrying water to evacuees who waited in the 100+ heat to be processed into the Reliant Center, a New Orleans police officer told me, "This is great for con artists and media people." That offhand comment was the initial inspiration for my novel,  The Hurricane Lover . My prime directive is always to tell a good story, but this book was a soul project. I wanted readers to really feel what happened here that summer, to see the human faces and be reminded that, while both government and mainstream news media failed us spectacularly, We the People came together with strength and compassion. As part of my research for The Hurricane Lover , I slogged through thousands of emails to and from Michael Brown, who was head of FEMA at the time. (Remember GW saying, ...

There's always room for Joyce Maynard on my TBR pile. She's one of those authors whose books are a writing workshop. Read her if you want to be a better writer. Or a well-fed reader. In bookstores this week, Maynard's new novel After Her: A Novel . Here Maynard shares the chilling backstory...

Twenty-mumble (yes, I've lost track for the moment) books after my first published novel came out in 1999, I still get that pulse-pounding burst of excitement whenever I'm sent the link to a new cover. This one's my very favorite of all my Harlequin books. Their art department has really outdone itself depicting drop-dead gorgeous horse whisperer Dylan Frick of The Colton Heir ! Here's a sneak peek of the cover copy: Terror rises at Dead River Ranch in this intriguing Coltons of Wyoming romance Wrangler Dylan Frick thought he knew his past—until a suspicion surfaces that he's the secret Colton heir who vanished from Dead River Ranch as a baby. Now his identity's in question, and his mother's murder is still unsolved. And he's thrown off course by the ranch's mysterious new maid, Hope Woods. The gun-wielding knockout has fear in her eyes and seems desperate to escape her own private danger. Defending Hope—and keeping her deadly secret—leaves th...

Today, I received some gorgeous new Montlake paperback editions of my classic romantic suspense titles, and decided I would love to share some autographed copies with readers! So I've set up a contest on my Facebook Author Page, where you can stop by, give me a like, and leave a comment telling me which title you'd most enjoy receiving, either for yourself or a friend. Your choices are Fatal Error, The Deadliest Denial , Head On, The Salt Maiden, and Fade the Heat. Aren't on Facebook? Then feel free to leave your comment here, and I'll add your name and book preference to my raffle. For an additional entry, let me know if you've recommended this contest to friends with a linkback to this or my Facebook entry page via Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media. I absolutely love it when my friends and readers get involved in helping me to get the word out! Also, this winter, be on the lookout for my first single title romance in several years. The Best V...