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An Evening of Romance

I will be co-hosting An Evening of Romance with Christine Glover on Wednesday, September 9 from 6 -9 p.m. CDT. It will be a night of fun and giveaways with readers and special guest hosts.

This is an online Facebook party so attend from the comfort of your couch, coffee shop or mobile device! Join the party here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1488433404802170/

Host Schedule: All times Central

6:00 Christine Glover
6:20 Lynn Raye Harris
6:40 Cynthia D’Alba
7:00 Naima Simone
7:20 Avery Flynn
7:40 Carla Swafford
8:00 Carmen Falcone
8:20 Jodi Linton
8:40 Jacki Delecki

I hope you’ll join us and invite your reader friends!

Cover Reveal: Marriage Under Fire

Deciding on cover art is a nerve-wracking process for authors. How do you capture 80K, 50K or even 20K words in a single image? Will the image engage readers’ attention? Will it inspire them to pick up the book or click through on Amazon for more information?

According to The Book Designer, fiction book covers have a variety of goals, including:

• Convey genre (i.e. historical, contemporary, suspense)
• Establish tone (i.e. gritty, flirty, humorous)
• Generate excitement

Kim Killion of The Killion Group designs the cover for both of my romantic suspense series, The Code Breakers and Grayce Walters. I had the opportunity to meet Harvey Stables, one of Kim’s most popular cover models at a local conference.

That clinch, delightful as it was, isn’t cover worthy, but Harvey and Kim still managed to get the job done when I needed a cover for MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE.

Look for MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE, Book 4 in the Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series, September 12, at most online retailers.

Finding inspiration in Seattle

I frequently feature actual Seattle landmarks in my Grayce Walters series, partly because I love my home city and partly to create a sense of realism for readers who are familiar with this region. Part of the storyline for Marriage Under Fire, the September release in my contemporary romantic suspense series, was inspired by Seattle’s local refugee and immigrant community.

One of my primary research resources for this was the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA), an organization that provides assistance and support to refugee and immigrant women and their families. ReWA has been active in Seattle’s multicultural community for more than 30 years and their work is life changing. Here are some of their accomplishments and compelling facts:

• Services are available in more than 60 languages/dialects
• More than 30 percent of King County residents are foreign-born, based on the 2010 Census
• ReWA helps refugees learn English, find housing and jobs, and gain U.S. citizenship
• Services from ReWA also include domestic violence aid, youth & senior programs, and meals

Yet another reason I love being a romantic suspense author is being able to showcase incredible organizations such as this that make a difference in the community.

Authors' Dog Days of Summer

The Dog Days of Summer are finally coming to an end, at least according to the calendar. Here in Washington state we’ve been experiencing a unusual heat wave. This July was a record breaker, going down as the hottest month in Seattle history since 1890!

The Dog Days of Summer run from July 3 to August 11 and refer to the sultriest days of summer. Early observers in the Mediterranean region discovered this period coincided with the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun.

In honor of the Dog Days of Summer, I’m featuring some of my author friends and their canine sidekicks. There’s also a little surprise squeezed in here. If you are still in need of summer reading, be sure to check out each author’s recent release!

Callie Hutton‘s four-legged friend Daisy. The Highlander’s Choice is a Scottish Regency historical.

Gunny, Chris Keniston‘s pooch pal, is also an aspiring author. If you like contemporary romance with military heroes, check out Aloha Texas.

Ava Branson‘s four-legged friend Cosmo is decidedly more feline than canine. Fiery Seas, a contemporary romance, makes a great beach read.

C.B. Williams is bound and determined to fit her Golden Doodle Miki in one of those designer handbags. Champion of Entean is science fiction romance with a splash of fantasy.

Sugar keeps Teri Riggs company while working on contemporary stories like her recent release, Sunsets and New Beginnings.

My two Golden Labs, Gus and Talley, provided inspiration for the canine characters in my contemporary romantic suspense books, such as Men Under Fire, from the Grayce Walters series.

Whose keeping you company during these steamy Dog Days of Summer?

2015 RWA National Conference

Last week, romance writers from around the world gathered in New York City for the annual RWA National Conference. The 35th annual conference was held July 22-25 and included workshops, a literacy book signing, the RWA annual general meeting, chapter gatherings and an awards ceremony. The conference provides opportunities for authors, both published and pre-published, to network with industry professionals such as publishers, editors and agents, booksellers, service providers and other authors.

If you attended this year’s conference, what were your key takeaways? What was the highs and lows of the conference? Share your photos and experiences!

Photos from RWA.org Facebook page