Amy Corwin  
amycorwin.com
Smuggled Rose

Tell us about your most romantic fantasy.
     This is terrible for a writer to admit, particularly a romance writer, but I’m not a romantic person. All that dinner, candlelight and flower stuff just makes me tired and nervous about potentially flammable household materials. But it would be nice to have one afternoon when my husband and I aren’t completely exhausted or stressed for time and we could just relax. In bed. With some sort of takeout on paper plates, too, but nothing that actually requires cutting up because those plastic knives are useless. Sigh. I told you I’m not romantic. Just really lazy. And tired.

Tell us about SMUGGLED ROSE and what you hope readers will enjoy about it.
     With luck, the idea of a rose smuggler will catch readers’ attention but it’s the promise of a second chance that I hope will capture their hearts. Margaret Lane is a heroine with a passion for roses and a secret that will not let her truly live her life and find the love she so desperately craves until she confronts the past and learns to trust Michael.

     For me, the idea that we can overcome even the worst experiences is incredibly important. Hope and courage are essential human qualities that define us and let us triumph despite adversity. Although both Margaret and Michael have difficulties to face, their ability to maintain their sense of humor and stride forward regardless of the opinions of others fascinated me as a writer and I hope readers will enjoy it as well.

     I hope SMUGGLED ROSE will offer readers a glimpse into the Regency period, some interesting tidbits about roses, and a little excitement from the story of a woman who rediscovers her courage and finds that falling in love with an earl isn’t all that dreadful, after all.

What’s your writing space like?
     I’d like to say it’s a beautiful room filled with shelves of first editions and plenty of space and sunlight. Unfortunately, it’s a tiny, closet-like area with one pathetic, dying orchid gasping against the window and stacks of research materials, dictionaries, plastic boxes full of incredibly unimportant papers, and computer manuals tottering in stacks around me. (Which coincidentally explains why I worry about flammable materials as I mentioned earlier) At any rate, I do have a new computer with an eerie blue light radiating from the front panel. And back panel. Cool.

     Hmmm. Now that I think about it, that “blue light radiating” part strikes me as worrisome, too.

What do you like about where you live.
     Ahhh, now this I can talk about for a very long time. We have 30 acres, with three acres cleared for gardens, a pond and, of course, our house. Now the house isn’t all that great—it’s just a small and very old log home—but the yard, particularly this time of year, is awesome. It’s filled with dogwoods romantically dripping Spanish moss, and huge purple-flowered azaleas taller than I am. Over the years, I’ve salvaged abandoned, heirloom daffodils and planted them along the edges of our gardens, and I have over a hundred roses. Most of my roses are old garden varieties such as those grown by Margaret in SMUGGLED ROSE, and they are such a joy, particularly since they don’t require all the spraying required by modern roses. I adore sitting on our patio in the evening and just staring mindlessly at the woods on one side and my gardens on the other.

If you could have one special super or magical power, what would it be?
     That’s easy. The psychic ability to manipulate the brains of the other computer specialists where I work so that I don’t have to continually fix the same problems they cause over and over again. Oh, drat. Sorry, I didn’t mean to mix fantasy with my increasingly desperate reality.

     Actually, though, the ability to communicate clearly and be understood would be a fantastic superpower. All any of us wants is to have someone listen to us and understand us. It should be easy and yet at times this seems like an impossible dream. Or a superpower.

What is your favorite smell?
     Oh! Another easy one, although this depends upon the time of day. When I get up in the morning, I love the zippy, cheerful smell of grapefruit to get me going. By mid-morning, I’m craving cinnamon (okay, what I’m really craving is a cinnamon bun, but we’re not supposed to be talking about food). By afternoon, the warm fragrance of roses touched by the sun. And last, as the lovely, soft evening breeze picks up, the soothing scent of lavender is perfect.

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
     Well, I could brag and talk about the awards I’ve won for my roses at local rose shows or talk about our tiny cottage on the ocean, or maybe our two insane chocolate labs and suicidal cat, but I don’t want to be crass. I could talk about my day job as an information technology enterprise administrator for a very large organization, but that would inevitably disintegrate into pathetic whining. Although I do love solving problems, I could do without the same ones over and over again.

     Ultimately though, the thing I am proudest of and what I’d like people to know about me is that I’m a writer. No matter what the critics say, I really am—a writer. The rest is all just rumors and vicious lies. Honestly.

Marianne Stephens  
mariannestephens.net
Second Sight Dating

Tell us about your most romantic fantasy. If you could have a 24-hour romantic fling with anyone you wanted, anywhere you wanted, where would you go, what would you do and with whom would you do it?
     My most romantic fantasy would involve a private plane trip to a small island with one fully stocked beach house. I’d leave the plane with one sexy, loving man whose only wish is to make me happy. We’d spend the day alone on the deserted island making love, watching the waves hit the beach, and he’d cook all the meals!

Tell us about your upcoming release and what you hope readers will enjoy about it.
     SECOND SIGHT DATING tells the story of a psychic, Serena, who runs a dating service by using her “second sight” talent to match couples. Dan comes in as a client but is actually an undercover detective sent to check out her agency. Neither trusts the other but love prevails after a series of mismatched dates. I hope readers will enjoy the crazy dates Serena’s “second sight” sets up for Dan because she wants him for herself!

What’s your writing space like?
     I have my computer, desk and printer in the first-floor library of my house. No TV or music when I write, just family photos to distract me.

What do you like about where you live?
     I absolutely love the Midwest! I’ve lived on both coasts and am now living in Kansas for the third time. People are great, prices/cost of living reasonable, and I had no trouble getting a personalized Kansas license plate that reads “METSFAN”.

If you could have one special super or magical power, what would it be?
     This is a toss-up between burning calories so I’d never gain weight and being invisible so I could spy on all the evil people in the world and help gain world peace (do I sound like a beauty pageant contestant?). Hmm. Spying could inspire more stories but would probably take up too much writing time so vanity wins. I’ll go with looking good while eating everything I want!

What’s your favorite smell?
     Chocolate...any form, any dessert!

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
     I’ve always tried to write my books with a touch of humor and, of course, some sexy encounters! I’ve got another book releasing in October, and that one’s a time-travel romance. I’m editing two other manuscripts and am halfway through another romance book involving a psychic. I’m a former Early Childhood teacher and started writing when all four of my children were teenagers in the same year...talk about needing a sanity break escape!

Elissa Abbott  
elissaabbott.com
Speechless

Tell us about your most romantic fantasy. If you could have a 24-hour romantic fling with anyone you wanted, anywhere you wanted, where would you go, what would you do and with whom would you do it?
     My romantic fantasy is to have my husband “kidnap” me and whisk me away to a mountain cabin, secluded from the world, surrounded by forest. As long as the cabin has a fireplace and a bed big enough for two, I don’t much care about what it’s like. Dinner could be a fully catered extravaganza or hot dogs roasted on sticks over the fire. There could be a luxury bathroom complete with a shower with multiple jets and a hot tub or just an outhouse. The important parts would be the seclusion, the hills and trees, and my man. We’d spend the night together inside, and the next day playing outside.

Tell us about your upcoming release and what you hope readers will enjoy about it.
     SPEECHLESS has everything a fan of romantic suspense could want: beautiful locations, adventure, danger, a hero haunted by his past, a heroine who causes him to think about the future, and some hot (and tender) love scenes. Oh, and just a touch of the paranormal. Eva has been mute from birth, and a very few people can “hear” her unspoken words but only after they’ve known her for years. Stone starts hearing her within days—and he’s the first man who has ever been able to. Despite this connection, though, Stone cannot risk the danger loving her would bring to them both.

What’s your writing space like?
     I have two writing spaces. My home office looks like an explosion in a paper factory. This might be why I actually get most of my writing done on the train as I commute to Manhattan for my day job. I have a PDA on steroids—it has a full-size keyboard and an extra wide screen—that I pull out at the beginning of my 45-minute ride. Fortunately, the urbanscape of Queens is not particularly distracting as we speed along. The only problem is when I reach a particularly tense moment in my writing just as the train reaches Penn Station. Now that is distracting.

What do you like about where you live?
     I live in Malverne, New York, a cute little village on Long Island. It’s a little like living in Leave It To Beaver-ville. But everything we need is within a short walk of our house: grocery store, delis, bagel shop, restaurants, bakery. We even have a small movie theater, which shows mostly small independent films, and a bowling alley. It’s the best of small-town living, but with New York City and larger shopping areas near at hand if we feel like going farther afield. If only it weren’t so flat.

If you could have one special super or magical power, what would it be?
     I’d like to be able to fly. One of the problems with Long Island is that it’s a bit like living in a bottle with NYC as the cork. This is rough for a person with serious wanderlust and a strong preference for a rural landscape. If I could fly, just hop over the city and traffic, I’d be able to satisfy those cravings for movement and countryside much more easily. Visit family, travel, zip on over to Kentucky, where I grew up, to see the redbuds blooming in the spring. As long as my husband could fly, too, so he could come with me.

What’s your favorite smell?
     Spring in Kentucky (are you sensing a theme?)—the trees blooming, grass growing, freshly turned earth, honeysuckle, and sunshine. Sure—you say sunshine doesn’t have a smell. But when its warmth hits dew-damp grass, the mulch and meadows, you bet it has a scent.

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
     I’ve always longed for adventure, and my books are how I achieve that. Readers will see several of my personal fantasies in this book, from general situations to the specifics of the love scenes. There’s something fascinating for me about a hero like Stone—dangerous and caring at the same time, following his own sense of right and wrong even if it goes against the rules or his own interests—just as I envy Eva’s ability to “speak” without a voice and the strength required for her to have achieved everything she has.

     I always try to make my characters’ emotions authentic and deep, affecting their decisions and lives. So even though this is in large part fantasy, it’s also realistic. I hope I’ve found the right balance and hope readers will let me know either way.

Emmie Graham
North Atlantic Nights

Tell us about your most romantic fantasy. If you could have a 24-hour romantic fling with anyone you wanted, anywhere you wanted, where would you go, what would you do and with whom would you do it?
     My most romantic fantasy is actually a deep-seated yearning for a second chance. Many years ago, when I was young and inexperienced, I fell in love with an older, more experienced man of the world. He fell in love with me too and invited me into his world. As much as I wanted it, I was too afraid to make the leap from my world to his. My most romantic fantasy would be to spend 24 hours with him, at the Hotel Del Coronado, on Coronado Island, just outside San Diego. One of the most romantic spots in the United States. I would like to meet him on the beach and see where the day takes us.

Tell us about your upcoming release and what you hope readers will enjoy about it.
     I am beyond excited about NORTH ATLANTIC NIGHTS. This is my first book to be published. It took me two years to get here with this story. I think readers will enjoy this story because they may just see a bit of themselves in it. This book is the story of a woman and her friends who meet a man, and his friends, neither of them knowing the amazing way in which their worlds are about to collide. It’s a story about believing in people and following your heart, even when and in spite of the fact that your head is telling you to be careful.

What’s your writing space like?
     Pretty rudimentary I must admit. I have a long banquet-style table that came from a wholesale warehouse years ago. Two computers, one desktop and the other a laptop, printer, phone, etc. There are stacks of files and papers everywhere. The view is what makes it all worthwhile. From the floor-to-ceiling window in front of my table, I am greeted by Galveston Bay, less than 50 yards away. When I get stuck on a story or need a break, I can watch the water and the birds and sometimes, like today, the rain.

What do you like about where you live?
     The water! I live on the narrow west end of Galveston Island. My cabin sits on Galveston Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico is two blocks from my back deck. I walk on the beach every day, no matter the weather, and thank my lucky stars that this is where I live.

If you could have one special super or magical power, what would it be?
     I want to have the super special power to make every person see the good in every other person in the entire world. If I could not have that, I would settle for the fantasy described in question one.

What’s your favorite smell?
     Sea spray. When I have to leave my island for any length of time at all, I truly miss it. Especially if I have been spending time in Houston or some other large city. So when I am returning home and I reach the causeway bridge that leads from the mainland to Galveston, I roll down my car window so I can smell the sea salt on the breeze. That smell means I am almost home! My second favorite smell is the scent of coffee, first thing in the morning when I am awake, but have not yet opened my eyes. A little scent of heaven.

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
     I would like readers to know how much I appreciate their reading my book. I want them to know that I come from a family with a long military history and this book is one way for me to tell them I love them and I have an unending respect for the lives they chose to lead.

Georgia Tribell 
GeorgiaTribell.com
Bayou Treasure

     Tell us about your most romantic fantasy. If you could have a 24-hour romantic fling with anyone you wanted, anywhere you wanted, where would you go, what would you do and with whom would you do it?
     Without a second thought, Maui with my husband and no kids. The first and only time we visited Maui was for our tenth wedding anniversary. Now don’t get me wrong; it was a wonderful trip and very romantic, but I was five months pregnant. So, I would love to return to the island so I could do the helicopter ride and other activities I wasn’t allowed to participate in at the time.

Tell us about BAYOU TREASURE and what you hope readers will enjoy about it.
     I hope the readers come away feeling like they’ve been on a wild ride through the streets of the New Orleans French Quarter and the backwater bayous of Louisiana. When they are finished and close the book I want them to feel as if they were there and could smell the beignets, taste the chicory coffee and smile because the ending was even more wonderful than they expected.

What’s your writing space like?
     Writing space? What’s that? Oh, now I remember, it would be the office which is actually more junk room than anything. The clutter in there doesn’t really matter because my two sons have run me out and hijacked the computer. Thank goodness for laptops because using mine is the only way I ever get any work done. When I’m at home my laptop and I are usually together. My favorite work location is my dining room table when the front windows are open and I can spy on the neighbors while I type.

What do you like about where you live?
     I live in a town that’s not more than forty minutes from a large metropolitan city on a good traffic day. Even though the town is so close to the city, it still feels like small town America. I grew up in this town and now I’m raising my children here. People know each other, crime is minimal and for the most part, we watch out for one another. There is also the fact that in less than an hour we can dine at world-class restaurants, tour a museum exhibit, or attend the opera, ballet or theater. I feel like I have it all, small town atmosphere with big city amenities.

If you could have one special super or magical power, what would it be?
     There are so many powers to pick from it's almost impossible. Catch me on the wrong day and I would love to be able to blink and torch the entire city. On most days though, I would enjoy the ability to move from one location to another in the blink of an eye. No more driving to store, school, post office, doctor office or being the taxi driver for a dozen or more kids around town. With all my free time I might actually get to enjoy another book, do some extra writing or maybe do nothing at all!

What’s your favorite smell?
     This one is easy—lavender. For me it’s a soothing scent that calms and relaxes me. I keep a tub of lavender-scented body butter beside the bed and slather it on at night. That was probably more information than you wanted!

What else would you like readers to know about you or your work?
     Reading is one of my favorite pastimes and the only thing I enjoy more than curling up with a good book is reading to a child. The way their little eyes light up as new worlds come to life and the way they take in each and every word is a wonder to enjoy. My kids are now too big for Mom to read with, so I have to borrow family and friends’ children so I can still enjoy those wonderful moments. In this way, I hope the joy of reading is passed to the next generation.