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What can you tell us about your new release, Walk The Dog?

Walk the Dog is a standalone, single dad romance between a reluctant dog sitter and the dog’s veterinarian. Delilah, the resistant caretaker, is the blonde, fun friend from the first two books in the series. The book is a true standalone, and you don’t have to have read the first two, but she’ll be familiar to readers who did, and she’s the inspiration behind this book.

Walk the Dog is a reference to a yoga pose, a full-body stretch. Delilah and Mason both find themselves stretched by responsibilities to other family members in their lives. Dating each other comes easy for these two. The challenge is finding the time to prioritize a relationship in their already stretched lives.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

When I was younger, I wanted to be a writer but put the dream on a backburner. In undergrad, I did graduate with a journalism degree, but I chose to pursue advertising as it promised a more lucrative career path. Shelved the dream.

Then I read the author notes in the back of one of Jewel E. Ann’s books. She mentions she was an avid reader who decided to try and make some money from her addiction. Those are not her exact words. She says it better. But, she’s the person who got me thinking, why not try?

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

In no particular order,

Outlander (the entire series), Wuthering Heights, Gone with the Wind, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

I’d invite the writing duo Christina Lauren on, because they seem like they’d be a lot of fun, plus, so much to ask them. One, I’d ask about their process as a writing team, if they still love Twilight fan-fiction, and how they come up with their next idea. I feel like I’ve noticed a shift to more mainstream stories, and I’d like to ask about the driving forces behind those decisions and if they’ve noticed any demographic changes in readership.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

I love how I can sit down and lose track of time, and how at a certain point, I hear the characters. I love daydreaming (always have, teachers reamed me for it) so writing, to me, is socially acceptable daydreaming.

What is a typical day like for you?

Most mornings, I wake up, drink coffee, and work out. Pre-quarantine, that meant kickboxing, now I’m on the Hydrow row machine. I check email and advertising metrics, then I spend several hours writing the first draft of something while drinking coffee. In the afternoon, I’ll spend time editing, and take care of business items. Pre-quarantine, my afternoons were loaded with after school pick-up and sports activities, but now we’re all home and sports haven’t reactivated, so at the end of the workday, I’ll put on headphones and listen to a good audiobook while I walk my dog. A domestic goddess I am not, but we do prepare dinner and eat together as a family most evenings. My daughters are on the cusp of the dreaded teenage years, and sadly, they don’t always want to hang with us. But, when they do, we’ll play board games or watch a TV show together. Well, they watch while I read.

What scene in Walk The Dog was your favorite to write?

There’s a scene where Mason’s daughter convinces him to let her adopt a stray dog, and I think I smiled the entire time while writing that scene. Mainly I guess because I’ve definitely played that role, as a kid, of begging for the stray.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Mark Twain’s quote, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.”

If I’m ever second-guessing something, I always think of his words. I once opened a business (selling pottery online) and it failed spectacularly. But, I’m glad I did it. Writing may prove to be a marked financial failure and what I write may be mocked or disliked. But, twenty years from now, I’m confident I’ll be happy I tried.

Isabel Jolie is the author of the new book Walk The Dog.

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What can you tell us about your new release, Crossing Boundaries?

This is the first book in a new steamy romance series. The series is about unexpected love and romance, from people who aren’t looking for love, in fact, quite the opposite. Like all my series, this is not for those looking for sweet romance. Love scenes in my books take the reader right into the bedroom…tastefully. Daniel, who is former military, and studying to be a doctor, has been soured from relationships because of his last beyond long-term girlfriend. Kayla, newly divorced, is obviously off the market for a long, long time, as she puts her life back together. In addition to her failed marriage, Kayla also has a very ill mother to look after. Unbeknownst to Kayla, her mom turns out to be the link between her and Daniel, and in the most surprising way. Crossing Boundaries is a best-friends-to-lovers romance, but also a hate-to-love romance. How did I throw both scenarios into the mix? Readers will have to read for themselves…

What or who inspired you to become an author?

Since I was in middle school, there has always been a book of poetry or short stories in the works, but it wasn’t until I was on maternity leave in 2006 that I penned my first book. After several pen names and many genres and many years, I have finally settled on one genre that I have absolutely fallen in love with, and I’m hooked. Inspiration comes to me all the time, and has, for as long as I can remember. It was just a matter of starting, and since 2006 I haven’t stopped. Writing is an every day practice for me and will always be. Even with a full-time job (yes, at the time of this interview, I am still working), I find time to write. It is part of my ‘something I do for me’ each day. There is nothing that pleases me more than writing, publishing, marketing, and seeing feedback from readers.

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

Although admittedly, it does have a very polarizing effect on readers, I absolutely LOVED the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. I have reread the novels many times, and I still love it just as much. The movies, too.

Nicholas Sparks’ ‘The Guardian’ is a huge favorite of mine because it is the first book ever that not only made me cry, but it made me cry days later when I told a friend a brief synopsis of it. Never has a book touched me like that before or since.
Sandra Brown’s ‘Rainwater’ is right up there, too, with such a touching, unique, classic story that had such an imprint on my memory that I can still recall specific scenes from the book, even though it has been many years since I read it.

I love Sue Grafton’s A-Z (well, to ‘Y’ to be exact) series. I’ve read them all, and some of them more than once. Kinsey and I go way back. It’s the writing style and the era that get me every time. Love her stuff.

Although not my favourite book, but it’s worth mentioning, is Jodi Picoult’s ‘The Storyteller’. That was the only book I’ve ever read that I had to put down and stop reading, because it was just too realistic for me. The scenes in that book that described the Holocaust were so tactile and true-to-life, that I just couldn’t handle it. For weeks, that book sat on my nightstand, and I kept looking at it, as if the story wouldn’t ring so true if it staled. After renewing the book from the book twice at the library, I finally picked it back up again and finished it. I can never read that story again, but man…I envy her writing ability.

I also love, love, love every single thing that Philippa Gregory ever wrote. I love her stuff so much that her publisher once sent me an ARC of one of her books, because I’ve posted so many reviews of her stuff. Love her. I can never write historical novels like that. The sheer knowledge and research involved in creating such authenticity is well beyond my scope.
Can you tell I love reading and writing? There are so many more books that I could mention, but I’ll stop there.

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

I’m going to say E.L. James. She followed me on Twitter once, when I wrote my first erotic romance. Made my year. But if given the chance, I would ask her how she was able to write another book after the Fifty Shades trilogy. I mean, how do you do that? For most writers, it’s an uphill battle, and you have to work your way up from zero. For most of us it takes years (I’m still not there and I’ve been at it since 2006). Just curious as to how she even fathomed the idea of doing it again, knowing her next book(s) would always live in the shadows of Fifty Shades.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

There are so many thins I love about it, but most of all, especially with this genre, I love creating love from scratch, and in doing so, I get to make up all these scenes in my head, and record them, mould them into what I want them to be, hone them, edit, and see it all come together in the end. The best is when readers love the stories, too. It makes my day when I get an email from a reader, saying that they loved one of my books. I also love rereading my own work down the road, and remembering creating certain scenes; most of the time I impress myself 😉

What is a typical day like for you?

Right now, since we’re in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, my typical day is not at all typical. My day job has been put on hold while I’m laid off, so I spend my day doing all the things I would love to do if I was doing this writing thing full-time for real. My two school-age children are home with me, so that sometimes complicates things a little, but I’m lucky that my kids are for the most part, very self-sufficient and behaved. When this is over and we return to a ‘normal’, or a ‘new normal’ as many have termed it, I will be back to work, doing my 9-5. One thing I will mention is that I’m a health fanatic, so I tend to rise at an ungodly hour to exercise. I do it a little each night too, so between exercise, work, spending time with family, reading and writing, that’s my typical day. Writing is something I do every time I have as little as five minutes to spare. I have an app on my phone, which enables me to accomplish much throughout the day. Formatting, marketing, etc., are done evenings and weekends, when there is more time to spare.

What scene in Crossing Boundaries was your favorite to write?

The most pivotal scene, and the scene that works up to when Kayla and Daniel realize that they’re in love. It is a scene that brings both tears to my eyes, and makes me smile, which is exactly what I was looking for. No spoilers here, so I won’t go into too much detail.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Yes. ‘Nothing in life is difficult, but thinking makes it so’. To me, it means that there isn’t anything in life that one can’t get past. It’s your mindset that makes it or breaks it for you. How else could I have managed to write over 30 full-length novels with two kids, a husband, and a full-time job? Sacrifices, and enough positive energy to keep telling myself that I can do it. What’s more is, I love doing it.

Sandra Alex is the author of the new book Crossing Boundaries.

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What can you tell us about your new release, ZAAN?

This book has been in the works for several years. Readers of my previous series followed their romance through a prequel novella and then conversations and appearances in other books. We've watched them grow up a little and now they're finally ready for their HEA. I just couldn't make it too easy on them!

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I've always written, since I was little. I was a sports and entertainment journalist for years and an avid romance reader. I finally decided to bite the bullet and publish my fiction in 2016 and haven't looked back. It's the best thing I've ever done professionally.

What's on your top 5 list for the best books you've ever read?

That's so hard... but I'll try. DECEPTIONS by Judith Michael, HIM by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, THE UNEXPECTED MRS. POLLIFAX by Dorothy Gilman, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen, and A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L'Engle. Whew, that was hard.

Say you're the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

My first guest would be Stephen King. Though I don't read horror, I've read many of his, and I find his prose brilliant. I would love to know where the darkest and scariest moments in his books come from and what inspires them. His non-fiction book, ON WRITING, is my go-to for writing inspiration.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Bringing the stories and characters in my head to life, so to speak. Giving them a voice that others can "hear."

What is a typical day like for you?

Get up around 10 am, get coffee and breakfast, work on administrative things like bookkeeping and emails. Usually write from 12 to 2. Shower, exercise, misc. from 2 to 5 pm. Write from 5 to midnight, with a break for dinner. Watch a little TV or read from midnight to 2 a.m. I'm a night owl...

What scene in ZAAN was your favorite to write?

The part where the heroine, Lexi, turns to Zaan, who at the time is her ex-boyfriend, when she's in a bad situation. The underlying love and tenderness between them, even after being broken up for over a year, is poignant and really spoke to my romantic heart.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

We don't stop laughing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop laughing.

Kat Mizera is the author of the new book ZAAN.

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By Kelly Jamieson

Game Changer, the latest of my Wynn Hockey books, is a tropalicious romance! We have:
• Runaway bride
• Road trip (actually 2 trips!)
• Friends to lovers
• Forbidden romance

If you’ve been reading along with the other Wynn Hockey books, you know they’ve all been set in California. I love California and I’ve been there many times. I also did a trip specifically for research, where I hung out in Santa Monica and road a bike along the coast the to soak up setting details.

In Game Changer, the roads trips take us from Chicago (another favorite place!) to California and then to Canada. I didn’t have to do a research trip to Clear Lake, Manitoba—because I know that place like the back of my hand. If you didn’t Google it to see if it’s a real place—it is!! And it’s beautiful.

I spent most of my summers growing up at Clear Lake. My parents had a cottage there (oh, how I loved that cottage) although ours wasn’t on the beach like Jax’s is. We did all the things Jax recalls—riding our bikes all over, buying candy, finding crayfish and minnows. We hung out at the big sandy playground (those swings could go so high!), played tennis at the tennis courts, and checkers on the giant outdoor checkerboard. We did nature hikes through boreal forests and Ominnik Marsh, we canoed on the North Shore, we water skied at Deep Bay, we explored the Interpretive Center. We drove to the bison enclosure to see those amazing animals. They are huge creatures when standing right next to your car!

When I got older, the activities turned more to parties and socials at Danceland, an amazing old log structure.

The lake is just as crystal clear and blue as I describe.

It’s also just as cold! But on a hot summer day, an icy dip in the lake is perfect. We had fires and toasted marshmallows and swatted mosquitoes. The smell of the evergreens (and Deep Woods Off!) will always stay with me.

Along with the romance, I hope readers enjoy the trip to one of my favorite places.

Kelly Jamieson is the author of the new book Game Changer.

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