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What can you tell us about your new release, Highland Fortitude?

Daniel, the hero, is a misfit because he lost a hand in a childhood accident. Although he’s known for his quick wit and ability to get behind enemy lines undetected, he believes his disability makes him less of a man. When he joins his cousins in their mission to rid the Highlands of an underground network of kidnappers and smugglers, he meets and falls in love with Constance. She loves him, too, but she’s running from a past she fears will catch up to her.

Each of my novels can stand alone, but Highland Fortitude is also the fifth book in The Band of Cousins series, set in medieval Scotland. Each book focuses on one of the cousins.

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

My favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. My top five for my favorite genre, historical romance, are:

1. The Pride of Lions and The Blood of Roses by Marsha Canham (technically two, but it’s so hard to choose!)
2. Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati (and the whole series)
3. Secrets by Julie Garwood (and any other of her medieval historicals)
4. Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
5. And, of course, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

What's your favorite thing about writing?

I love being my own boss. Because I self-publish, I set my own schedule, but I make sure to keep my deadlines with my editor, Angela Polidoro, because I’d be lost without her. Everything else falls into place after that.

What is a typical day like for you?

I usually spend the first hour working on business issues: checking email, checking sales, scheduling a few Facebook posts. After that, I write. I try to write 3000 words a day. When I’m satisfied with my day’s word count, I move on to the rest of my agenda—advertising, editing, covers, correspondence, or social media. There are a multitude of tasks for self-published authors!

What scene in Highland Fortitude was your favorite to write?

Suspenseful scenes are usually the most fun for me. That’s why I consider my true genre to be historical romantic suspense.

I also love to write emotionally raw scenes, where characters’ flaws are exposed. In this book, the hero goes undercover and becomes a fighter in an underground network. He changes his personality and looks to fit in and begins to like the transformation a little too much. When I wrote the scene where Constance finally tells Daniel exactly how she feels about him, including all his changes, the words flew across the page. The criticism came first, then the love. Sometimes the worst situations bring out the best in people.

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

For work: Focus on the writing.

For life: Believe in yourself and be your own best advocate.

Keira Montclair is the author of the new book Highland Fortitude

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What can you tell us about your new release, Blaze & Bind?

Blaze & Bind is the 10th book in the Surrender to Them series.  Each book is a steamy standalone menage romance.  Blade & Bind is the story of a young woman who moves in with her brother’s two firefighter roommates after he skips town and steals their rent money.  But, there’s a catch…  One of her new roommates is her high school crush and the other is the guy who broke her heart.  What will she do when she realizes one of them wants a second chance and the other wants his first?  Also, there may be more to her brother’s abrupt disappearance than she realizes…

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I started writing when I was in elementary school, believe it or not.  I used to write stories about my friends and make covers out of construction paper.

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

“Flowers in the Attic” by V.C. Andrews (The entire Dollanganger series, really.)

“Pet” by Isabella Starling

“Pretty When You Cry” by Skye Warren

“Absinthe” by Winter Renshaw

“Broken Doll” by Zoe Blake

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

Madison Faye. “Where do you hide the fairy that comes up with all of your crazy book titles and can I borrow her?”

What's your favorite thing about writing?

The creativity.  I love the way my characters just run amok and start doing their own thing once I bring them to life.  Sometimes, I just feel like they’re the ones writing the story instead of me!

What is a typical day like for you?

If it’s a writing day, I wake up at 4:30am, grab an energy drink (I know, I’m trying to cut back) and just let my characters run wild!  Some days I’ll look at the clock and realize I’ve been writing for 12+ hours and didn’t even remember to eat!

What scene in Blaze & Bind was your favorite to write?

In Blaze & Bind, there’s a scene where Rachel begins to learn the truth about one of her roommates, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but it gives her the strength to finally go after what she really wants.  That is a critical part of her character development and those scenes are my favorite ones to write in any book.

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

If you have a goal, don’t stop until you achieve it, no matter what obstacles get in the way.

Kelli Callahan is the author of the new book Blaze & Bind

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What can you tell us about your new release, Faking It?

Faking It is a bit more light hearted than the romances I usually write. It's sexy and sweet and more on the romantic comedy side of things. The story starts out with a case of mistaken identity between the two main characters (Harlow and Zane) and the tension between them starts from there. A lie happens. And then another. And the next thing you know, Zane and Harlow are criss crossing the country on a tour bus while pretending to be a couple to help promote Zane’s new dating app. One promo stop after another, their fake relationship is put to the test, and before they know it, that undeniable chemistry they have might just be turning into something more. When the tour is over and the app is officially launched, will Zane and Harlow part ways or will they finally acknowledge their feelings are so much more than just pretend?

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always loved to write, but never thought it was something I could do professionally. Then in the midst of having three kids under the age of five, I started reading again when they’d (finally) fall asleep. One of the first books I picked up was Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James. I read the series and then thought I’d challenge myself to write a series too. I told myself that no one had to know I was doing it, but that I needed the mental challenge and the creative outlet. So I started outlining and writing my debut novel, Driven, and released it a year later in May of 2013. Little did I know what that decision would do to my life.

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

My romance selection is too large to select from, so I’ll give the top 5 non-romance books:
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon

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

Sidney Sheldon. Looking back over your career, what is the one piece of advice you’d give yourself about plotting your novels?

What's your favorite thing about writing?

I love writing because it’s how I best express myself. When I talk, I often get tongue-tied or later think, ‘Oh, I should have said that!’ . . . but with writing I can. I can go back and finesse and perfect and then walk away and come back again until what I want to say is accurately expressed. It’s very satisfying to me. That and the ability to create and build worlds and characters with these words that tell a story and touch people somehow. It’s an incredible feeling.

What is a typical day like for you?

Typically I get my kids ready for school (they are ages 8, 10, and 13). They get dropped off at 9 am and then I come home, pick up the house (because it has to be clean before I can start working), and then I sit down to work. I’ll answer emails for a bit, but then force myself to start writing. I have to stop at 2:00-ish to go pick them up. I then am Mom to them (soccer practice, softball practice, homework, etc) until about 9:30 pm . . . and then back to writing until I hit my word count for the day. Some days that means an 11 pm bedtime. Others a 2 am one.

What scene in Faking It was your favorite to write?

I loved writing the hot air balloon scene in Faking It. It’s one of those surprise scenes I never outlined, but when I decided to write it in, I could feel the characters begin to shift and change and see each other differently. It’s one of those scenes that is needed in a book, but that you can’t always plan for. The characters begin to realize they like and mean something to each other.

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

This is a tough one . . . probably: Be the type of person that you want to meet.

K. Bromberg is the author of the new book Faking It

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What can you tell us about your new release, Down & Dirty: Linc?

It’s the 9^th book in my best-selling Dirty Angels MC series (a 10-book series). Linc (the hero) wasn’t born into the club like most of the other club members. He joined as a prospect when he was in his early twenties. The heroine, Jayde, is the younger sister of the club president. She’s not only off-limits due to that fact, her brother is a cop and so is her father. It’s a very emotional journey of two people in their late twenties trying to survive a lot of turmoil and heartbreak in their lives. They need to get through a sea of darkness before they find their light.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

Katherine Sutcliffe inspired me to become an author but that was over 30 years ago. Before that I just liked to tell tales when I was young. I started writing them down and here I am 35 years later...

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

Kristen Ashley’s Honey Series (BDSM), Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us (Contemporary), Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series (UF/PNR), and J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series (PNR), anything written by Kathleen Woodiwiss (Historical).

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

Kristen Ashley. I would ask her about her writing habits.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Building worlds and characters. My characters are people who I’d want to know and hang out with in real life. And I also love pulling a range of emotions from my readers. They don’t just read my books, the live them. In one book I want them to both laugh as well as cry.

What is a typical day like for you?

I work full-time, so I write when I can (when I’m not working). That includes my lunch hour, evenings, weekends, holidays and while on vacation. I’m busy from the moment I wake up to the minute I go to bed.

What scene in Down & Dirty: Linc was your favorite to write?

I don’t have just one since the whole book is a roller-coaster ride of emotions. I believe it’s my best book yet (and I’ve written almost 35 books). The book itself is one of my favorites, but it took a lot out of me emotionally.

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

Work hard, do your best, and be proud of what you accomplish.

Jeanne St. James is the author of the new book Down & Dirty: Linc

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