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By Lauren Blakely

Confession: I love single dad stories. I go crazy for them. They just melt my heart! I don't think I'm alone here in this.

There is just something about a dad character that hits you right in the solar plexus. It's not a surprise when you break it down. After all, what's sexier than a man who puts his kid first? Who makes sure his kid is his focus? Nothing!

That's one of the reasons why I loved writing Once Upon A Wild Fling. The hero, Miles, is a single father to a six-year-old boy named Ben. Ben's mother is out of the picture so all the parenting has always fallen on Miles' shoulders and the man has risen to the task, if I do say so myself. He's done this all while being a famous pop star.

Swoon!

(Yes, I'm allowed to swoon for my own heroes, right?)

As the story begins, Miles is settling into Manhattan and getting Ben ready for school, so rather than showing this rocker on stage, I wanted to show him taking care of his kid. Making sure he finds the right school for his son. Taking him to art classes. Taking him out to lunch. Being, wait for it, a good dad!

That focus extends throughout the story as he and his good friend's sister, Roxy, spend more time together and get to know each other.

Oh, have I mentioned I also love best friend's little sister story lines? Well, I do.

And I hope in Once Upon A Wild Fling that readers get the best of some of their favorite tropes in romance today -- single father, sexy rocker, best friend's sister, all wrapped up in sexy, flirty banter and getting-to-know-you rom-com goodness!

Lauren Blakely is the author of the new book Once Upon A Wild Fling. 

Connect with Lauren:
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By Kimberly Readnour

Who likes sexy baseball players and second chances? If that’s the case, you’re in for a treat. The Bad Boys Redemption series is all about redeeming those past mistakes, and Bottom of the Ninth, book three, is no different.

AJ Gonzalez is a true alpha male. With his confident swagger and carefree lifestyle, he’s living every man’s dream. Despite the looming trade talks, nothing will slow him down. He’s invincible. That is until a sweet, innocent girl he ghosted back in college enters his life.

Sweet? Wait, sweet is an adjective best used to describe revenge, not Mia Gunner. With her sass and wit, Mia proves she’s not the innocent girl AJ met her freshman year. She packs a few surprises along the way, but after eight years, she finally serves her vengeance. The only problem, life throws curveballs, and Mia finds herself in the same predicament, fighting their undeniably hot chemistry.

Aw, AJ and Mia’s story was so fun to write. It started out as a novella based solely in AJ’s perspective and was featured in the Mistletoe Kisses Anthology which released last fall. I loved expanding the story and being able to add depth to the characters along with their history. Writing Mia’s point of view was enjoyable because I could delve deeper into her mind and convey the emotions and hardships she endured. Life hasn’t been easy for her, but she’s strong-willed and driven. Match her with a confident athlete, who’s used to getting his way, and sparks fly. Then, toss in disobedient siblings, untold secrets, and a looming trade deadline, and you’re in for a wild ride.

It’s the bottom of the ninth, time to step to the plate. Will AJ hit a home run or strikeout?

Kimberly Readnour is the author of the new book Bottom of the Ninth. 

Connect with Kimberly:
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What can you tell us about your new release,Fragments of Ash?

I am really excited about this release! It’s my second-to-last fairytale retelling (the final one is Swan Song, which will be released on March 4, 2019!) and one of the more challenging for me to write. Why? Mostly because I’m not the biggest fan of Cinderella, but over the years I noticed my fairytale fans clamored for it. I had to figure out an angle that would be palatable to me as a storyteller. So, I stripped down the characters and story to the bare bones: Cinderella (orphan, mean stepfamily, lovely disposition, survivor, longing for love and safety) / Story (Girl has happy family. Girl loses happy family. Girl is chattel of evil stepfamily. Girl meets Prince. Prince chooses Girl. Prince and Girl live happily ever after.) I took a long look at these elements, and then I started re-building the story into an image that felt “right” for me. Instead of an evil stepmother, how about an evil stepfather? Instead of a fairy godmother, how about a fairygodfather? Once I started playing with the characters and story within the original structure, everything got easier, and voila! Fragments of Ash was born.

If Fragments of Ash is turned into a movie, who would you pick to play the lead characters?

Oooo! Casting question!! (The nip to every author’s cat!) Well, both Ashley and Julian are blondes in my story. And both are young – 18 and 24, respectively. I could see Alex Pettyfer, Shia LaBouef or Liam Hemsworth as Julian – they’re all in their mid-late 20s and can pull off a brooding-boy with aplomb! And let’s see…someone lovely and innocent for Ashley. There are two young actresses who come to mind: Lauren Taylor and Hunter King. Both are in their early-20s and have a look that would suit Ashley.

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

OMG. That is a HARD question!! I’m going to chance my answer a little and tell you which five romance novels have been the most impactful for me as an author, okay?

1. Dreaming of You (Lisa Kleypas): My first and most beloved romance, Lisa Kleypas set the bar high for emotional love scenes, and I’ve been trying to match her grace and intensity ever since.
2. Fifty Shades of Grey (E.L. James): Love it or hate it, Fifty Shades started a romance revolution that reenergized the entire book writing industry.
3. The Look of Love (Bella Andre): I fell in love with Bella’s Sullivans and never looked back. All I wanted was to write a series as engrossing and addictive as hers.
4. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (Jessica Sorensen): I had never read angst like Jessica Sorensen’s. It vibrated through me and made me long to write something similarly intense.
5. Beautiful Creatures (Kami Garcia + Margaret Stohl): The only paranormal book I’ve ever read, Beautiful Creatures inspired me to write my own paranormal duo, It’s You.

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

Stephen King. Always Stephen King. I mean, this man has written more bestsellers than anyone alive, he’s been married to the same woman for 47 years, and all three of his kids still talk to him. He has legions of fans, a wonderful presence on social media, and has seen dozens of his books turned into TV shows and movies. I think he’s living the most amazing author life, and I’d love to talk to him one-on-one. What would my first question be? Probably something about the balance between family and work. Or if he could introduce me to his Hollywood connections! Ha! That would be awesome!

What's on your writing desk?

I’m all about business, so it’s pretty boring! I have my oversized computer screen, a Logitech K120 keyboard (I have three more of them in my closet because I go through one every 24 months!), a Logitech mouse, an iPhone stand with a cable to my hard drive for downloads and charging, sharpie pens for signing books, white out, a stapler, tape, the phone directory to my kids’ school, my everything journal (where I wrote down notes, reminders, ISBN numbers, small bits of inspiration, etc), birthday cards from my kids, a card I keep meaning to send to Emma Scott, and a half-drunk glass of wine.

What is a typical day like for you?

My kids wake me up at 6:30pm to say good-bye before my husband drives them to school. I go back to sleep until about 8:30am, then I wake up, make myself a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich or toast. By 9:00am I’m sitting at my desk and I open internet windows for Yahoo! Mail, Facebook, Twitter, KDP, D2D, Mailchimp and my website. I also open two Word windows for my WIP and my “Schedule for Writing,” an ongoing .doc I started in 2014 and update every day. I go through my emails and try to connect with all of my fans on social media. I check my sales numbers and subscription stats. If my website requires an edit, I do it then. By about 10:30am, I start writing. I try to write for four hours until I head to the gym for a 30 min work-out. I pick up my kids at 3:30pm and drive them to their after-school activities over the next three hours. We have family dinner at 6:30pm every evening, and after dinner I either go back to work for a while or watch TV. I take a shower around midnight and start it all over again in the morning!

What scene in Fragments of Ash was your favorite to write?

There is a truly vile and disgusting scene between Ashley and her stepfather in the beginning of the book, and man, it was fun! I don’t ever write dark heroes or heroines, but it is so satisfying to write a profoundly villainous supporting character. I also had a blast writing Tig’s diary entries…I don’t think I’ve ever typed the f-word so many consecutive times in my entire life!!

Katy Regnery is the author of the new book Fragments of Ash. 

Connect with Katy:
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What can you tell us about your new release, Love to Hate You?

Well, Love To Hate You has only been available in the UK until now. It became an overnight bestseller there which was an amazing feeling. Now it's come to the USA and it's looking for readers to entertain 😉 It's a super fun romantic comedy with an HEA and some of it is based on true events which happened to me (but I won't divulge what those are.)

What or who inspired you to become an author?

Honestly, I always say I stumbled into it by accident. I've always been a writer, TV, theatre, copywriting, but never had any aspirations to write a book. One day I stumbled upon a book writing competition and for some reason I decided to enter it. I'd never written a book before and I landed up winning and being offered a publishing deal. From there it sort of snowballed. I got an agent, I've published 5 books since 2016 and my 6th is about to come out. It's still a little surreal and strange. One doesn't really expect to change your career at the age of 34. But I did. I took the risk and jumped and so far so good.

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

I think certain books become your favourite because of the circumstances in which you read them. Take the book The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. I was a student when I read it. It was night time, I was home alone, all by myself and I was totally engrossed in the book when the lights went out and we were plunged into a suburb wide power outage. I was living in an old house with creaky wooden floors and I remember being terrified but  completely unable to stop reading. I continued to read in the creaky house by candle light while all the neighbours dogs howled because it was dark. To this day it remains one of my favourite books, mainly because of the feeling I had while reading it. I also read The Secret History by Donna Tartt around the same time and it stuck with me, probably because I was also just starting college like the main character was- not that I've ever murdered a classmate or anything like that. I loved The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick. Most things by Lisa Gardner.  Silence of the Lambs and all of the Dexter books. It's strange, I don't really read the genre I write in. I tend to gravitate towards darker things.

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

Donna Tartt. I find her wildly fascinating and intriguing. She emerges once every ten years with that same hair style she's had for thirty years, looking smart and slick and immaculately turned out  in a suit and then she is off winning pulitzers and then disappears again for ten years. Not to be seen until the next reemergence. She hardly gives any interviews and when she does, she's fascinating to watch with her piercing green eyes and high pitched voice. Something about her is so mysterious. She seems like a person from another time. I'd love to talk to her.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Not having to go to meetings with other people. Without a doubt.

BAM. You're a superhero. What's your superpower?

Invisibility. For sure. I would sneak through peoples homes and eves drop on their conversations all day long. I would watch people when they're alone and think no one is looking- it would be like the best reality TV.  People fascinate me and I've found myself looking at so many of them thinking "if only I could be a fly on that wall!"

What scene in Love to Hate You was your favorite to write?

Tricky, tricky. So many. I really enjoyed writing this book and admit  to laughing out loud sometimes. I loved writing their witty, sexy banter and loved writing their first scenes together when things are always a little awkward. I do love an awkward moment, so much comedy can be derived from them especially if, like me, you are one of those people that rambles nonsense when in a situation like that.

Jo Watson is the author of the new book Love to Hate You. 

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