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

This book is my first release in more than a year, and was heavily influenced by the experience of taking care of my mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years ago. Taking care of a parent is a journey so many of us have made, or will make in the future. It’s a journey that requires community or it can become very isolating. There’s definitely a bit of me in Kristin, my main character.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I don’t think there was just one influence. I had a great number of teachers who encouraged me. My kindergarten teacher Mrs. Slattery made me stay after school every day for extra reading lessons. My first grade teacher Mr. Bushong who taught me to read at an eighth-grade level. My fourth and sixth-grade teacher Miss Elliott who helped me create my first hardcover book, which I still have to this day. Then, there were the authors I read as a child and as an adult, who inspired me by transporting me with their words. Ultimately, it was my former employer, who laid me off after our company was hit hard by the recession. The experience inspired me to take a chance on a lifelong dream.

Which books would we be surprised to find on your shelves?

Probably Letters from a Stoic by Seneca or Wise Thoughts for Every Day by Tolstoy. I also have a lot of autographed books from authors, my favorite being my signed copy of Gone Girl.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

The idea that I continue to learn every day, whether through research or through epiphanies that come during the writing process.

Where is your happy place? Why does it bring you joy?

Curled up on the sofa with a strong cup of black coffee next to me, a good book in my hand, and a sleeping dog at my feet. I don’t think anything could ever be quite so perfect.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

I’ve received so much advice over the years. But I think the pervasive cliché my parents planted in my head, that I could be anything I wanted to be if I set my mind to it, is probably still the best advice I’ve received. My dad used to love telling me and my sisters that he didn’t care what we became—a writer, janitor, or prostitute—as long as we did our best. Like me, my dad had an air for drama.

What scene in The Heiress was your favorite to write?

The epilogue. It’s always the epilogue.

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

Actually, I put my motto in The Heiress, word for word, in Chapter 23, so it might be a bit of a spoiler to write it here. But I have plenty of favorite quotes I try to live by, one of which is from the book Illusions by Richard Bach, “Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they are yours."

Cassia Leo is the author of the new book The Heiress. 

Connect with Cassia:
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What can you tell us about your new release, Knocked Up by the Dom?

Knocked up by the Dom is my latest BDSM romance. If you've followed my work in the past, you've probably noticed that I tend to bounce between lighter-hearted books and then inevitably come back to the smuttier, darker side as well. This book was one of the dirtiest I've written, and I'm not ashamed to say I had a blast writing it. I don't want to get into too many details about what happens in the book, because it starts off fast, and I don't want to spoil anything!

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I've always enjoyed entertaining people--whether it's telling stories or trying to get a laugh, it brings a side out of me like nothing else can. It may sound a little cheesy, but I was inspired to become an author because I feel like the best parts of me come out when I'm telling stories, so it became my passion to find a way to spend as much time as possible as I could doing exactly that.

Who is your favorite couple from literature?

This answer is maybe kind of lame, and maybe the former high school English teacher in me coming out, but I always found Hamlet and Ophelia really interesting. I was always intrigued by the way even the viewers of the play never truly knew how Hamlet and Ophelia felt for each other behind the scenes, maybe even they didn't. Something about the secrecy despite all the attention the play has received over the years just seems so romantic to me.

What's a typical day like for you?

I usually wake up around 5:45 A.M., take a long shower where I usually fall asleep a little bit (don't ask how that happens, it just does). Then I grab breakfast and some coffee before I head upstairs to write. Around 8:30 A.M., I take a break to go exercise, whether it's going to the gym or a tennis lesson, I feel like I kind of have to get out and hit the reset switch so I can come home, eat lunch, shower, and then get back into my last burst of writing energy. After 3 P.M. I go downstairs and enjoy my two beautiful baby girls (one year old and two years old) and my husband. Then once the girls go to bed, I'm usually so behind on whatever deadline I have that I sneak back into my office and try to work a little more.

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

My grandma. She was such a sweet and wonderful woman, but I feel like I never really told her that. It breaks my heart every time I think about it and I'd use the dinner as an excuse to tell her how amazing she was.

If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

Playing around in photoshop and making book covers. I probably spend ten to fifteen hours on each of my book covers, and none of it ever feels like work. So I'd definitely just use the extra time as an excuse to play with my covers more!

What scene in Knocked Up by the Dom was your favorite to write?

I actually enjoyed the opening scene a lot. I don't want to spoil anything, but the heroine basically is planning to go on a vacation to escape her day-to-day, and it seems like everything that can go wrong is going wrong. But one thing goes right, and that thing is a very very sexy man who has a taste for BDSM. It has been a while since I've had a book start as fast as this one does, but I just kind of let it rip and had a blast doing it. Thankfully, this was one of the times that when I went back for my re-reads, I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.

Penelope Bloom is the author of the new book Knocked Up by the Dom. 

Connect with Penelope:
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What can you tell us about your new release, The Queen?

The Queen is a dark contemporary romance about a girl from a trailer park and the son of a criminal king! You should read The King before this one, as it’s the final novel in the USA Today bestselling Masterpiece duet.

“I have loved this series from the very beginning with The Pawn and have pretty much held on during this exhilarating ride all the way through The Queen. This novel was sexy, heart-pounding, suspenseful and nothing short of phenomenal. It is quite honestly one of the best books I have ever read.”  – Bookgasms Book Blog

What or who inspired you to become an author?

When I was a child I thought authors were the ultimate celebrities, so mysterious and all-knowing that I couldn’t imagine being one of them! But at some point, no matter how many books I read, I couldn’t find the ones that I most wanted, the stories of my soul—and so the only answer was to write them.

Who is your favorite fictional character from literature?

Jane Eyre, for being a historical badass!

What's the last book you read?

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield, and it’s amazing. So funny, sexy, emotional, and intensely thoughtful.

Where is your happy place? Why does it bring you joy?

At home in one of the many soft places, cuddling with puppies, writing on my laptop. It really doesn’t get more wonderful or more peaceful than that.

If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

Writing. Okay, maybe sleeping. Shh, don’t tell anyone.

What scene in The Queen was your favorite to write?

There’s a scene toward the end that, without giving any spoilers away, is something like a grovel scene. I’ve always loved reading those in romance novels, but haven’t actually written something very similar until now. Of course it has a dark and twisted edge to it, which is what makes it a Skye Warren book!

Skye Warren is the author of the new book The Queen. 

Connect with Skye:
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What can you tell us about your new release, The Cowboy's City Girl?

I’m so excited to talk about this book. It’s the third in my western romance series titled The Whiskey Hill Ranch series. All three books in the series are stand-alone stories with reoccurring characters. In book #2, The Cowboy’s Nanny, readers were introduced to Ridge Noble, personal assistant and head of security for billionaire Ash Pride. Ash owns and runs the Silversage ranch in Montana.

The Cowboy’s City Girl tells how Ridge came to live with Ash and work on the Silversage ranch and his history with a pop star city girl who ruined his life five years ago. When another gorgeous city girl shows up on their doorstep to do a photo shoot for the magazine that helped destroy his reputation things start to get interesting.

What books are on your top five favorite list?

That’s easy. First, on the list would be This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas. She’s the reason I became a writer, and I haven’t found a story I love more since I read her trilogy. Number two is Twilight by Stephanie Meyers. I mean let’s face it, a lot of us wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her. Her series led to E.L. James’s fan fiction series Fifty Shades of Grey, and those books changed the face of romance writing forever. Third, on my list is Confess by Colleen Hoover. Honestly, you could put any one of her books in this slot, and I would call it a favorite. She’s an amazing author with a giant heart. Everything she does is golden. Forth is a book I read recently, Brightside by Kim Holden. I have never been so moved and influenced by a story in my life. Kim writes the happiest, most positive characters. They make me want to be a better person. And number five is Atheist’s Who Kneel and Pray by Tarryn Fisher, also a recent read. It instantly went on my top five list with its quirky characters and unique take on romance. Tarryn writes with such feeling and depth you can’t help but love her work.

You're hosting a literary dinner party. Which three writers are invited?

Not only do I love the above books on my top five favorite list, but I also love the authors who wrote them. So in that spirit, I would invite Colleen Hoover because she’s one of the funniest, most down to earth, sarcastic people I’ve ever not known personally. I have a strong feeling that she could liven up a funeral with her sense of humor so a literary party would be a cinch.

I would also invite Jodi Ellen Malpas because every party needs a beautiful wine and Mojito drinking Barbie doll with a goofy streak. And also, I love to listen to her talk in her British accent. I don’t understand 75% of what she’s saying, but it’s fun to try!

And last but not least I would set a place at the table for the Queen E.L. James because I couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick the brain of the woman who created Christian and Anastasia’s unforgettable kinky love story.

Can you imagine a dinner party with those three? What a hoot!

What’s a typical day like for you?

Well, I don’t host literary dinner parties that’s for sure! A typical day for me is waking up at six, showering and running two of my daughters to Junior High School and High School. I grab coffee at Starbucks while I’m out and buzz home to write until they get out of school around two in the afternoon. When they get home, it’s chaos for an hour or so, but when they head upstairs to their rooms, I go back to my office and write until they start to bug me about dinner. I still haven’t figured out why they ask me to cook for them. I can’t cook for crap, and they don’t eat my crap cooking, but they keep asking, so I keep cooking. After dinner is always different depending on how much homework they have and whether or not I’m on a deadline. Sometimes we watch a movie together, other times I go back to my office and work until my eyes feel like they’re going to bleed. Then we go to bed around ten and do it all over again the next day. It may not sound exciting, but I love my life and I wouldn’t change a thing.

If you had to pick one place to vacation for the rest of your life where would you choose?

I am not a well-traveled person. I’ve been kind of busy raising five kids for the past twenty-four years, but if I had to pick a place, I think it would be Hawaii. It looks beautiful on HGTV’s Beach Hunters, if it’s good enough for those people it’s good enough for me!

When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a nurse. I’m pretty good at taking care of people, and my dolls lived through the plague and an outbreak of small pox when I was five because of my stellar nursing skills, so I figured it was my calling. I became a nurse and worked in high-risk OB for ten years before I became a writer, which incidentally is way more fun!

What scene in The Cowboy's City Girl was your favorite to write?

I had fun writing a scene where Ridge, an alpha male who isn’t especially good with children or germs, delivers a baby during a snowstorm on the floor of his boss’s wife’s office. He was way out of his comfort zone, but he handled it like a champ and played it off like it was no big deal as any good alpha male would do.

Emerson Rose is the author of the new book The Cowboy's City Girl. 

Connect with Emerson:
Author Website
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