This year-end blog has become one of my favorite traditions, having long ago abandoned the actual act of watching the ball drop. I honestly can’t remember the last time I stayed awake long enough to ring in the New Year, but I think it was 2000, and the most memorable part was Jenny hobbling around […]

If you’re subscribed to the Bella Books newsletter, you’ve already heard the news. In a show of thanks to our readers, Bella is giving away to everyone a FREE copy of Photographs of Claudia — ebook or paperback, your choice. All you have to do is redeem your prize. Already have it? Great — thank […]

I promised on my homepage that I would only on rare occasion venture off the topic of books on my blog, because I understand most of you know me as a romance writer, not as an ordinary person who has opinions on things just like everyone else. I usually post political & social commentary on […]

Unless you’ve been reading under a rock these past couple of months, you probably know all about this Next Big Thing—Blog Hop hopping around. Last week, Ann McMan told us all about her Work In Progress (WIP), a book called Backcast. Buried in that blog was the revelation that she’d fallen in love with her […]

It was a year ago today that I walked out of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter with a new cat, promising the staff there that she was on her way to becoming the Queen of Indio. By their best estimate, she was about a year old, but since I don’t know her exact birthdate, I […]

Playing With Fuego is now shipping from Bella Books, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. E-book available *only* from Bella. You’ll find the synopsis on the book page and the first chapter in an earlier blog, but I know some readers want to know even more. After Rhapsody, you may even wonder how you’re going to […]

Wondering what you’ll do with yourself after Election Day? You can order Playing With Fuego from Bella Books and have it in hand on or near the release date of November 12th. It’s set in Miami, a place near & dear to my heart, where I lived for 11 years before moving back out to […]

Playing With Fuego is less than a month from release from Bella Books! Lucky for me, that coincides with two very special fall events. First is Greater Palm Springs Pride Weekend, where I’ll be appearing with Katherine Forrest & Michael Nava at Q Trading Post next Friday (Nov. 2) at 6:30 p.m. for reading & […]

A few years ago, I wrote a short story called “Community Service” about a woman who was assigned to a Habitat for Humanity site to work off her debt to society. The premise lent itself to a full-blown novel, but I re-conceptualized the characters & setting to meld with another idea I’ve had rolling around […]

It’s almost impossible to concentrate on getting a book off my desk during the last months of the presidential campaign, aka Silly Season. When I’m not writing, I’m drawn to political stories on the internet, many of them jaw-dropping in their inanity or absurdity. I can’t bear to turn on the TV because I’m in […]

Hard to believe Summer 2012 is almost behind us. The temps here in the NC mountains are already dropping into the low-50s at night, and the trees are sprinkled with color. One of our last hurrahs of the season is hosting my good friend and editor, Katherine Forrest, and her partner Jo, for a week […]

It’s been a rough week for a lot of folks in the LGBT community. The flap with Chik-Fil-A was more or less standard fare for us when CEO Dan Cathy first claimed that he unapologetically gave tons of cash to groups that want us back in the closet, outlawed & even murdered. *yawn* The real […]

The auction for Kara Leonardo is winding down. Here’s your chance to bid on some amazing items from writers all over the lesbian fiction community. I’ve offered two titles, Worth Every Step & The House on Sandstone, which I will sign and ship to the highest bidder anywhere in the world. If you already have […]

They say “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” That isn’t always true. I was not flattered yesterday when readers alerted me to the unauthorized use of one of my books. It seems a Grey’s Anatomy fan fiction writer appropriated the first chapter of Without Warning, inserting her preferred character names in the place of […]

Thanks to those of you who’ve written about Rhapsody, and who have posted notes on Facebook or reviews on Amazon. Yes, it was one of those “tough journeys” I talked about in my 2011 keynote speech for GCLS, and I’ve already been rewarded with a few very special notes from readers who were moved by […]

One of my longtime readers, Kara Leonardo, needs some help from her friends. In February 2012, Kara & her partner Stephanie were in a horrific auto accident. Stephanie was killed; Kara suffered serious injuries and is finally readying for release from rehab. Here’s the problem: Kara wants to stay in Delaware, where she lived with […]

Prologue First runner-up…that means you lost. Ashley Giraud parked her rental car, a conspicuous Victory Red Chevrolet Impala, in the long line by the curb and turned off her headlights. Before she could move, her car door was opened by Donald Weber, a classmate from twenty-four years ago at Adams County High School and the […]

Another fabulous conference! Minneapolis was a great host city, despite the intermittent rain. There were lots of new faces, many of them local, and the familiar bunch of friends I look forward to each year. A special shout out to the Europeans, affectionately known as my Greasers. You had to be there. Actually, you didn’t, […]

It seems like ages since I was able to announce a book. Maybe that’s because Mother Load was released in November 2010 and I’ve been twiddling my thumbs ever since. Well, not really. Rhapsody is coming out; Playing with Fuego is off to the editor; and a new one (as yet untitled) is 80% outlined. […]