At long last, At First Spite, the first book in my new Harlot’s Bay series, has been loosed upon an unsuspecting populace! I’m very proud of this story—I think it may be the best thing I’ve written so far—and I can’t wait for you to read it too. Parts of the book are ripped directly from my heart and still make me cry every time I read them, while other parts still make me laugh really, really hard. In short: I love At First Spite, and I hope you do as well. If you’re interesting in learning more about the book, the blurb and buy links are here! I threw a big party, you’re all invited, and t ..read more

Hello, everyone! Here’s a quick heads-up about a pre-order bonus deadline and two bits of wonderful news I wanted to share with you. The deadline is approaching quickly, so just as a reminder: While supplies last, if you pre-order the paperback of At First Spite from Love’s Sweet Arrow by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 31st, 2023, you’ll receive a limited-edition, old-school dust jacket illustrated by Leni Kauffman and a signed bookplate from me. The offer is open to international readers too—just email info@lovessweetarrow.com for a shipping quote. Click here to pre-order At First Spite from Lov ..read more

Hello, everyone! This is just a quick heads-up about two wonderful things that happened recently: First, I wrote a very personal essay for Scary Mommy about how motherhood and writing romances with fat characters helped me find a new, far less painful vocabulary to describe my body. I’m really proud of the essay, and if you read it, I hope it rings true to you. Second, I’m finally able to share my absolutely beautiful cover for At First Spite! Leni Kauffman has once again created the most lovely illustration imaginable, and I feel so lucky to work with her on my books. Thank you to her and eve ..read more

Hello! I have three bits of fun news to share: 1. At long last, the 7,000-word story I wrote as a pre-order offering for Ship Wrecked is up on my Bonus Content page! (Just scroll down a bit; it’s listed under “For the Spoiler Alert series.”) “Crush” explores the Gods of the Gates‘s cast’s fateful trip to a Napa Valley vineyard, during which Carah “I Swear Because I Care” Brown and Summer “Sweet, Smart, and Sly” Diaz finally acknowledge the attraction they’ve been hiding for a long, long time. The story is hot and tender and full of profanity, just like Carah herself. I hope you absolutely lov ..read more

A quick heads-up: I just posted a new short story on the Bonus Content page of my website! “Untrue Love” is an armful of feathers in story form—fluffy, lightweight, and warm. It’s not connected to any of my published books, it’s a wee bit witchy, and I hope it’s exactly what you want to read for a few minutes of joy ..read more

Me, around the time I began reading romances One of the great joys of romance novels is their fundamental optimism. They reassure us that obstacles—everything from lingering childhood hurts to zombie apocalypses—can be overcome. That love can find us even under the most unlikely, humdrum, or harrowing circumstances. That happy endings are still possible, even in a very imperfect world filled with very imperfect people. I’ve read romances since the age of seven or so, shortly after my mother pointed out the stack of dog-eared books in her closet and declared them off-limits. The next time I fou ..read more

I actually made three videos, to be precise! The first video, I’d been meaning to record for a long time, ever since giving my Big Love: Fat Representation in Romance talk at the NECRWA convention several years ago. I wanted to update the content and make it available to a wider audience, and now I have. If you’re interested in why you should include fat characters in your stories, and how to do so without hurting vulnerable readers, this video might be a good starting place. The other recordings feature two of my closest friends, both of whom contributed amazing stories to our upcoming He’s ..read more

As soon as I wrote my last post about Cinnamon Roll Heroes, I received a bunch of messages pointing me to other kind, loving (fictional) men in romance. So here are the tasty additions to the list! Hugs and , Olivia 1. Annabeth Albert: Connection Error 2. Adriana Anders: Under Her Skin (“takes in all strays – including a skunk”) 3. Austin Chant: Coffee Boy 4. Shae Connor: En Fuego (“rescues a pregnant cat from a fire & fosters her + her kittens!”) 5. CJane Elliott: Serpentine Walls; Aidan’s Journey; Sex, Love & Videogames 6. Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell: Strong Signal 7. Al ..read more

A couple of weeks ago, I finally realized what I needed to break my reading slump: heroes. But not just any heroes—supportive, kind ones who tried their best, even when they made mistakes. In other words, human cinnamon rolls. You may or may not have heard the term before. Like many wonderful things, it originates from The Onion (a satirical newspaper), and it references an article entitled “Beautiful Cinnamon Roll Too Good For This World, Too Pure.” Over time, folks on the internet began using the “cinnamon roll” phrase to describe people, especially fictional people, who are sweet and ..read more

Tonight, I finally remembered that I hadn’t posted the epilogue for my Lovestruck Librarians series yet. So at long last, here it is! The epilogue is about the length of a long chapter, and I had SO MUCH FUN with it. Based on fan feedback, I wrote it from the perspective of Angie, the bawdy, outspoken heroine of My Reckless Valentine. It includes an engagement, a pregnancy, and an extensive discussion of sex emojis. Yes, really. One final note: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the readers who’ve followed this series. I’m more grateful and honored than I can say. The Lovestruck Libraria ..read more