He Wouldn’t Throw Me to the Wolves

I didn’t panic. The calm and confident way he spoke to me told me everything was going to be all right. His comforting tone put my mind to rest. He wouldn’t abandon me. He wouldn’t throw me to the wolves. Everything was going to be okay. He had promised. 

~from Submersed

National Dog Day

And yet, the moment she opened her mouth and said something to him, he visibly pulled away, even his eyes closing themselves off from her.

~from Riley's Rebel (Bad Boys of Hockey Trilogy, Book 1)

Happy National Dog Day!

Ryan from Riley's Rebel (I dare ya to say that 5 times fast!) loves his Chocolate Labs, Doc & Wyatt. Which dog breed is your favorite?

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

Landon Turner is your garden-variety good guy who puts everyone else first and has dedicated his life to caring for his quadriplegic brother and working his butt off at his full-time job. There's nothing glamorous about his existence, but all that might change when he gets the opportunity of a lifetime... 

~Pure Ice

Success is the best revenge.

I found this rejection letter for Home Ice when I was cleaning my office and I wanted to share it with you.

After querying dozens upon dozens of literary agents by email, this was the only letter I received through snailmail. Holding a tangible piece of paper in your hands somehow makes the hurtful words sting even more.

Not long after, I signed with a different agent who loved Home Ice, but she was unsuccessful in selling it to The Big 5 publishers because "there's no market for hockey romance."

So, I reevaluated my options and decided to try my hand at self-publishing. And you know what? Turns out there IS a market for hockey romance. Who knew?

Home Ice spent two weeks in the top 50 of its genre at Amazon and continues to sell steadily a decade later. I went on to write and self-publish 19 more novels and 7 short stories without anyone standing in my way.

The moral of the story is this:

~Don't take no for an answer when you really believe in something. 

~When one way of doing something isn't working out, try a different way.

~Never let anyone's opinions keep you from achieving your dream. 

~Keep trying, even when you feel like giving up.

~There is life after rejection.

~One negative letter/review (or 100!) isn't the be-all and end-all of the universe.

~Proving people wrong is one of the greatest feeling in the world.

Keep writing, friends! Keep doing, inspiring, imagining and creating!

Success is the best revenge.

p.s. the letter unceremoniously made its way into the shredder :)

Hair Like a Mermaid and Curves Like a Goddess

In the world of professional hockey, some guys filled the role of enforcer, some guys scored goals, and others, like Charlie Cooper, provided the comic relief.

Coop isn't laughing when he meets the sexy new resident of Harlequin Hills. In fact, he's a little smitten and a lot attracted to the smoldering carefree widow who has hair like a mermaid and curves like a goddess...

Cooper's Cougar (Bad Boys of Hockey Trilogy, Book 3)

Sinister Things That Went Bump in the Night

While looking out at the stunning views of Goblin Valley, Angelina Dobrovski slid her pack off her shoulders and set it on the dusty ground. At 7,000 feet elevation, she could see all the way across to the other side of Devil’s Ridge. Incubus Peak stood tall to the north and Demon River flowed through the valley, snaking its way toward Mount Hellion. Diablo Creek trickled behind her, the natural hot springs causing tendrils of steam to rise in the air.

The landmarks in August Volcanic National Park were named after sinister things that went bump in the night for good reason. The earth was especially volatile here where steam vents, fumaroles and mud pots bubbled up to hint at the turmoil lurking beneath the surface. A volcano had been sleeping in the park for centuries and it wouldn’t take much to wake the sleeping beast.

Just being here felt like an act of rebellion.

~from Rock and a Hard Place

The Perfect Place to Spend the Summer

After inheriting her aunt's country cottage, Lauren Bennett decides she's ready for a change of address. The remote cottage borders a wildlife refuge and will be the perfect place to spend the summer. There's just one hitch...

Right as Rain

Raising a daughter by himself wasn’t always the easiest thing in the world to do, but now he was contending with Gabby’s hormonal changes and things far beyond his control and his limited expertise.

They just needed to spend some quality time together and everything would be right as rain.

When she was younger, Gabby had been tickled pink to be a farm girl. She’d run through the fields, happy as a sheepdog, her long brown hair trailing behind her, her face fresh and free of makeup, freckles dotting across her nose. She’d been so happy and carefree. Back before she’d become a teenager.

~from Ice Cowboy