Today we’re going to chat about something that’s really dear to our hearts: our fur babies! You might now I have a lovely cat named Slate so I lean toward being a dog lover but I also love taking my sister’s rescued greyhounds out for walks. Plus, I love my grand fur baby Lily and corgis, too! What about you? Are you Team Cat or Team Dog? And if you’ve got a fur baby at home, please share a photo! P.S. – If you love puppers, check out Decoy Training, the first book in the K-9s on Patrol series. All the books are standalone and even better, it’s FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited. You can download it at https://amzn.to/3tMnwIP.
This or That: Slow or Fast Burn?
I love writing romance but one of the hardest parts of fashioning a story is deciding whether it’s going to be a fast burn or a slow burn between the hero and heroine. It changes from book-to-book and as a reader, I like reading books with different levels of romantic tension and heat. When I was writing Sabotage Operation, I realized that this was going to be a fast burn kind of book because of the danger involved and how quickly the hero and heroine are tossed together and immediately form a bond. In Escape the Everglades, the second book in the South Beach Security K-9 spinoff, it was very much a slow burn because the hero is a single father and there’s a child’s emotions to consider. What about you? Do you like fast or slow burns? Either depending on the story? I’d love to hear from you!
Who’s Aged Best? Rob or Brad?
First of all, no fisticuffs on the page and let’s keep it civil! LOL! I’ve been thinking about how some of my fav actors have aged and decided it was time to have you weigh in on that. So two of my favs are Rob Lowe and Brad Pitt. I always thought of Rob as a pretty boy while Brad is a little more rugged. Both are still HAWT but I have to lean toward favoring Rob. What about you? Who do you think has aged better. P.S. – If I ever got to see One Last Night, my st**my military romance as a movie, both of these men would be fabulous to play the hero, Marine Lieutenant Trevor Mason. One Last Night is an emotional story about a man heading back to war, a father who blows off their dinner date, and Maggie Sullivan, the young woman who can’t leave him alone on his one last night before returning to duty. You can read some more about One Last Night at https://amzn.to/3Hh5MZl.
So many books, so little time!
Lately I find it hard to do a lot of reading because I am so busy writing! That’s both a good and bad thing, if you get what I mean. I’m so in awe of people who do find the time to read and romance readers, in particular, are voracious readers. That’s what has me wondering how many books you read in 2023. Was it less than a 100 or over 100? Do you have a reading goal for 2024? Well, if you need more books to read, Harlequin is running a special right now! If you buy 4 books you can get 2 more free with code HQN2024. Check out my latest Harlequin books in the South Beach Security series or pick up the SBS K-9 Division spin off books at https://bit.ly/HQN-CaridadPineiro.
A tattoo too far?
As best as I can remember, I haven’t had a hero with a tattoo in any of my books. Well, except for that one time my editor called me to say that they wanted the heroine to have a tattoo on the cover even though I never mentioned a tattoo in the book. That was for Temptation Calls, one of my vampire suspense books. The heroine in that book is a vampiress who has suffered horrible abuse as a human and is now dedicating her life to running the Artemis Shelter for abused women and children. Since Artemis is an archer, that’s what she had as a tattoo. But enough about that. Do you like tattoos on your romance novel heroes? I think a nice tattoo on a shoulder works for me. Maybe an artful full sleeve, but no neck, face, or hand tattoos for me. What about you? Do you like tattoos on your heroes or heroines? P.S. – You can read Temptation Calls for free on Kindle Unlimited at https://amzn.to/474TrBG.
Face or No Face? You decide
They say you can’t choose a book by its cover and yet that’s the number one thing that readers look at when deciding whether to read a book. So, a cover is really important and when authors or publishers work on a cover, they have a ton of decisions to make. One decision is whether or not to show a hero’s face. Some readers don’t want to see the face because they want to create their own impression of the hero. Other readers just love seeing the hunky hero’s features on the cover. When I did the cover for The Prince’s Gamble, I opted to just tease you with the face because I wanted the prince to be a little mysterious especially since the heroine thinks he’s the main suspect in a human trafficking ring. For Brickell Avenue Ambush, the publisher thought it was important to show the hero’s face and he’s definitely like I pictured him! Ricky is very much a suit kind of guy since he’s a psychologist helping his family protect a woman whose ex has a deadly secret! I love both covers, but I wonder how you feel about the face/no face question. Do you like to fill in the features or do you like seeing the hero’s face on the cover?
Loving the Mountains or the Beach?
Books are like magic carpets, zipping us off to new worlds or whisking us back to familiar spots we adore. My happy place is anywhere with sand and sea, the ultimate combo for a satisfying beach read. But I also love stories set on sprawling ranches or deep in the mountains. What about you? Do you have a fave setting that makes your heart race and your fingers itch to grab the book?
