Isn't it LOVELY?! Super excited to share the cover of SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE with everyone! This book wraps up the Abbott Brothers Trilogy. For those of you wondering, I do not plan on writing a story for Ford, the prodigal son. Although, heck that could change. I said the same thing about Jeremy Whitehurst (from Falcon Football and Cottonbloom) and he ended up with his own Christmas redemption story, Candy Cane Christmas. Anyhoo, here's a little more about SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE:
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Cottonbloom is the perfect place for starting over, finding your way back home--and falling head over heels. . .

Ella Boudreaux has a lot to prove to her family, friends, and foes--and to herself. So when her marriage ends she decides to invest her energy and money into a place that brings back some of Ella's happiest memories: the Abbott brothers' garage. Maybe, if she puts her mind to it, she can teach skeptical, stubborn Mack Abbott how to make the business a true success. Which would be a lot easier if the hunky mechanic didn't make her motor run quite so fast...and hot.

Mack was furious when his brother, Ford, sold his share of the business. He's in no rush to team up with a wealthy divorcee who shows up to the garage in stilettos--and the longest, sexiest legs he's seen in forever. But Ella's grit and determination won't quit...and soon Mack can see that she's been down a few rough roads herself. Neither Mack nor Ella can deny the fierce attraction that's revving up between them. Could it be that true love has been in the backseat all along...and they've finally found the key?
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Where has the summer gone?? Only three more weeks until LEAVE THE NIGHT ON is released into the wild. How about a sexy little teaser...

If their first kiss was about revenge and their second about sealing their bargain, this kiss belonged to just the two of them. Gentle, yet devastating, the kiss made him want to stay in limbo with her forever.

He took her mouth in a series of gentle nips and forays, not wanting to push her too far, too fast. But, she wasn’t playing by the same rules, her hands spearing into his hair and tugging him closer.

Her throaty, breathless sigh made his typical morning erection even more painful. Was she even aware the sexy little noises she was making drove him insane? He pulled back. Her eyes were closed but she’d pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, letting it go slowly, as if she was aware he was watching and wanted to tease him.

She ran her hand down his chest to his arm, the pull she exerted light but commanding, and hooked her leg over his. Her nipples poked at the thin fabric of her tank top. Through it all, her eyes remained closed. He didn’t want to be a faceless fantasy.

“Look at me.” His voice was roughed with sleep and more emotion than he wanted to claim.

Her eyes fluttered open, the shadows cloaking them both a blessing and curse. As much as he attempted to keep his thoughts hidden, he longed for all her secrets.

“Wyatt, please.” Her voice was husky and wanting.
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His name on her lips offered satisfaction. If he could only have her for a little while, he not only wanted to leave her with memories she’d never forget, but make sure she understood how desirable and powerful she truly was.

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Less than two months until the release of LEAVE THE NIGHT ON!! I'm SUPER excited for everyone to make the acquaintance of three blue collar brothers from the Louisiana side of Cottonbloom. They own a car garage and restoration business. They're smart and sexy and good with their hands:) First up is Wyatt Abbott, one of the twins (fraternal, not identical...there's no Parent Trap situation going on here.)

The heroine is Sutton Mize. On the surface, she's a perfect Southern lady, but she struggles with being a people pleaser and needs a good man to break her out of her mundane little world. She made a cameo appearance in my Xmas novella, Candy Cane Christmas. Wyatt has had a crush for a loooong time, when her dad was a regular at their car garage. When opportunity knocks, Wyatt is reckless enough to fling the door open...

Here's the blurb and next week, I'll include an excerpt.
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Sutton Mize is known for lavishing attention on the customers who flock to her boutique on the wealthy side of her Mississippi town. So when she finds a lace thong in her fiancé’s classic cherry-red Camaro, she knows just who she sold it to: her own best friend. In an instant, Sutton’s whole world goes up in flames. . .
Wyatt Abbott has harbored a crush on Sutton since he was a young kid from the other side of the tracks. He witnessed Sutton’s shocking discovery in the Camaro at his family-owned garage—and it made him angry. What kind of man could take lovely, gorgeous Sutton for granted? But then Sutton comes up with an idea: Why not give her betrothed a taste of his own medicine and pretend that she’s got a lover of her own? Wyatt is more than happy to play the hot-and-heavy boyfriend. But what begins as a fictional affair soon develops into something more real, and more passionate, than either Sutton or Wyatt could have imagined. Could it be that true love has been waiting under the hood all along?

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I have announcements! Two, in fact.

Firstly, I finally get to tell everyone about a new two-book deal I’ve signed with St. Martin’s Press (the same house that publishes my Falcon and Cottonbloom books!). The new books will be military romances that have a women’s fiction feel. Friendships will be an important theme in the books. I’m already writing the first book and am totally in love with the heroine, Harper Lee Frazier, the daughter of a librarian.

Brandon Webb, a former Navy SEAL and a non-fiction writer with St. Martin’s, will be providing his expertise for military research to make it as realistic as possible. I’m not sure of release dates for the first military romance, but I’ll let you know as soon as I know!

Here’s the official announcement:
Women's/Romance
Brandon Webb and Laura Trentham's story in which military heroes and their heroines fall in love with their country and each other, to Monique Patterson and Eileen Rothschild at St. Martin's, in a two-book deal, by Alyssa Reuben at Paradigm for Webb and Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency Trentham (World).
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My second piece of exciting news involves my historical romances! Unfortunately, Samhain Publishing has gone out of business. *sad face* My two books with them have been pulled from the virtual shelves. But, the silver lining is that I have gotten rights back to AN INDECENT INVITATION and A BRAZEN BARGAIN and will be self-publishing them along with Book 3, A RECKLESS REDEMPTION, as soon as possible! A RECKLESS REDEMPTION will probably be ready this fall, but I’m going to do my best to get the first two rereleased sometime this summer. I'll be keeping my covers the same for the first two because I loved them so much and the third will be in the same vein. As soon as I have a cover to share for A RECKLESS REDEMPTION, I will! And a fourth book, A DARING DECEPTION, is waiting in the wings. So prepare yourself from some super-sexy Regency intrigue!


In the meantime, make sure you grab my $0.99 standalone Cottonbloom novella, LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, and preorder the next full length installment, LEAVE THE NIGHT ON (out 8/1).

Okay, that's actually a Chicago song, and this post is about Alabama. So the answer is Alabama....Alabama is the inspiration for part of the Falcon Football and Cottonbloom series. We headed to my family's homeplace over our fall break for my cousin's wedding. Tons of fun to catch up with family! For some background, my mom has five (5!) younger brothers, all with kids, so our get-togethers growing up were pretty epic. They involved swimming in the river, riding 3-wheelers all over the place, and food...lots of food.

Falcon, Alabama: Ada's and Robbie's houses are fictional, but the land I plopped them down in isn't. And that river in Cottonbloom? Inspired by the Sipsey River in Alabama.

I really hate seeing stores stock Christmas decorations before I've even shopped for the kids' Halloween costumes or I've planned what to make for Thanksgiving. But publishers and readers love their Christmas stories right? And, now I've turned into part of the problem...*shakes my head* My Cottonbloom Christmas novella is releasing in a month's time! October 25th to be exact.

Can I be honest...I don't find Christmas to be a very romantic holiday. Barring the obvious religious implications, to me, it's all about the kids. It's attempting to get them not to cry for a picture with Santa. It's staying up until midnight or after putting that doll house together using instructions written in Japanese. It's about Chex Mix and decorating cookies and putting handmade ornaments on the tree. And, if it's not centered around your kids, then it's your nieces, nephews, or pretty much any other random kid. The only "romantic" symbol I can think of is mistletoe. So romance writers have that going for us, I guess. Lol.

I also really wanted to call this book something different...CHRISTMAS IN THE COP CAR. Doesn't that sound intriguing? Do I sound like the Grinch? I actually loved writing this novella, mainly because I wanted to give it a little bit of a spin...hence the cop car. But you'll just have to read it to find out what happens:)

In the mean time, let me add to the over-saturating Christmas problem by sharing a snippet, although it has nothing to do with Christmas...Also, if the hero sound vaguely familiar, Jeremy Whitehurst (aka Whitey) was a secondary character in all three of my Falcon Football books and all three Cottonbloom books. (More info here) So maybe it's fitting that he only gets an HEA through a Christmas miracle...

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Kayla's gaze trailed down his body, then went to the sky. “Looks like the storm has settled in for the duration. How about I give you a lift home? And maybe buy you a late lunch for your help?”

Jeremy had spent his formative years reeling from one crisis to the next, his bad decisions piling up like animal bones. He didn’t know if she qualified as a bad decision or a crisis, but being around her made his footing feel suddenly precarious as if he were one step from quicksand. He should say no. He would say no.

Yet confronted with her half-smile and hopeful eyes, he said, “Sure. That’d be great.”

“Let’s make a run for it.” She grabbed his hand on her way by him, laughing like mad. They loaded into the car, and still giggling, she turned to him. Her smile was sweet and uncomplicated and turned her from pretty to something magical. If he believed in such things. Which he didn’t.

Except, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her. The rain muffled the outside world, turned off the voices sounding alarms in his mind. Without thinking about tomorrow or even the next minute, he leaned in and kissed her.

Her quick intake of breath stole his. Thunder clapped. Her upper body tipped toward him, and she wrapped one hand around his nape, the other delving into his damp hair.

Her surrender was the signal his body was waiting for, and he deepened the kiss, pulling her lower lip in his mouth and running his tongue along the soft flesh. Her gasping moan was loud in his ear and gasoline to the ember of desire he’d been desperately trying to stamp out.

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