​​Not because I want to create the biggest guy in the room or the most explosive action scene. Those parts are fun -- don't get me wrong! But muscles, tactical gear, and impossible missions only get a character so far. Then it gets real and I have to find a way to fictionally build these super soldiers AND make readers believe that someone engineered to survive impossible odds can still fall completely, hopelessly in love.

That's what I love about writing Project Morpheus.

These men have been altered, trained, and pushed far beyond what any ordinary person should endure. They're weapons when they need to be and protectors when it counts (which is all the time if you've picked up the series!). They run toward danger because that's what they've been built to do. They're battlefield trained in every arena except for love. 

In Lethal Comrade, Rodeo Jones can take on a corrupt army, survive a kidnapping, and fight his way through the Okefenokee Swamp without backing down. But earning a second chance with Tachi Moreno? That's the mission with the highest of high stakes.
Because she isn't looking for a superhero, she's not that easily impressed, and she has a modeling career taking off that is totally incompatible with hanging around a covert operator. She wants love and trust but not necessarily from Rodeo...at first. Being kidnapped and traipsing through swamps can make a girl rethink her life choices. 

The explosions, firefights, and high-tech science keep the pages turning, but they're never the heart of the story. Strip away the enhanced strength, the military training, and the classified missions, and you're left with someone who's still carrying regrets, making mistakes, and praying that this time he gets it right.

Now...if you'll excuse me, I have a super soldier to put through absolute hell before I let him earn his happily ever after.

Get your hands on Lethal Comrade - out July 14th!

​Castles. History. Landscapes so beautiful they didn't quite seem real. I came home with approximately a thousand photos and enough story inspiration to fuel me for a long time. It was everything I'd hoped it would be.

​Of course, my characters don't particularly care about jet lag. That might be the one downside of all this adventuring, the jet lag. 

While one part of my brain is still wandering through the Scottish Highlands, another is firmly planted in Yukon Valley, Alaska. I'm ridiculously excited about CODE BLUE CHRISTMAS. Reggie Price likes precision, routines, and knowing exactly what comes next. April Katz is juggling family expectations, big career decisions, and enough holiday spirit to light up Alaska. Throw in an injured sled dog, a Christmas festival, an enthusiastic small-town matchmaking committee, and a snowstorm that strands them together in a cabin with one VERY inconvenient bed, and...well. Let's just say Yukon Valley isn't finished causing trouble and I am here for it!

Meanwhile, over in Project Morpheus, the chaos level remains appropriately high.

LETHAL COMRADE introduces Rodeo Jones, who may or may not be the World's Most Handsome (and humble) Man, and Tachi Moreno, who has exactly zero patience for his charm. Naturally, they end up kidnapped, trapped in a sadistic prison, fleeing through the Okefenokee Swamp (that's right, swamp), and trying very hard not to acknowledge the attraction simmering between them. 

Honestly, I love that these stories get to coexist in my brain. One day I'm writing Christmas lights, sled dogs, and matchmaking neighbors in Alaska. The next, it's super soldiers, impossible odds, and romantic suspense with life-or-death stakes.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have unpacking to finish, deadlines to meet, and fictional people demanding my attention.

Back cover blurb: 
One injured sled dog. One old grudge. One Christmas snowstorm that turns Yukon Valley into a matchmaking minefield.

Reggie Price runs on precision because it keeps Yukon Valley Hospital’s lab humming and his sled dog team on track for the North Pole 500. With the Iditarod qualifier three weeks away, he can’t afford distractions.

Then his lead dog limps into Katz Veterinary Clinic—and bolts straight into Dr. April Katz.

April is all twinkle lights and holiday cheer this Christmas. She’s also juggling a father who thinks responsibility is a love language, a career decision she keeps punting, and the inconvenient fact that Reggie still pushes her buttons.

The town’s matchmaking network declares them a holiday project. A community festival throws them together. And a whiteout strands April at Reggie’s cabin—with a sputtering generator, a crackling fire, and one too-tempting bed.

Then race day comes, and with his dogs’ health and a promise to his brother on the line, Reggie and April must risk the thing they both cling to most: control.

​Steamy small-town Alaska holiday romance. Standalone with HEA.

Let's talk dogs! I've already had one well-meaning person react to the cover: "Those don't look like sled dogs! They're supposed to be fluffy huskies." To which I'd say: you're right and wrong.

"Alaskan husky" is a breed of dog that is smaller and leaner than you might think. They are oftentimes less fluffy than Disney movies and TV might lead you to think. Sometimes they are downright homely and almost scrawny looking!

Take a look at these pictures and see what I mean? Not a super fluffy dog in the bunch! https://animalko.com/characteristics-that-define-top-iditarod-sled-dogs/   (picture #5 is what I wrote most of my Yukon Valley dogs to be like!!)

Sometimes Siberian huskies ("fluffy husky" appearance) pull sleds -- they're really good for things like Antarctic or Arctic expeditions where they're existing in like minus 60 degrees for long periods of time. But for the most part when we're talking about things like the Iditarod, those sleds are pulled by the good ol' Alaskan husky. These mixed-breed dogs are bred for race-specific reasons. Some are meant to run long distances over a week or so. Others are sprinters. It has a lot to do with size/strength/food requirements/hardiness, etc.. And of course, this breed is made up of dogs who LOVE TO PULL. 

I talk about Maverick's sled dog team as a motley band of pups, and I confess that my inspiration came from Blair Braverman, acclaimed musher. Braverman's famous "Ugly Dogs" were how I thought about Maverick's initial dog sled crew. You can check out her dogs in these places: 
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/01/699390413/blair-braverman-and-her-ugly-dogs-compete-in-their-first-iditarod

https://www.facebook.com/blair.braverman

Notice anything interesting about the dogs? Yup, they are kind of homely and all have very different personalities, and each one is a bit of a disaster in its own special way. And true to typical mushing nowadays, there are very few plush, fluffy dogs in the bunch!

So, if you know anything about Blair Braverman's #uglydogs then you will know where I'm coming from in the dogs of Yukon Valley!!

These characters resist each other and they resist love.

That’s where things get interesting. That’s usually where I find myself jumping in (typing?) headfirst.
​
In Legacy of Lies, Garrison and Sara don’t exactly start off on the right foot. He’s juggling a ranch that’s barely holding together, a son who needs him, and a past that makes trust … complicated? Confusing? Awful? All of the above? Sara is doing everything she can to stay steady, do her job well, and not give the town one more reason to look at her sideways.
They’re not in the same headspace. Not even close!

Which means every conversation between them carries a little extra weight. There’s more friction, and (*rubs hands together*) I love it!

Turns out, I have readers that love this kind of head-butting as well. One mentioned how the chemistry felt immediate, even when the situation wasn’t easy. Another pointed out just how much Garrison has on his plate, and how Sara is walking her own tightrope at the same time. Neither of them has room for more complications, and yet… there they are, complications served right up to my readers.

That push and pull is what I love writing about. I love developing characters and tweaking all of the small pieces (and sometimes big!) that makes them act the way they act, or say the things they say. It makes the romance fresh when you put two opposite perspectives into a blender and mix them up!

I love the challenge of writing these stories because when two people come at each other from completely different directions, they don’t get to coast. They have to pay attention. They have to decide whether they’re going to keep pushing back or risk their hearts. Oftentimes they get things so wrong before they get it right. Have they ruined their chances at redemption?

Add in a small town that remembers everything, sprinkle in a few family loyalties that run deep, and toss in more than a little supernatural trouble brewing in the background, and it’s no surprise things don’t stay simple for long. It’s a literal recipe for disaster. One reader described it as intense and suspenseful with something lurking just out of sight, and that tension doesn’t just affect the plot.

This is the secret sauce to what makes these stories stick: making two people work their way through misunderstanding, stubbornness, and everything life is throwing at them. Finally deciding to push past their self-interests and decide to risk it all for love. It creates a unique connection that feels more believable because it’s real.
​
People are messy. Love takes time. But when it all finally clicks into place, the happily-ever-after feels earned and welcomed!

Short answer: yes! Unofficially. With the holiday schedules, I am waiting to get the finalized contract back from my publisher. The tentative plan is to release the next three books next year, which is going to be -- yikes, so many projects next year!

Because I am never confident in my ability to produce books quickly, I pre-wrote most of the series to get it ready to go. The next book in the series is drafted (I'm putting finishing touches on it now!) and the book after that is in rough-draft form! That leaves one more, and I know where it's going!

I hope you''ll come along for the wild ride that is Project Morpheus! It was ridiculously fun to write, and readers have told me how much they enjoy reading it, too!

Like all of my books, each installment in this series is standalone. But I've been told over and over by readers that it's way more fun to read in order starting with FALLEN COMRADE. (Just click the picture above to go to the series page with buy links.)

As always ... happy reading!

Excerpt from Five Alarm Love:

For the first time in forever, Tuli went utterly still and serious. His intense gaze pinned Lou in place. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Her mouth went dry.

She’d never experienced him like this.

He stepped forward until they were a few inches apart. Heat rolled off him, bringing with it Tuli’s light scent of soap and smoky aftershave. He looked down at her. “What if there was more than friendship?”

Lou’s thoughts swirled like puffs of smoke from a forest fire. One thought chased another to its inevitable, painful conclusion. The genetic report. His dreams. Her changed future. “There’s a lot going on right now. Things are complicated.”

Tuli’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Life is always complicated. That’s life. But sometimes things are truly simple.” He rolled his lips. “At some point, we will miss out on some awesome moments by keeping everyone out of our business.”

“Sometimes keeping people out of our business reduces the chance of pain.”

Nodding, he said, “Connection has risks. It requires trust. Respect.” He patted his pocket containing the phone. “It opens us up to criticism and to not living up to others’ expectations.” 

It was like he read her mind. “Why risk the pain?”

“Because letting people into our business can also be a joy. Trust. Simple connection.” He extended his arms to the sides.

Lou pointed. “That phone attached to the internet makes things not simple.”

“Huh?”

She reached for the only logical argument that didn’t force her to share her deepest secret. “I had my personal business broadcast all over town once before. I can’t do it again. I can’t live that exposed of a life. Not like you do.”

“No one’s asking for you to be broadcast anywhere.”

“Aren’t you? That’s part of the Tuli package. Social exposure.” As if she had a shot at being part of that package. Lou knew the score. She did not have a chance.

“What are you getting at?”

“I’m a very private person.”

“And I’ve respected that privacy. Always. Never mentioned your name online. Never put you on camera.”

She kept going. “I can’t deal with any relationship, friendship or otherwise, on display for others to see and examine. I don’t know if I want to be around someone who thinks about life as a series of clips for thousands of people to see.”

“Technically, over a hundred thousand people.” He gave a self-deprecating snort. “That’s literally my job.”

“People aren’t content.”

He flinched like she had slapped him.

Lou blew out a harsh breath. “You’re never off. This is why you’re so … you … all the time.”
A beat. Then two. Then he said, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Horror dawned when she realized what she had said. Lou had undermined what he valued most in his life. She had attacked the person he was. Oh, God. Maybe she could take the words back. “Never mind. I don’t want to say anything else.”

“Why not?”

She fought to form the words. “Because I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Lou.” He was a breath away.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not talking about anything public. I’m not talking about filming things. I’m not talking social media. This conversation right here? It’s about you and me. We’ve been through thick and thin together. Leaned on each other for help. Lifted each other up. All I’m asking is, what if there’s more for us?”

Her heart hammered in her chest. The risk of pain versus the risk of … something good … tempted her. “I don’t know.” Even as she said the words, she leaned toward him like he was the anchor off the side of a fishing boat. The weight and the current pulled her toward the churning water.

The scent of woodsmoke and aftershave swirled around him.

What he was suggesting was akin to watching a fall wildfire blaze out of control. The act would be final, irreparable, and risky. Things would never be the same after the flame. Someone could get burned.

She tilted her head up. Somehow, she had ended up a hair’s breadth away from him.

His rapid breath feathered over her, warm and familiar. “Lou,” he said on an exhale.

She needed that heat like she needed oxygen. “I don’t—” Unable to stop herself, she brushed her lips over his. Once. Twice.

Something deep down sparked to flame and crackled to life.

Blazed through her heart.

Then consumed everything in its path.

Tuli. Her friend. How was this possible?

He gave a shuddering breath, lifted her chin with his fingertip, and returned the kiss. Pressed to her lips, his trembled. His kisses drifting over her sent heated waves through her body.

Twenty-six years. She had waited her whole life for this moment.

​A moment that had changed everything.