Jane Cousins's Blog - Posts Tagged "magic"

Amazon - RELEASE - 16th Dec

The Merrow were a notorious bunch of liars, cheaters and scoundrels. Descended from a long line of swindlers, conmen, pirates and politicians. Unfortunately for Devon Patel, Makura Princess, she’s expected to marry one of the Merrow Royal Princes. Hiring the services of the Southern Sanctuary match maker therefore seems like a smart first move. But before Devon can blink she’s trapped in the Southern Sanctuary and suffering through fourteen blind dates from hell.

Worse still, it seems someone out there really wants Devon dead. Lumbered with the annoying Liam Chambers, who says he just wants to protect her. Devon’s not sure if she can trust a Merrow who smiles at her all the time and has a sneaky way of getting under her skin. Decisions? Decisions? Should she go with her gut and kill the Merrow, or go with her heart and kiss him?

Liam Chambers isn’t your typical Merrow. He doesn’t lie, cheat or steal. Which is probably why his family hate him so much. And whilst he may not be interested in getting married, to his complete shock he finds himself very interested in the Makura Princess he has sworn to protect. The more the royal diva snaps, snarls and threatens to kill him, the more Liam wants her. Before too long Liam doesn’t just want to protect Devon, he wants to shackle himself to the shrew for life.

Happy 2016 all. As promised, I have been trolling through my in-box and thought it time to answer a few burning questions.

Q: I'm dying to know more about the next book in the Southern Sanctuary series, what can you tell us about it?
A: Well I could play it coy and just reiterate that the title of book 8 will be - To Thrill A Thief. Or, I could go one better, and provide you with the draft book blurb for it... decisions, decisions. Hah, since I'm a complete tease...

To Thrill A Thief

Thanks to her magic Eli Stevens is quite literally forgettable girl, ten seconds out of her presence and no one remembers who she is. Which makes her an awesome master thief but lousy girlfriend material. Resigned to a long lonely life Eli focuses all her attention on her job as Retrieval Expert for her eccentric magical extended family who have a tendency to misplace dangerous be-spelled objects.

Drafted to snatch five rubies imbued with the dead God Apep’s chaos magic, Eli is partnered up with Rafe, elite warrior of Maat, and logistics genius. The man is the epitome of walking temptation but Eli has been burnt too many times before to believe this time will be any different. Rafe might be a gorgeous semi-immortal being, but she’s forgettable girl. It’s time to lock up her heart for good and throw away the key before she gets it shattered into a million pieces.

For Rafe, falling in love with gorgeous thief Eli was easy… remembering her was the hard part. Now he just has to convince Eli to fight for them. To trust that in working together they will find a way to negate her magic. It will take all of his skills and all of his charm to thrill a thief.

To Thrill A Thief - Out May 2016.

Q: What's happening with Darcy? When will she get her own book?
A: Darcy. Darcy. Darcy. She's starting to become my Marsha Brady. Darcy will return as a secondary character in Book 8 and we are inching closer to her getting her own story. Currently she's still slated for book 10, or 11... maybe 12. Trust me, certain other elements of the overarching storyline have to come into fruition before Darcy's story can be told.

Q: Do you know who Darcy's mate will be?
A: Yes, and so should you. I've been dropping hints since book 1.

Q: Which other characters have you lined up to be the major players in coming books?
A: Book 9, at this stage, will star Fen Valhalla, brother to Hadleigh, Locke and Erik. Easy going Fen will meet his match when he goes up against a very determined Valkyrie. The draft title at the moment is - To Vex A Valkyrie. Promises to be lots of fun.
Then it will probably be Riya's turn - time to explain that mystery 24 hour pregnancy.
I'd also like to tell Patricia's story - whose books keep disappearing from her library and ending up in Cullen's potting shed.... I mean auxiliary library. I'm thinking maybe a Christmas themed story for those two.
And I have big plans for Quinn - which may edge out Darcy's story further, not sure yet.
Then further down the track will be Gigi, Fraser, Flynn, and Dash...
OMG... it's never-ending, just what the hell did I start when I invented this world?

Q: Do you plan to start a new series?
A: Absolutely, yes. It will probably be more of a Science-fiction type setting, as I have something bubbling away in the back of my brain. Don't intend to split my focus just yet though, and probably won't start drafting anything until after I have finished Darcy's book.

Q: Find myself laughing all the time when I read your books, are you funny in person?
A: Thanks. I must admit even I find myself laughing as I write sometimes. I'm pretty much the same in person, which is kind of scary when you think about it.

Q: Do you map out your books/Series?
A: Kind of, yes, no, maybe. Honestly, sometimes I start a book with a germ of an idea and it explodes in a completely surprising direction. Which is the great thing about writing a magical world, anything can happen. And as much as I've tried to add layers to each of my books, building on the world, adding fully fleshed secondary characters to enhance it - for me, forget the bad guys, forget the mystery - the most important part of my books is the romance.

Q: I love your books, can't believe more people don't know about you, what's up with that?
A: Thanks, sincerely. Grr, marketing, spreading the word in the literary world isn't really in my wheel house. I have a code - and I refuse to pay for reviews or pander to bloggers who request that I send them my book for free, promising nothing in return but that they may or may not get around to reviewing it in the next twenty-four months.
Currently I'm relying on word of mouth, people like you guys, who read my work, rate it, and leave reviews on Amazon/Goodreads.
It might be naïve but I'm working on the premise that good/funny books will eventually find an audience. I'm also working on getting my books into hard print this year, with the intention of moving into new markets... fingers crossed.

Q: What's the hardest thing about being a writer?
A: I'm not troubled, thankfully, by writer's block. I suppose my main gripe would be the feedback I get on my grammar/editing - hey, said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not perfect - but it's like some people don't even realise that the British/English style of writing exists - it's very frustrating - especially, since as an Australian, our book market is flooded equally by British/English books and American/English books - and I'm comfortable with both styles as long as the author remains consistent.

Q: Who are you reading at the moment?
A: At this exact moment in time I'm reading - A Red Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire. And am also in the process of re-reading the Grave witch series by Kalayna Price.

That's about it for the moment - there's a few personal questions that I think it's best for everyone that I ignore, let me maintain some measure of mystique, please.

If your burning question wasn't addressed above, then feel free to send me an email or post a question on my Goodreads author page.

In the meantime, happy reading.

Thanks to everyone for your recent letters, questions, comments and critiques. I love how invested you've all become in the characters and worlds I have created.

Thanks also to everyone who has taken the time to write a review and post it on Goodreads/Amazon - truly appreciate your thoughts and feedback.

So let's get down to the business of answering all those burning questions:

Q - Who features in book nine? And when will it be published?
A - To Vex A Valkyrie features Fen, fireman, and brother to Locke, Hadleigh and Erik. The last singleton of the Valhalla clan living in the Southern Sanctuary.
Fen has watched as one after the other his siblings have fallen victim to the match making machination of Great-Aunt Alma, and he's determined not to be next. So much so, that even though it pains him he has taken a vow of celibacy.
Of course that is the moment a 6 foot Valkyrie falls right into his lap.
Brodie lives for war and the bloodier the battle, the better. Though the new y-generation of Valkyries keep complaining about how she is too blood-thirsty and scary.
Forced to take a holiday in the Southern Sanctuary - Brodie's boss has warned her not to return until she is completely chilled. Or in other words, bang a guy, they are the best stress relievers out there.
Brodie of course sets her sights on Fen. And with a deadly supernatural firebug thrown into the mix, it will take Fen and Brodie working together to survive... whilst falling in love along the way.

Publication date? I wish I could narrow it down. But with a bathroom renovation going on at my place and general life hassles - let's just say I expect to release book nine sometime in October or November. Promise to keep you updated.

Q - What is the strangest thing that has sparked your imagination or inspired something in one of your books?
A - I think the invisible sheep were a stroke of pure genius. But I didn't create them. Tom, then seven years old, the son of some friends of mine, had a flock of invisible sheep as imaginary play mates. As soon as he told me about them I knew I had to co-opt them for my world.

Q - Do you plan/plot out a book carefully before you commence writing?
A - Not to any great extent, no. What generally happens is that I'm writing a story and a fantastic meet-cute idea will occur to me regarding a secondary character. Which can be annoying - given I'm writing a novel featuring completely different characters.
And the more I ignore the great idea for the secondary characters - the more plot ideas occur to me.
This proved very annoying - when I was writing To Date A Disaster - featuring Erik & Cara. I was bombarded with all these great ideas on how to make Fen's (Erik's brother) life hellish. The whole idea of a Valkyrie who chases/pursues him just came to me.

Q - What other characters - that we've met - do you have plans to feature in up coming stories?
A - At this stage I am writing Quinn's story. Next up it is slated to be Riya and Marcus (Maat warrior). Then Darcy.
Down the track I have vague plans for Fraser, Gigi, Flynn and Dash.
And a character who has totally come out of left field whilst I am writing book ten to demand his own full length book is Elijah, head of the Enforcers.
I'd always had a novella in mind for him, but this fabulous secondary character has appeared in book ten who will prove a perfect match for him. Promises to be a lot of laughs and frustration on the cards for these two.
Elijah's story is slated to follow Darcy's starring turn.

Q - I'm pretty sure I know who Darcy ends up with, will you confirm his identity?
A - Where would be the fun in that? And you should know, I've been dropping hints since book one. Can't wait to get stuck into Darcy's tale, not too far away now. Think I've mentioned I've already written the prologue and have the whole thing vaguely plotted out. Darcy's a little demanding like that, as you well know.

Q - What's the best/worst thing about being a writer?
A - The best? Easy. Writing. I love bringing these characters to life. I love how often they end up surprising even me with the situations they get themselves in to.
The worst? The isolation. Writing is a solitary occupation. Sometimes it feels like you are in a vacuum, and that no one out there is reading your work, liking it or responding to it.

Q - Which of your books is your favourite?
A - I get asked this a lot. Is there a prize if I get the answer right? Kidding. I love all my books. And go through the same journey with each of them. I fall in love with my characters. They make me laugh, surprising even me with the stuff that comes out of their mouths.
Above all I want my characters to find a place to belong. A community that will accept them no matter how different or unique they are. And I want them to find a HEA with a meld mate who is obviously their best friend and perfect match.

Q - You've mentioned previously starting a new series, any update on that?
A - I have two sci-fi series battling it out in my head. I really like both ideas - but they are completely different.
At this stage I can't imagine changing my focus from the Southern Sanctuary series until I have written Darcy's tale. For some reason that book has always been some kind of milestone in my head.
Watch this space for more news in regards to new series.

Once again. Thanks to everyone for your letters, comments and feedback. Hopefully your burning question was covered by the above. If not, contact me via my Goodreads mailbox, or ask me a question on my Author Page.

Until my next blog... Happy Reading.

Spread the word - Two days left on this free offer. Head on over to Amazon and scoop up book one of the Southern Sanctuary Series.


It was common knowledge that Hadleigh Valhalla was a complete failure when it came to men. Too blood thirsty. Too tall at six foot six and without a coy bone in her too voluptuous body. If there had been a ‘fun, flirty and feminine’ test, she would have failed it hands down.
Thankfully she was much more suited to her role as an Enforcer, protecting her magically enhanced eccentric extended family on a daily basis from all kinds of nasties. It was a job she loved, much preferring to be out there beheading the baddies than dating any day of the week … much less stressful.
Except now there’s a new threat in town. Great-Aunt Alma, the family match maker, has returned to the fold and set her sights squarely on all the singletons. Hadleigh will do anything she has to in order to avoid Alma’s matchmaking manoeuvres even if that means signing on as the newest member of the hit reality TV show ‘Paranormal Exterminators.’

Vaughn, Captain of the Goddess Maat’s Elite Warriors, has a mission, to find and annihilate any and all magical beings that threaten to tilt the scales of justice into chaos.
A paranormal reality TV show provides the perfect cover. But there’s trouble on set. Their only female cast member has gone missing and they need a replacement fast. Enter Hadleigh Valhalla, the most luscious thing on two legs he’s seen in a century. From the moment he sets eyes on her he’s determined to make her his.
There’s only one problem, Hadleigh insists she has a strict no dating policy. Claiming she’d rather be fighting than flirting.
A series of mishaps means it’s a race against time for Vaughn and Hadleigh to discover just who is targeting the show and stop them before someone gets seriously hurt or dead. While doing so Vaughn intends to teach Hadleigh to break all the rules and prove to her she is just as much woman as she is warrior.
His warrior. His woman.

Ever had one of those days? Riya Tong, Fate Weaver and half-dragon, is having a doozy. First she wakes to find herself mysteriously seven months pregnant. Then she encounters Marcus, Maat Warrior. The man might be gorgeous but the judgmental know-it-all jerk seems to believe he has the right to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong. Compounding the insult by making it all too clear he thinks Riya’s magic borders on the lame. Thank heavens they never have to see one another again.

Problem is, Fate has other plans. Para-Exterminators, the reality TV show Maat’s Warriors use as cover to hide their supernatural mission is under threat. There is a monster loose and a bevy of assassins targeting Marcus, desperate to get their hands on the cursed chaos rubies.

Forced to work together, Riya and Marcus quickly discover that beneath all the dislike and antagonism, an irresistible mutual attraction burns, threatening to consume them both. Only question is, will they live long enough to discover that you can’t fight Fate?

Ever had one of those days? Riya Tong, Fate Weaver and half-dragon, is having a doozy. First she wakes to find herself mysteriously seven months pregnant. Then she encounters Marcus, Maat Warrior. The man might be gorgeous but the judgmental know-it-all jerk seems to believe he has the right to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong. Compounding the insult by making it all too clear he thinks Riya’s magic borders on the lame. Thank heavens they never have to see one another again.

Problem is, Fate has other plans. Para-Exterminators, the reality TV show Maat’s Warriors use as cover to hide their supernatural mission is under threat. There is a monster loose and a bevy of assassins targeting Marcus, desperate to get their hands on the cursed chaos rubies.

Forced to work together, Riya and Marcus quickly discover that beneath all the dislike and antagonism, an irresistible mutual attraction burns, threatening to consume them both. Only question is, will they live long enough to discover that you can’t fight Fate?

Hello all you gorgeous people. Happy 2018 - may it bring you happiness, health and lots and lots of five star reads.

Decided to start this year off right - by cleaning out my mailbox. My, there are some quirky questions this time, let's get to it.

Q - Will we ever see the matchmaking cats again?
A - Absolutely. They will certainly be making an appearance in Elijah/Copper's story - I have big plans for the cats. Copper is going to prove a worthy opponent when it comes to dealing with their mischievous ways.

Q - I love all the background threads interwoven throughout the series/each book. And the re-occurring secondary support characters. How do you go about bringing it all together, through planning or is it more organic?
A - When I started writing book 1 - To Woo A Warrior, I deliberately introduced a lot of potential lead characters for future books without giving too much detail away about their magic. That way I didn't paint myself into a literature corner when it came to future creative endeavours.
Yet, the more books I wrote, the more I began to get glimpses of future works/ideas and began to add more details. Like Gigi and her 'canary' rabbit that tastes her magical chocolates/sweets in order to see if they are harmful. And I knew from book 2 - To Trap A Temptress - that Riya would be mysteriously 'magically' pregnant for her first meeting with her future meld/mate, but I really hadn't worked out the logistics - the how and why part until I came to write her story. (Which had been bubbling away in the back of my head for a few years now).
This is probably going to come as a shock, but I really considered Gaia a throw away secondary character. Expecting her to shine in book 1 as Bridezilla - but never to be seen again. But there was just something splendid about her character, and she's proven to be a great re-occurring secondary character. Plus I think she's a hoot.
I deliberately waited until book 5 - To Bedevil A Beauty - to really focus on the Southern Sanctuary and introduce the readers to the three towns and a lot more secondary characters. The three Great-Great-Aunts, Adelaide, Daphne and Margot - wow, they surprised even me with how delightfully interfering, but well-meaning they turned out to be.
And I always knew that in a future book I wanted to return to Paranormal Exterminators - The Maat Warriors TV show, and set a story based in that world. It seemed a natural progression for book 11 - To Fight A Fate - to feature that as a background, sneakily bringing Hadleigh and Vaughn's love story full circle (Where it all began).
Okay, I could keep writing about this all day, because I love this world and these characters... but you get the overall view. If you want to know more about a specific story arc, or a character just forward me a question and I'll do my best to answer in more detail.

Q - Darcy? Do I need to say more?
A - Trust me, I've got this. It's official. Book 12 - To Handle A Hellcat - featuring Darcy is written in draft form.
I like to write a book, put it on a figurative shelf for 5 months or so, and then re-work/edit it with fresh eyes. Unfortunately, I never really know how much work will be required to finalise the book until that stage - so the publication date is a little hazy but should be mid- 2018.

Q - I'm really looking forward to Copper and Elijah's story, can you give me any details about what happens?
A - Damn it, yes, I know I said - Book 13 would be their story, titled To Goad A Goddess, just one problem, I kind of had this fantastic idea for Patricia and Cullen which may... or may not derail my plans.
Remember Patricia? She's the head librarian. And Cullen is the one who keeps stealing her books, turning his 'potting shed' into an official Southern Sanctuary Library Annexe, much to Patricia's horror. I kind of had this whole christmas themed story/idea... I just don't know about the timings.
Should know more when I sit down to start writing book 13 in about two weeks time.

Q - Any hints as to future couples/stories?
A - Sure, I'm always up for dropping a few teasing hints. Hmmm, let's see... okay, Daniel, host of the Paranormal Exterminators TV show - I pretty much know his story. It's in my head, but haven't bothered to write any notes as yet, but it is going to be fun.
Who else? Vague ideas are circling for Gigi, but nothing has grabbed me as yet. Same goes for Fraser, I have an inkling of what her story arc will be, but nothing concrete as yet.
Nico... yeah, don't know what to do with Nico yet. Should he hook up with the much younger Riordan (who has the four over-protective policeman brothers)... ? Maybe.
And then there is Dash and Flynn to consider... nope, only the vaguest of ideas are swirling at the moment when it comes to the final two Maat Warriors.

Q - Congratulations on 11 books, the series is wonderful. Will you just stick with writing the Southern Sanctuary Series or are you considering other projects?
A - I love the Southern Sanctuary - and at this stage don't see an end in sight for the Series. Am at the mercy of my muse - and would love to start another series, just waiting for that idea/world to seize my imagination and insist it be written.

Q - Does being funny come naturally to you?
A - Yes it does, I'm hilarious in real life. I don't really have to work too hard to write funny. Once I know my characters their witty dialogue just flows, and I'm usually just typing as fast as I can to keep up with them.

Well, that's the end of another Q & A session. Am aways interested in hearing your thoughts and reading your questions - so feel free to drop me a line/message anytime you want.

Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me - love you guys. Appreciate all your ratings and reviews... can never get enough of those reviews... especially when they are also uploaded onto Amazon (hint.. hint - it's just a matter of copying and pasting)

Time for me to go and start taking down the Christmas decorations. Happy New Year, Gorgeous People... kisses and five star reads for everyone!

Humour is subjective. Worse, something you found funny one day you might find incredibly unfunny the next.

I've picked up books to re-read, and been left wondering what I thought was so darn funny about it. Because suddenly it leaves me cold.
Have I grown or matured in the interim? Or am I just not in the mood for this particular brand of funny today?

Some authors try too hard. They flog a specific 'funny' saying until you want to ram it down the characters throats because it mentally stings every time you are forced to read the words - yet again.

I love funny - but usually not at the expense of other characters who are supposedly friends/colleagues. Real people don't stay friends for long if they tear each other down for the sake of a funny line or two.
Teasing is fine. But there has to be give and take, a balance between characters. Just like there is in the real world.
The only exception to this rule is the villain. Now there is a target rich environment where feelings do not need to be taken into account.

How far it too far when it comes to the wacky? Authors like Gini Koch are a master at the wacky. And I think as a reader you are either swept along for the ride (madly giggling to yourself) or you toss the book onto your dnf pile the moment you hit chapter six.
Given the series is about aliens and people with superpowers, it's not surprising there is a fair amount of wacky. The thing about Koch though, she makes you care for her vast number of characters. And she sets the stakes high, major characters are occasionally killed. So once again, some measure of balance comes into play.

I have been known to step away from some funny series when they devolved too far into wacky territory. I couldn't tell you what triggers my sudden dislike. Perhaps a certain amount of believability. Which I know sounds weird, we are talking fiction here, and usually PNR/UF fiction - so shifters, vamps, and magic are often in the mix.
I think perhaps my problem might be that the main character has failed to grow, learn any lessons from the previous six/seven books. Usually she's in a relationship, she and the Hero are moving forward with their lives. Probably living together by book two or three. Maybe marriage, kids.
But our Heroine is still doing the same stupid stuff she did in book one. Which was okay then, I found it fresh and funny. But by book seven I would be expecting her character to be evolving (and still funny) not devolving - and veering towards the wacky.

Pop culture funny. I think a lot of authors forget how specific this type of humour can be. Great if your entire target market grew up in the nineties. Not so great if the jokes are only relevant to a region or town. What's funny in the UK may leave any one reading in the US completely mystified.

Weird out of the blue funny. Read a novel years ago, admittedly not enjoying it very much. The characters were kind of unlikeable. But I was interested in the world building and wanted to see where the author was going to take things.
About three quarters of the way through - the heroine decided to cook a turkey. Even though she can't cook and the stove is too small. Suddenly I was confronted with this bizarre scene - where the turkey ended up somehow on someone's head (don't remember who).
As a reader, I was left frowning and a little gobsmacked. The scene just did not fit into the book. Worse, it put the final nail into the coffin of my feelings for the TSTL heroine.

When the funny stops for the sex scenes. Reading a book a couple of weeks ago. The H & h had a lovely snappy relationship. Zingers. Teasing. Light and fun. But every time they had sex, suddenly everything was very serious, bordering on the transcendent as they declared their feelings. Suddenly they seemed like two different characters.
I'm not saying the sex scene had to be funny, or full of one liners. But those sex scenes cast a kind of gloomy pall momentarily - as if the sun had gone away. It was jarring. And what the characters were saying wasn't consistent with eighty percent of the book.

As I stated upfront in the blog - humour is subjective. But when you find a funny book, the feeling is pretty darn great, isn't it? Your life is a little brighter. Your problems lessen - even if momentarily.


So here's wishing you all a little funny - Happy Reading

...and he's gotta be: Smart. Layered. Flawed. Funny. Sexy. Alpha. Sweet. Magnetic (I won't put gorgeous because looks, bah, they come, they go).

Flawed? You might very well wonder why I included that on my list. Yes, I know I am talking about romantic fiction, but I don't care whether there are dragons flying overhead shooting flames out their butts, the characters have to remain grounded in some sort of reality in order to be relatable.

Just finished a book and the Hero was perfect. Absolutely, annoyingly perfect. He was handsome. Rugged. Skilled. He always said the right thing. Always stepped up to save the day in a timely and capable manner - and I HATED him.
More so, because in order to make the Hero perfect, the author did so at the cost of the heroine. She was supposed to be his match, his equal. Yet she kept losing control, which generally resulted in her saying or doing completely the wrong thing. So now I'm stuck with a TSTL heroine, and a Hero who more often than not is forced to come to the damsel's (she was supposed to be kick ass - grrr) rescue, when either her mouth or her actions get her into silly trouble.

And this perfect male got me to thinking. And the Bonnie Tyler song got stuck in my head. So here I am writing this blog about Heroes.

The perfect fictional man, IMHO, should not be perfect.

Ever read a book with a nice-guy hero? They can be a refreshing change. But nice guy would quickly become sickly sweet if he failed to have a little edge. Maybe a witty sense of humour. A take charge attitude in the bedroom. Layers... people, that's what we want, what we should be demanding.

Just as the opposite is true, the asshole hero. Now this is a fine line for many readers. Not many authors can get it right. Sometimes his backstory makes it acceptable. Damaged. Betrayed. Maybe a little OCD. Caught him on the worst day of his life - we've all had those.
But a hero must be allowed to have asshole tendencies (because if female characters can dip their big toe into the bitch pool, then guys should be allowed to also) but it has to be balanced with a whole lot of other characteristics. Witty. Smart. Loyal. Determined to do the right thing, no matter the cost. I know I am sounding like a broken record, but layers. Just like a real person. No one is perfect all the time, and fictional Heroes should be representing that fact.

I like an Alpha male as much as the next romance reader. But, for me, he can't be too much of a know it all. And he needs to use his words (with the heroine at the very least) Sure, I like the occasional mono-syllabic enigmatic Hero. But on the whole, I want him to communicate his thoughts, his feelings. Especially in his interactions with the heroine. If he starts spanking instead of talking - excepting for mutual bedtime fun - then I am out of there.
So a dollop of sweet mixed in with all that masculinity - well, it kind of melts my heart. When he's thoughtful. Caring. Even if he can't express himself in words then he darn well better step up and show the heroine his softer side.

Magnetic - not handsome. Hotness is in the eyes of the heroine - and by extension, the reader. I'm not much for pretty boys, unless they have a edge or a wicked sense of humour.
We females appear to be genetically designed to admire flawed beauty in the male of the species - scars, injuries - bring it on I say. (And the same should go for the heroines - let's not make them all beauty personified - if nothing else, it's boring)
When a Hero and heroine are attracted, it shouldn't just be about their looks. I love it when they are a perfect match on every level - humour, goals, sense of duty.

Now, if I have achieved nothing else today I have at least got you humming Bonnie Tyler's I need a hero song for the rest of the day. Huh, join the club.

Happy Reading - may all your Heroes be not so perfect.

Publication date 7th December - only a few more sleeps. Merry Christmas lovely people.
Click on https://amazon.com/dp/B08224CC6K to fill your Christmas stocking.


Patricia Bennett, Head Librarian, was quickly coming to believe that her matchmaking Great-Aunt was losing the plot. Oh, sure, the warrior that turned up in her Library fulfilled all her secret fantasy requirements; gorgeous and tall, but he was also irritating and bordering on being an Alpha-hole. Besides, she really didn’t have time to bring him up to scratch, she was too busy working on ousting the arrogant - thinks he’s always right - Cullen from the Southern Sanctuary. The gall of the man. First he steals her library books. Then he sets up his Potting Shed as a Library Annexe. Enough is enough.

Descended from the Camelot Archers, Cullen has devoted his life to protecting the sovereign soil. But when he’s betrayed and forced to go into hiding, the Southern Sanctuary appears perfect for his needs. More so when he meets the riveting Patricia Bennett. But who knew the Library world would be fraught with just as many dangers as that of being a spy. With magic in the mix. Peril at every turn. Cullen must defeat a warrior-rival. Organise a high tea for a Chaos God. Hang some Christmas ornaments. Expose a traitor, and somehow convince Patricia that he belongs in the Southern Sanctuary.

It’s no longer just a battle of wits when Patricia and Cullen team up to go after a traitorous spy. They must learn to trust one another if they want to survive. But before too long Patricia is in danger of becoming addicted to the excitement, the adrenalin rush and worse, the man of mystery himself.