A veteran author of historical and paranormal romance novels, Sylvia Day woke up to find her latest book was a New York Times bestseller—before it came out in print. Bared to You, which was self-published in April before being reissued by the Penguin Group, tells the story of Eva, a young woman making her way in New York City, and Gideon, the billionaire entrepreneur who pursues her. Though both characters have painful pasts and are wary of starting a new relationship, their magnetic attraction is undeniable—and their love scenes are scorchers. In a Q&A with BookPage, Day answers questions about the similarities between her novel and Fifty Shades of Grey; the popularity of erotic romance; and creating sexual chemistry on the page.

Before Penguin bought the English rights to Bared to You, your novel was self-published. What is the greatest advantage of traditional publishing versus self-publishing? Do you think you’ll ever self-publish again?
The biggest and most obvious advantage to traditional publishing is the print run and distribution for Bared to You. There’s no way I would’ve come anywhere near 500,000 print copies, nor would Bared have ever been found in Walmart, Target, Costco, BJs, Kroger, etc. as a self-published book. Penguin brought to the table a dedicated, enthusiastic team of individuals with a broad network of connections, which far outweigh what I was capable of doing at home alone.

That said, I’m a veteran of this industry. I’m well aware that the breadth of support for Bared to You is rare. For many projects that don’t have the prospect of widespread appeal, self-publishing can be the best option because it increases the profit margin by a massive degree. I’m certain I’ll have future projects that are best served by self-publishing, just as I’m certain that I’ll have future projects best suited for traditional publishing.

In today’s publishing landscape, I think authors should be considering a career portfolio that includes traditional publishing, self-publishing and digital-first publishing. Every project is unique and the best way of disseminating a work can vary depending on a variety of factors.

Why do you think readers are already responding so positively to this love story? Any theories as to why erotic romance is suddenly tearing up the bestseller lists?
I think Bared to You can remind readers of personal experiences with hopeless romance. The angst and regret inherent in a troubled relationship never leave us, and Bared taps into that. Eva and Gideon are so messed up in so many ways and their coping mechanisms often trigger each other negatively. How do you choose between long-adopted survival strategies and the love of your life, both of which you can't live without, and yet cannot co-exist together?

For many of my characters, they lack the ability to communicate effectively verbally, so they show how they feel through sexual interaction.

As for erotic romance hitting bestseller lists, there’s really nothing sudden about it. Erotic romance has routinely appeared on the national lists for many years. Look at the Berkley Heat stable of authors (Heat is Berkley’s erotic romance imprint) and you’ll find Lora Leigh, Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton, Shayla Black, Jory Strong, Maya Banks, Anya Bast . . .  all New York Times bestselling authors.

Frankly, I think the recent hype over erotic fiction for women is just an example of the media being very slow to catch on to a longtime trend.

How do you sustain such explosive chemistry between Gideon and Eva for hundreds of pages? Is there a secret to writing sex scenes that continue to excite (rather than bore) readers over the span of a novel?
Emotional resonance—it’s absolutely necessary to writing erotic romance. Sex for sex’s sake is porn. Reading “Tab-A into Slot-B” scenes would be boring and repetitive. Each sexual scene has to further the story and character arcs. There has to be a goal to the interaction and a resolution (aside from physical climax!). For many of my characters, they lack the ability to communicate effectively verbally, so they show how they feel through sexual interaction. There’s a story in the way they communicate with their bodies and that’s what makes the sex hot.

What was your inspiration for writing this story? In your Acknowledgments, you write, “To E.L. James, who wrote a story that captivated readers and created a hunger for more.” Was Bared to You directly inspired by 50 Shades of Grey, or was there some other artistic influence (or life experience) that led you to create Gideon and Eva?
My inspiration for Bared to You was one of my own works, Seven Years to Sin, which follows a couple with abusive pasts. In Seven, the characters’ histories brought them together, but I wondered later what it would be like to explore a relationship in which the characters’ pasts pushed them apart instead. What if the defining trauma of your life impeded your ability to connect with the person you love? Can two abuse survivors have a functional and healthy romantic relationship? That’s the core question of the Crossfire series.

I gave a nod to E.L. James in the reissued edition of Bared to You because there’s no doubt that the success of her series contributed to the success of mine. It was readers of Fifty Shades who drove sales of Bared to You with their recommendations. It’s the least I can do to acknowledge E.L. James for her part in that. I’m grateful.

If readers have discovered and loved Bared to You but are new to the romance and erotica genres—what other books would you recommend they read next?
The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed; Sweet Persuasion by Maya Banks; and Laid Bare by Lauren Dane.

You also write paranormal and historical romance, as well as contemporaries. Which subgenre is the most fun for you to write?
Honestly, I love them all equally. My focus is always on the story. The setting and time period are mutable depending on the story I want to tell.

Do you have a favorite line (or scene) from Bared to You?
Gideon to Eva: “I must’ve wished for you so hard and so often you had no choice but to come true.”

The sequel to Bared to You is called Deeper in You. Can you give us a sneak preview?
In Deeper in You, we see Gideon and Eva struggling to mesh who they are as individuals with their joint identity as a couple. Trying to blend “his” life with “her” life into “our” life brings all sorts of new problems. Eva is close to her family; Gideon is estranged from his. Eva is a social creature whose network of friends expands as she settles into New York; Gideon is fiercely private and contained. As much as they have in common, they have a lot of differences, too, and they continue to trigger each other’s defense mechanisms in unexpected—and sometimes painful—ways.

Have you already torn through Fifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You? Starting on July 31, 2012, you can enter the world of another love story with sizzling sexual content—although this novel has a twist. Beth Kery’s Because You Are Mine will be published in eight installments; a new part will come out every Tuesday until September 18, 2012. The parts are available exclusively as eBooks.

This steamy tale follows Francesca, an artist, and Ian, a businessman. Francesca is commissioned to create a painting for the lobby of Ian’s building, and sparks start to fly once they get to know each other better.

Kery chatted with BookPage about erotic romance, art and sexy heroes.

Erotic romance is more popular than ever. Why do you think so many readers are attracted to this genre?
I think the genre was growing before Fifty Shades of Grey became such a publishing juggernaut. Once that happened, however, it really hurtled the genre into the spotlight. It’s hard to pick apart the elements of a sensation. There are so many factors, plus a little bit of incalculable magic.

Once romance readers were exposed to higher sensuality and sexual content, they came to crave more. Even romance that isn’t considered to be “erotic” is hotter nowadays, and readers expect it. There’s a trend for more sexual content, more graphic sexual description and more honesty about what happens in the bedroom in romance novels.

What is unique about the relationship between Francesca and Ian?
What’s unique is their ability to give just what the other needs to grow. Ian is the experienced, worldly one, both sexually and in general. He teaches Francesca so many things: about the power of her sexuality and beauty; how to better manage her somewhat haphazard, hand-to-mouth existence; how to take the reins of her life and take control. He’s a little weary of life, however, of always having to be in ultimate control. Ian never really had a childhood. Francesca teaches him how to let go, live in the moment and be spontaneous.

That’s what’s beautiful about their relationship. Each holds the key for the other’s transformation.

Readers want "more sexual content, more graphic sexual description and more honesty about what happens in the bedroom."

What do you think makes for a sexy, memorable hero?
Oh, so many things. He’s a protector of the heroine, even if he doesn’t start out with the intention to be so. He’s the epitome of strength, but there has to be something about him—some crack that only the heroine can access, something that opens this seemingly impenetrable male to the experience of love. A sexy, memorable hero has to have enough depth and layers that the reader ends up “getting him” completely and falling in love with him, despite his imperfections.

Francesca is an artist. Ian, a businessman, commissions her to create a painting for his new skyscraper. Do you have a particular interest in art and architecture?
I definitely do. I’m a lover of the arts—although a terrible artist myself. You’ll often see artists or art motifs showing up in my books. I’m a longtime member of the Art Institute here in Chicago. Francesca actually holds degrees both in art and architecture, and I’m a huge admirer of architecture as well as art.

One of the first misunderstandings between Francesca and Ian is when she mistakenly believes he just awarded her the commission because of a “love of a straight line” versus her immense artistry. You’d have to be a very special person to be both an architect and a painter.

Were there any challenges specific to writing a serialized novel?
Yes, it was a fun challenge, but a huge one. For instance, while I was working on Part VIII, I had just finished copyedits for Parts III to V. I was worried about content specifics from Part I-III, because those are edited and sent off . . . but what about slight changes I’ve made in the story? Any author will tell you that she constantly goes back to tweak in the earlier stages because of something she wrote later that wasn’t necessarily planned. The Berkley staff was so supportive about going back and making small content changes in blurbs and even the copyedited manuscript.

How will you hold readers’ interest in the characters over eight installments of the book?
Hopefully, each installment will pique interest in the characters’ growth and romance. I’m curious to hear what the experience will be like for readers. I hope it’ll be positive, sort of like watching a television show and anticipating the next episode. I think the small wait—the parts come out weekly every Tuesday—will help to build excitement and deepen an awareness of Ian and Francesca’s love story.

Can you tell us about your next project?
My next project will actually be another serial for Berkley! It’s due to come out in January of 2013 and will take place in Ian’s and Francesca’s “world.” I have three other books due out from Berkley between 2013 and 2014.

Magical realism and breathtaking contemporary romance converge in the newest from Lisa Kleypas, Dream Lake. It’s our August 2012 Romance of the Month, and as romance columnist Christie Ridgway writes, “This is Kleypas at her contemporary best: The writing wows and the ending evokes happy tears.”

We chatted with Kleypas about writing, romance and great abs!

Describe your book in one sentence.
Alex Nolan, a dark and cynical man who is being haunted by the ghost of a WWII fighter pilot, fights his growing attraction to local innkeeper Zoe Hoffman.

What’s the most romantic thing that has ever happened to you?
I was on a first date with a charming but slightly reserved guy who took me out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. At the restaurant, they were passing around a bowl of conversation hearts—those candies with words printed on them—and he sorted through the bowl until he found the one he wanted to give to me. It said “TRUE LOVE.” We have been married for 18 years, and it’s still true love!

What’s your favorite thing about being a writer?
I love the fact that I’m always learning more about the craft. With writing, there is never a point at which you can say, “I don’t need to get any better.” That kind of challenge always makes it exciting and interesting.

What was the proudest moment of your career so far?
It was when I managed to summon the courage to try something new after almost two decades of writing historical romances, and I completed my first contemporary novel, Sugar Daddy. Also, I feel incredibly grateful that one of my books is being made into an upcoming Hallmark Hall of Fame movie titled Christmas With Holly. I can’t wait to watch it with my family and friends.

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
Often it’s not the love scenes as much as the intimate moments between two characters when you realize that some emotional change is happening. For example, in Dream Lake, there is a moment when Alex, a guy with a really tough and cynical personality, rushes to help Zoe, a young chef who has just gotten a minor burn on her arm. His behavior reveals a tender and caring side that is unexpected and I think very sexy. Having a man take care of you, show concern for you, is a much bigger turn-on for women than the sight of muscular abs—although the abs certainly never hurt!

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one of your heroes, who would you choose?
I think Hardy Cates from one of my contemporary novels, Blue Eyed Devil. Very sexy, tough and charming. He would be fun to spend time with under a palm tree, but he could also build a boat to get us back home!

What are you working on next?
I am having so much fun writing Crystal Cove, a contemporary romance about a young witch who has been cursed never to fall in love . . . but then she meets a handsome and mysterious stranger, Jason Black, who may just break the spell.

Megan Mulry’s stylish debut, A Royal Pain, is an unusual fairy tale, but one romance columnist Christie Ridgway calls “a modern love story fizzing with bubbles of Cinderella fantasy.” For anyone who watched the Royal Wedding in rapt attention—or simply lusted after those hats—this story of a Yank and a Brit is the perfect contemporary spin on fairy-tale love.

We chatted with Mulry about British gossip, sexy waiters and much more.

Describe your book in one sentence.
A Royal Pain is the story of a strong-willed, independent American woman who unwittingly falls for a British duke . . . trials and tribulations ensue.

What’s your celebrity guilty pleasure? Do you love British royalty gossip?
The Duchess of Cambridge is my celebrity guilty pleasure. I try to rationalize that visits to www.whatkatewore.com are really my way of addressing matters of high sociological philosophy and help me speak to modern feminism. I’m really just there for the dresses. I’m not that into the gossip side of things . . . I’m more of a voyeur than a delver.

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
The ones at the beginning of a relationship when both characters are a little unsure; I love writing scenes that are all tingly and full of unspoken promise.

Who would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
All the best people, darling! Julia Child, Christopher Hitchens, Coco Chanel, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Devonshire, Caitlin Moran, Colin Firth, Anthony Bourdain, Vita Sackville-West and some of my real-life friends to round out the numbers. David Gandy would be the waiter.

How do you conquer writer’s block?
I write every day. No excuses.

What’s one book your readers might be surprised to know you have read?
I am in the process of reading the 10 original Harlequin Presents by Violet Winspear, Anne Hampson and Anne Mather. Not that surprising, actually.

What’s next?
Earl Meets Girl (June 2013) and L is for Lady (November 2013) are the next two books in this royal series. There’s also a sexy little historical novella coming out sometime in 2013.

Our December 2012 Top Pick in Romance is a tale of an inescapable connection from “an author deft at mining deep emotion.” Robyn Carr takes her readers to Virgin River at Christmastime in My Kind of Christmas, a hopeful tale of a rugged Navy man and the woman he loves.

We chatted with Carr about sexy scenes, great books and the upcoming holiday season.

Describe your book in one sentence.
The hardest question in the world—Angie LaCroix and Patrick Riordan retire to Virgin River for a respite from their traumas and find that love and passion does as much to heal wounds as a vacation could.

What is it about Virgin River that makes it such a hotbed for romance?
It’s removed from the world in a way and exists as a place of community and caring, a kind of magical town where people help each other, can trust each other, and commitment is the order of the day. It could be something in the water, but whatever you need, chances are you’ll find it in Virgin River.

Who is your favorite character you’ve ever written?
That’s a little like asking a mother who her favorite child is. I guess the character I’ve gotten to know best is Jack Sheridan, who has appeared in every Virgin River novel. He has so many sides—by turns sexy and courageous or funny and meddling. I do love him. And he loves me.

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
Not the sex scenes, actually, but the scenes that lead up to the sex scenes—the caress, the touch, the shiver of expectation, the kiss. The seductive words and the growing expectation that it’s the right match, the perfect possession.

What’s one book you think everyone should read?
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, so much deeper and more complex than the movie by the same title. The character growth and story development and smashing denoument are stunning.

What do you enjoy most about the holidays?
The gathering of friends and family, not to mention dangerously delicious food everywhere you turn. For our family, the pleasure in giving far exceeds the fun of opening our own presents—both giving gifts within our family and giving to charities. Every time I put five dollars in the bell-ringer’s bucket, my heart gets larger!

What’s next?
After 20 Virgin River novels, a new series starts in March with three novels scheduled for 2013. The anchor character came out of Virgin River, and we’ll travel to a new location in the beautiful wilds of the Oregon coast—and I am having so much fun! That doesn’t mean I’ll stop writing about Virgin River, but it’s time to freshen things up a bit.

Picture this: Colorful cottages nestled on pristine white sand. Palm trees and bougainvillea. Bluffs rise above the beach, and at 5 o'clock every day, someone blows in a conch shell to mark the coming of happy hour. Welcome to Crescent Cove, California.

Focus your attention on Beach House No. 9, a beautiful place that veteran romance author Christie Ridgway invented for “two yearning hearts” to fall in love, as she tells me by phone from her home in Southern California. She lives about an hour south of the beachfront community that inspired fictional Crescent Cove, the idyllic setting introduced in an eBook novella, Beach House Beginnings.

Now, readers can journey from the slush and snow of winter to summertime in SoCal in a back-to-back trilogy: Beach House No. 9 (January 29), Bungalow Nights (February 26) and The Love Shack (March 26).

A lifelong Californian, the author believes that two people can fall in love anywhere, but she also thinks “some palm trees and some coconut-scented oil in the breeze might help things along a little.” That’s exactly what happens in the Beach House books, though the path to happily ever after is never easy.

Ridgway, who has written 40 novels and is BookPage’s own romance columnist, based her setting on the real-life Crystal Cove in Orange County, which was once a location for silent films and is now a state park. Her research trips sound like something out of a dream: lunch at a beachside restaurant, trips to avocado groves and gourd farms.

Reality check: It must be noted that the research trips weren’t always totally dream-like, since Ridgway was laid up with a broken leg from a fall for much of the writing of Bungalow Nights, and her “wonderful, loving, loyal” husband drove her around to see the settings for the trilogy while she was on crutches. Still, Ridgway is sunny about the less-than-ideal experience. “I couldn’t put any weight on my leg for three months. So I remember thinking to myself, this is kind of a bummer—but I could take myself away every day and go write about Crescent Cove, which I’m sure was very helpful.”

Ridgway is especially adept at writing the sort of snappy banter that showcases the confidence and brains of heroines.

In Beach House No. 9, the first full-length book in the trilogy, we meet Jane Pearson, a buttoned-up book doctor (with a weakness for shoes) who has been recruited to work with Griffin Lowell, a war journalist under contract to write a memoir about his harrowing experience in Afghanistan. Griffin is by all appearances a (handsome) wild man, turning Beach House No. 9, where he’s staying for the month of June, into Party Central. Jane can hardly get him to speak of his time embedded with American troops, let alone commit to putting his memories down on paper.

In spite of Griffin’s impenetrable façade—he’s either playing the tough guy or the partier, or closing up completely—it eventually becomes clear that he’s suffering from PTSD. Jane, patient and kind, seems to be the only person who can get him to face his demons and show his true personality. It doesn’t hurt that the two share an electric connection and just can’t keep their hands off each other. Parallel to this plotline is a tender and wrenching story about Griffin’s sister, Tess, and her husband, David, who have reached a bit of a stalemate in their marriage.

Though Ridgway’s books are packed with witty dialogue, sexy love scenes and a setting that will have readers fantasizing about margaritas and suntans, the stories are much more than easy, breezy reads. They pack an emotional punch, dealing with forgiveness in relationships, second chances and the trust we must have in the people we love.

“A lot of the situations in the Beach House trilogy are really about the differences between men and women, and how they yearn for the same things,” Ridgway says. “I’m fascinated by that because I feel like men are not naturally emotional, and yet they still put themselves out there. They want to be with these women that open their hearts.”

Ridgway knows this from personal experience. Beach House No. 9 is dedicated to her husband; her brother and her brother-in-law; and her two sons, 20 and 23. The dedication reads: “I’ve seen what’s underneath those all-guy exteriors—deep family bonds and strong yet tender hearts that are reflected by every hero in my stories.”

In addition to those guys, Ridgway turned to military men for inspiration, including her father-in-law, a retired Naval aviator. She also did a lot of reading on PTSD, coming to the conclusion that “all service people—the people who are carrying weapons, people who are journalists or doctors and nurses—everybody is affected by what they see and what they experience.”

The other books in the series focus on other couples from Griffin’s circle and the community of Crescent Cove—like the combat medic who stays in No. 9 in July and falls for the daughter of a fallen officer; or Griffin’s photojournalist twin brother, who has kept up an old-fashioned letter correspondence with the rental property manager of the beach houses.

Each of these relationships, though distinct, is marked by believable romantic chemistry—an authentic attraction that Ridgway conveys by describing “the great attention to detail that two people have for each other,” she says. Ridgway is especially adept at writing the sort of snappy (and sometimes silly) banter that showcases the confidence and brains of her heroines—like Jane, who is all business, until she just can’t resist Griffin’s charms.

Perhaps it was fate that a woman who was supposed to be born on Valentine’s Day (she was actually born on February 4), and who grew up reading love stories, would one day become a romance novelist. The way Ridgway talks, it seems like writing romance must be the best work in the world.

She almost squeals when I ask about her favorite part of the job. “I’m just such a lover of reading romance novels,” she gushes. “It’s so fun to create the kinds of books that have given me so much joy. I never tire of them.”

Our Top Pick in Romance for May 2013 is Beth Kendrick’s funny and charming new contemporary romance, The Week Before the Wedding. Romance columnist Christie Ridgway called it “perfect for the upcoming wedding season,” so we had to pick Kendrick’s brain about weddings, hot guys and great books.

Describe your book in one sentence.
Seven days, three rebellious bridesmaids, a dozen Stepford in-laws, two potential grooms who are hot like fire and one bride-to-be on the ragged edge of sanity.

What’s your favorite thing about being a romance writer?
Hanging out with other romance writers. Plot problems making you crazy? Deadlines getting you down? Need someone to join you on a “fact-finding mission” to a male strip club? (Serious research!) Author buddies are there to help.

“Need someone to join you on a ‘fact-finding mission’ to a male strip club? Author buddies are there to help.”

What’s one thing you wish every wedding had?
A singles’ table stocked with fancy French champagne and men who are hot like fire.

What advice would you give brides-to-be this wedding season?
You and your fiancé should agree on a “safe word” for the rehearsal dinner, reception, etc. Then, if you’re cornered by his crazy Uncle Gus and subjected to a garlic-breathed political rant, you can simply turn to your beloved, murmur “dandelion” and wait for his extraction team to come to your rescue.

What’s your favorite movie based on a book?
That would be the Hallmark Channel original movie Nearlyweds, which was based on my novel, Nearlyweds. (But it’s possible I’m ever so slightly biased.) It’s a funny, charming movie with romance, drama, adorable rescue dogs and Naomi Judd as the most diabolical mother-in-law ever. I got to visit the set in Vancouver with my roommate from college, and we had a great time. Full disclosure: “Visiting the set” sounds very official and important, but mostly, we sat around chatting and eating warm chocolate cookies from craft services. How I suffer for my art!

What’s one book you think everyone should read?
Gone With the Wind. It’s got something for everyone.

What’s next?
My next novel is called The Cure for the Common Break Up, and it’s actually a spin-off of The Week Before the Wedding. The heroine, Summer, was the ringleader of those three rebellious bridesmaids. Summer is one of those characters who just couldn’t be contained in a subplot! She strutted right in and stole the spotlight. My editor and I both adored her, so we decided she deserved her own story.

Our June 2013 Top Pick in Romance is Just One Kiss, the newest contemporary romance set in Susan Mallery’s beloved fictional town of Fool’s Gold. Romance columnist Christie Ridgway writes, “An endearing romance and intriguing new characters make Mallery’s latest a must-read.”

We chatted with Mallery about Fool’s Gold, sexy scenes and more.

Describe Just One Kiss in one sentence.
A man returns to the town where witness protection hid him years ago, determined not to let the shadows in his heart darken the life of the sassy single mom he left behind.

Why do you think readers enjoy coming to Fool’s Gold time and time again?
I believe they love it for the same reason I do—because it’s wonderful to see old friends again. Fool’s Gold is about more than the central romance. It’s about the community. Readers love to see who has gotten married, who’s pregnant, who has babies. (Not to mention, they love to see what the septuagenarian troublemakers Eddie and Gladys have been up to!) The Fool’s Gold romances allow readers to see what happens after the happily ever after.

That said, the main focus of each book is on the romance. There is still nothing more thrilling than that breathless first glance, the first kiss, the heady, helpless fall into love.

What are the sexiest scenes to write?
The sexiest scenes to write are when the characters begin to circle each other, when they both begin to realize that their feelings are too strong to fight, but they’re still trying desperately not to give in. Those scenes right before they succumb, when the sexual and emotional tension is at its highest. In each book, these scenes are very specific to these particular characters, which is why the dance never gets old. Each couple is unique, and that makes it exciting for me and, I hope, for readers.

“There is still nothing more thrilling than that breathless first glance, the first kiss, the heady, helpless fall into love.”

If you had to be stuck on a desert island with one of your characters, who would it be and why?
No question, Ford Hendrix, the hero of Three Little Words (August). He was a Navy SEAL, so he’s strong, tough, knows about survival. But more important than that, he’s hot. The man should never be allowed to wear a shirt. Plus, Ford is basically an easygoing guy, self-deprecating, with a good sense of humor. I think he’d be an entertaining desert island companion.

What’s one book you think every romance fan should read?
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Or really, anything by Jane Austen. Although the book is sedate and the people are very refined, the emotion is palpable . . . and the ending is happy.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve received?
I took a writing class once where the teacher challenged us to write 10% more than we usually do. So if you normally write 10 pages per day, you’d write 11. That 11th page will take as much effort as the other 10 combined, but if you stick with it, then 11 pages per day will become your normal. Soon, you might find that you can accomplish it in the same amount of time it used to take you to write 10. Then you can move to 12 pages per day.

What’s next?
A lot of fun coming in Fool’s Gold yet this year. Two of a Kind and Three Little Words will round out the paperback trilogy. I’ve already told you a bit about Ford from Three Little Words. In Two of a Kind (July), Gideon of the oh-so-sexy deep voice will reunite with uber-intelligent, socially awkward Felicia, a woman he first met while he was recovering from his time as a POW. I first introduced Felicia in Just One Kiss, and I’ve been getting a lot of great feedback about her already. Readers love an awkward heroine!

Then in September, I’ll release the Fool’s Gold Cookbook—which includes a heartwarming bonus romance. And in October, Christmas on 4th Street, a Fool’s Gold gift-sized hardcover. The cover is one of my favorites ever—the epitome of romance at Christmas time.

In Sherryl Woods' romance, A Seaside Christmas, songwriter Jenny Collins returns to her family home to nurse a broken heart. But ex-beau Caleb Green—a country superstar that was unfaithful—has followed Jenny back to Chesapeake Shores, and he's aiming to right his wrongs and win her back.

Romance columnist Christie Ridgway calls this "A warm tale about understanding, forgiveness and the persuasive power of love."

In a 7 questions interview with Sherryl Woods, we talked about country music dreamboats, her favorite Christmas movie and more.

Describe your book in one sentence.
Successful songwriter Jenny Collins returns to Chesapeake Shores to make peace with her estranged family and to heal from a broken heart. 

Your character Caleb Green is a bad-boy country superstar—do you enjoy country music?
I'm a huge fan of country music. Give me a guy with a great voice, a good love song, a snug pair of jeans and a tight T-shirt and I'll follow him anywhere.

Where is your favorite place to write?
I have two offices, one more formal than the other. One is just a little corner of a guest room. The other is a formal office and I actually have to walk to work. The truth is, though, that my mind is churning with story points no matter where I am.

Of all the books you’ve written over the years, which has been the most fun for you?
I think a Silhouette Special Edition called Riley's Sleeping Beauty was the most fun, because it broke a lot of rules. The heroine was in a coma for most of the book, for one thing. And there were scenes in various time periods. Believe me, it didn't fit in any molds, for better or worse, but I loved letting my imagination run wild.

Name one book you love that people might be surprised to know you have read.
I don't know how surprising this is for a writer, but just the other day I was going on and on about how much I loved 84 Charing Cross Road. It's a wonderful story about two people brought together by a love of books.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie?
Like just about everyone, I adore the classics like Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life, but I found the much more recent The Holiday, with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz especially appealing, as well.

What’s next?
Seaview Inn is being reissued at the end of December with a brand new sequel—Home to Seaview Key—coming out at the end of January. Readers have been begging for more from Seaview Key. I hope they love being reunited with Hannah, Grandma Jenny, Luke and some characters who'll definitely be shaking things up on the little island off Florida's west coast! 

It takes a certain kind of person to parlay tearful, angry-door-slamming sibling rivalry into a series of popular novels. 

But Jill Shalvis is nothing if not creative, so she combined her romance-writer instincts (50 novels and counting) with her motherly concerns, and kicked off her best-selling Lucky Harbor series.

“My three daughters had just entered their teens and were fighting all the time,” Shalvis recalls. “I couldn’t imagine a happily-ever-after for them.” So she made one up. “I pitched a story about three estranged sisters who inherit their mother’s dilapidated beach inn [in a small town in Washington state]. They can’t sell the inn because it’s a mess, so they’re stuck together for the summer. They start out estranged, and end up happy.” 

Shalvis says her publisher was enthusiastic about the idea right away. “Grand Central was lovely enough to say, let’s do it as a trilogy, with each sister getting her own story.” Then, “when I turned in the third manuscript, they said, this is becoming very popular, we need more.” 

Thus followed three more Lucky Harbor trilogies. February will see the arrival of Book 9, Once in a Lifetime, featuring Aubrey, who’s trying to reopen her beloved late aunt’s bookstore—and check names off a list of people to whom she wants to make amends. 

Aubrey’s uncle hires Ben to fix up the store. Ben’s been grieving the death of his wife by doing engineering jobs in dangerous places around the world. Romance isn’t on either one’s mind, but it’s not long before Aubrey’s more than a little distracted by Ben (and his low-slung tool belt), and he her. There’s an underlying threat to their connection, though: Aubrey has a secret she’s afraid to share, and Ben’s afraid to fall in love again.

The two receive well-meaning advice from family and friends, as well as suggestions posted on the Lucky Harbor Facebook page by a group of irrepressible senior citizens. That small-town scrutiny figures in all the Lucky Harbor novels. 

“I grew up in Los Angeles, a very large town that’s very anonymous, but my dream was always the opposite,” Shalvis says. “[Lucky Harbor] is truly just a fantasy.” 

“I grew up in Los Angeles, a very large town that’s very anonymous, but my dream was always the opposite."

Ten years ago, Shalvis’ dream came true when she and her family moved to a home outside Lake Tahoe, California. “I now live in a small town,” she says, “and it’s easy to find the humor. I’m able to pull out things that someone who’s always lived here wouldn’t think are funny, but they are to me.”

She includes herself in that category: “I always feel like a misplaced city girl. I’m always going to scream when a wolf spider shows up, or if I see a bear out by the garbage. I’m not the Pioneer Woman.” 

Shalvis thinks there’s a hint of herself in the character Lucille, the chief gossip of Lucky Harbor. “She’s a little bit of how I would see myself as an old lady. I’m curious, I’m nosy,” she says with a laugh.

Shalvis has a knack for translating real-life relationships to the page.

It’s that intense curiosity—plus a knack for translating real-life relationships to the page—that makes Shalvis’ novels so engaging, whether a dialogue-heavy scene in which characters face up to their less-than-pleasant behavior, or a sex scene in which pleasure is the order of the day . . . and the night . . . and the next morning. 

About those sexy bits, Shalvis says, “I try to make each sex scene important to the story and individual. Whether the experience is funny, or even anxiety-ridden, I try to keep it real.”

Also keeping things real: Shalvis’ affinity for men with carpentry skills, and the fact that her husband is a builder. Ben of Once in a Lifetime is a tribute to him, she says. “There’s always a tool belt in my books!” 

While the current romance trend is the billionaire bad-boy, Shalvis says she prefers real-life men who work with their hands. “It’s more attractive, to me, to make an everyday guy become a hero versus a guy who had everything easy and doesn’t see how hard life is.”

And “there’s always a bromance,” Shalvis says. “It’s a big part of what I write. In Ben’s case, his relationships with [friends] Jack and Luke are part of who he is.”

Aubrey’s attempt to right past wrongs is a big part of who she is, and who she’s trying to become. “There are so many layers, and her huge complicated past, and some things Ben doesn’t know about,” Shalvis says. “I thought, what can I do to make the worst possible scenario?” (No spoilers here, but: It’s a doozy.)

There’s more Lucky Harbor ahead, with another trilogy starting in August. After that, the series will likely come to a close, the author says. “I want to go when readers are still happy. I don’t want to stay too long at the party.”

For the moment, fans have a lot to look forward to—and there’s always Shalvis’ active presence on her blog, Facebook and Twitter, where she alternates shirtless-hunk photos with less sexy updates. 

They’re all part of Shalvis’ plan to maintain the sense of community she always longed for—and has found in her fictional hometown of Lucky Harbor and her connection with fans. “Romance readers are the best on the planet,” she says.

Virginia Kantra's latest Dare Island novel, Carolina Man, is our March Top Pick in Romance! While stationed in Afghanistan, Luke Fletcher receives a letter that throws a wrench into his bachelor Marine lifestyle—he has a 10-year-old daughter named Taylor, and he's just become her only living parent. When beautiful and discerning lawyer Kate Dolan becomes involved in his custody case, an undeniable attraction takes root, and both of them must weigh the costs of pursuing a romance with Luke's demanding career and role as a new father.

We chatted with Kantra about her love of the Carolina coast, her caffeine habit and more in a 7 questions interview.

Describe your book in one sentence.
Marine Luke Fletcher is in Afghanistan when he learns that his high school girlfriend has passed away, leaving him the guardian of a 10-year-old daughter he never knew he had—and the lawyer responsible for the little girl's welfare isn't at all sure he's the right man for the job.

What inspired you to set your Dare Island series in the Carolinas?
Because a good book is like a vacation, and vacations are always too short. With a series, you can go back to the places that make you happy.

Dare Island is my happy place. Set among the beautiful barrier islands of the North Carolina coast, it's a community sustained by the sea and swept by changing tides.

Like Luke Fletcher and his father Tom, my husband's dad was stationed at Camp Lejeune. One of the joys of writing this series is the feeling of coming home. These are stories about the ways we help each other through tough times, neighbor to neighbor, families pulling together. Because the real search for the "happy place" is about more than setting. It's our longing for a place to belong. For roots. For family. And for love.

What do you love most about Marine Luke Fletcher?
His determination to do the right thing—for his country, for his family and for the woman he loves.

Of all the heroines you’ve written, which one is your favorite?
You do know that's like asking "Who's your favorite child?" But Kate's struggle to open herself emotionally and believe in love was very poignant to me.

What are you reading now?
I'm deep in deadline hell at the moment, but I have Mariah Stewart's At the River’s Edge as my reward for finishing.

What’s one bad habit that you have no intention of breaking?
I'm caffeine-dependent. I drink a pot of coffee every morning, and I like it.

What are you working on next?
I'm currently finishing up Carolina Blues, the fourth Dare Island story, about small town Police Chief Jack Rossi and "hostage girl" Lauren Patterson, who comes to the island to escape her 15 minutes of fame. It will be an October 2014 release.