Romance veteran Jill Shalvis' immensely popular Lucky Harbor series is coming to a close this month with One in a Million. In the final Lucky Harbor book, a jilted and jaded former-bride resolves that falling in love just isn't worth the risk, but when a beautiful deep-sea diver arrives to her small town, she questions her decision.

Jill chatted with us over email from her Sierra Mountain home about the beauty of a small town, finishing up a beloved series and of course, cookies. 

What do you think it is about small-town romances like the Lucky Harbor series that readers love?

I think of it as comfort food—like mac and cheese! There’s an undeniable sense of community that comes with a small town setting. I’m not talking about a cutesiness or clichéd silly antics. I’m talking about the coziness that comes with being in a place where there’s a shared history (good or bad), like the song (and the great sitcom "Cheers"!) says—a place where everyone knows your name. Readers respond to that, and so do I.

How does living in the midst of the Sierra Mountains in a small community influence your books?

Well as someone who was born in NJ and grew up in SoCal, I had no sense of a small town before I moved to the wilds of the great Sierras, where my problems shifted from finding a parking space to wondering if there is a bear between me and the trash can. So I have to say, I think this has had a huge influence on my books. Because I’m new to small town living, I’ve been able to mine the funny out of it. And the irony.

With more than 50 romance novels under your belt, what's your favorite type of scene to write?

The funny. It doesn’t matter what the scene is, I like to try to find the funny.  Writing a love scene? Well, maybe the heroine ate a pizza earlier and wants the lights off because she’s bloated. 🙂 Writing a serious I love you scene? Then maybe the hero and heroine somehow they end up with an audience. An embarrassing one. I like to torture my people as often as possible. 

Are there any characters or places that you'll miss the most as you leave behind the world of Lucky Harbor?

Yes. Everything. I didn’t set out to write a series; I sort of fell into it. Willingly, of course. But now that I’m here looking back, leaving is going to be really difficult, as I loved the Pacific Northwest setting. I loved the heroes. I loved the ancient gossip Lucille!

After 12 Lucky Harbor books, do you have a favorite hero of the series?

That’s a little bit like asking my favorite kid. And the answer is always the one who is standing in front of me. So let me say in that same vein, it’s the last hero, fromer Navy SEAL Tanner, from One in a Million. I loved how fiercely loyal and protective he was, how much he loved Callie from the start, how tough he’d become from all he’d been through and yet how thoroughly and completely he fell for Callie in spite of himself.

Now that you've written the final Lucky Harbor book, I hope you've got a little downtime! What's your favorite way to relax?

Walk, read, nap, eat cookies . . . and not necessarily in that order.  🙂

What's on the horizon for you?

I’d tell you but then I’d have to kill you . . . 🙂  Okay, fine, twist my arm.  I’m starting something new and here’s a hint: the guys are hot and badass.

Fans of cute and quirky romances are sure to fall hard for Tracy Brogan's Love Me Sweet. Just in time for Valentine's Day, we caught up with Brogan and chatted about what makes for a winning romance hero, being a proud Michigander, her ideal first date and more in a 7 questions interview.

Describe your book in one sentence.
A reality TV show darling on the run from scandal joins forces with an adventure show cameraman on a road trip full of mishaps, honky-tonk musicians, Elvis impersonators and a whole lot of sweet romance.

Delaney Masterson is a bit of a wild celebutante—what do you love most about her?
I love that her goal is to become her most authentic self and bring a little light into the world. She’s not interested in fame in spite of being surrounded by it. She’s a bit of a late bloomer . . . she’s spent her life trying to please her spotlight-seeking family and now, because of a cringe-worthy scandal, she’s on her own and finally trying to figure out what she wants from her life and who she wants to be. At the beginning of the story she feels a little victimized, but by the end she has owned up to her own power and has decided to refocus her energies on things that matter.

What do you find most attractive in a romance hero?
Physically, I must admit, I like ’em tall, dark and handsome. A killer smile, some broad shoulders . . . le sigh. But what is most attractive in any hero (or heroine, for that matter) is a great sense of humor and a great sense of purpose. If a hero can make me laugh while he’s rescuing a puppy or saving the world, I’m all in.

How does your home state of Michigan inspire your writing?
Funny you should ask! Weather certainly played a role in Love Me Sweet! I knew I wanted to write a story about someone pretending to be someone else, and I knew I needed a reason for the hero and heroine to be in close proximity of each other. I happened to be drafting this book during the winter of the infamous Polar Vortex. It was the worst winter my city had seen in 50 years. So I made that part of this story. The funny thing is, my agent lives in Florida, and when she read the manuscript she said, “Wow. I can really feel how cold they are!”

My other Bell Harbor books are set in the summer and that also plays into my plotlines. The weather here is notoriously unpredictable so Michiganders know that if you have a beautiful day, you’d better go outside and make the most of it. And my characters know that, too.

Describe your ideal first date.
It’s been a while since I went on a date! My husband and I have fun going to Lowe’s so I don’t think that would work for a budding romance. But I think the ideal first date would be one where the couple is doing an activity they both enjoy so neither feels uncomfortable, and there should be lots and lots of talking, listening and laughing. Now if someone were to take me on a date, I think I’d want to go to a great museum. Then have dinner at an elegant seafood restaurant. And hold hands. And everything would feel sparkly and tingly.

What are you working on next?
My next project is a Christmas novella called Jingle Bell Harbor. It’s about a woman who works at the world’s largest Christmas store and has lost all sense of holiday magic until she comes home to Bell Harbor and gets reacquainted with an old flame. After that, I’m working on a World War II novel that will be quite a departure from my other stories. Then it’s back to romantic comedy! I’ve recently signed a contract for four more.

What would you like to ask the next “7 Questions” Romance participant?
If you had to spend the weekend with one of your heroes, who would you chose and why?

When Kitty Grant returns to her hometown of Cailkirn, Alaska, after a painful divorce, Tack MacKinnon isn't exactly the first person she wants to see. But there's no way to avoid him for long, and soon they find themselves in a friends-with-benefits situation. True feelings start to surface, but can they overcome their fears and painful pasts in order to make it as a couple? 

We caught up with Lucy Monroe and chatted about Alaska's natural beauty, the importance of imperfect characters and more in a 7 questions interview.

Describe your book in one sentence.
Wild Heat is a wild emotional ride about best friends who prove that second chances aren’t just worth taking, they’re worth fighting for and steamy sex isn’t just about two bodies coming together but two hearts colliding.

What inspired you to set your new Northern Fire series in a small Alaskan town?
I went to Alaska and I fell in love: with the small towns we visited, the often quirky people we met, the landscape, the whole experience. Stories started rolling through my head like movies from the first step onto Alaskan soil and they didn’t stop once I got home. Creating a series to tell those stories seemed like a natural step to take. Finding a publisher and the time to write the stories . . . now that was something else entirely.

Have you ever traveled to Alaska?
Yes. And I’m eager to go back. Our next trip will be longer and will probably be limited to the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage, but life is fluid, so I’m so not writing that in stone.

What do you love most about Kitty Grant and Tack MacKinnon?
They love each other in a way few people do and when you add the way they are in love with each other on top of that, they have such a special bond. And still they manage to screw it up. That gives us hope. Because, come on, if they can screw something so amazing up and then turn around and somehow fix it—even after all the pain, the rest of us have a chance to make life work too. I love that Tack is such a protector and Kitty is too. In their own ways, they care so very deeply about their families and the people that they love. It’s admitting they love each other that’s hard. And honestly, I find that that endearing. I like imperfect people because I am one.

What does your ideal date night look like?
My ideal date night starts with the ideal partner and that’s my husband. He’s amazing. [Happy sigh.] A gorgeous, romantic guy who is not perfect, but is absolutely the guy for me. The “ideal” date would be a warm evening. We’d start with dinner at an outdoor café—not too crowded, the food is good, the service friendly but not unctuous—and it’s followed by some form of live entertainment (a play in the park, music at the Schnitz, a ballet); we stop for dessert and decaf espressos at The Heathman’s Library bar and go home to make love. In fact, I think that sounds like a night that needs to happen sometime very soon.

Out of all the characters in your novels, who is your favorite character to write?
The easy answer would be one of the characters I’m working on right now, but would that be the truth? Honestly, I think my favorite character to ever write might well have been Kitty from Wild Heat because in so many ways, she reminds me of my baby sister and I adore her. But then so does Jillian from The Real Deal (for very different reasons), so honestly, I don’t know. Every character crawls inside my heart and digs their own little home there. Some make me laugh, some make me cry and some make me so mad I want to spank them.

What would you like to ask the next “7 Questions” Romance participant?
If you could go back and change something about one of your already published books, would you and what would it be?

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing J.R. Ward (onstage, no less) about her latest novel, The Bourbon Kings, during her Salon@615 appearance in Nashville. Ward is well known for her best-selling paranormal Black Dagger Brotherhood series, but with The Bourbon Kings, which was selected as our August Romance Top Pick, she steps into the contemporary, drama-filled world of Kentucky high society.

The hilarious Ward began the interview promising “No f-bombs, no cursing.” She made it seven minutes before breaking that promise.  

Tell us a bit about your new series.
I’m from Boston and New York, and I married a Southern gentleman. The textbook way of dealing with a marriage is you actually have to live with the guy that you walk down the aisle with. So when he turned to me and said, “I no longer know what I’m doing in New England,” I said, “I am not moving to Kentucky.” And we all know how that went, because if I hadn’t have moved down here I wouldn’t have written The Bourbon Kings.

They have this adage for authors that you should write what you know, and that actually didn’t work with the vampire series, because I haven’t met any vampires. But it did work very well with The Bourbon Kings. I think that one of the things that makes books interesting, aside from good conflict, is a regional vocabulary and world-building that is at once unique and captivating, something that’s sort of out of the ordinary. And I think that Southern culture and the Southern lifestyle is a very specific regional character in and of itself. I feel like the South is its own character; it’s not like any other place in the United States. 

When I first pitched the idea about five years ago, my publisher said that people love the South. They’re fascinated by it. I think there are more expectations for behavior down here; it’s not the Regency ton, but there are certain expectations that can create conflict between characters. So between me moving down here and spending 10 years in the South—really immersing myself in that culture because that’s where I live now—and recognizing that it offers some really interesting territory to explore as an author, that’s where I really came to the character of the book itself.

As an expat Yankee, did you experience any culture shock when you moved down here?
(Facial expressions galore.) No not at all. [It was a] seamless transition that made me realize that I have always been Southern my entire life. I’m a born and bred Bostonian-New Yorker. And I think my heart's always going to be up there, my hard-wiring is always going to be up there. I’m one of those annoying little people that’s always working, and I can remember dating my husband, and he’d sort of stroll down the street and I’d be power-walking. But he slowed me down, and I love living down here. I love college basketball, I love being able to have a great yard for my dog and my kid, and frankly I love the weather. I can remember moving down here and the tornado sirens going off in September, and we’re in the basement for the third night in a row. I look at my husband, and I’m like, “I’m from Boston, I don’t do this!” But now, 10 years on, I love big storms. I love that there are four seasons—Winter doesn’t last from October to May. I get back to New York for work a lot, but I love the South now.

After writing paranormal romance for so long, what inspired this new series to be in a contemporary setting?
My mentor is [best-selling mystery author] Sue Grafton, and she—Oh! I can actually curse! And it’s legal because she said it! So she said, "If you’re not scaring the shit out of yourself, you’re not working hard enough." The lawyer in me is thrilled that I found a loophole.

I love writing the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And as long as they keep talking to me, God willing, I am still going to write them. I have six books planned out at this point. But I think that it’s important that you keep challenging yourself and scaring yourself. It’s really important that you don’t go stale. And I love “Dynasty.” In case you haven’t noticed, I kind of want to be Alexis Carrington Colby?

So I love watching “Dynasty,” but I also watch the market very carefully. And it’s not that I write to the market, but I want to know what people want to read. This is a job for me. I love what I do, but I also want to publish at a really high level. So the question is, with the stuff that spits out of my brain, what are the nexuses, what are the connections, to popular culture. What are you watching on TV, what are you reading about in books and magazines—besides the freakin’ Kardashians, who I am so tired of.

But anyway, I did think it was important to try and do something else, to do something different. So when the Fallen Angels series came to its conclusion, I went to my publisher and I said I had this idea: It’s “Dynasty,” it’s “Dallas” and “Knots Landing,” it’s "Downton Abbey" in the New South—and she said, “Don’t use the word family saga or no one will ever buy it.” But she said, “Write the outline, show me what you got.” And I wrote it and she said it was really good, and I thought, “Thank God.” They bought three books, and you’ll notice the connections between it and the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Both of them have core groups of people instead of just one couple or even just one family. I love exploring an entire community, and I love exploring different dynamics in a community, people’s lives and how they interact.

So I wanted to be Alexis and this is as close as I can get.

                               

What do you think will appeal most to Black Dagger Brotherhood series readers about The Bourbon Kings?
There is banging. There might be some. 

I think what you’re also going to find is really good conflict. Aside from the fact that there are romantic elements, the single thing I love best about the Black Dagger Brotherhood series is the “what’s next” factor. And I think The Bourbon Kings has that as well. I think real life is a lot like that. You always want to know what’s going to happen next.  Hopefully, that—well I don’t want to say addicting quality because that makes me sound like a crack dealer—but I mean that people will be invested enough in your stories to come back for more.

With all the luxurious details about the palatial family estate of Easterly, the beautiful gowns, and the upstairs/downstairs dynamic, this novel almost feels historical, like "Downton Abbey." Just like with a historical novel, I felt that you must have been doing some digging into Southern culture. What sort of research did you do for The Bourbon Kings?
I didn’t do a lot of research. My husband comes from a very old Southern family. And the South is full of characters. The difference between the South and the North is that Southern people actually like eccentric folk, and Northerners want to sort of iron us all out and make us all smooth and put us in boxes. And Southerners are like, “Oh they’re crazy! Fantastic!” So people have been really kind to me. Because I’m nuts.

There’s one thing that was very different [about writing The Bourbon Kings]. [With] the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, all those people were in my head, fully formed from the beginning. No people in real life influenced them at all. But I found that with The Bourbon Kings, there are some Southern characters that I have met that are such caricatures of themselves, that they’re in The Bourbon Kings. Lizzie and Greta are both based on two of my really good friends; Samuel T. Lodge is based on one of my husband’s hunting buddies; one of my poker player friends is the Master Distiller, just because they’re such evocative people. And that’s a departure for me. They’re not exact, they’re sort of broadly representative of these people, because they’re just so fascinating, just wonderful characters. So I didn’t do a lot of research; I just lived here for 10 years.

I was struck by the world-building of the estate of Easterly—and Easterly is another world. You’re known for your detailed world-building in paranormal romances, and I was wondering how the writing process differed for The Bourbon Kings?
It really didn’t. Other than being at a cocktail party and being like, “You’re going in the book.” There are some grand Southern estates that still exist, that have [a huge] number of people working in them. And you’re right, it is almost historical. You go into these homes and see the lifestyles. There almost isn’t a place in modern life for it anymore. The idea that your needs are so completely catered to by other people, and that you’re experiencing your own home as a hotel that has waves of gardeners and rules for what door [workers] can go out. It’s so captivating because you think to yourself, “This can’t exist anymore.” I find it charming, I find it slightly frightening and naïve, but most of all I find it captivating. The idea that modern life has very few rules anymore in terms of who you can marry, who you can be with, who you can associate with, what you wear—and there’s a certain stratosphere that those rules that existed a hundred years ago are still in place. And God save you if you violate them. So I kind of wanted to bring that forward.

Without spoiling any plot elements, I can say that there are some elements of mystery in this series, which is new for you.  What was it like building in an overarching mystery?
Have you ever been in an out of control car? I have, not once but several times, and I drive the way I write, which is not good. I have no control over anything. What happens is, when I start to write, the pictures in my head start going, and if I try to tweak them in any way, they stop. And I am a bona-fide blonde. I’m not that bright. I am not capable of thinking these stories up, so I step back and let them do what they’re going to do. And my job is to record what I’m seeing on the page. I go with what I’m shown. I don’t have any conscious thought of introducing anything into the series. When I outline the book, I need to know where I’m going. A lot of thought goes into the outlining process, but it’s just a function of putting into some chronology that is logical that which I’m being shown in my head.

I love bourbon, so I have to ask. Do you have a favorite bourbon drink?
I don’t drink alcohol. And isn’t that a relief—can you imagine this shit drunk?

RELATED CONTENT: Read our review of The Bourbon Kings.

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This interview has been edited for length and content. 
(Author photo by Andrew Hyslop)

There’s no better time for romance than the holidays! Celebrate the season with A Knights Bridge Christmas by Carla Neggers, the story of a harried doctor and the woman who helps him slow down and enjoy life—and decorate his grandmother's home for Christmas. In a 7 Questions interview, we asked Neggers about libraries, small towns and her own holiday traditions. 

Describe your book in one sentence.
In A Knights Bridge Christmas, a busy ER doctor enlists a young widow to help him decorate his grandmother’s house for Christmas in her small New England hometown, and the hope, love and memories they discover are more than either ever imagined.

How do you toggle between writing the charming romances of your Swift River Valley series and your romantic suspense novels?
I love writing these two series! I hear from readers who enjoy diving into both worlds, and I feel the same as a writer. The small town of Knights Bridge in the Swift River Valley series and the small FBI unit and community in the Sharpe and Donovan series feature characters tested in different ways, but the issues of trust, love, family and hope they face aren’t all that different. I often think of beloved author Mary Stewart, who reportedly eschewed labels for her writing and once said, “'Storyteller' is an old and honorable title, and I’d like to lay claim to it.”

How did you settle on the career of librarian for Clare Morgan, the heroine of A Knights Bridge Christmas?
Knights Bridge needed a new librarian after Phoebe O’Dunn, who grew up in town, resigned when she became engaged to Noah Kendrick, a Southern California billionaire. As much as she loved her job, she’s embracing a new life. Clare was perfect for the job! She wanted a fresh start for herself and her young son, and the people of Knights Bridge have welcomed her, giving her space but also keeping a protective eye on her.

What’s your favorite thing about the relationship between Clare and ER doctor Logan?
The chemistry between Clare and Logan! It’s unmistakable from the start, but the spirit of the Christmas season, the small-town traditions of Knights Bridge and the old house Clare and Logan are decorating—filled with reminders of his grandparents’ long marriage—all play into their relationship. Logan is the type to move fast and push hard, but his grandparents’ hometown and its new librarian force him to slow down and take care of what truly matters.

You grew up in rural Massachusetts. Do you draw from your own experiences when writing about the small New England town of Knights Bridge?
Oh, yes. Knights Bridge is fictional, but the area where it’s located is real. Our family homestead is on the edge of Quabbin Reservoir, a huge pre-World War II project that changed this part of New England forever. As a kid, I’d climb a tree with pad and pen and look out at the Quabbin “accidental wilderness,” as I wrote, imagining the lives of the people who’d lived in the small towns razed to create the reservoir. I also spent countless hours in my hometown library, which is the inspiration for the Knights Bridge library—including the rumors that it’s haunted.

What’s your favorite thing about the holiday season?
Christmas carols! I’m especially fond of the traditional carols like “Joy to the World,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” Every Christmas Eve, we listen to “Nine Lessons and Carols” from England on the radio. For me, the Christmas season connects the joys of the past and the hope of the future through our traditions and celebrations. Carols are one of those traditions. Not that I can sing, mind you.

Do you have any holiday traditions you’re looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to our annual Christmas Eve tea. It’s a tradition that started out of necessity given varying family schedules. This year, we’re adjusting the menu because our 6-year-old grandson has been diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that means he can’t consume any gluten. I am learning how to make creme brule, which is naturally gluten-free. A new twist on our Christmas tea tradition!

Author photo by Julie Ireland