When an author I love tells me I have to meet an author friend of theirs and that I would love the author’s books, I have a tendency to listen and react.  And when Kathryn Nolan told me Mel Walker needed to part of Charm City Romanticon, and I need to add his entire backlist to my tbr, you bet your butt I responded immediately. It’s one of the most amazing thing about this community—authors supporting authors with genuine care, affection, and enthusiasm.

I always love reading the Q&A answers to see where my common connections come in with the authors, because there is always something. And right at the beginning, Mel captured my heart.

And based on my interactions with Mel so far, I absolutely cannot wait to meet him at Charm City Romanticon 2025. I can’t wait to hear what readers have to say about the books Mel writes that they love.

I love a steamy, angsty, intense love story. I love when authors dig deep and bring all the feel, all the squeals, and all the reality of relationships to life. I love when they intertwine characters’ lives with their love stories and create intricate relationships that grow and flourish. And that’s just a few of the reasons I love Megyn Ward’s novels.

And whether you’re new to Megyn and her stories, or have devoured everything she’s written, this Q&A is fantastic way to get to know her better as an author and the spectacular human she is.

I learn something new every single time I read one of these amazing Q&As. Quite often I learn several new things about these wonderful authors I’ve gotten to know over the past several years. Maryann Jordan is no different. I already know she is one of the kindest, most supportive humans in the authorsphere. I know she writes amazing military and romantic suspense novels with swoony heroes and incredible HEAs. I had no idea she started as a blogger. I love that she enjoys ice cream cake, because indulgence is important. I did not expect her to be a mafia or MC romance fan, and now I have more things to pick her brain about when it comes to finding new books or series to read (once I devour her backlist). And I definitely got teary-eyed when she wrote about her mother and her husband and their support of her career and author journey.

I’ve been very fortunate to be in the room with Maryann on multiple occasions. Her unwavering support of Charm City Romanticon, and her willingness and joy in interacting with readers and other authors, is inspiring and encouraging. I count myself very very lucky to be part of her circle, and I cannot wait to see her again at CCR2025.

I will never get over how may authors I have read who I would never even know about if other authors hadn’t bragged about them. Authors are readers, too. And when they love a book, they share it and brag about it to their readers. And since I know I already love that author’s books, I grab the book they’re recommending. That’s how I found Lyndsey Gallagher. After both Avery Maxwell and Sara Madderson recommended Lyndsey’s novel The Christmas Crush, I dove right in. Best decision ever. Not only is it a fantastic story, it had me adding Lyndsey’s entire backlist to my TBR.

And if I didn’t already know her and love her and her books, reading the answer to her first Q&A question would have had me reaching for her debut novel.

That’s honestly why I have been loving these Q&A posts. The questions really don’t change, but the answers couldn’t be more diverse and wonderful.

And in April of 2025, I’ll get to meet Lyndsey and hug the frack out of her. She mentions in her Q&A how social media has brought her together with so many amazing people, and I 100% echo those sentiments. I cannot imagine how different my life would be without the amazing people I have found through the on-line book world.

There are still days I wake up wondering, “How is this my life?” Because as an avid reader, my entire life has been spent looking up to and idolizing the authors whose books I love. And it still boggles my mind that I communicate with my favorite authors weekly, sometimes daily. That I’ve had a chance to meet, hug, chat with, and form solid friendships with the extraordinarily talented writers who pen my favorite words, create my favorite characters, and gift the world with my favorite stories. 

One such author is LJ Evans. I swear, if I were to go back into teaching and was allowed to teach elements of writing such as figurative language, artistic prose, authentic dialogue using romance novels, LJ’s would be among the top of the list. Not only do I always get lost in the stories and characters within the pages of LJ’s books, I get lost in language—pulled into emotional connections created within and because of the artistry of her words. 

I loved reading through LJ’s Spotlight Q&A answers. Her willingness to share her life in her group and with us brings me so much joy, and I hope it encourages you to check out everything she’s written.

The support system created around self-publishing is vast and encouraging and wonderful in its uplifting efforts. How cool is it to watch a reader friend go from “I wish I could do that” to “I’m a published author”!

And no industry does it better than the indie romance community. So when I read Jay Fields’s answer to my first Q&A question, I got chills- the best kind, the happy kind! Moving the needle on a dream can be terrifying, but having the encouragement of someone already doing it is often the push most people need. It’s that unique blend of “I believe in you” and “You are worthy of this endeavor” that often makes the impossible possible. And for aspiring and new authors, that support is priceless.

Read more about Jay's journey from reader to author in her CCR Q&A.

I firmly believe there are people in your life you were 100% destined to meet and vibe with. H.L. Brooks is one of those people for me. We met through an event she runs with fellow author Cardyn Brooks—The Write Women Book Fest—and I immediately felt a genuine connection with both H.L. and Cardyn. After volunteering for their 2023 event, H.L. returned the favor and volunteered for Charm City Romanticon 2024. Between then, we chatted on-line, got together for lunch, and found ways to support each of our events through collaborations and cross-promotion.

What really drew me to H.L. is her joy for writing and making solid, valuable connections. Her smile is contagious, her humor is infectious, and her talking points are always engaging. She carries such an amazing wealth of knowledge and experience to every interaction, and besides being an amazing event organizer, she’s also a stellar human. 

When she wrote a novel inspired by her time at CCR2024 I did a legit happy girl squee and jumped for joy. Because how cool is that!?! And now she’s scheduled to be a signing author at CCR2025. I learned so much about her from this Q&A, and I can’t wait to dive into her latest romance novel and see where her journey takes her next.

When I went through a bit of a health crisis that could pretty easily be tied to my more, ummm, mature age, I wound up in the hospital for nearly a week contemplating the joys of getting older and the systems in our bodies that start to act up because of it. And of course, I spent my time reading. Because, well, books are my happy place. And I started thinking about all of the amazing young female characters and how they have no idea what’s in store for them as they get older.

Then I started getting a little fussy, because, well, hospital, and I started to realize that while I truly enjoyed reading about all of the amazing 20-somethings in the novels I loved, I wanted to find some heroines closer to my age. So, I put out a call to the hive mind on FB, and one name popped up over and over again: Freya Barker.

Besides being an amazing author, she is an incredible human. She gives wonderful hugs, she is incredibly supportive of everyone in romance novel industry, she is beyond generous with her time and her books, and she is always available with a smile and kind words when you need them. I learned so much about her as an author from this Q&A and it’s just confirmed what I already believed: Romancelandia is a better place because Freya is part of it.

I think most readers are familiar with authors who write under multiple pen names. But when I first started reading Romance novels, the concept of multiple authors writing under one pen name was pretty new to me. There are several in the industry, and I’ve been incredible fortunate to get to know one of these remarkable pairs pretty well.

When I first met Elle and Rochelle, I was struck by how close they are as friends. I mean, I guess you would have to be pretty close to write cohesive novels together. And they do an amazing job of doing just that. They’re the creative brains behind over 150 stories as Fiona Davenport, and nearly another 150 individually as Elle Christensen and Rochelle Paige. And boy do they run the gamut of romantic subgenres. Look for paranormal? They got it. Rockstars? Yep. Military romance? Absolutely. Sports romance? Hell, yeah. So many HEAs!

And beyond writing, they’re really spectacular humans. They instantly put everyone they meet at ease, happy to chat about everything from kids to pets to travel to books… you name it. They have such a wealth of knowledge between them. And it’s fascinating to watch them play off of each other and pull everyone around them into their orbit.

Winter holidays are novella season for me. I know, odd intro to a blog post, but hear me out. It’s September. Schools are back in session, leaves are starting to think about turning, authors who aren’t writing holiday-themed books are busting butt to publish before Halloween… because once Halloween hits, Romancelandia turns into a sparkly wonderland of winter books. And I love it!

That joy for holiday stories is how I found Ember Davis—see… told you to stay with me—and I look forward to her holiday novellas every year.

Ember is an absolute goddess when it comes to spicy, heartfelt novellas, but she’s also a goddess at writing strong, alpha heroes who give their all to take care of their HEAs.

And Ember’s stories span the romance genre with everything from small-town, to protector, to mafia, to motorcycle club, to rockstars, to dark, to… yep, you get the picture. Ember is an incredible versatile author, and one thing her stories all have in common is that incredible HEA. So, really, no matter what you like to read, you’re definitely sure to find it in Ember’s backlist.

One of the most amazing things about being part of the Romancelandia community is meeting so many wonderful authors and hearing their stories of how they started writing. Some have been writing for decades. Others recognize their writing careers in terms of months. But regardless of how long they’ve been writing, the subgenres they focus their writing on, or the number of books they’ve published, the friendships and connections overlap and interweave into a beautiful tapestry of support and camaraderie.

I first “met” Elizabella through the Protector Romance Reader Group on Facebook. We connected because we had several mutual friends in common and after watching her chat about her books live in the group, I started following her and added her books to my TBR. Because, if you know me even a little bit, you know I absolutely love protector romances.

Have I mentioned before that I tend to turtle in social situations, especially when they include larger-than-life authors I admire? When a local chapter of a romance writers’ organization asked me to participate in a panel about signings and author events, I was honored, excited, and a bit nervous. Then I found out Dylan Allen was also going to be on the panel. THE DYLAN ALLEN! And I freaked the frack out.

The afternoon of the panel meeting, I did all the things to prep, got in my car and drove to the pre-event dinner location, and freaked out a bit more. I convinced myself to play it cool. I could do this. I went in, sat with the others at the table, ordered a drink, and then tried not to freak out when Dylan walked in. And sat next to me.

And put me completely at ease.

Holy crap! How do some people do that?!?

I am an absolute moth to the flame for a great narrator. Over the past couple of years I’ve gotten a bit picky about who I listen to. I have my favorites, and I do tend to stick to them. I love finding new favorites and working them into my audiobook rotation too. Some I find by accidentally, others through books I audioproof, and still others wind their way onto my radar because readers and authors just will not shut up about them.

That last one definitely applies to Darren Eliker.

I fully admit to glee-squealing in dog decibels and doing a happy dance in my office when Darren accepted our invite to CCR2025. Having both him and Suanne there will be truly wonderful and I cannot wait to meet him.

Darren has a rich and varied background in acting and voiceover work, and he truly knows how to bring a story to life. I loved learning more about him through this Q&A, and I hope you will to.

Sometimes a message drops into your DMs when you least expect it and it’s exactly what you need. Sometimes it’s an inspirational meme, or a hilarious gif or reel. But sometimes it’s just someone popping in to say: “Good morning, Beautiful! I hope you have an amazing week!” It’s simple. Just a good morning and a wish for a good week. But it’s so much more than that. Ten words, and suddenly you feel seen and valued. D.D. Lorenzo has been sending me little notes like that since we met. Not every day, but she seems to know exactly which days I need a little pick-me-up.

D.D.’s backlist is growing steadily after she took time off writing for a few years following a personal tragedy. Read on to learn more about her, then go grab her backlist and dive right in.

Sometimes I look back into my brain to try and remember how I know someone, and my brain says, “Girl, who knows, it’s been so many years.” And then I think, no, it hasn’t, because I’ve only been part of the Romancelandia community for four years. But damn, it really feels like I’ve known this person forever. That’s kinda what my brain is doing with CM Smith. I know we connected through mutual friends when she was publishing her debut novel, but I feel like we were connected before then too. Because that’s what happens when you just have such a fun, solid connection with someone.

I don’t usually tear up when I read these Q&As, but Charissa has a habit of making me do that and I should have known better.

I can never pick a favorite author (it’s kinda like picking a favorite child), but just like my elderspawn gets the credit for making me a mom, Charissa kinda gets the credit for making me an editor. And yeah, that is something I am forever grateful for and earns her a seriously special place in my heart.

Let me explain: (read the full post for more)….

Some authors are like two authors in one. They write completely different subgenres of romance under different names, and I find that absolutely fascinating. It’s a wonderful strategy to keep reader confusion limited, and it really allows them to develop each writing style and personality free from the expectations of the other. Cecelia Mecca does that brilliantly, writing steamy historical romance as Cecelia, PNR as C.L. Mecca, and contemporary romance as Bella Michaels. I loved reading her Q&A responses and learning a bit more about her.

I’ve been finding so many shared experiences through these Q&A blog posts, and Avery hit a common life experience right off the bat. Homeschooling during covid and beginning her journey as an author because of it. Ok, in all fairness, I had been homeschooling for years before then, but the experience during the Rona is what put me on my current path in life. Nope, I’m not an author, but I joined the Romancelandia community during lockdown, and it absolutely changed my life.

I’ve gotten to know Avery pretty well over the past several years, and even I learned some cool stuff from her Q&A. If you haven’t read her books yet, I definitely recommend them. I’ve read them all, most more than once. She’s got perfect dive-in spots for you below, along with other fun and interesting info about herself and her books. I can’t wait to see her again and am so excited she’s joining us for Charm City Romanticon in 2025.

What happens when an ambivert goes to two very different book signings in a month? She has two very different, but very good, experiences, and comes home with lots of things to reflect on. 

Connecting with authors is a huge deal for me when I’m trying to pick a new-to-me author to read. I want to know what they write, sure, but I also like to know where they’re from, what shared experiences or hobbies we may have—what’s going to draw me into their stories and capture my attention and heart. That’s why I love these Q&As. (And yes, it was absolutely the tea comment in her This & That section below that made me smile the brightest). Not only do they give me some insight into who the authors are, why they write, etc, but the part I really love is finding out where their heart lies within their stories. Which ones they return to over and over as recommendations for readers and wonderful memories of the stories they’ve gifted us.

This week’s Q&A is with the wonderful Annie Dyer. I am currently prepping for a serious series binge of her books. I’ve heard and read so many incredible things about them and I cannot wait to dive in!

Here’s some insight into Annie, her books, and why I know once I dive in, I will be a truly smitten kitten.