One thing I love about living in Japan is how much the culture embraces cuteness. A little joy to encounter every time you leave the house. Even the garbage trucks play a jingle! Yes, I was disappointed the first time when I was expecting ice cream, but once I got over it I found I appreciate the heads up to put the garbage out if I haven't already. Seriously useful early warning system.

I ran into this little cutie at a mall yesterday. It was so fun to watch everyone's reaction to the mascot (Yuru-kyara), named Shisa, from Chiikawa, which started as a web manga series, and has since been adapted for TV.

Did I buy some merch from the pop-up store? Of course I did. Some for me, some will be gifts, and some will be part of an Okinawa pack I'm putting together for Romancing the Vote this summer. 😍

Stay tuned for details!

It's Buy More Save More time at Kobo!

Right now at Kobo you can get 3 books for $10 (UK £8)

My books in the sale are:

Click on the links below to shop the sale in your region:

NZ https://kobo.com/p/april-buy-more-save-more-nz​

AU https://kobo.com/p/april-buy-more-save-more-au​

UK https://kobo.com/p/april-buy-more-save-more-uk​

US https://kobo.com/p/april-buy-more-save-more-us​

CA https://kobo.com/p/april-buy-more-save-more-ca​

The 3 For $10 Sale at Kobo ends on April 30th

Backlist Spotlight

INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE is beloved by readers who often tell me it's their favorite in the series and their favorite hero. (Dimitri in POISON EVIDENCE is a close second.) This book holds a special place in my heart because I wrote it from beginning to end...twice.

Yes, I wrote a 100k word book with Alec and Isabel in Alaska, and there was a lot I liked about it, but I knew it wasn't right. So several months after I finished that first draft, I took my family to Alaska for a week to research the setting. It was a fantastic trip that included time in Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali National Park, and several tiny towns in the middle of nowhere.

I returned from Alaska with a new understanding of the setting--which longtime readers know is often a character in my books--and started revising. About two days into revisions, I realized I needed to start over and tossed most of the 100k words I had written the year before. I wrote a new story that had the same premise and characters, and in places was able to grab scenes from the original draft, but even those scenes ended up changing significantly as the dynamic between Alec and Isabel had changed. Some lines of dialogue remained the same, but even those held a different tension. And I LOVED it. It was everything I'd been hoping for when I first set out to write an enemies-to-lovers story.

Books 3, 3.5, 4, and 5 in the series were written out of order. I wrote INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE (#4) immediately following BODY OF EVIDENCE (#2). Then I wrote COVERT EVIDENCE (#5). Then I realized I could insert a novella to introduce Cressida and the file cabinet that plays an important role in COVERT and wrote WITHHOLDING EVIDENCE (#3). Then I rewrote COVERT...and then I went to Alaska and rewrote INCRIMINATING. Five years after that, I wrote NIGHT OWL: A steamy prequel to INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE (#3.5, which is available for purchase in audiobook, or in the Evidence Series Box Set Vol. 1).

Readers' love for INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE is immensely satisfying after my struggle to write it, and the trip to Alaska with my family is one I will always treasure.

From enemies to allies…​
When archaeologist Isabel Dawson stumbles upon an unconscious man deep in the Alaskan wilderness, her survival skills are put to the test. She tends his wounds and drags him to shelter, only to discover she’s saved the life of Raptor CEO Alec Ravissant—the man who may have covered up her brother’s murder to save his senatorial campaign.
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With no memory of the assault that landed him five miles deep in the forest, Alec doesn’t know what to believe when he wakes in the clutches of the beautiful redhead who blames him for her brother’s death, but he quickly realizes he needs her help to uncover the truth about his lost hours.
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Isabel never imagined she’d find herself allied with Alec, and he’s the last man she ever expected to find attractive. But the former Army Ranger-turned-politician proves seductively charming, and he’s determined to win much more than her vote. When their quest for answers puts Isabel in the crosshairs, Alec must risk everything—his company, his campaign, and his life—to protect her.

Free Audiobook Download

This month's freebie is from one of my favorite authors AND favorite people. 😍

Click on the cover to download RUTHLESS CROSS by Barbara Freethy

FBI Agent Flynn MacKenzie must infiltrate the glittering art world he once fled in order to avenge his mentor's murder and protect a woman whose secrets could destroy them both.

Happy reading!