I hope this makes your Monday a bit brighter.

Defiant, the third book in the MacKinnon’s Rangers series, is out today in audiobook format narrated by the extremely talented and award-winning Kaleo Griffith. Now the entire series is available.

Defiant, like Surrender back in 2007, was a RITA finalist this year. The RITA Awards are the highest honor bestowed on romance novels by the industry. I was thrilled that this book, which came close to never being written, received such an honor. Now audiobook fans can enjoy it, too.

Working with Kaleo on this series was different than working on the I-Team series. For one, we know each other pretty well by now. But also, these books are drawn more from my inner history geek and historical romance lover, while the I-Team series books are based more on things I saw and did as an investigative reporter.

When he came to the RWA conference in Atlanta, he was in the middle of recording this book and told me he thought it was going to be his favorite. And it is.

I hope you enjoy the hard work that both he and I put into these 14-plus hours of listening. Click here for a sound sample.

This is the last chance for those of you with Obsessive Kaleo Disorder — also known as OKD — to get a fix from my books for a while. (He has done other romance titles and other non-romance books, so be sure to peruse Tantor Audio’s catalogue to see his other projects.)

Here are the links for Defiant:

Audible: http://bit.ly/1bQoCQA
Tantor: http://bit.ly/14zdylZ
iTunes: http://bit.ly/12E3Jp6

Now to celebrate!

What are the prizes? I’ve set aside two copies each of Surrender, Untamed and Defiant. Each prize-winner will win one of those copies.

How do you enter? It’s easy! Just comment and leave your email address below before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, and tell me which lines of Surrender, Untamed or Defiant you’re most excited to hear Kaleo perform, and you’ll be entered to win one of six copies. If you haven’t read any of the books from the MacKinnon’s Rangers series, you can enter by telling me how you first heard about it. I’ll draw the names of winners using a contest randomizer and post the winners on this blog on Sunday, Aug. 31.

Remember to leave your contact info! If you don’t claim your prize, it will end up going to someone else.

In case you missed them, here are the links for the other two audiobooks in the series:

Surrender — 
Audible: http://bit.ly/1d3d8fN
Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/17Mk2Vh
iTunes:  http://bit.ly/17HV58I

Untamed —
Audible: http://bit.ly/16GbQBe 
Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/16GbWZs 
iTunes:  http://bit.ly/1cHJjRY

Upcoming posts:
Cover reveal for First Strike: The Erotic Prequel to Striking Distance
Striking Distance excerpts and outtakes
I-Team games

The wait is over, and the MacKinnon’s Rangers audiobooks are back on track!

As those of you who follow me on Facebook know, Surrender (MacKinnon’s Rangers #1) was released in July only for those of us who listened to it right away to realize that something had gone wrong. There were so many editing errors in the audiobook that the listening experience was compromised.

Tantor Audio, which has released all of my audiobooks, immediately withdrew Surrender from the market, corrected the mistakes, and reissued it. But it took ages for the audiobook to be redistributed through all of the channels where it had been for sale for a short time.

Today, Surrender is finally back on Audible.com! Those of you who downloaded it right away from either Tantor Audio or Audible.com ought to be able to get the new, corrected version simply by contacting customer service.

In the meantime, of course, Untamed was released, but a lot of people held off from getting it because they were still waiting for Surrender. Now, both books are out and available on Audible, on Tantor’s website and on iTunes.

Here are the links for Surrender:

Audible: http://bit.ly/1d3d8fN
Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/17Mk2Vh
iTunes: http://bit.ly/17HV58I

Here are the links for Untamed:

Audible: http://bit.ly/16GbQBe 
Tantor: http://bit.ly/16GbWZs 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1cHJjRY

And this leaves us a mere six days away from the audiobook release of Defiant, the third book in the series and a RITA finalist for Best Historical this year. Click here for a sound sample.

Defiant is narrated by Kaleo Griffith, who has lent his tremendous talents to all of my audiobooks thus far. At more than 14 hours in length, it tells the story of Connor MacKinnon, the youngest MacKinnon brother, and Lady Sarah, the niece of Connor’ most hated enemy — Lord William.  

Kaleo told me he really enjoyed voicing the series and that Defiant is his favorite. I can never choose a favorite. I love each of them for different reasons. Besides, asking an author to pick a favorite book is like asking her to choose her favorite child. It just doesn’t work.

If you want to pre-order Defiant, here are its links: 

Audible: http://bit.ly/1bQoCQA
Tantor: http://bit.ly/14zdylZ

It’s not available on iTunes yet but will be on release day.

After this, I have no scheduled audiobook releases until Striking Distance (I-Team #6) in November. Those of you with bad cases of OKD — that’s Obsessive Kaleo Disorder — are going to have a bit of a wait for your next fix!

Have a great day, everyone! See you again soon.

A year ago I wouldn’t have imagined that both my I-Team series and MacKinnon’s Rangers series would be available in audiobook. I also wouldn’t have imagined that I would get such a fantastic actor and voice artist to voice both series, someone who would become a close friend. But that’s how it is.

Sometimes, life can be as exciting as fiction!

Surrender (MacKinnon’s Ranger #1) is out today on audiobook. The series is being voiced by Kaleo Griffith, who also narrated the I-Team series. I’ve only listened to about half of the prologue — I’m busy getting ready to leave for Atlanta and still doing copy edits on Striking Distance today — but I loved what I heard, letting out a squeeeeal when I heard his take on Iain MacKinnon.

Here are the links:

Tantor Audio: http://bit.ly/17Mk2VH
Audible.com: http://bit.ly10UYkJF
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1anMLxr

To celebrate the release, the wonderful women at AudioGals did a big interview with me — one of the best interviews I’ve ever participated in. They asked lots of questions about why I love historical romance, how I do research and what inspired this series.

AudioGals are also doing a big audiobook giveaway thanks to the wonderful folks at Tantor Audio, which puts out my audiobooks. They’re giving away two SETS of the MacKinnon’s Rangers series on either CD or MP3 disk. So get over there and enter quickly for your chance to win.

Untamed will be available in audiobook format on August 12, while Defiant will be out on August 26.

Very exciting for me! I’ve been an audiobook lover from the days of the first Harry Potter book, so to have my own stories available in this format is a thrill.

Thanks, AudioGals! Thanks, Tantor! And thanks to you, too, Kaleo, for breathing life into my stories!

Now back to copy edits and packing for Atlanta! I’ll be meeting members of the Facebook I-Team group on Saturday for the first-ever I-Team group party, which Kaleo will be attending, too. Can’t wait to meet him and all my I-Team friends in person!

June is National Audiobook Month, and to celebrate AudioGals and Tantor Audio put together some fun events for romance listeners.

The first went live today. It’s an audio interview with me, Julie James, Anne Stuart and Jennifer Ashley talking about what it’s like to have our books published in audiobook format and what that process entails for us.

You can listen to that interview or download it by clicking here.

For those of you new audiobooks, Tantor has all of its titles in all of its formats priced at half off this month.



The next fun event will be an interview of me and actor/voice artist Kaleo Griffith, who very sexily narrates the I-Team series, talking about our collaboration on these books as well as the soon-to-be-released MacKinnon’s Rangers series, which Kaleo is currently recording.  (He must have boundless energy because he’s also in the midst of filming a movie.)

Don’t forget about the big RWA “Readers For Life” Literacy signing in Atlanta on July 17. I’ll be there. And on July 20, I’ll be having some kind of reader/listener get-together in Atlanta. All fans of the I-Team and MacKinnon’s Rangers are welcome to come and meet me and Kaleo, who will be there also. Some of you emailed me to let me know you wanted to be kept abreast of our plans. I’ve got your emails and will be in touch.

In other news:  I turned in a 467-page manuscript to New York this morning for Striking Distance, (I-Team #6). I still have the last chapter and the epilogue to write, but the bulk of the book is behind me — and closer to being in your hands. The released date is November 5. Mark your calendars!

I can’t believe I’m almost done with this book! I’m very excited to share it with you.

It has been a very long time since I’ve updated my blog. I would apologize except that I’m pretty sure you’d rather have me working on Striking Distance (I-Team 6) than blog posts. Just a guess, but I’m pretty sure I’m right about that!

The good news is that Striking Distance is moving along, slowly but surely, and I’m doing all I can to meet my May 31 deadline so that you’ll have the book by November.

I’ve also been busy shopping for a gown to wear to the 2013 RITA Awards, where Defiant (MacKinnon’s Rangers 3) is a finalist. I’ve never had any fashion sense or skill with this sort of thing, so I expect I’ll end up looking like Björk or something.

In the meantime, Nate and Megan have made it onto audiobook.  Their novella, Skin Deep, is now available on Audible.com, on iTunes and on Tantor Audio’s website.

I’ve had time to listen to only about half of it so far, and having Kaleo Griffith bringing these characters to life, some for the first time, some for the fourth or fifth time, is such a delight! Those of you who suffer from OKD — that’d Obsessive Kaleo Disorder — will get a fix here that will hopefully hold you over until November. I especially love his portrayal of old-time Colorado rancher Jack West, the former Army Ranger who happens to be Nate’s father. As Benjy joked as we listened in the car, “And now for the real romance of this story — the relationship between Jack and Emily.”


Of course, Jack is 63 and Emily is 4, but theirs is a love story of a different kind.

The audiobook includes the I-Team short, “Marc and Julian Make a Beer Run,” which I wrote in response to a joke that someone made on the I-Team Facebook group page. “I’d read anything you wrote about the I-Team heroes, even if it was just Marc and Julian making a beer run.’

Her words percolated in my imagination, and the result is hopefully something you will enjoy, written as a thank you to the I-Team Facebook group members, one of whom created the little e-card you see above here. Fun!



In other audiobook news, I do know for certain now that the MacKinnon’s Rangers series will begin its release in July with Surrender coming out on July 15 and Untamed and Defiant slated for release in August.

To celebrate the release of Skin Deep and the crazy “Beer Run,” I’m giving away one signed copy of the full CD set to a lucky winner. To enter, just post below and tell me what you love most about the I-Team series. And remember to leave your contact information so that I can reach you if you win! If you want to tweet about the audiobook or share your love of the I-Team on Facebook or Twitter, I’d be grateful, but it's not necessary.

Now back to Javier and Laura. Things are heating up for those two...

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for audiobook news her at Casa Clare.

As I announced on Facebook and mentioned here, Tantor Audio bought the rights to Skin Deep and “Marc and Julian Make a Beer Run.” The stories, which Kaleo Griffith has already finished recording, will be available on April 29 — just a few weeks away!

The email in my inbox from Kaleo telling me that he’d had fun bringing the characters to life hadn’t yet cooled when I heard from my editor at Penguin that Tantor had purchased the audiobook rights for the MacKinnon’s Rangers series — Surrender, Untamed and Defiant.

I’m not sure what the time frame is for voicing the series and release it, but Tantor moves quickly, so I don’t thing we’re in for an overly long wait.

Of course, readers and listeners began asking immediately whether Kaleo would be brought onboard to voice Iain, Morgan, Connor, Lord William and the Rangers. I don’t have the answer to that question yet. I do know, however, that Kaleo did voice a book that was done entirely in Scottish brogue, so clearly he has the accent down.

I guess we’ll wait with baited breath to see. As one listener said, “Kaleo gives great aural.” And, indeed, he does!

In the meantime, Skin Deep is already available for pre-order on Audible.com, Amazon, and soon iTunes, too, as well as Tantor Audio’s own website.

With the release of the MacKinnon’s Rangers series in audiobook, that leaves only one I-Team novella and three historicals that aren’t yet in audiobook, and I know Tantor has expressed some interest in the I-Team novella. Eventually perhaps those of you who prefer to listen to books will have everything I’ve written at your auditory beck and call.

I’m still busy working on Striking Distance. I’m halfway done with the story. The past couple of weeks derailed me a bit, but I’m doing all I can to get back on track this week. When I have a lot of interruptions — such as hearing that one of my books is a RITA finalist or writing and posting a long piece about sexual assault on Facebook, like I did last week (which got 23,000+ reads on my fan page alone) — it tends to break the thread of the story. I end up having to read from the beginning to get my mind back in the right groove again.

Have a great week, everyone!

And stay tuned for big news about a fan get-together in Atlanta in on July 19-20! Guess who’s joining me there to sign books and audiobooks? If you guess Kaleo, you’re right.

On Monday, Hard Evidence (I-Team #2) was released on audiobook by Tantor Audio, and I was too busy doing other things to celebrate the moment. So let’s make up for that now!

For readers who are new to the I-Team, Hard Evidence tells the story of undercover FBI operative Julian Darcangelo and Tessa Novak, the reporter who unintentionally comes close to blowing his cover. It’s a gritty book that deals with a difficult topic, one I investigated during my years as an investigative journalist.

Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:

After the murder of a teenage girl, a mysterious man in a black leather jacket was seen lurking near the crime scene. Investigative reporter Tessa Novak has him in her sights as the culprit…

 That man was Julian Darcangelo—an undercover FBI agent working with the Denver police. He’s closing in on the trail of a human trafficker and killer. Tessa’s accusations could blow his cover—and he wants her off the investigation.

But just as Tessa has made Julian a target of interest, she is now a target—of the killer. And as they are forced to trust each other, their physical attraction escalates as intensely as the threat from a ruthless murderer who wants to see both of them dead…

Readers familiar with the series know that Julian is a favorite. In fact, he is the only I-Team hero after whom multiple Kindles and iPads have been named. His name is also part of one reader’s tattoo. What makes him so special?

He’s a tortured alpha male, a man with a good heart who has taken a bad childhood, locked down his emotions, and used his knowledge of crime and his skill with fighting as a weapon.

I’ve always had a very soft spot for him. And that soft spot got softer after listening to talented actor and voice artist Kaleo Griffith narrate his lines in a deep, dark, silky voice for 11.5 hours. As one readers said (hi, Pat!), she’d listen to Kaleo narrate the phone book. He could probably make it sound sexy, too.

To celebrate the release of Hard Evidence, I’m giving away THREE copies of Extreme Exposure, the first book in the series.

All you have to do to be entered to win is to comment below AND leave a contact email address so that I can more easily reach winners. This contest will continue through Thanksgiving to Sunday.

I’ll draw winners on Monday morning.

In the meantime, Unlawful Contact is just around the corner with a Dec. 3 release date. I can’t wait to see what Kaleo will do with bad boy Marc Hunter!

Today is the day!

It’s the official release day for Extreme Exposure (I-Team Series Book 1)! There are a couple of celebrations going on hereabouts on the Interwebs. After all, the I-Team books have been at the top of reader polls for books they want to have in audiobook format.

Audiogals is having a big release-day event and giveaway. Two lucky entrants will win a set of the first THREE books in the series — that’s Extreme Exposure, Hard Evidence, and Unlawful Contact — in audiobook format. They’ve also posted fun interviews with me and with Kaleo Griffith, the actor who is voicing the series.

UndertheCovers is hosting an interview with Kaleo today. (I really want to read it, but every time I’ve tried to get on the site since last Friday — four times now — it has crashed my computer.)

And here on this blog we’re having our own party. Post your favorite line from Extreme Exposure for a chance to win a copy of the audiobook signed by me.  I’ll pick a winner on Friday.

Partying like this is going to become a bit of a regular thing around here for a while, as the remaining books in the series are coming out at two-week intervals through the end of the year. Here’s the release schedule:

Extreme Exposure — October 29
Hard Evidence — November 19
Unlawful Contact — November 26
Naked Edge — December 17
Breaking Point — December  31

At this point, the audiobooks don’t seem to be available internationally, but I hope they soon will be.

In the meantime, big thanks to Tantor Audio, Kaleo Griffith, Audio Gals, to all of you who voted for the I-Team series in AAR’s annual poll of books you wanted as audiobooks. You have made this all happen.

In the meantime, I want to let those of you who live along the East Coast know that I’m thinking of you. I hope this storm isn’t the disaster officials fear it is. I don’t want to see loss of human life or catastrophic loss of property/infrastructure. My thoughts and prayers are with you and with the members of the Coast Guard, who risk everything in such situations.

Stay safe!

Just one weekend to go, and Extreme Exposure (I-Team, Book 1) will be out in audiobook format. I cannot wait!

Tantor Audio is releasing the first five books between now and Dec. 31.  Here are the release dates and links:

Extreme Exposure — October 29
Hard Evidence — November 19
Unlawful Contact — November 26
Naked Edge — December 17
Breaking Point — December  31

The series is being voiced by Kaleo Griffith, a talented actor and voice artist. I just listened to an audio clip of Extreme Exposure and got to hear firsthand what he has put into his work on this series. I was so impressed!

I just got the link. Click here to listen!

For those of you who worry about male narrators voicing female characters rest assured there is no falsetto, no fake sounding girly voice. He does a great job of handling Kara — and then turns it around and does sultry, rough men’s voices, too.

An audio clip should be available soon on Tantor Audio’s website, so be sure to check it out!

Kaleo has really committed himself to bring this series alive for readers. He and I have spoken on the phone and exchanged emails, discussing the characters and the stories. It’s been really reassuring to me to know that he not only takes his job seriously, but is enjoying the series as well.

So how are we going to celebrate?

On Monday, a couple of wonderful blogs will be hosting interviews with me and Kaleo. Audio Gals is also going to be doing a giveaway of the audiobook — and sharing the audio clip.

Here on my blog we’ll celebrate the release with a giveaway contest: You tell me which line from Extreme Exposure you’re most excited to hear Kaleo voice for you, and one commenter will win a copy of the audiobook. This doesn’t start till Monday, so you have a bit of time to think about it and prepare.

In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you could help spread the word among I-Team and audiobook fans. Thanks!

And have a great weekend!

P.S. Sorry I haven’t been here much lately. I’ve been working on Striking Distance and just need the time to focus on that.

If you’ve been following my Facebook posts and tweets, you already know that the wonderful and talented people at Tantor Audio purchased the audiobook rights to the I-Team series from Penguin. As this is something I’ve wanted for a long time — I love audiobooks — I was delighted when I got the news.

Today, I learned that actor/voice actor Kaleo Griffith is going to be doing the voices for the series. I went straightaway to his Facebook fan page and “liked” him, then zipped off to listen to samples of other books he’s narrated.



He’s a very attractive man — he makes a very hot cowboy — and he has a warm, sexy voice, so I’m excited to see what he can do with the I-Team men and lines like this:

 “You need a man, Kara. A man you can open up to. A man whose passion for life matches yours. A man who grabs your hair in big fistfuls and twists and pulls it when he’s fucking you. A man willing to walk the wire for you.”

And this:

“When you tell your friends about this, be sure to tell them about the sucky-swirly thing. If you’re going to share details, you might as well be thorough.”

And this:

“It’s not so much where I want you, Sophie, as it is how. Nothing tastes quite like a woman, and no woman tastes like you.”

The company hasn’t yet purchased the rights to “Heaven Can’t Wait” or Skin Deep, and I’m not sure they will. But they’ve already bought the rights to Striking Distance. Which is just one reason I need to hurry up and finish with copy edits for Ride the Fire and get that book written!

Tantor already has a tentative publication schedule:

Extreme Exposure — October
Hard Evidence & Unlawful Contact — November
Naked Edge & Breaking Point — December

The company is putting me in touch with Kaleo to go over pronunciations. How, exactly, we’re going to manage the Navajo I’m not certain. But I am sure the experience will be fun.

Now, here’s something I didn’t know...

Apparently, some kind of reader vote was held either earlier this year or last year for the series readers most wanted to have released in audio format, and the I-Team series won. I knew nothing about this, but I want to say THANK YOU to the fans of this series who are so devoted to the characters and the books. YOU make all the difference!
 You can follow Kaleo on Twitter at @KaleoGriffith and Tantor Audio at @TantorAudio. Head over to their Facebook fan pages to give them a big “like.” If you love audiobooks, I suggest following @AudioGals on Twitter. They knew all of this before I did!

Now, if you’ll pardon me, I’m in the middle of the long-awaited epilogue for Ride the Fire, and then need to charge full-steam back into Striking Distance.

What lines from the I-Team series are you looking most forward to hearing Kaleo bring to life?