Mariposa's Musings

"All good things come to an end. It's been fun for everyone. Peace and hope are never gone. Love you all and say 'So long'." Verse from The End Bear's packaging When I received the email notice from Google stating that they were going to stop supporting certain blogging apps, I decided it might be a good time to reconsider my social media set-up. I write romance as Mariposa Cruz and women's fiction as Susan Winters with separate Facebook pages and blogs for each identity. While I have thoroughly enjoyed having two separate blogs with changing times it makes sense to consolidate to one blog while exploring other platforms.   Mariposa’s Musings started in 2009 a few months prior to the release of my first romance title, Howl. BTW I hope to re-release Howl later this year. Stay tuned. Ten years, seven titles and 214 posts later here we are. I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all the guests, authors, followers and casual passersb...

What inspired you to become a writer? I think I always wanted to be a writer. I used to write shorts stories and poems all the time as a child and had my first poem published in the paper when I was 11. I did a minor in Creative Writing at university, but i mainly wrote literery fiction. After I had my daughter I started reading books that made me laugh - romantic comedies and chicklit with happy endings and so I decided to have a go at writing them and I haven’t looked back and now have published over 20 books. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) That’s a tough question. I really like Jill Shalvis’s characters as well as Susan Mallery’s and Marie Forces Gansett Island series. More recently I’ve gotten into Lucy Score’s Blue Moon series. I’m a voracious reader once I find an author I read everything they’ve written. Tell me what inspired this story. The No Brides Club series is about a group of women who made a vow to each other to focus n their c...

Since Lovestruck Two Step is all about a making dive bar a local favorite, I asked my production team to describe their favorite hangout. Harris Channing-Cover design Not only has Harris designed all of the covers for The Rhythm & Romance series and Hot Flash, she is also an author . And she did a cool job with Ever After, one of Susan Winters’ titles. What's my favorite hangout?  I am a homebody.  My favorite part of the day is when everyone is home safe and sound and we're just hanging out.  I love watching movies with my daughters. Sitting next to hubby and catching up with how his day went.  Home is my favorite hangout. May seem boring but since I spend most of my time here, wouldn't it suck if I didn't just love it? Marian Kelly-Editing Marian could truly be called a “Writer’s Editor” and she's worked with me on all four Rhythm & Romance titles. She also writes Regency romance as Colleen Ladd . My favorite hangout is a tin...

Dakota Blues : In this award-winning debut novel, workaholic Karen Grace is fired after attending her mother's funeral in her Midwestern hometown. Now Karen is fifteen hundred miles from home, just one more middle-aged worker out of a job in a tough economy. To make matters worse, her husband recently left her for his pregnant girlfriend. At a crossroads, Karen must find the courage to change. Needing time to think, she agrees to take an elderly neighbor on one last road trip, but on a deserted highway in Wyoming, Karen is forced to make a lethal and life-changing decision. What inspired you to become a writer? I’m one of those kids who wanted to write from the time they were old enough to hold a pencil. I kid you not: I invented a genealogy chart for my plastic horses! But even though I craved writing, I wasn’t able to publish my first book until I was 58 years old. With work and parenting and life in general, I just couldn’t do it, although I took classes an...

Need a hot guy? Gentlemen, Inc. is here to serve. Tired of being the "cute one" in a family of glamorous people, Annabelle Winter decides to hire a gorgeous man from the Gentlemen, Inc. Agency to be her date at a big family event. Just once, she wants to be the envy of every woman in the room. And with Archer Carleson at her side, she is. Archer, a struggling actor in Los Angeles, doesn't mind making a wallflower like Annabelle look good for an evening-he's getting paid, after all, and it's a chance to further hone his acting skills. But when he realizes that Annabelle's family could hold the key to his career, he decides to take their professional relationship to a personal level. But his attempts to boost his career by charming Annabelle backfire when he begins to fall for her. Archer will have to decide which means more to him: Annabelle-or a shot at stardom. Man of the Moment is the first book in a new contemporary romance series that revolve...

Gillian Shaw Nearly thirty, over-endowed with curves, and under-endowed with boyfriends, you could say that my life is not going to plan. Still hopelessly in love with my childhood friend and neighbor who only sees me as his best pal, it’s finally sinking in that if I want a happily ever after I’m going to have to look further afield. Which means putting my feelings for Jack behind me, no matter how much it hurts.  Jack Larson   I love Gill. Who wouldn’t? She’s cute, kind, funny and my side-kick since school. She’s suffered with me through my failed marriage and has become a second mom to my six-year-old daughter, so I like to make sure she’s okay. Only, life’s just started to get crazy.  I’m pretty darn good at getting my point across in business, but how am I supposed to deal with Gill throwing herself away on the nerdy bank manager? I’m worried that I’ll lose her friendship if I tell her what I know, and worried that she’ll get hurt if I don’t. Then t...

What inspired you to become a writer? To be honest, I’ve always been a writer.   One of my earliest stories (when I was about 11) was for a project for school – it was about a mouse called Gizmo who rescued a cat from a house fire!   Throughout that year, I revisited those characters again and again writing many stories.   Since then, I’ve been inspired by many authors and have enjoyed exploring new worlds and new characters every time I begin a new story. Who are your favorite romance characters (besides your own?) I enjoy reading about any romantic couple that actually challenge each other.   I found that dynamic first in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with Darcy and Elizabeth.   Since then I’ve discovered many authors that create a similar dynamic between their couples, the most recent being Kirsty Greenwood, and this is something I try to create with my own characters. Tell me what inspired this story. The idea behind ‘What Happened In Vegas...

An attorney couple I once knew decided to treat themselves to a vacation in Turkey after passing the bar. Worn out by their intense legal studies, neither bothered reading up on the country. So they wandered the streets of Istanbul and stared at the buildings wondering what they were seeing. One of my favorite travel preparations is studying the local guidebooks.   While I might not know the whole history of a place, I like to at least know a story or two.   Even better than studying the facts of a place is to know its fiction. Though much of Cannery Row had changed since Steinbeck’s time, his stories accompanied me as a wandered the streets. Thanks to Hometown Reads  travelers can get to know the local writing talent.   During  its two years of existence, Hometown Reads has garnered 100 locations from Anchorage, Alaska to Tampa Bay, Florida and over 4,000 books. The site is designed so you can browse by genre or by city and provides resources...

Engaged, abducted, and falling for a man accused of murder. From the outside, Kass has it all. She’s on the fast track to medical school and newly engaged to the perfect guy, at least when he's sober. Beaten down by his abuse, Kass turns to cutting, her success hanging on a razor's edge. She impulsively offers a handsome hitchhiker a ride to the next town. Logan seems kind, charming and sexy as hell until he pulls a weapon, forcing her to drive him across the country. Logan has no intention of hurting anyone. Falsely accused of his sister's murder, he's on the run and in a race to find the true culprit. As law enforcement closes in, Kass and Logan forge a deep connection, and Kass must choose between a past she's not even sure she wants anymore or a future that may not outlast the hour. What inspired you to become a writer? -I’ve been writing stories since the age of thirteen, and even before that I’d sit with my school friends outside during recess ...

You’ve heard this story a thousand times. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl have a fake relationship. Then they actually fall in love. This is not one of those stories.                   It should be. I mean, he’s Brent Crawford. He’s the new tight end for the New York Sharks. He’s one of the sexiest men alive. But his sponsors are threatening to drop him, and his job is in jeopardy due to allegations of assault. He needs someone to help recover his image. She’s Gwen McDougall, former fashion model turned photographer and newly minted local hero. She wants more from her photography jobs than premeditated shots of B-list celebutantes, and now is her chance. She just has to agree to help Brent shine up his tarnished reputation. They’re both young, beautiful, and talented. They would be perfect together.  Except she can’t stop making out with his brother. This isn’t a perf...

Atonement: Riches to rags.   A redemption story. From award-winning author Lyz Kelley comes this heartwarming romance about love, acceptance, and the power of redemption. After her father is convicted of a crime, Rachelle wants nothing more than to rebuild her life and reputation. The last thing she expects is help from a super-sexy video gamer who's come to her small mountain town looking for inspiration. But when Jacob asks Rachelle to redesign his vacation home, she has no idea how far she'll fall. Can he provide her with a soft place to land while she discovers there’s truly no place like home?     What inspired you to become a writer? When I was eight, I began writing a story, first in my head, then later in my diary. The world I dreamed about was big and complex—filled with exotic creatures and brave women and strong heroes. When I turned 40, I tried to translate the story I’d lived with all those years to the page…but couldn’t....