Dear Reader,

 

I’ve always believed that the only way to make the characters in my books come alive for my readers is for them first to come alive for me. And they do—sometimes so much it’s a bit unnerving! They develop their own voices, their own quirks, their own hopes and anxieties. And by the time I finish telling their stories, they’ve become my friends.

 

Sometimes secondary characters become so real to me, I simply have to give them a story of their own. Blake, the hero in Tempting Tara, is one such character. He first appeared as a mysterious character in Just Her Luck. And then in The Getaway Bride he and the hero squared off against a madman. By the end of that book I was convinced that Blake needed a romance of his own. Tara McBride, with her outer strength and hidden insecurities, seemed to be the perfect match for him.

 

I hope you enjoy reading Tara and Blake’s story. (For those of you who enjoy cameo appearances from past books, you might recognize some of Blake’s friends in this story.) And don’t forget to watch for Enticing Emily, the third book in my Southern Scandals trilogy, available in May 1998.

 

Happy reading,