Heather Marshall is fearless  But to Officer Dave McCoy, the social worker's fearlessness spells trouble. And he can't understand why she's so afraid to trust her safety--and her heart--to a cop.  Heather's dad was a cop--one with problems that nearly destroyed her family.  But she survived.  And she's proud of her instincts as the can-do force behind a thriving inner-city shelter program. Now her father wants a second chance.  Well, he can get in line behind McCoy, because when it comes to cops, Heather has a hard time believing what any of them say.  It's up to Dave to change her mind.
 

Coincidence...or fate?  Ava Vincent hightailed it out of Texas more than twenty years ago, vowing never to return.  Too many bad memories.  Too many people she'd abandoned and let down.  So she's shocked to find her new job has brought her to the very town where her long-estranged brothers live.  And in the midst of a welcome but difficult reconciliation, it's an irresistible boat captain who helps her heal old wounds.

Jack Williams never thought he'd find love again after losing his wife--until Ava.  Even his troubled teenage son has grown to love her.  But despite their obvious connection, she's holding something back.  As their attachment deepens, Ava faces an agonizing dilemma: refuse to trust Jack with her past and push him away...or reveal her shameful secret and lose him completely.
 

What does it take to become a family?  Nina Kennerly has a full life, but she's always regretted giving her daughter up for adoption and losing Reid Robertson, her first love. Now her grown daughter has found her--with her own baby girl in tow!--and Nina must face Reid again.

Nina and Reid are determined to be there for their new family.  But spending so much time together brings back a lot of complicated feelings.  And complicated is not something Reid, a widower with another daughter, needs.  Are Nina and Reid just dredging up the past...or are they actually making a future?
 

His daughter's secrets:  Since becoming a single father, Mac Edwards has struggled to keep his small family together.  But now his custody of his twelve-year-old daughter is threatened by the secrets she’s keeping.

His last hope:  In a bitter twist, their new social worker is the one person he can't trust--Rachel Filmore.  Thirteen years ago she was his world...until she deserted him.  How can he trust her not to destroy his family?  And how can he trust himself to leave the past where it belongs?
 

All Abby Cahill wanted was a quiet summer job in the beautiful Wisconsin woods.  But the hospital where she's filling in turns out to be overcrowded, understaffed and decidedly stretched for cash.  As if she didn't have enough on her hands, her apartment burns down and the only vacancy in town for a "single woman with a mutt" is at the farmhouse of wildlife biologist Ethan Matthews, whose son is with him for the season, along with several newborn puppies.

Ethan is a handsome, solitary man who seems to need Abby as much as she needs him.  Problem is, she's got to go back to her job in the city teaching nursing at summer's end.  And things start to get complicated, when someone seems bent on revenge against Ethan, and Abby is framed for  unprofessional behavior at the hospital, plus a theft  after a fundraiser.
 

Linda Barrett is delighted to announce that The Daughter He Never Knew won the Holt Medallion in the Long Contemporary category, and that Reluctant Housemates won the Series Contemporary category of the Winter Rose contest.  She would like to thank the Virginia Romance Writers and the Yellow Rose Chapters of RWA for sponsoring the contests and promoting our genre.

Molly O'Keefe announced that she's joined the Blog revolution!  Read the wisdom, industry chatter and career trials and tribulations of three writers who love writing and the occasional pint too many!

Roxanne Rustand Roxanne's book, Back in Texas, won first place in the Romantic Suspense Golden Quill Award.  It also earned an honorable mention in the Write Touch Readers Award for Romantic Suspense, and finalled in the romantic suspense categories in the Colorado Award of Excellence and The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.  In addition, Almost a Family is a finalist for the National Readers Choice Award.

• August 5
• 10:00 a.m.
• Linda Barrett is conducting a workshop entitled "The Front and Back of Backstory" at the Northwest Houston Chapter RWA meeting in Spring, Texas.
• August 26
• 11:00 am-1:00 pm
• Linda Barrett will be signing her latest release, A Man of Honor, at Katy Budget Books, a wonderful independent bookstore, in Katy Texas (Fry Rd)
• 1:00 pm-3:00 pm.
• September 22
• 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Molly O'Keefe will be signing Family At Stake at the downtown Ottawa Rideau Chapters in conjunction with the Ottawa Are You Sweet Or Spicy Conference (Downtown Ottawa, Ontario, five blocks from the Conference Hotel)

Linda Barrett: Celebrating the release of her ninth Superromance, A Man of Honor, Linda Barrett continues her triple-header summer contest.  A winner will be drawn in August and September.  When you enter, you'll be asked to explain why you read romance.  So, come on over and tell us!  The prizes are a $10.00 gift certificate to B&N and an autographed copy of The Daughter He Never Knew, from Linda's Pilgrim Cove series.

C.J. Carmichael: Grab a sneak peek at the first book of C.J. Carmichael's new trilogy and enter her contest for autographed books.  A new winner is selected every month, now through October 2006.

Melinda Curtis: Enter Melinda's fall sports gender gap closer for your chance to win a sports trivia game. Contest ends August 31.

Anna DeStefano: don't miss Anna's great monthly Funky Purse website giveaways.

Molly O'Keefe: For your very own signed copy of Molly's 2005 Romantic Times Best Flipside of the year, Dishing It Out, all you need to do is answer the following question:  In the book, what is the hero's name and nickname (the answer is on her website). Contest ends August 31.

Roxanne Rustand: Enter an ongoing, monthly contest for autographed books by Roxanne by visiting her website. In August: enter the drawing for a signed copy of Almost a Family, the first book in the Blackberry Hill Memorial series.

Kathryn Shay: Every three months Kathryn will give away three copies of her backlist (when available) or her upcoming release.  Visit her contest page for more details.

Kay Stockham:  Kay's Launch Party Scavenger Hunt through the pages of Man With A Past ends August 30 so don't miss out on your chance to win a fabulous bracelet and autographed copy of Lori Foster's Jude's Law!  To enter, sign up to receive Kay's newsletter and answer the contest questions posted inside. Time's running out! Contest ends Aug.ust 31.

Cynthia Thomason is pleased to offer adorable, durable, plastic bookmarks to any reader who sends a self-addressed stamped envelope.  Visit her website to see a picture of the bookmarks and to choose between a dolphin bookmark, for Cynthia's latest release from her Superromance series, An Unlikely Father, or a lighthouse bookmark, for her latest historical release, Gabriel's Angel.  Mailing instructions are on the home page.

Linda Warren: For August, Linda will be giving away an autographed copy of her June release, Son Of Texas, with a beaded bookmark.