Tamara Larson

Okay, I'm actually pretty boring, so please don't be disappointed to find out that I am not actually married to a giant, alpha male with bulging muscles and jockey shorts. I don't even know a guy like that, though I wouldn't mind meeting one in real life rather than just my own twisted imagination.

What's interesting about me? Well, I'm a writer, but I also have a full-time office job which I actually enjoy when it's not sucking the life out of me.

I was ridiculously close to my mother (she passed away in 2019) and we actually used to look at real estate together, just like Lacey Ferguson and her mother from "Open House." The premise for that book is actually based on an Open House we went to one year where we met the devastatingly attractive builder. He very innocently showed us around, not even suspecting that he was going to be the subject of my next book. To this day I smile when I pass those particular townhouses because this poor guy has no idea that he's the subject of a romance novel that's been downloaded all over the world. Not him, exactly, but an idealized version of him. I wonder what he would think if he knew? Hmmm... I would email him if I knew his name. (Now, wouldn't that make for a good story? Hunky builder finds out he's the subject of a romance novel and seeks some revenge in the form of erotic torture....)

What else? Well, I've had the same hilarious best friend since 1985. We went to high school and university together and spent many nights watching movies and going to comedy clubs and bars. (Also drank our fair share of wine coolers during this period. It was the eighties. We had big hair too.) We live at opposite ends of the country now, but typically text just about every day. She's married to an incredibly patient guy and has two almost grown children now, but we still manage to keep our friendship alive despite living completely different lives. (And we drink Mondavi instead of wine coolers now.)

Yeah, I'm pretty lucky.

When I'm not writing about bulging muscles and jockey shorts I go for long walks and watch a lot of Netflix.

When I actually do sit down to write, I'm always surprised at how quickly time passes when I am in that creative space. After "Lost & Found" was rejected by Harlequin and Avon several years ago I stopped writing fiction for years. I was almost done the sequel, "The Love Laws" at that point, but I just abandoned it because I figured that writing was not my thing after all.

When I started again in 2014 I was shocked at how easy it was to submerge myself in that world, the one I had created for my characters. I also found a valuable lesson in being a writer. I'm in complete control of what happens next, but that doesn't stop when I retreat from the keyboard. I'm also the author of my own life and if the plot isn't going in a direction I want, then I have to take steps to get it back on track. Of course, in real life I can't kill off an irritating person with a particularly aggressive case of syphilis, but I do have the power to write myself a happy ending. I just have to figure out how to make it happen.

If I have one message for readers, it's this: Thank you for reading my words. Whether you paid full price or got it for free. I sincerely hope I've succeeded in entertaining you and giving you a little escape from a life that can seem mundane and occasionally downright cruel. If my work has made you smile and hopefully a little hot, then I've succeeded in my intentions.

Keep reading and I will be at my computer, looking for creative synonyms for penis.

I can be reached at [email protected]