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Since my first attempts at writing novels, coffee has been nearly as important in my books as the happy ever after ending. Maybe because coffee plays such a big role in my life. It’s a vital daily ritual. As soon as the pets are fed, I savor the peace in my first cup of the day. And a full cup stays with me wherever my writing takes me.

I’m not too proud to admit there are plenty of days when my characters wouldn’t make any progress through their adventures without the power of coffee.

My love affair with coffee began with my crush on my high school algebra teacher, who always taught the second hour after lunch with an aromatic mug of coffee on the corner of his desk.

I went up front to ask questions and enjoyed the caffeine contact high as much as assistance with the answers. (As an author, math is only a priority when I’m working out production schedules or reviewing royalty statements)

Still, it was quickly apparent that the conversations and revelations that happen over a cup of piping hot joe can be powerful – in real life and in my fictional worlds.

As an avid romance reader (and as a woman) there have been plenty of times when love is all I need. The right kind of love has the power to smooth out the emotional and physical scars of the past. Love can heal. Love forgives. Love conquers enemies of all varieties.

Along the way I’ve disovered that as much as I want to share the super-powers of love with readers, coffee appears to be an equally vital and not only as ‘creative lighter fluid’.

Coffee makes an appearance in nearly all of my novels. In the Shadows of Justice series set in 2096, coffee is a controlled substance. In Bulletproof, the first book in my new Unknown Identities series, Amelia is kidnapped by an assassin – before she can finish her coffee.

“It does not matter where you are from or how you feel, there is always peace in a strong cup of coffee.” –Gabriel Ba

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