Jun 17, 2026 | 2026, Blog, June 2026, Shana Galen
A Shop Girls Guide to Wooing a Lord by Shana Galen is a spicy slow burn in this first book of her new series.
Inside you’ll find a FMC Shop Girl, MMC Aristocrat, Regency Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Class Difference, Good Girl “lessons” and so much more.
A kiss, kindness from a stranger, a confession, and a rescue operation that takes us on a grand adventure.
I first discovered Shana Galen over a decade ago and after all these years her books are still a satisfying read. If you enjoy historical romances with a great plot and character arc, some spice, and lots of excitement sorting through will they or won’t they….go read this.
Always honest, always my own, and thankful to Berkely Publishing for a gifted e-arc.
Q: Do you have a garden and pick your own fresh flowers? Or, do you have a local flower shop you frequent?
Jun 17, 2026 | 2026, Authors Dish, Blog, Britt DeLaney, Campbell Linden, June 2026, Piper Stone, SaSS26 Richmond, Sue Langford
Welcome to Authors Dish featuring authors and industry professionals attending the 10th Anniversary Sexy and SaSSY 2026 Signing in Richmond, Virginia. If you are joining us for all the bookish fun or just traveling over the summer we hope their tips or packing ideas are helpful no matter where your travels take you. If you are heading to #SaSS26 next month please don’t forget to pre-order your books early to guarantee your books are waiting for you (details and links can be found on the facebook group page.) If you are bringing your favorites from home don’t forget to make room for all the extra bookish stuff you’ll find while you are in Richmond. May these posts inspire you to shop early, make your lists, and triple check so you are prepared for just about anything.
Thank you to all who have dished and those yet and soon to featured. Stay tuned for more comments and be sure to follow the blog so you don’t miss these posts.
To kick off our series today in the cafe are authors Piper Stone, Sue Langford, Campbell Linden, and Britt DeLaney.
Rae: What genre(s) do you write and what are you currently working on?
Piper: I write in dark mafia, cowboys, alpha military men, contemporary billionaires, why choose romance, shifters, oil riggers, smokejumpers, and science fiction
Sue: Billionaire Spicy Romance. Working on the next book in my Ireland Series.
Campbell: I write later in life, second-chance contemporary romance. My characters are usually in their late 40s to mid-60s, have been widowed or divorced (although I occasionally have an avowed bachelor) and are seeking love and happiness at a later time in their lives.
Britt: I write Romance (Contemporary & Romantasy) as Britt DeLaney, and I’m also an award-winning YA author (L.E. DeLano). I’m currently working on a Rom-Com Beach read and a YA witchy re-telling of the Cinderella story.
Rae: What is your favorite decade?
Piper: I don’t think I have a favorite decade, just bits and pieces from them. Eighties music. The movies of two thousand.
Sue: Now. 80s was crazy fun, 90s was filled with clubs and meeting all the wrong guys. Now I’m in my me era……
Campbell: I write contemporary romance so my favorite decade is now. In terms of my characters’ ages, they are usually older and have older children, who are also fun to write about.
Britt: I love the 80’s! Big and brash and larger than life.
Rae: What five things do you have to pack when attending a conference?
Piper: Comfortable shoes – a must and one I learned the hard way. My purple pens – both ink gel and a sharpie for signing. Water – lots of bottled water. My laptop because I’m always writing even at a conference. My husband – as he’s my brilliantly talented assistant and creative arts director.
Sue: Comfy shoes, books, my AirPods for my audiobooks that I’m listening to, fuzzy socks for the overly cold toes and some snacks.
Campbell: This is my first conference and am sure I am going to forget many things. But I am planning to pack convenient, non-messy snacks, outfits that make me feel good and are comfortable, shoes that are stylish but practical and don’t hurt my feet, pens and a pad or notebook – I love to jot down observations – especially when I travel – and crosswords from the Sunday New York Times magazine (yes, I still get newspapers) that I save for trips.
Britt: Books (of course), fun swag, table decorations, colored pens, and some sort of festive bookish attire.
Rae: What is your snack attack must haves in your day bag?
Piper: White cheddar Cheezits, Peanut M & M’s for my husband, smoked almonds – the spicier the better.
Sue: I try for healthy snacks like kind bars, but have a secret craving for whole grain goldfish crackers……
Campbell: Popcorn and pretzels. I’m more of a savory than sweet person.
Britt: Diet Dr. Pepper and Biscoff cookies
Rae: What’s the one thing you forget to pack and swear to remember next time?
Piper: A light jacket or sweater just in case it gets too chilly.
Sue: Perfume or body spray. Somehow I always end up going to get it at a Sephora nearby.
Campbell: Phone charger(s)
Britt: Funny you should ask, but my last event I forgot to pack my pants and had to wear the very wrinkled yoga pants I traveled in. Ugh!
Thank you so much authors! If you are an attending author or industry professional and you want to join in on the fun please e-mail me and we’ll be sure to add you on a future post!
I’ll be keeping a running list and will post a master packing list a week before #SaSS26 Richmond. I’ll see you soon for new authors and more ideas!
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When Sue started her writing career, she was determined to write books with strong female characters, and stories that you wouldn’t ever forget. Now, after her Charleston Series and now her new Ireland series, she’s gone from sweet romances to the spicy and sultry end of the romance world. The second-chance and small-town romances can take place anywhere in the world, and she’s determined to write the stories from our favorite vacation locations, and a few of the locations from her dream bucket list. Now, her newest series takes place in the beautiful Isle of Ireland and will no doubt be the top of her favorites, and the spiciest that she’s ever written.
Campbell Linden began her career in advertising in New York City and went on to hold executive corporate communications positions in the entertainment industry before starting her own public relations consultancy. She is now recovering from a lifetime of meetings that could have been an email and has found her true calling in writing steamy romance novels.
When she’s not writing, she loves to sip coffee, share her favorite fashion finds and tell wild stories from her career.
She believes in happily ever afters in both life and books and is a proponent of showing others that you can reinvent yourself at any age.
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Britt DeLaney writes Romantasy and Contemporary Romance full of heart, humor, and heat. She now makes her home in Amish country, Pennsylvania. Britt has a deep love of snarky men, fierce women, clever plot twists, quirky supporting characters, and fantastical places. In her spare time, she eats too much refined sugar, and tries to thwart her cat’s plans for world domination. This has been unsuccessful on every level. In addition to her romance titles, Britt is also an award-winning Young Adult (YA) novelist under her alternate moniker, L.E. DeLano.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britt.delaney and https://www.instagram.com/le_delano
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MsBrittDeLaney and https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLEDeLano
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/brittdelaney.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/ledelano.bsky.social
Website: https://brittdelaney.com and https://ledelano.com
Jun 16, 2026 | 2026, Blog, June 2026, Pippa Grant
You’ve Got Hate Mail by Pippa Grant
✔ Small Town Romance
✔ Single Dad
✔ Forced Proximity
✔ Female Friendships
✔ Grumpy x Sunshine
✔ Starting Over In Life
✔ Romantic Comedy
You might enjoy this if you are a fan of Meghan Quinn and Lauren Blakely.
Cricket Garland feels broken. If she can figure out what caused her world to fracture maybe then she’ll find her happy ever after. But first, she’ll need to figure out how her misfortune went viral.
Heath Moriarty is a single dad raising a precocious six year old who happens to have a very active and vibrant imagination. It takes a village to raise children and he has found that living at the old winery. But the newest resident is about to turn his world upside down.
Cricket and Heath will discover that in order to find love…a real love…you must also be a lover of dragons. It’s also important to be clever with a creative imagination, be able to match that energy and harness it into something unforgettable. Add in a rooster, a cat, and few other surprises and you get a recipe for some delicious shenanigans.
Readers…trust me when I say this book has it all and pulled me in from start with a most memorable laugh-out-loud meet cute. All the feels, a cast of characters, banter, a house that brings them together and everything in-between.
A spicy story where acceptance, support, friendship, and love heal those who need it. Nothing matters if are not authentically yourself. Trauma doesn’t have to define you. It’s time to be brave, bold, and break free from the past.
Always honest, always my own, and thankful to Pippa Grant for a signed galley copy. The book is stunning from the cover to cover.
Q: What are you reading this week?
Jun 15, 2026 | 2026, Blog, June 2026
The Swan and The Sentinel by Bill Keenan
🚪Closed Door Romance
💚Slow Burn
🩰Forced Proximity
🏒Hockey Player x Prima Ballerina
🩰Opposing Worlds Collide
🏒Fish Out of Water
A hockey player injured will do anything to stay on the ice. When the usual therapy doesn’t seem to work fast enough he realizes his skating days might be numbered. It will take a leap of faith and an unconventional approach if he hopes to play in the future.
A ballerina has worked her entire life towards becoming a prima ballerina. When that moment finally arrives she will need to make a choice she never expected. Will she walk away from her friends and family to take the leap? Or, will she continue to put everyone else first and put her dreams on hold hoping one day it may happen? How do you make a choice knowing you’ll sacrifice the people you love who helped you get to this point?
Family, obligation, trust, hope, and proving your worth don’t matter unless you have someone to support you and be there to lean on. If they can overcome the obstacles, learn to have faith, and fight for what they want…they will realize that they won’t have to go far to have their happy ending.
A sinfully sweet story with a hockey player, a ballerina, an injury, a dream opportunity, and a second chance in this story about taking risks, learning to trust, and finding a way to let go of the past.
Always honest, always my own, and thankful to Post Hill Press for the gifted mail surprise and e-arc.
Q: What was the last book you read that was set in New York City?
Jun 15, 2026 | 2026, Blog, Book Mail, June 2026
Always appreciative and thankful for any book mail sent my way. Catching up on my last batch of books received recently.
Thank you…@lizzieckoz for a surprise bookmail box with an an autographed copy of Stealing Forever and Finding home
@entangledpublishing for a gifted book box of Hart’s Landing @teammelanieharlow and package of Not Good Neighbors by @violet_lumani
Thank you Pippa Grant for the gifted autographed copy of You’ve Got Hate Mail.
Always love when I order books and they even more beautiful than expected – The Kings List is beautiful from the cover to the inside. Stunning!
Looking forward to sharing my thoughts on these books shortly.
Q: What book mail gifted or purchased did you receive this past month that you are excited to read?
Jun 5, 2026 | 2026, Blog, Jessa H Casey, June 2026
𝐃𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐥𝐬 (A Fairbury Vikings Hockey Romance Book 1) by @jessahcaseyauthor
🏒 2 POV
🏒 One Bed
🏒 Marriage of Convenience
🏒 Protective Hockey Playing Hero
🏒 Fiery Artist FMC Who Draws Him
🏒 Feuding Families
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭: ☕🔥🔥Sinfully Sweet/Closed Door Romance
𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐞: Anne of Green Gables with
ice hockey. PEI vibes…yes
please!
🏒 🍁💛🏒 🍁💛🏒 🍁💛🏒 🍁
A family heirloom, an unexpected proposal, and a family feud make way for a most satisfying winter adventure.
How far would you go to earn a family heirloom? Would you sacrifice love and happiness or risk it all for something far greater than a treasure to be displayed on a shelf? Be wise with your choices, weigh all the options. Watch out for meddling relatives and proceed with caution or else you might end up on a shelf too.
A sinfully sweet story with closed door romance, romantic gestures, a desire to pursue your passion, a possibility for new beginnings, and an opportunity to mend a few fences along the way is a captivating adventure to enjoy any time of the year.
I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series and look forward to reading more from this new to me author.
Always honest, always my own, and thankful to Jessa H Casey for a gifted advance reader copy.
💬𝑸:
𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎?
