When I was little, cemetery exploration was a favorite pastime.  My house was situated between two graveyards and I spent many a Sunday afternoon wandering through the maze of headstones and statuary.  One of the cemeteries was abandoned and I wasn’t allowed to visit there alone.  Naturally, it became a favorite escape.  Nestled in a deep forest and shrouded by shade, the forgotten graveyard was a place of enchantment, a mysterious necropolis of sunken graves, crumbling headstones and fallen angels. The burials were old—pre-Civil war—and the symbols carved into the headstones intrigued me.  I could daydream there for hours.

There’s a term for graveyard fascination—taphophilia.  From the Greek words taphos, meaning tomb and philia, meaning love or obsession.  A love of tombstones and cemeteries.

When I decided to write a paranormal series, I knew I wanted the protagonist to have an unusual skill or occupation.  So I did an Internet search for strange jobs and up popped cemetery restorer—the perfect vocation for a character that would share my passion for graveyards.  She would be Southern (also like me) and a loner because her ability to see ghosts had isolated her from human companionship.  Her first name would be Amelia because it’s Southern and old-fashioned, and her surname would be Gray to symbolize the twilight world of ghosts.

Amelia became so real to me that I knew I had to create a worthy love interest, someone dark and mysterious and charismatic to lure her from the safety of her graveyard kingdom and tempt her into breaking one of her father’s cardinal rules: never associate with those who are haunted.

Papa’s rules are broken in The Restorer; the past is revealed in The Kingdom; and the future is foreshadowed in The Prophet.  Set against the withering backdrop of abandoned and forgotten cemeteries, The Graveyard Queen series offers peeks into the lush dreamscape of restless souls, deranged killers and doomed lovers.

I’ve just been given the go-ahead for three more books in the series and I would like to invite you along on Amelia’s journey as her graveyard kingdom becomes ever darker and more mysterious.

Visit author Amanda Stevens at her blog or follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Check out the new book trailer for The Graveyard Queen series below!

Harlequin Intrigue has long been the home to USA Today bestselling authors Delores Fossen and Cassie Miles and will publish the 50th case in Debra Webb’s award winning COLBY AGENCY series this July. Ms. Webb has opened up a new branch in Texas. Fortunately for the Colby staff the Lone Star state has tons of rugged cowboy P.I. applicants. As well Harlequin Intrigue has launched the careers of reader favorites Paula Graves, Carol Ericson and more recently Golden Heart winner Robin Perini. Amanda Stevens wrote more than thirty Harlequin Intrigue books before creating her critically acclaimed GRAVEYARD QUEEN series for MIRA.

In 2012 we have a great line up of new and ongoing miniseries like Julie Miller’s THE PRECINCT, Joanna Wayne’s BIG “D” DADS and Rita Herron’s BUCKING BRONC LODGE. Harlequin Intrigue will publish the long awaited sequel to CRIME SCENE AT CARDWELL RANCH by USA Today bestselling author BJ Daniels this October.

You can always expect an edge-of-your-seat read from all of the Harlequin Intrigue books. Stalkers, killers, kidnappers—we have them all. But none of them are any match for the heroes of Harlequin Intrigue. These go-to guys know how to take on any enemy and always get their girl in the end.

But we’d love to hear from you. What are your favorite stories of romantic suspense—whodunits, psychological thrillers, crime drama? Let us know.

Editor’s Note: This Sunday, May 13 is Mother’s Day, but we’re celebrating all week long! Join us on the Harlequin Blog where some of our biggest authors are stopping by to talk about moms, both fictional and the ones that raised us! Today we have Robyn Carr, author of Sunrise Point, the LATEST Virgin River novel (Mira Books).

All devoted mothers have earned a special, spacious, well decorated condo with a view in heaven.  But there are a few special mothers who should get castles.  Let me tell you about a few of them.

Amy is a Marine Sergeant.  She’s committed to her military job, the men and women she serves and leads.  It isn’t easy leaving her children behind when she deploys; she needs a very powerful support system because she is also married to a Marine Sergeant.  So meet Lydia, Amy’s mother.  There was a time, a few months, when Amy and her husband’s deployments overlapped.  Lydia was the one to step in and take care of two small children during that overlap.  Amy saw her baby daughter take her first steps on video cam.  You hardly ever see a Marine Sergeant cry.  You would have seen it that day.

Meet Joan, the mother of a soldier.  She’s not all that computer savvy, but when her son went to Iraq, she figured out a few things, including Skype.  She kept track of the time difference so she could be there for him whenever he had time for her.  To hear Joan tell it, she had more deep, philosophical and spiritual conversations with her son while he was in Iraq than ever before in his thirty-five years.  To hear her son tell it, his mom helped get him through it.

And here’s Maureen, whose son is a recently returned hero, and a triple amputee.  He’s young, determined, strong, but he still has many needs.  He not only needs lots of rehab, he will need continuing medical support until he’s fully functional.  He isn’t ready to live independently yet and sometimes finding all the avenues to support is difficult and exhausting.  But a mother like Maureen is up to the task – that’s her child.  She doesn’t even have to think about it.  She’ll help the Army get him on his feet…er, you know….

Say hello to Susan.  She is a Marine wife and mother of three.  Now she’s a caregiver and mother and volunteer for the Wounded Warriors Project.  Her husband came home with a hundred percent disability and she is so grateful to have him home, to be able to unite their family again.  But there aren’t enough hours in the day for Susan – yet with the support of other wives of disabled warriors, friends and family, somehow she does it.  What her growing children see is a woman whose love somehow makes her creative and strong.

That’s just a few – I have a few thousand more.  Castles, all.  God bless every military woman, wife, daughter and mother.  Happy Mother’s Day from a grateful America.

UPDATE! Quest & Kendal’s third (and final) egg hatched this morning and the new family of five were enjoying a meal together this morning. Judging by last year, we should see some remarkable growth in our hatchlings over the next few weeks and Kendal will be kept busy keeping all those bellies full. A fledge watch will soon begin in earnest and we are sure to have some incredible (and hairy) moments as the hatchlings become mobile.

Harlequin encourages anyone who wishes to learn more about peregrines, pledge support or discover what they can do to help this threatened species to visit the Canadian Peregrine Foundation at www.peregrine-foundation.ca.

Editor’s Note: This Sunday, May 13 is Mother’s Day, but we’re celebrating all week long! Join us on the Harlequin Blog where some of our biggest authors are stopping by to talk about moms, both fictional and the ones that raised us! Today we have Susan Mallery, author of Almost Summer, the NEWEST Fool’s Gold novella (HQN Books).

I often hear from single readers who are still looking for The One. They’re tired of dating losers, and they want to know where they can meet a man like the heroes in my books. I tell them good men are out there, and they’re worth the wait. There’s truth to the adage to watch how a man treats his mother if you want to know how he’ll treat his wife. His respect for women – or lack thereof – will show.

I love a man who loves his mom. I don’t mean a mama’s boy. I mean an independent, grown man who has transitioned from needing her to nurturing her. He considers taking care of his mother his responsibility, especially if his dad’s no longer around, and it’s an obligation he willingly bears on his broad shoulders. After all, she cared for him when he was a child; it’s only right that he should watch out for her now. He will do whatever is in his power to make sure that she’s happy and safe.

In SUMMER DAYS (May 2012), Rafe Stryker storms to Fool’s Gold because he thinks that Heidi Simpson sold the Castle Ranch to his mother and then refused to hand over the deed. His mom was bilked once before in the small California town, and Rafe will do anything to keep that from happening again – even work the land himself while a judge determines the rightful owner. After years of ranch work when he was a kid, to help support his family, Rafe went to business school so that he’d never have to be a cowboy. But if that’s what it takes to protect his mother’s interests, then he’ll saddle that horse gladly.

When you do meet a man like Rafe, hold on tight . . . and thank his mom for raising such a fabulous son!

The Curious Reader’s Guide to EROTIC Romance…
Of course you’re curious about erotic romance…but perhaps the thought of asking questions has you turning fifty shades of red. Fear not: Harlequin has the perfect primer for newcomers to the naughty stuff. (We are romance experts after all, offering erotic reads that run the gamut from the boudoir to the dungeon!) So read on! You know you want to…
EXPLORER ►

COMMUNITY TUESDAY: Hats off to Mom!
Our Mother’s Day Infographic offered some FUN and surprising statistics gleaned from our 2011 book catalog! JOIN the discussion in our Café Lounge!
HERE ►

How do you celebrate Mother’s Day?

HARLEQUIN.COM: Mother’s Day Gift Shop
Does your MOM ♥ books?!! Well we’ve some some great ideas – PLUS some YUMMY recipes & FUN stats too! Find the perfect gift!
HERE ►

CARINA PRESS: Did you know EVERY DAY one book from Carina Press
will be offered for 99 cents?!!! Preorder Callie Croix’s erotic romance, LET ME IN for 99 cents!
HERE ►

Harlequin EXCLUSIVE Video Premier:
SONS OF CHANCE Trilogy by Vicki Lewis Thompson (book trailer)
The Last Chance Ranch in Jackson Hole has three sexy new residents!
Welcome to the Sons of Chance series, where the men are hot and the women are happy! Travel with Vicki Lewis Thompson down a winding dirt road to the Last Chance Ranch, dedicated to the proposition that we all need a last chance to find whatever we deserve, especially love (and great sex). WATCH IT HERE ►

Last year, Quest and Kendal successfully hatched only one eyas which was banded and named Harlequin. Naturally, we are quite excited at the possibility of being proud godparents/guardians to three new peregrines this year and are already making plans for a fledge watch to ensure that the hatchlings survive their first few days.

Harlequin encourages anyone who wishes to learn more about peregrines, pledge support or discover what they can do to help this threatened species to visit the Canadian Peregrine Foundation at www.peregrine-foundation.ca.

There’s no discounting the importance and power of “Mom,” in real life and in fiction. So often, the personality traits of my characters can be credited to their backgrounds, and specifically, to the parenting they received while growing up. I’ve written characters with wretched upbringings, and characters that came from close knit and attentive families.
Good or bad, mothers offer great influence – but “Mom” doesn’t necessarily have to be the one who birthed you.

In my writing, I like to show that family is what you make it. Unconventional units are often just as strong as those more traditional. Brandi, from both Fantasy and then later The Secret Life of Bryan, was adopted into a wonderful family and although she was different, she was no less loved. Mick, from Caught in the Act (later reissued as Enticing), had the wounded soul of a boy who grew up without a mother’s care. It wasn’t until his late teens that he met a woman who not only became a pseudo-mother, but also made him a part of her family, and in the process, taught him what it is to be loved.

In my series featuring the Buckhorn brothers, Sawyer, Morgan, Gabe and Jordan (reissued as Buckhorn Beginnings and Forever Buckhorn), it took an amazing woman with plenty of love to teach proper values to alpha sons who all towered over her. I loved their mother because she went through it all—the death of one husband, divorce from another—and finally, after much resistance, her sons saw her find true love again.

That’s such a powerful and optimistic message for growing boys to witness.

Unfortunately, it’s not like that for everyone. In A Perfect Storm, Arizona Storm has very mixed feelings about her momma. As a child, she wasn’t as protected or cared for as she should have been, but her few fond memories are of her mother – and losing her leaves a wound that won’t heal.  Luckily, Arizona has a fighter’s spirit, and she won’t give up, not even on herself. It was the loss of her mother, as much as anything else, that molded Arizona into such an amazing young lady.

With Spencer Lark at her side, you can believe that when they have children, Arizona will show us all how it should be done. As with everything else in her life, she’ll be hands-on, outspoken, willing to learn, and so caring that her kids will always know what it means to have a mother’s unconditional love.

Editor’s Note: This Sunday, May 13 is Mother’s Day, but we’re celebrating all week long! Join us on the Harlequin Blog where some of our biggest authors are stopping by to talk about moms, both fictional and the ones that raised us! Today we have Sarah Matheny, author of Peas and Thank You (Harlequin Nonfiction).

No matter what diet gurus may tell you, food is love.  At least it has been since I was a kid, though I feed my family a little differently than my own mom fed us.

Food has always been just one of the ways my mom expressed her love for my dad, my brothers and me, be it the big pot of chicken noodle soup Mom would whip up at the slightest sign of a sniffle or the rich chocolate chip cookies that would await us when we came in from an afternoon playing in the snow.

Mom never has been a big fan of change (which explains a lot about those fantastic 80’s style-tapered jeans she likes to wear still).  So while initially she was skeptical of our switch to a vegetarian diet, I think she was relieved when she learned that we weren’t going to be nursing our colds and warming ourselves with rabbit food.  And frankly, I think my husband let out a big “Hallelujah!” as well.

Even without eating the standard American fare, food can still be comfort.  It can be warm and soothing, like my Cashew Carrot Ginger Soup.  It can be gooey and decadent, just like my Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins.  And it can just so happen to be good for you too.

Food is love.  And today, even my Mom gets in on the act, proudly adding my recipes to her repertoire as well.

Now if only I could get her to give up those tapered jeans.

Editor’s Note: This Sunday, May 13 is Mother’s Day, but we’re celebrating all week long! Join us on the Harlequin Blog where some of our biggest authors are stopping by to talk about moms, both fictional and the ones that raised us! Today we have Meaghan Mountford, author of Sugarlicious (Harlequin Nonfiction).

As one who spends her days making and writing about sweets for a living, I often forget the simple joys the kitchen can bring. It takes my four-year old pushing her stool up to the counter and scrambling up to the mixer to remind me how simultaneously thrilling, fascinating and gross cracking an egg can be.

I can mix up six batches of my cut-out cookie dough in about fifteen minutes flat. It’s mechanical for me. So I need her to slow me down.  Because while it takes considerably longer and with much more dropped on the floor, when she dumps two cups of flour into the bowl she clearly feels older than her years. She feels grown-up, she feels like mommy. My goodness, what a stunning endorsement that she wants to feel like mommy.

And in a millisecond I’m back balancing on my own stool, wearing that blue and white stripe apron, helping my mom stir chocolate chips into her famous cookies.

One of my favorite go-to decorating tools for my four-year old–and myself!–is the food coloring pen. Food coloring pens let kids take a tool they already know how to use to create their own art in the kitchen. Use them on marshmallows, cookies topped with royal icing, or any dessert covered with fondant. (And hint to Dads, these cookies make a great gift from the kids for mom.)

I bake cookies and cupcakes and dip cake pops in candy and marshmallows in sprinkles for a job. How lucky is my kid? Only four and already a whiz at scraping down bowls and rolling out dough and wielding an icing bag. I’m proud of her skills, but even prouder she enjoys what I do. Because then we can make sweets together and my time spent working is time spent with her.

Photos provided by Meghan Mountford.