FICTION · MAN-WOMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Laura Marie Altom
Laura Marie Altom of Tulsa, Oklahoma is the best-selling, award-winning author of twenty-four books. Her works have made several appearances on both the Barnes and Noble and Waldenbooks’ Best-seller lists. This mother of fifteen-year-old twins has spoken on numerous occasions at both regional and national conferences, and teaches reading at a Tulsa middle school. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for nineteen years. Laura began writing at the ripe old age of 12 when she penned a romance about a model falling for her photographer on a catalogue shoot in St. Thomas. Up until page 42, she faithfully wrote at least a page a day, but gave up when following her own junior high romantic pursuits became more fun than writing about someone else's! Fast-forward a few years, and Laura met the love of her life her freshman year at the University of Arkansas. Three years and countless toga parties later, Laura and Terry married. Interior design and marriage license in hand, Laura went to work for well-known Arkansas firms, Perry Butcher Architects and Albert Skiles Architects. Among her many projects were schools, churches, corporate offices and over two dozen luxurious private residences. She'd just been handed a dream assignment of designing her first public library when another dream came true — she discovered she wasn't just pregnant, but pregnant with twins! Destiny soon put a twist in Laura's burgeoning career by adding complications to her pregnancy. Two months in, doctors placed her on bed rest. Seven months later, her life forever changed upon getting her first glimpse of precious boy/girl twins. She briefly considered returning to work, but couldn't fight the desire to stay home with her brood. Two years later, while she loved being a stay-at-home mom, a part of herself had been lost in the process. Then one day, while sorting through dusty boxes, she came across her old romance manuscript. In finding that manuscript, along with her love of writing, fate gave Laura's life another twist, and she's never looked back. Since then, Terry's engineering career has taken the family to places like Denver, Salt Lake City, and then on to Tulsa, OK, where she now resides. Throughout all of those moves, Laura never lost sight of her ultimate dream — to become a world-renowned romance author. While she's still hard at work on that ""world-renowned"" part of her dream, to date she's sold over seventy romantic short stories and many romance novels. Now, Laura spends her days contentedly writing and chasing after the twins and their menagerie of pets, ranging from a mutt named Sweet Pea, a mini-long-haired dachshund named Cocoa, a black-and-white stealth cat named Domino and a yard full of ducks and geese who live in the backyard pond but would like to live in the house! When night falls, Laura usually finds time to steal a few romantic moments for herself and her own hunky cover stud! Laura loves hearing from readers and may be reached via email at BaliPalm@aol.com or snail mail at P.O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101.
Most acclaimed
Inherited
Needed: One Wife! A quick, convenient marriage was the only way Jake Peterson could keep custody of the adorable orphaned baby left in his care. The only woman suitable as the bride-to-be was Candy Jacobs—his ex-wife. Though circumstances had forced them to part long ago, the sizzle between them was stronger than ever. But would the price of marriage cost love-wary Jake more than he bargained for? No matter how hard she tried to resist, Candy was soon roped in by baby Bonnie's little hugs and Jake's toe-curling kisses. But before she would agree to become this bachelor dad's wife, Jake needed to understand that Candy wanted his heart first…
Santa Baby
ONE CHRISTMAS EVE ... On her way to a job assignment in Alaska, Whitney Foster gets into a small plane piloted by Colby Davis --- and the unexpected happens. The plane goes down during a storm. Not knowing if or when they're going to be rescued, Whitney and Colby spend Christmas Eve together --- doing more than comforting each other. The following summer, Whitney shows up in Kodiak Gorge, Alaska, seven months pregnant --- and determined to persuade Colby to relinquish his rights to fatherhood. But Colby yearns to create a family with Whitney and their Santa baby-to-be. Can he get her to fall in love with Alaska ... and with him? Will they spend all their Christmases together from now on?
Snowbound
At the start of this overwrought thriller from Crouch (Abandon), attorney Will Innis's wife, Rachael, fails to come home from a late night at work. Her car is found on an Arizona desert highway, the driver's side window smashed, but no sign of blood. After a belligerent cop interrogates him about his wife's disappearance, Will packs up his 11-year-old daughter, Devlin, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, and flees. Five years pass until FBI agent Kalyn Sharp tracks down Will, who's lived in several towns under various identities, to tell him she believes he's innocent. For a lawyer, Will is incredibly gullible. Based on nothing, he fears he'll be prosecuted, and Devlin will have no one to take care of her. He forgets that the girl has loving grandparents as well as aunts and uncles, and ignores that her disease, though in remission, can be life threatening. He accepts Kalyn's involvement with little thought. The story comes to a less than credible climax at a remote Alaskan resort.