Yes, I write under many names: Megan Crane, Caitlin Crews, M.M. Crane, and Hazel Beck. But no matter the name, the story is always all mine. Why do I write under a variety of names? I have Reasons.
I discovered my first romance novel at the age of twelve in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates having grand adventures on the open sea, a heroine with a mind of her own, and a seriously masterful hero who swept her away no matter how clever she was.
I was immediately smitten with romance and all the romantic themes I could get my hands on. (I still am.)
I had grand plans to star on Broadway — preferably in Evita, just like the great Patti LuPone. Sadly, my inability to wow audiences with my singing voice required a back up plan, so I launched myself into academics instead. This was not a good fit for someone who liked lounging about and reading books a lot more than dissecting them in classrooms, but it did allow me to live in England for half a decade, so I can’t complain.
Writing (and finishing!) my first book was a relief. And actually publishing that book was one of the greatest thrills of my life.
Now I’m more than 100 books in, I’m still a romance fanatic, it still thrills me to see my books on shelves, and yes, I’m still plotting my Broadway debut.
If you’re new to my books, try starting here.
If you are looking for information for journalistic/editorial purposes, view my media kit.
Nikolai was the villain in No More Sweet Surrender! Why did you write him his own book (Not Just the Boss’s Plaything)?
Nikolai was a serious problem for me while I was writing Ivan’s story in No More Sweet Surrender. He kept taking over the book!
I was at a writing retreat in Tuscany (I know, rough life) and for some reason Nikolai Korovin was all I could think about. That would make more sense if he was Italian, but no, I was sitting in Italy with the coldest Russian hero imaginable on my mind. When I was supposed to be writing his brother’s story! Nikolai was supposed to be the bad guy and I had no plans to write about him at the time, but I found him fascinating.
Then, once No More Sweet Surrender came out, I started getting email about him. So many readers wrote to beg me to write his story! So I was thrilled that I got to tell it in Not Just the Boss’s Plaything – and get a chance to revisit Ivan and Miranda, too.
Besides, I think Alicia more than earned her happy ever after. She needed him!
What’s the story behind Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy?
Back when Jane Porter decided to start the publishing company that would become Tule, the Founding Authors ( CJ Carmichael, Lilian Darcy, Jane and me) planned a trip to Montana to talk about this crazy idea. In the meantime, we all started working on our own projects. I started with this story. I’d written the whole first chapter and a little more by the time we met up in Montana, but once there we decided (it was CJ’s idea!) to focus our initial efforts on a series of novellas set at the Marietta rodeo. I didn’t write the rest of Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy until the fall of 2014. So while the story isn’t my first for Tule, that first chapter was!
Where do you get your ideas?
I wish I knew.
Ideas are the easy part. Ideas are all daydreams and what ifs and I wonders. Ideas are those shiny things dancing in my head as I drift off to sleep, and what happens when I hear a great song on a long stretch of good road.
Writing them down and making them into a book? Well. That’s a whole different thing.
Interviews
And here are some other items of note:
- Video: A fun Valentines Day interview on 5 Things Friday.
- Video: The Gregory Mantell Show, it's not super new, but I'd still say all the same stuff on the subject of Frenemies.
- Caitlin discusses The Return of the Di Sione Wife with BookTrib.
- Video: My Process (as Megan and Caitlin, on Conversations with Cupid)
- Podcast: Action and Emotion (as Megan, with my husband Jeff, on the Nerd Out podcast)
- On Shame and the Romance Heroine (as Caitlin, on Dear Author)
- Falling in love with the Rodeo (as Megan, a guest on Jane Porter's blog)
