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.
What does it mean that you’re a Tule Founding Author?
It means that when my great friend Jane Porter said she was thinking of starting a publishing company by authors and for authors and asked if I wanted to join the fun, I said yes. We got together with CJ Carmichael and Lilian Darcy in CJ’s cabin in Montana and plotted out a series of novellas centered around the fictional little town of Marietta, and yes, that was as much fun as it sounds!
Tempt Me, Cowboy was the first book ever published by the newly-minted Tule Publishing some five months later. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of such a marvelous enterprise!
I read that there were timeline issues in Devil’s Honor. Why can’t you fix that?
Because they don’t exist.
In the prologue, “five years ago,” we’re in Greeley’s point of view but Merritt explicitly states that she’s twenty-two years old. And Greeley spends some time thinking about how he really, really doesn’t want her to leave him to go to law school.
I think the confusion arises from the fact Merritt went off to college at eighteen. She visited here and there, as you do, and then spent that crucial summer in Lagrange before law school. The five years she was gone were three years in law school, then two more years in New York City working in that firm.
The timeline works, I promise!
What’s your favorite book?
I can’t answer this question. Really.
I read so much, and I read fast, and I’ve been reading almost all my life, and I love so many books. So many!
I’ll tell you what: someday we’ll sit down somewhere and we’ll compare notes on all the books we love and the authors we adore and the stories that still live in our hearts. I can’t wait.
I love pictures. I take a lot of them.
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)
