The second book in the CIRCLE EIGHT series, BRODY, hit the streets on June 26th with a bang. I’ve been overwhelmed by everyone’s reaction and thrilled to find how much readers enjoy the story.

*happy dancing*

When I set out to start writing BRODY, I knew the characters of Brody and Olivia well. The story nearly flew out of my fingers, with a heat and intensity that surprised me. The two of them nearly exploded on the page – their combined passion sizzled every time I wrote a scene.

In addition to the heated sex scenes, BRODY also has the violence and raw scenes. The truth was life was hard in the 1830s in the Republic of Texas. I didn’t want any flouncy, silly heroines or heroes who coddled them. Nothing was easy, from growing crops to hanging onto your land. I think I captured that in BRODY.

The story follows the story of the missing Graham brother, Benjy, and Olivia’s quest to find him. I won’t pull any punches – it’s emotional and intense. As I said, life was hard for them. However, the love of family and the strength of Olivia make the story work.

You can read an excerpt here on my website. You can also pick up the Kindle version for only $6.64!

And as a final booyah, the cover is absolutely fabulous! Model Len Gunn becomes BRODY in a rough and intense way.

My second book in the CIRCLE EIGHT series, BRODY, releases in only 9 days! I’m excited to not only have my seventh Kensington Brava book published, but even more jazzed to have this CIRCLE EIGHT book bring my wicked ranger and untamed heroine to the readers.

BRODY follows the story from book 1, MATTHEW, and the mystery of the missing Graham brother, Benjamin. Ranger Brody Armstrong has a lead and wants Matt Graham to know. Instead he runs into Olivia Graham, the stubborn and badass oldest sister. She convinces the ranger to take her along for the ride.

Thus begins the epic road romance of Brody and Olivia, full of heat, danger, violence and mystery. I *love* this book – very proud of it and I truly hope readers will too.

A hot, raw western romance. If you like ‘em gritty, this one’s for you. — New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin

Lang has grabbed reader attention with her Circle of Eight series and continues to hold it with Brody, as a bold Texas Ranger meets his match in a determined rancher’s daughter. Not only is Lang’s latest a powerfully realistic western/adventure, but a sizzling hot love story as well… — 4 Stars, Romantic Times Book Reviews

In exciting news, you can find both MATTHEW and soon BRODY in mass market paperback in Walmart. I picked up a copy of MATTHEW last week and smiled over the mini-me.

I’m excited to officially start the countdown to my next Brava release, CIRCLE EIGHT: BRODY. This is book 2 of the series and a continuation of the mystery from book 1, MATTHEW.

Nearly one month until BRODY hits the shelves. Woohoo! I’m also thrilled to have Len Gunn, Mr. Romance 2011, as the cover model on BRODY. I was lucky enough to meet Len at the Romantic Times Conference in Chicago this year. He hunt out with me at my table during the Kensington mixer and signed autographs. It was fantastic to have the cover model with the BRODY cookies Kensington had specially made!

BRODY is a very different book than MATTHEW. It’s rougher, with more violence and more passion. I let the story tell itself and Brody and Olivia had their own cadence to follow. I’m along for the ride.

I’m nearly finished with book 3, CALEB, that will hopefully follow BRODY quickly. I don’t want to leave readers hanging for too long and I absolutely adore this family and their stories.

You can visit here for an excerpt and stay tuned for excitement in June as I count down to BRODY’s release!

I’d like y’all to meet the Grahams – they are a family of tough ranchers, born and raised in the Republic of Texas. There are eight children in the Graham family, Matthew, Olivia, Caleb, Nicholas, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Catherine and Benjamin. Stuart and Meredith Graham loved each other and the eight offspring made from that love.

Then one terrible day in 1836, Stuart and Meredith were murdered and young Benjamin, only five years old, disappeared. That left Matthew, the oldest at twenty-four, in charge of a brood of siblings and a ranch. The Grahams are like any group of brothers and sisters. They bicker, they argue, they laugh, they get into mischief and most of all, they are loyal to each other.

When I write a series, it nearly always revolves around a family, conventional or unconventional. THE CIRCLE EIGHT series is no exception. I’ve never had such a clear picture of the family, or come to love them as quickly as I did the Grahams. They have taken up residence in my heart for good.

With the publication of MATTHEW, the first book in the series, the Grahams are finally out in the wild for everyone to meet and get to know. Coming from a family of four siblings (hubby is from a family of five), I know just how frustrating, amazing, and loud a large family can be. I’ve put all that into these books and more.

I just finished reading the galley proof for BRODY, the second book in the series (July 2012). And I found myself laughing, crying and enjoying every moment with the Grahams. They are a family of very unique characters, just as each of us is unique.

And don’t you know it, they are all going to grow up in front of our eyes. That’s a first for me, creating their lives and letting them experience it. They are like the country they live in, the Republic of Texas that is, tough, unyielding, strong and ready for anything.

I hope you’ll give the Grahams a try and pick up a copy of MATTHEW, the first book in THE CIRCLE EIGHT series.

If you’re going to the Romantic Times Convention in Chicago, don’t forget to come see me at the WESTERN ROUND UP on Wednesday, April 11th at 2:15! We’ll have Len Gunn, the cover model for book 2 in THE CIRCLE EIGHT series, BRODY! Yeehaw!

Two years ago my pen name for Brava became Emma Lang, prior to that, my Brava books had been published as Beth Williamson. I’ve found that readers who know me as Beth had trouble finding books by Emma. It was a dilemma (didn’t mean that to rhyme, honest!). One reader told me she read both Emma Lang books before she realized I am also Beth Williamson.

I decided after the RWA conference in NY, which was simply fabulous, to make it easier to find Emma and realize that there were marvelous books to be had, no matter what the pen name. I shall be Juliet… “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

I’m sweet, I swear!

After chatting with my marvelous web designer, Croco Designs, we decided on a plan. The websites, which had been separate, with separate bookshelf pages, separate Coming Soon, etc., are now combined. If you go to www.emmalang.com or www.bethwilliamson.com, you will find me–the rose.

My Emma Lang books are designated with an uber-cool “EL” designation. There is also a new “Coming Soon” page with both Beth and Emma books. You can see the fabulous cover for my next Brava release, THE CIRCLE EIGHT: MATTHEW, on there.

Best Brava Cover EVER! Had to say that, seriously, it rocks the house IMHO.

I hope y’all like it – I think it was the right thing to do. I write books because I love to write, and although I’m Emma, I’m also Beth. Pop on by and set a spell, I’ve got a story to tell you.

I’m pleased as punch to share with y’all the first cover for my new Brava series, The Circle Eight. Book 1 is MATTHEW, due out January 31, 2012. Alicia sent me the cover last week and I swooned. Really I did.

Look at the beautiful cover I’ve been blessed with.

It is swoon-worthy, don’t you agree? I’m thrilled with the cover, the concept and can’t wait to see the rest in the series. *big grin*

The Circle Eight begins the journey of the Graham family, eight siblings who have lost their parents and must make their way in the rough times in 1836 Republic of Texas. You can read more about MATTHEW here.

The rest of the covers, seven more of course, will have the same concept with a different man on the cover. I will look forward to all the covers and the stories eagerly.

A vacation, or holiday, is a time to escape from the every day, have fun, relax and sometimes have amazing experiences. I was on a cruise last week and although I’m sunburned (fair skin, blah!), I did all those things during my vacation. Plus one more thing.

I got my creativity in gear.

You’d think that being away from my routine would send things into a tailspin in terms of my writing. I didn’t actually write too much while I was on vacation, but I did read two books and my brain had time to function again. The every day can twist me up so hard that I can’t release enough of that tension to get good writing done. My holiday allowed that Gordian knot in my gut and brain to unravel.

*contented sigh*

It’s a good feeling to hit the laptop this morning and let 1000 words jump onto the page in less than 30 minutes. *fist pump* Yes! I’ve got just about 15K to go to finish my WIP and I know I’m going to nail it within the next few days. Why? Because my brain is refreshed and my creativity is amped up. I have clarity again!

I forget sometimes that my imagination is like an engine – it needs to be fed. Believe it or not, I forget to feed it. I’m like a bad parent, forgetting to feed her child. Then that child gets hungry and emaciated, enough that my writing slows down to a crawl, or worse yet, stalls.

Without a vacation, if I stay away from my writing for a week, it can be a very bad thing. However, this week off freed up my mind and now voila! I am writing like a bullet train. Choo-choo!

Perhaps I should take vacations more often.

As I finish the second book in my new series, The Circle Eight, I think about all the bits and parts that go into building a series. When I conceived the series along with my editor, Alicia Condon, I focused in on the family in the series.

Many of my books, and series, revolve around families. Some of them are traditional, while others are clearly nontraditional. It’s the feelings and love within that “family” that’s important.

The Circle Eight is about the Graham family, eight siblings born to parents who loved each other dearly. This is also a new time period, the Republic of Texas, and allowed me to step out of my comfort zone to test how far I can go. It appears I can go rather far.

The first book in the series, Matthew, is being released in February 2012 (yay!) and I should have cover art soon (oh boy oh boy!). He is the oldest and the one who has to keep the family together after tragedy strikes and their parents are brutally murdered, the youngest sibling kidnapped.

It’s a harsh world and I did not pull any punches as to the difficulty this family faces. They work together, and sometimes apart when they bicker, but in the end, it’s the family that’s important.

As I wrote Matthew’s story, I was already planting the seeds for book 2, Beverly. She is the oldest sister and a muleheaded, outspoken and obstinate woman. Although she is unlikeable in parts of Matthew’s book, she softens and you get a glimpse of the real woman behind the mask she wears.

I love planting those seeds and hearing from readers who see the tiny sprout growing and ask me, “when is her book coming out?”. The characters become real to me as anyone I know and my investment includes my heart and my mind.

I’m excited to begin a new adventure with The Circle Eight. Can’t wait to share it y’all!

February 1 marked the release of my fifth Brava book, my second as Emma Lang. Restless Heart brought Angeline’s story to life. Her sister, Eliza, had her own tale told in Ruthless Heart.

But everyone wanted to know, as did I, what happened to Angeline?

When I wrote Restless Heart, I had to put myself in the shoes of an 18 year old woman. One who had endured quite a lot in her young life, but one who had a spine of steel, afraid but courageous. She lived each day with a knot in her stomach, never knowing if today was the day she’d be found.

You see in Ruthless Heart, Grady Wolfe chased her for money, he was to kill her for money. Eliza saved Angeline, but now Angeline lives in constant fear that someone will find her and kill her.

Not an auspicious way to start a romance novel, eh? LOL. Well, I did it anyway. What I found was that what the story needed was a love story, a wooing of the heroine by the hero, Sam Carver. It was a sweet, emotional journey. And it worked.

The second half of the book is not as gentle or sweet but Angeline and Sam are together, and although still working through issues, strong. She is restless no more.

Come see me at RT, RWA, RAW or RomCon to get the Romance Trading Card for Restless Heart. You too can fall in love with Sam!

A mere eight days until my second Emma Lang book releases – Restless Heart! *cue the confetti and vuvuzelas*

This is the sequel to my release last summer, Ruthless Heart, where I may have left you wondering what happened to Angeline. Wonder no more!

Angeline’s story is much, much different than Eliza’s. She’s poles apart from her sister and her journey led her down a different path. I think what sets Angeline apart is her courage. In the face of darkness, she found the strength to break away and save herself. It left her damaged but not broken. She had a spine of steel to do what she did. I journeyed right along with her, as I always do. And cried with her, as I always do. (I’m such a crybaby!)

The hero in Restless Heart, Sam, is also unique IMHO. He’s a war veteran, someone who is floating through life, frustrated by the obstacles life has thrown in his path and hopelessly in love with Angeline. He deals with real-life problems and at the same time tries to find a balance in himself, in life and in love. He embraces the native American side of him from his mother and finds his path leads him to Angeline.

It’s a softer, yet more gut-wrenching story than Ruthless Heart. It has a cast of characters you’re sure to enjoy (my favorite is Jessup) and a love story that brings hope and joy back to Angeline and Sam. You can read an excerpt here.

As a side note, I’m tickled pink to see Seductive Musings blog selected Ruthless Heart in the top five favorite historical reads for 2010. Huzzah!