Romance author Donna Marie Rogers lives in a renovated old schoolhouse in beautiful Northeast Wisconsin with her husband and children. She's an avid gardener and home-canner, as well as an admitted reality TV junkie. Her passion to read is only exceeded by her passion to write, so when she's not doing the wife and mother thing, you can usually find her sitting at her computer creating exciting new characters, fresh new worlds, and always happily-ever-afters.

How about if I start off with the blurb & a short excerpt. :-)

She's running from her past, he's unsure about his future. Maybe together they can figure out what was Meant To Be.

Officer Garrett Jamison is at the lowest point in his life. He's lost faith in his ability as a police officer after unwittingly setting his sister up with a dirty cop. Garrett ended up getting shot, and his sister's son kidnapped right out of his own bed. He takes a leave from the force, in need of some time to make a decision about his future. Too bad he can't get a decent night's sleep thanks to his sexy new neighbor and her howling cat.

Jessica McGovern moves halfway across the country to start a new life in Green Bay, Wisconsin after her ex-husband is convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of their young son. Her new neighbor is as infuriating as he is handsome, but when her ex is released from prison early and shows up in town, Jessica discovers she's never needed anyone more.

EXCERPT: 

"Come here, Miss Crabbypants." 

Jessica resisted, but it was no use. The big oaf outweighed her by a ton. "Look, I just want to finish my tea and relax. Today's my last day off for almost two weeks." 

He leaned back and frowned down at her. "Why are you working so many hours?" 

She rolled her eyes. "Um, I have bills to pay...?" 

His gaze became pensive as he massaged the back of her neck. Slowly, she relaxed until she was leaning into his broad chest, eyes closed, inhaling his spicy masculine scent. He always smelled so good...Damn, the man was a magician; she'd already forgotten why she was mad at him...Wait, oh yeah. "So what's with all that hammering?" 

"We're building a doghouse." 

His busy fingers moved to her shoulders wringing a groan of ecstasy from her. Oh, God, was she drooling on his shirt? Then his words registered. Jessica leaned back and swiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. "A doghouse? But you don't have a dog...do you?" 

"No, but Ethan's been begging for a puppy for a couple years now. I guess he finally wore Sara down. And Mike's still in the ‘buy-Ethan-anything-he-wants' phase." Garrett glanced down at his T-shirt and chuckled. He reached out and recaptured the back of her neck. "Liked that, did you? You do seem a little tense—" 

"Oh, no you don't." She ducked out of his reach and took a few steps back. He started to follow but she held up both hands. "You stay right where you are." 

He propped his hands on his hips. "So do I have a date tonight or what?" 

"Or what." 

He grinned. "Wear something sexy," he said with a wink before strolling out the back door. The jackass even had the nerve to whistle. 

Jessica walked over and slammed the door with a muttered, "Nutjob." Then she headed into the bedroom to search through her closet.

Can you tell us how you came up with the idea for Meant to Be? 

I fell in love with Garrett while writing There's Only Been You, and since I'd always been a fan of series, I knew I wanted to write my own.  I started Meant To Be about a month after There's Only Been You ended, and I wrote a scene with Garrett being woken up for the fourth time in a night by his new neighbor's annoying cat, who'd been howling outside his bedroom since they moved in a couple weeks before.  The cat's owner (the heroine, of course *grin*) doesn't take his criticism very well since she's a bit of a hothead as well....and I just built from there.  I did end up scrapping the original opening scene, but I'm happy with the way it opens now. *grin*

Please tell us about the challenges/fun stuff while writing Meant to Be? 

The biggest challenge was getting my head back into it.  About 100 pages in I lost focus, and the manuscript sat for many months before my CP/good friend/sometimes co-author, Stacey Joy Netzel, cracked the whip and made me write.  With her coaxing, I finally finished my first draft of Meant To Be, and I couldn't have been more thrilled.  Thanks again, Stacey!  The funnest part was simply developing these characters, who I've come to love as if they were family.  Weird how that happens. :-) 

Can you share a favorite review or comment about Meant to Be 

I'd love to share my cover quote from my favorite author, NY Times bestselling author Lori Foster:  "Witty and heartfelt, with an unforgettable cast of secondary characters. Meant To Be is a definite page-turner!"

I just received my very first review for Meant To Be, and it's from You Gotta Read.  They gave me their highest rating!  Here's a quote:  "Do you love characters that are stubborn, honorable, sassy, and just plain lovable? Well, look no further. Jessica and Garrett will keep you on your toes and turning those pages." 

I hope all my reviews are this kind!

What books are in your TBR pile right now? 

Ooh, lots.  Let's see....The latest Lara Adrian, Ashes of Midnight, Vexing the Viscount by Emily Bryan, He Calls Her Doc by Mary Brady, McKettrick's Luck by Linda Lael Miller, Love At First Flight by Marie Force, Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas, Master Of Surrender and Master of Torment by Karin Tabke, Master of Swords by Angela Knight....I'm starting to see a pattern here....LOL  There are more, but this reply could become very long, so I'll stop here.

Any movies you're looking forward to? 

Yep, several!  The Proposal (Sandra Bullock & Ryan Reynolds), Orphan (thriller), The Ugly Truth (Gerard Butler & Katherine Heigl), Public Enemies (Johnny Depp), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. :-)

Your favorite authors? 

In no particular order:  Lori Foster, Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, Judith McNaught, Rebecca Paisley, Christie Craig, Julie Garwood, Dorothy Garlock, J.R. Ward, Lara Adrian, Janet Evanovich....there are more, but this is a good example of what I like to read.  LOL

What comes after Meant to Be? 

As far as the Jamison series, I plan to write Nick's story, Head Over Heels, next.  But I'm not sure when I'll get to it.  What I'm working on now is the sequel to Welcome To Redemption, a four-story anthology I wrote with my CP/good friend Stacey Joy Netzel.  And I have Jack Sutton's story in the works.  You meet Jack in Meant To Be, though he's no relation.  In fact, he's not very happy with Garrett at all...LOL

Links to your website and/or blog/s? 

Websites: www.DonnaMarieRogers.com  www.LizaJamesAuthor.com 
Blog:   http://romanticcravings.blogspot.com 

Pauline, thank you so much for having me, and thank you to everyone who stopped by! 

**If you'd like a chance to win a download of my newest release, Meant To Be, leave me a comment, any comment. ;-)

Thank you, thank you for stopping by, Donna! Let the comments begin!
Perilously yours,
Pauline