​

February 2026

The View From Here:

February Newsletter or Valentine's Newsletter?

There can be a lot of external pressure to celebrate Valentine's Day IRL -- buy cards, go out, did you plan something for a partner, did they plan anything for you... Well, I'm going to say whatever you do or don't do on this day, it's absolutely fine. You don't choose to participate? Great! Going out with friends? Fun! Someone didn't do something for you? Do something for yourself!

However, we're all here because we love romance, right? Watching or reading rom-coms or literary romance, historical or suspenseful romance -- or whatever tickles your personal fancy -- feels good. Gives you that lift you need sometimes. Ends on a note you can count on to be satisfying. So to that end, I'm here today with some suggestions...

If you're not familiar with Harlequin, try this to find your match and get a FREE ebook:

Plus, check out this anthology of Heartwarming Valentine stories (including stories by some of my fellow Harlequin Heartwarming authors):

​https://www.amazon.com/Heartwarming-Valentine-heartwarming-collection-connected-ebook/dp/B0DSTPQMP5​
​

Harlequin FREE Online Reads:

Don't have much reading time right now? Try Harlequin Online Reads. Completely free serialized short stories from across all their imprints, from sweet and heartwarming to steamy! Just click here to find more than 100 free short stories in their archives broken into bite-sized chapters, with a new one each month. Check out the link below:

​https://www.harlequin.com/articlelist.html​

psst -- super secret advance notice ... I'll be announcing my own short story here in the next couple of months!

Book News for the Tillacos Ranch Romance Series:

(And if you’re wondering, that’s Till - ah - cos … as in Costco.)

Book Two of the Tillacos Ranch Romance Series releases this spring!!

​Her Colorado Firefighter​

Early release will be April 1st for book bundles, then subscribers, and a general release May 1st.

He’s a firefighter, a cowboy...​
​
​And a whole lot of trouble!​
​
Dispatcher Sienna Herrera can handle almost any emergency—until her best friend announces she’s getting married in just three weeks! Now Sienna’s trying to plan the best wedding their small Colorado town has ever seen with the one person least equipped for the task: the charming best man, firefighter Troy Tyler. He has zero interest in Sienna’s super-organized, color-coded task list, and she has even less in his no-worries attitude. But time is running out, and Troy is on call for the Wildland Fire Team. Will their mismatched differences save the wedding or ruin it completely…along with the spark Sienna and Troy can’t ignore?

***

To be clear, I don't use AI for any stage of writing. Not for ideas, plotting/outlining, or storytelling. I did, however, recently discover that Canva Pro has image generation, so that when Harlequin asks me what I have in mind visually for my characters and setting for my covers, it saves me hours of sifting through free online photos and I can dial in far better what I have in mind. The image below nails it for my mental image of the historic old cabin on the ranch property and for Troy and Sienna. The ideas are then utilized by the art department at Harlequin for the final, original product.

Book three in the Tillacos Ranch Romance series is also completed now and making its way through the publishing pipeline 🎉

The back cover description for Their Colorado Christmas has just been released!

Snowbound for the holidays…​
​And falling for a cowboy!​
​
Alessia Votova is fascinated by the world of rodeos and cowboys, which is nothing like her home in Portofino, Italy. Finally getting the chance to visit a real working ranch, she’s greeted by polished businessman Lane Tyler. Lane isn’t quite the cowboy she was expecting, though Alessia has learned the hard way that appearances can be deceiving. A massive snowstorm suddenly forces her to bunk down with Lane’s close-knit ranching family, and Lane proves that he’s got the heart of a true cowboy. After years of protecting her own heart, can Alessia let go of the past, take a chance on love and embrace a future with Lane?

And the final book -- working on that one right now! This set was planned as a four-book series from the start, but all three brothers have been featured already. Any guesses who the hero (or heroine) of book four might be??? Drop a comment on my FB or IG page if you have a guess!!

Until next time, happy reading!

Thanks for reading Eliza D. Collins - Romance Author, Dog Mom! You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, or my website at elizadcollins.com​ Newsletter Archives can be viewed HERE​

​