How long have you been writing?
I began writing my first novel, On the Ropes in 2017 and was published in early 2018. It was such a thrill. Years of dreaming about being published and then making it happen. I wished I had started sooner!
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
The main characters and important secondary characters are planned out ahead of time. And sometimes depending on how the story progresses, I find I need to create additional minor characters to fill in plot gaps and story lines.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
So many things to research! I wish readers understood how much time many of us put into researching for stories and series.
Just to name a few research areas: meanings of names, professions, details about where characters live, housing (Realtor.com and Zillow.com are my best friends), clothing, wedding and bridesmaid dresses, makeup, cultural traditions and stereotypes, etc.
Do you see writing as a career?
Up until a couple of years ago I had a very demanding full-time job in IT so I snuck in writing when I could. Since getting laid off at the end of 2023, my time is now my own and I see writing as my new career at long last. 😊
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
I love to read but as a “slower” writer, if I get too caught up reading, that interferes with my writing. I do enjoy many sub-genres of romance. And I like the steamy stuff but also read the not so steamy stuff too.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I prefer quite for writing time. I used to have the television on but muted, but it was easy to get distracted. The internet is distracting enough without adding television distractions.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
I write one at time. I like to start something and finish. If I get an idea for another story while I’m writing another, I’ll jot down notes so I can come back to it later.
Pen or type writer or computer?
I use a laptop with a 17.3” screen. I keep things simple and use MS Word since the formatting software uses it. I have a smaller 15.6” backup laptop. I’m a hardcore Windows gal.
by Dania Voss
February 15, 2026
Genre: Steamy Paranormal Romance
The secret is out. Shifters exist and live among humans.
Tessa Cooper, a single mother devoted to her three-year-old daughter, is firmly in the first camp, doing her best to keep her biases to herself. But one look at Dario Kingston Renzetti, a wealthy lion shifter, and she senses her life will never be the same.
The moment Dario sees Tessa in his bar, he knows he’s found his fated mate – age difference be damned. Learning she wants nothing to do with shifters – especially romantically – is another matter altogether. But nobody said he wasn't determined.
Can Dario’s persistence convince Tessa he’s not hiding dark secrets that would reinforce her opinion of shifters, or will she deny them their primal destiny?
Pick up this steamy, age gap, rejected mate paranormal romance today and find out.
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Over delicious and filling appetizers, they helped Emelia calm down and organize what needed to be done in the next couple of hours before she and Fabrizio flew to Boston.
“I hate leaving you in the lurch for so many weeks though, Dario,” Emelia lamented. Then she glanced at Tessa with excitement in her eyes. “I know! Tessa should fill in for me while I’m gone. The idiots she worked for laid her off two days ago. That job was beneath her anyway. It would be perfect.”
Tessa’s head was spinning. In a matter of minutes, she had all of Emelia’s magazine system login credentials, had hugged her goodbye, and was now alone with Dario.
Who had removed his costume cape and was now gloriously shirtless.
She bolted out of her chair, needing to put some distance between them, and leaned against his desk. “Surely you can find someone else to fill in for Emelia. Someone already at the magazine? I appreciate her confidence in me, but I can’t work for you.”
Dario raised a brow from his seat at the conference table. Hunger flared in his hypnotic blue eyes. “Because of your shifter bias, as Emelia put it?”
A flush crept across Tessa’s cheeks as he called her out on her shifter issues. “I… I’ll admit shifters make me uncomfortable. I mean no offense to you and yours personally.”
Dario regarded her compassionately before he stood and walked toward her. He stopped in front of her, leaving some much-needed space between them. Still, she felt his body heat and her pulse ratcheted up.
“I appreciate that. Think of the practicalities, though. You’d be helping your friend when she needs you and finally getting work experience worthy of your Columbia MBA.”
Dario was right of course, but he did strange things to her emotions. Tessa felt out of control around him and that scared the shit out of her. “I could get that work experience anywhere. I don’t need to get it from your magazine. Why are you so insistent?” He stealthily got closer, making her tremble against her will, his unique scent driving her insane with desire.
He twirled a lock of her hair around his fingers, and Tessa’s body lit up with awareness. How did he do that?
“Because you, per sempre mio, are my mate.”
Tessa couldn’t bring herself to resist when Dario captured her lips in a hungry kiss. Their tongues tangled greedily, and her head swam. Their connection was electric. He tasted like heaven and sin, and she was hopelessly hooked.
They were both panting when they broke apart. “No. I can’t be your mate.” She whispered, but in her heart, she believed Dario was probably right.
“I know it doesn’t fit with your shifter bias narrative, but I and my lion knew the moment we saw you; the moment we smelled your delectable scent that you were our destiny. Our primal destiny.” Dario didn’t stop her when she moved away from him and rubbed her arms, nearly in a panic.
“You might be mistaken.”
“I’m absolutely certain and I think you are too. You feel the mating bond just as I do, don’t you?
If that’s what she felt toward him was called, she did. “No, I don’t. I’ll help Emelia out because she needs me, but we can’t ever kiss again. I mean it.”
The deep timbre of Dario’s laugh sent chills down Tessa’s spine.
“Oh, my sweet mate, but we will. Many more times. Because you’ll want to. You can count on it,” Dario declared as a wicked grin spread across his face.
About the Author
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Int’l bestseller and award-winning author Dania Voss writes compelling, sexy romance with personality, heat, and heart. Born in Rome, Italy and raised in Chicagoland, she creates stories with authentic, engaging characters. She loves anything pink and is a huge fan of 80s hair bands.
A favorite with romance readers, her debut novel “On the Ropes,” the first in her Windy City Nights series, became an international bestseller. Dania’s books have won multiple awards, and her work has been highlighted on NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX. She has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Southern Writers Magazine, and Chicago Entrepreneurs Magazine (selected as the #8 Top Chicago Author in 2021).
When she’s not writing, you can find Dania at a sporting event, a rock concert, or the movies (preferably a comedy).
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