In the summer of 2022, I created a side character… (in the book Blind Date with a Hero), Jason Keen was Jared’s wayward brother, a rough-and-tumble rodeo cowboy living in Western Colorado. I named him Jason in honor of my own cousin, Jason — the toughest cowboy I know. He’s fifteen or so years older […]
Nerds and the Creatives They Love
It’s my 17th wedding anniversary tomorrow, which of course is making me think about my own personal love story. 🥰 I’ve enjoyed seeing some of my favorite romance writers put together graphics about their real-life romance tropes, so I put one together for you! When I did it, though, I realized that my story isn’t […]
Love in Fiction
I’m sure we’ve all seen the memes about how certain movies or stories gave us unrealistic expectations for love. I laugh at them and can sometimes agree. Some things are unrealistic. But then this year my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and I heard from so many others who are about to hit 60 […]
Better For It
I was thinking this week about memories – specifically relationship memories. When my son turned one, and I realized I was expected to buy him birthday gifts a mere two weeks after his grandparents and great-grandparents (and, yeah, maybe his parents, too) had spoiled him at Christmas, I realized I needed a plan. So we […]
Love in the Everyday Moments
My husband and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago. And to mark the occasion we…spent the day at home with our kids. Which, on the surface, might seem like a pretty boring way for a romance writer to spend her anniversary. But I would argue that it’s not! Because as […]
My Life as a Romance
Recently, I posted a meme on my social media accounts that included my “real-life romance tropes.” One of my followers commented it sounded like a good book, which got me thinking. I’m not a memoir writer, but if I did, my life with my husband does have the makings of an interesting story…single dad, love […]
Forever
A while back, I was blessed to be able to participate in a multi-author event at my local library. It’s always awe-inspiring to find out there are more than twenty other authors in the area, especially since I had never met most of them. Makes an author feel not quite so alone–a good thing for […]
Love in Texts
I know everyone is really looking forward to spring right around the corner. Especially all of you who are still getting snow. I’m counting down the days to the end of March for another reason, though. You see, around that time is about the half-way mark for my husband’s deployment. Though the days are […]
Third Ring’s a Charm
If you like real life love stories, you’ve got to hear about the one that inspired my work-in-progress, Fiancé Finale. A friend of mine dated a guy, but when they broke up, he got engaged to someone else. On the night before his wedding to the other woman, my friend randomly prayed, “God if you […]
Relationship Resolutions
I’ve talked to a few people recently about what their 2022 was like and what they would like to be different in 2023. I’ve gotten some interesting answers. A lot of people faced financial challenges in 2022. Inflation and the cost of living have weighed heavy on many people. Some people have been discouraged by […]