This has been both the longest and shortest year and a half of my publishing life.And I mean that in the best way.

See, in September 2022, I'd gotten together for dinner with friends and we all talked about how much we loved 'Romancing the Stone' (RIP, Diane Thomas). In a flash of jokey inspiration the title "Romancing MISS Stone" came to me. The main character, too--Alex Stone was as fully formed that day as she appears on the page today. A couple of days after that, the synopsis was complete.

Then I went on a writer's retreat and thought... You know what? I'm just going to bang out as much of this as I can. Ten thousand words in three days and I knew this story was mine to tell. My agent and I pitched the story to Harlequin and they asked for chapters. They requested revisions, and I turned that back into them in November of 2022. I kept writing while we waited. A gamble, yes, but I wanted to write this novel no matter what.

On February 2, 2023, I was on a train to New York City with my husband to catch a taping of The Daily Show (we'd always wanted to attend a live taping of a show and finally scored tickets). My agent called with the fantastic news that Harlequin was offering a 2-book deal based on the revised chapters, synopsis, and a blurb for book two. Huzzah!

Since then, my life has been drafting, revision, laughing at the hilarious comments my editor leaves me, more drafting, more revisions, and OMG, so much social media promotion. I've adored every second of it, and I hope you like the result! This truly is a book I needed to read, which is why I wrote it. As a child of an era where all of the competent, can-do people were dudes with bulging muscles, I wanted to see a woman fill that role. Not because she was a super-soldier, or protecting her kid against robot overlords, or imbued with magical and/or alien powers. No, Alex Stone is a regular person who is incredibly capable, maybe a little short on patience, and full of heart.

The back cover blurb is below...

His perfectly planned life is about to go wild.  

By-the-numbers Bo Ferguson has his future all planned. Then his archaeologist fiancée dumps him. Via text. From Belize. Navigating the rainforest to win her back is way out of Bo’s comfort zone, but so is the idea of starting over. Fortunately, he’s secured a tour guide willing to lead him into the unmapped jungle. Unfortunately, she’s annoying, impulsive—and attractive as hell.  

Jungle expert Alexandra Stone is in no position to turn down a job after her regrettable ex stole everything from her family business and ran. Sure, Bo might be frustratingly uptight, but Alex needs the money. And besides, there’s something…fun about pushing the guy’s adorably rigid buttons, especially when it clearly gets a rise out of him.  

But the close confines of their shared camp make it hard to ignore the tension beneath the bickering, prompting the sweltering heat between them to erupt into sweaty, wild passion. Bo can’t deny his brief time with Alex has been the most exciting of his life. But the journey they’re on still leads to one place—his ex-fiancée—forcing Bo and Alex to confront their pasts, their fears and the question of just where this adventure will take them… 

Order today: https://books2read.com/u/b6lMK0