Tag: Women’s Fiction

There’s only one thing standing in her way.

The will of her childhood friend, Christian Ford’s grandfather. She hasn’t even seen Christian in over ten years, but a recent run-in with his grandfather during a rare visit home, resulted in a new condition to the will. Christian will only inherit the ranch he’s been running and the real estate development business that he has expanded, if he marries Molly and stays married for at least six months.

This is what I would call a cozy romance, it’s romantic and sweet and is set in a small fictional town about 30 miles from Bozeman, MT. Warning, if you prefer your stories with the bedroom doors wide open and the windows steamed up, you may be disappointed.

I love to cook and try new recipes and if you do too, you may want to check out the recipe I included at the end of the book, for Lazy Lobster Casserole, the dish that Molly serves her guests at the Rose Cottage Inn’s first wine dinner. It’s a recipe I know by heart and have made a million times and is great for special occasions. It’s a holiday tradition in our family to have it every Christmas Eve.

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Q & A with the Author

Q-This is a sweet western romance set in Montana with a marriage of convenience plot. Why Montana? Why a marriage of convenience? Hasn’t that been done to death?

A-The setting of Montana is actually what came to me first. I was inspired by a close friend who moved to Bozeman in her late 30’s because she’d visited the area once and it felt like home. She bought a kayak and joined a local kayak club to make friends and ended up meeting the love of her life. A year later married and now have a five month old baby boy. So now, to me, Bozeman means romance.

I grew up reading Harlequin category romances, and have always loved the marriage of convenience stories. I knew they were popular with western romances, with all the mail-order brides, and I wanted to put a modern spin on it. I loved the idea of a meddling grandfather who plays match-maker from the grave. Having the stipulation that Molly and Christian have to stay married for six months made the premise even more fun. I also have a soft spot for the idea of best friends (in this case former childhood best friends) who end up together.

There’s only one thing standing in her way.

The will of her childhood friend, Christian Ford’s grandfather. She hasn’t even seen Christian in over ten years, but a recent run-in with his grandfather during a rare visit home, resulted in a new condition to the will. Christian will only inherit the ranch he’s been running and the real estate development business that he
Q-What writers have influenced you?
A-Where do I start? There are so many! There’s a few main ones that come to mind who I really admire. Debbie Macomber is one. I love the sweet romances that she writes and the family focused women’s fiction and continuing series. I first discovered her when she was writing for Silhouette and fell in love with her voice. I bought every Debbie Macomber book as soon as they were released. Maeve Binchy is another favorite. I love the warm cast of characters that populate her stories. Danielle Steel is another writer I really admire. My sister and I read all of her books as soon as they are released. We always know exactly what we are getting with her books, a sweet escape with likable people and a story you can’t put down.

Q-What’s next?
A-I just released a cozy mystery, TRUST, which was really fun to write and is the first in a new series set in a seaside town in Massachusetts. I’m also working on MISTLETOE IN MONTANA, which is the next book in this sweet western romance series. This is Dan and Traci’s story and we first meet them here, in SIX MONTHS IN MONTANA. It will be out in early Februa