In fact, this time last year, I was caring for my dad, whom we'd brought to live with us in October the previous year. He was ill and we--as a family--believed he'd recover and be back to normal. What we hadn't realised was that when we phoned to check in with him, he'd been fooling us. Telling us what we wanted to hear--that he was great, cooking all sorts of fantastic dinners, gardening, and even redecorating. The reality was that he was extremely ill and didn't tell us. By the time we discovered the real deal, it was too late to turn things around. He passed in mid-February last year. I did not take it all that well.
But, somehow, I don't even know how it happened, but in March, my CP emailed me to tell me Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense was running their Great Love Inspired Author Search 2025. It had already been going since January and had two weeks left before the deadline was up. I sat down, came up with an idea, wrote the first chapter, and submitted it a week before the deadline.
I got a quick response for the full--which was due on August 1st. I wrote the book and submitted it at the end of May. The following week, I received an email from my now editor asking to arrange a time to call me. You can read more about it in this post: A Harlequin Dream Come True: From Rejections to Contract.
I'm still trying to make myself believe that I finally got signed by Harlequin. It's been a long road, and I'm glad the tons of times I gave up on the dream didn't stick!
So, here is my cover for GUARDED BY THE SHERIFF, out June 2026, but you can pre-order your copy now.
