I’ve officially been writing Christmas Key books now for ten years, and I find that it’s the easiest thing to just fall right into. I can take a break from writing about Holly and her neighbors, but the minute I open up a fresh document and start typing, I’m transported to an island paradise and I’m living amongst these people as if they’re real humans. I mean, to me, they truly are real humans!

I’ve detailed my journey with Christmas Key in the past, but I’m still amazed at how many years I spent turning that first book over in my mind and re-working it. I submitted it to Harlequin Romance in 2009 and got a request to read more, but ultimately they passed, saying that the book had less to do with a solid romance between the main characters, and more to do with the island and its inhabitants. Which is absolutely true, and definitely what I love most about the books!

I’m currently seven full-length books into the series and I’m working on the third novella (after writing short “how did they get to Christmas Key” background novellas on both Jake and Coco, I’m now working on one about Bonnie. It’s been fun to choose a timeframe in each character’s past and to look at their lives more closely, and this one is no exception! I’m writing about what brought Bonnie to the island, about when she arrives and starts to get to know everyone, and about her budding friendship with a seventeen-year-old Holly, who will ultimately grow up to be mayor and the main character of the series.

Novellas are fast and fun to write, so I’m hoping to get this done and released in the next month or so, and then I’m on to other projects (including Book 8 of the Christmas Key series!) I hope summer finds you well and that you’re reading all kinds of interesting things!