Have I ever told you about ...

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Hello !

While I'm sitting here in my easy chair putting the finishing touches on Two Pucks, I have to remind myself how I got here to my dream job and more importantly,

What the heck makes writing romances my dream job anyway?

It all started, believe it or not--but you should because it's true--in Kindergarten...

Find out what happened in Kindergarten and what it had to do with romance writing.

Check out the story below! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

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At SQ's House

This week I celebrated my birthday 🎂 and heard from many of you on Facebook.Thank you VERY MUCH for all the birthday wishes!!

H and I went to lunch for my BD, which is relatively boring, but I enjoyed some chicken and waffles that I've been craving. Besides, it was the most I could do considering my book deadline is coming up fast.

Random pic of me working on deadline ➜➜➜

Next week will be more exciting because we'll be going to another UConn men's basketball game on campus! 🏀❤️

My diet/exercise, you ask?

I gained a few pounds back since losing 11 pounds (silver lining when I got the flu) because--chocolate on my birthday!

But this week I went to a yoga class and a barre class--I know you're asking what the heck is barre? Think ballerina barre with a mirror, not that there's any ballet involved and I tried my best not to look in the mirror--both classes were great for improving muscle tone and conditioning.

Also great for increasing my appetite! 😜 Lol!

How about you? Any other birthdays out there? 🎂

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If you enjoy talking books with like-minded romance lovers, and especially if you enjoy sports or my books, I would love to have you join my group. I share exclusive looks at covers-in-progress and you can join my ARC team there.

Getting to know the members of my group personally is everything! 💜

➜➜Join the SQ Team on Facebook Here

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How Kindergarten lead me to a life of romance writing

You all might remember Kindergarten as a fun and innocent time back when playing house meant a whole different thing than it would, say in high school.

For me, Kindergarten is when I discovered I was boy crazy.

I owe my realization to two little kindergarten boys named Randy and Gary—yes those are really their names and yes, I do remember them after all these (ridiculously unbelievable number of) years!

Every day in class, they would follow me around and Randy, the talker of the two, would ask me to marry him. (Awww!) 

I asked him why and he told me he thought I was the prettiest girl in class—which for a five year old child seemed to be enough of a good reason.

That made me feel pretty good—probably gave me a good jolt of endorphins and got me hooked on that romantic feeling back then.

Those endorphins also gave me some brazen confidence—enough to prod Gary, the poor shy boy, about what he thought. He would blush and admit to thinking I was pretty, too.

But I wasn’t satisfied with that and asked him if he also wanted to marry me. He reluctantly admitted he did. 

Thinking back, I was probably a sugar and spice bully in my boy-crazy endorphin-seeking haze. (Don’t judge me—it could happen to anyone, right?)

After Kindergarten, I never looked back. In fact, I looked at every boy as a potential romantic interest and ended up having crush after crush after crush all through my girlhood.

I'm hardly the only one--how about you? Were you boy or girl crazy as a kid?

But don’t worry, like we tend to do, I grew out of it and eventually matured, developing a deeper appreciation for the subtler notions about love and romance.

Still, after all this time, I do let my boy-crazy romantic little girl self have its way with each romance story I write. I might even include a bit of Randy and Gary in every hero I write because a part of me wants to create a happy-ever-after for those sweet little boys…

Look for more moments and questions answered about what makes a romance writer tick in future newsletters...

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My favorite review of the week!

THE BIG PUCK

a grumpy-sunshine single dad saved by the nanny hockey rom-com

"Great story & loved the banter."

KayB--Amazon reviewer

I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave reviews.💜

For a limited time

READ ON KU

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RELEASE DATE February 29th!

TWO PUCKS

a fake relationship forced proximity accidental pregnancy billionaire hockey rom-com

What does a billionaire hockey player and a down and out dog walker have in common?

Nothing besides my dog--unless you count the sizzling attraction between us.

Which makes our arrangement to live together and carry off a fake relationship all the more ridiculous.

But I desperately need to appear like I'm settling down and Cherry needs a place to live, so my agent--under loud protest--goes along with the deal and writes up a contract.

It’s possibly the stupidest deal ever imagined according to my agent, but once it's done, Cherry and I are in bed together--literally--for the duration of the hockey season.

He insists on only one condition--once the season is over, we make a clean break.

Sounds good to me--right up until the moment Cherry drops a world-changing bomb on my head. Surprised? Maybe. Shocked? Getting closer.

More like mind exploding...

Now what?

PRE-ORDER NOW!

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Coming in May 2024

Tricky Puck - a fake fiancee hockey rom-com

Link

I'd never heard of a real life matchmaker before, but grandma insists on introducing me to one and makes sure it's really real when she tells me I'm her matchmaker's new client...

Normally, I'd do anything for grandma, but this is a big ask.

I'm not ready to settle down. Not even close. I'm only twenty-six and a rising star in the NHL - otherwise known as a chick-magnet.

After all the hard work and focus I've put in to get this far, I've barely begun to have fun. No way am I going along with the matchmaking plan.

Sure.

Fast forward to when my attitude changes real fast after grandma informs me her clock is ticking and her time's almost up.

And her dying wish is to see me settled down with a nice young woman.

Shit.

She goes on about babies, but my mind is spinning with the knowledge that I have no choice. I need to go along with this matchmaking deal for grandma.

Unless I can come up with a way to give her the comfort she wants, the illusion that I'm settled down--without actually settling down...

Pre-Order Now!

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More books for your reading pleasure

SQ's Featured Book Deals

BINGE STEAMY ROMANCE ON KU

SPORTS HUNK ROMANCE

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ROMANCE FANS: CLICK HERE to Follow Me anywhere on social media and keep in touch!

The winter here is cold and the perfect time to get cozy with a book--or that's my go-to anyway. Enjoy whatever weather you're having and your favorite pastime.

It was fun to share a romance author Question Answered with you. I'd love to hear your thoughts and whatever questions you might have about what makes a romance writer tick. 💜

Warmest Regards,