What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Love at First Blizzard?
I'm a classical musician and have done plenty of traveling over the years to play with various orchestras, especially in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. During one trip, I remember driving through the eeriest white fog at night in a winter storm and feeling nervous I’d get stranded. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. But it definitely planted a seed. Later, as I started fleshing out my heroine, a curvy girl virtuoso cellist, who gets trapped in a freak March blizzard, I had to give her a drool-worthy rescuer. Before I knew it, a grumpy, reclusive cowboy mountain man who speaks Russian, bakes bread, and rescues huskies was born!
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Love at First Blizzard, what would they be?
Theme songs for their love story: Snow Patrol's “Chasing Cars,” Johnny Cash's “Ring of Fire," Chris Stapleton's “Tennessee Whiskey”
FMC theme song: Distant Cowboy's “Hope Is a River That Runs Between Us”
MMC theme songs: Billy Idol's “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and Chris Isaak's "Wicked Games"
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I’m a huge fan of contemporary romances set in small towns and featuring curvy girls and alpha males, especially cowboys and mountain men.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I like reading in series. Some I’m currently diving into or plan on diving into include Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch novels, Kat Baxter’s Saddle Creek, TX: The Crawfords, Lucy Score’s Knockemout series, and Hope Ford’s Whiskey Men series.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
The antelope stew and freshly baked bread scene. The cabin couldn’t get any cozier, our curvy heroine’s got a super-hot grumpy mountain serving her hand and foot, and he just cooked her one of the best homecooked meals of her life. Add a fire in the hearth, romantic music, and plenty of lusty sparks, and things quickly heat up!
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
As a writer and musician, music and writing are interwoven for me. So, I often listen to music to help inspire storylines and get me in the right mood for writing, and each book has a full playlist of songs (in my head) to accompany various scenes, themes, and characters.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” —George Bernard Shaw.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
It may be a cliché, but as a romance author, I live by this—love conquers all.
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