These characters resist each other and they resist love.

That’s where things get interesting. That’s usually where I find myself jumping in (typing?) headfirst.
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In Legacy of Lies, Garrison and Sara don’t exactly start off on the right foot. He’s juggling a ranch that’s barely holding together, a son who needs him, and a past that makes trust … complicated? Confusing? Awful? All of the above? Sara is doing everything she can to stay steady, do her job well, and not give the town one more reason to look at her sideways.
They’re not in the same headspace. Not even close!

Which means every conversation between them carries a little extra weight. There’s more friction, and (*rubs hands together*) I love it!

Turns out, I have readers that love this kind of head-butting as well. One mentioned how the chemistry felt immediate, even when the situation wasn’t easy. Another pointed out just how much Garrison has on his plate, and how Sara is walking her own tightrope at the same time. Neither of them has room for more complications, and yet… there they are, complications served right up to my readers.

That push and pull is what I love writing about. I love developing characters and tweaking all of the small pieces (and sometimes big!) that makes them act the way they act, or say the things they say. It makes the romance fresh when you put two opposite perspectives into a blender and mix them up!

I love the challenge of writing these stories because when two people come at each other from completely different directions, they don’t get to coast. They have to pay attention. They have to decide whether they’re going to keep pushing back or risk their hearts. Oftentimes they get things so wrong before they get it right. Have they ruined their chances at redemption?

Add in a small town that remembers everything, sprinkle in a few family loyalties that run deep, and toss in more than a little supernatural trouble brewing in the background, and it’s no surprise things don’t stay simple for long. It’s a literal recipe for disaster. One reader described it as intense and suspenseful with something lurking just out of sight, and that tension doesn’t just affect the plot.

This is the secret sauce to what makes these stories stick: making two people work their way through misunderstanding, stubbornness, and everything life is throwing at them. Finally deciding to push past their self-interests and decide to risk it all for love. It creates a unique connection that feels more believable because it’s real.
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People are messy. Love takes time. But when it all finally clicks into place, the happily-ever-after feels earned and welcomed!

Short answer: yes! Unofficially. With the holiday schedules, I am waiting to get the finalized contract back from my publisher. The tentative plan is to release the next three books next year, which is going to be -- yikes, so many projects next year!

Because I am never confident in my ability to produce books quickly, I pre-wrote most of the series to get it ready to go. The next book in the series is drafted (I'm putting finishing touches on it now!) and the book after that is in rough-draft form! That leaves one more, and I know where it's going!

I hope you''ll come along for the wild ride that is Project Morpheus! It was ridiculously fun to write, and readers have told me how much they enjoy reading it, too!

Like all of my books, each installment in this series is standalone. But I've been told over and over by readers that it's way more fun to read in order starting with FALLEN COMRADE. (Just click the picture above to go to the series page with buy links.)

As always ... happy reading!

Excerpt from Five Alarm Love:

For the first time in forever, Tuli went utterly still and serious. His intense gaze pinned Lou in place. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Her mouth went dry.

She’d never experienced him like this.

He stepped forward until they were a few inches apart. Heat rolled off him, bringing with it Tuli’s light scent of soap and smoky aftershave. He looked down at her. “What if there was more than friendship?”

Lou’s thoughts swirled like puffs of smoke from a forest fire. One thought chased another to its inevitable, painful conclusion. The genetic report. His dreams. Her changed future. “There’s a lot going on right now. Things are complicated.”

Tuli’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Life is always complicated. That’s life. But sometimes things are truly simple.” He rolled his lips. “At some point, we will miss out on some awesome moments by keeping everyone out of our business.”

“Sometimes keeping people out of our business reduces the chance of pain.”

Nodding, he said, “Connection has risks. It requires trust. Respect.” He patted his pocket containing the phone. “It opens us up to criticism and to not living up to others’ expectations.” 

It was like he read her mind. “Why risk the pain?”

“Because letting people into our business can also be a joy. Trust. Simple connection.” He extended his arms to the sides.

Lou pointed. “That phone attached to the internet makes things not simple.”

“Huh?”

She reached for the only logical argument that didn’t force her to share her deepest secret. “I had my personal business broadcast all over town once before. I can’t do it again. I can’t live that exposed of a life. Not like you do.”

“No one’s asking for you to be broadcast anywhere.”

“Aren’t you? That’s part of the Tuli package. Social exposure.” As if she had a shot at being part of that package. Lou knew the score. She did not have a chance.

“What are you getting at?”

“I’m a very private person.”

“And I’ve respected that privacy. Always. Never mentioned your name online. Never put you on camera.”

She kept going. “I can’t deal with any relationship, friendship or otherwise, on display for others to see and examine. I don’t know if I want to be around someone who thinks about life as a series of clips for thousands of people to see.”

“Technically, over a hundred thousand people.” He gave a self-deprecating snort. “That’s literally my job.”

“People aren’t content.”

He flinched like she had slapped him.

Lou blew out a harsh breath. “You’re never off. This is why you’re so … you … all the time.”
A beat. Then two. Then he said, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Horror dawned when she realized what she had said. Lou had undermined what he valued most in his life. She had attacked the person he was. Oh, God. Maybe she could take the words back. “Never mind. I don’t want to say anything else.”

“Why not?”

She fought to form the words. “Because I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Lou.” He was a breath away.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not talking about anything public. I’m not talking about filming things. I’m not talking social media. This conversation right here? It’s about you and me. We’ve been through thick and thin together. Leaned on each other for help. Lifted each other up. All I’m asking is, what if there’s more for us?”

Her heart hammered in her chest. The risk of pain versus the risk of … something good … tempted her. “I don’t know.” Even as she said the words, she leaned toward him like he was the anchor off the side of a fishing boat. The weight and the current pulled her toward the churning water.

The scent of woodsmoke and aftershave swirled around him.

What he was suggesting was akin to watching a fall wildfire blaze out of control. The act would be final, irreparable, and risky. Things would never be the same after the flame. Someone could get burned.

She tilted her head up. Somehow, she had ended up a hair’s breadth away from him.

His rapid breath feathered over her, warm and familiar. “Lou,” he said on an exhale.

She needed that heat like she needed oxygen. “I don’t—” Unable to stop herself, she brushed her lips over his. Once. Twice.

Something deep down sparked to flame and crackled to life.

Blazed through her heart.

Then consumed everything in its path.

Tuli. Her friend. How was this possible?

He gave a shuddering breath, lifted her chin with his fingertip, and returned the kiss. Pressed to her lips, his trembled. His kisses drifting over her sent heated waves through her body.

Twenty-six years. She had waited her whole life for this moment.

​A moment that had changed everything.

So I was traveling as a doctor to do a doctoring job. But while I was sitting on the plane, I was frantically drafting book #3 in the Yukon Valley, Alaska medical romance series. You know -- a series about medical romance in a cold, snowy rural environment. Exactly like where I'm traveling. To do the job that is in my book. That I wrote.

The flight was just under 3 hours. About 2 hours in, a lady sitting behind me and over one seat leaned forward and asked if I was an author?

Oh my god, had she witnessed the absolute DRECK I was fast drafting? Because that would be embarrassing!

I was kind of surprised but said yes I was an author. She asked what I wrote and my author name and I told her. This woman paused and then says, "I've read your books."

WHAT? For real? 

Then the cynical voice in my head was like, no she's just being polite. Because there's no way. I am literally no one in the writing world (yet -- I'm working on this!).  :)

This woman said, "You wrote the cowboys series, right?"

NO WAY. This person had actually read my un-marketable (because -- say it with me -- it's not a genre!! Yee haw for bad marketing choices) paranormal western series! Pretty sure my jaw was on the floor and I kind of blacked out.

A few minutes later, the lady had hooked into the airplane's wifi and points to her phone, "Yep, it's right here on my orders for kindle."

O.M.G.

So naturally I fumble around with what to say and ask her about her work (she's an editor) and what stuff she likes to read. Then I was like, oh crap I should mention my new book, which basically came out like, "Hey I have book coming out that's Gray's Anatomy meets Northern Exposure!"

And she was like, "Wow, that sounds great!"

To which I blurted out, "Want a free ARC copy? I'll email it to you." Because deep down, I am just a terrible marketer. At the end of the day I give away so much stuff!

Anyway, the lady was very kind and sweet and I can't remember large chunks of our conversation because I was just gobsmacked by the whole part where she had read my books. Like, this random person, on the same plane as me, and I'm going to my job, which is exactly like the job my main character does.

I mean, wow! Mind. Blown.

So I suppose to wrap up, if you ever recognize me on a plane just know that I'll get nervous and probably start giving away product...

When I initially wrote the book, I never imagined that three years later I'd be working as a locums doc myself, traveling to a remote, rural locations where I deliver babies, care for hospitalized patients, take A LOT of call, and treat patients in the clinic!

But it's true. Here I sit, in the hospital's rental apartment which is situated above the only furniture store in this town of 6,000. There's snow and ice on the ground and the temperatures are hovering around 5F (-15C). I'm waiting for the nurses to call me with the next laboring patient to arrive at the hospital!

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To finish my own transformation into Dr. Alaska, all I need now is a team of sled dogs!
The story behind this particular cold, northern assignment is this: There were 2 Ob/Gyns, an FP/Ob, and a midwife working at this hospital. 1 Ob/Gyn retired last year and the other one quit last summer. So it's just been the FP/Ob and midwife holding down the fort at a facility that's delivering on average a baby every 1.5 days! That's a lot of babies for just two people. It's the only hospital for over an hour in all directions, so it needs to stay open for the safety of the people who live here.

​I understand this situation. Once upon a time, I too was the lone FP/Ob doc on call for months at a time. Sure the work is rewarding, but relentless 24/7 coverage for months at a time is draining. Locums docs saved my sanity multiple times back in those days.
It's been rewarding to pay it forward by providing some much-needed relief and respite to the Ob providers here.

In full disclosure, yes I still enjoy delivering babies, but my bones are definitely getting older. Not going to lie, a frigid drive at 3am from my warm bed to the hospital hits differently now than it did 10 or 15 years ago!

Isn't it wild how my life is imitating my book in this weirdly specific way? I always think that reality is stranger than fiction, but in my case, fiction has become reality!

13) Has anyone ever hit the code button by mistake?

Yes! Toddlers playing with cords in the bathroom have pulled alarms. Patients or their family members who were tired of waiting for the nurse to bring their jello have hit the code button for "faster service." 

14) Can a hospital have no ventilators and no ICU?

Of course. Now, the bigger question is how to keep a patient who has respiratory failure alive in a hospital with no ventilators and no ICU. It gets interesting, real fast.

15) Do you say "knock knock" while physically knocking on the door?

Yep. Old habits die hard.

16) Have you ever dated someone in the small town where your practice was?

Hoo boy. Yes, once. He was -- of all things -- the chief of police's brother in law, and I cared for the chief of police's wife's pregnancy as well as all of their kids. Look, I'm not saying that it's bad that things were all tangled up between medicine and professionalism and families and dating. But you have to be careful as a physician.

First of all, I had to formally dismiss the guy as a patient before we could date. (I had seen him once for a pre-employment physical and so he was technically assigned to my patient panel.) I had a note in the chart and basically transferred him to a partner. I never entered his chart ever again.

In small towns, as the doctor, you can really be under a microscope. That's not to say we can't date and have normal social lives. But I've always been extremely sensitive about ensuring there are never conflicts of interest and that professional ethics have been maintained.

Also, when there's a breakup in a town of 3,000, expect most everyone to know about it within a week. If you're the doctor in that town of 3,000, then lower the gossip cycle to about 48 hours.


Wrapup: Well, that's all of the questions that have popped up while drafting and editing my Yukon Valley, Alaska books! I hope you enjoyed letting me pull back the curtain and share the world of rural medicine with you! If you haven't done so already, don't forget to pick up all of the Yukon Valley, Alaska books. I hope you love them!!  https://books2read.com/DrAlaska

10) Have I ever given TPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) for an acute stroke or heart attack?

Remember how I said I didn't feel as comfortable and confident working those ER shifts? There's a reason for that. Yes, I've had to give TPA once. It scared the bejeebers out of me. Patient did well. Physician lost a few years of her life.

11) Do your words get longer the worse the code situation gets?

Oh yes. That little detail in the book was 100% from my own career. The funny thing was, when I worked in a rural facility on the west coast, the nurses kind of laughed because my out-of-place southern accent apparently got very pronounced as everything around us went completely to shit. I do find that talking slowly gives my brain a few extra seconds to process and plan and coordinate care. It also drops the adrenaline level in the room down a few notches and refocuses everyone. The staff will take cues from the doctor's demeanor and energy levels.

However, on the rare occasion someone ever hears me yell, it's because something really awful has suddenly occurred and I need help RIGHTF#$KINGNOW.

12) Is Shasta Cola really that terrible?

Yes. Ask any nurse or doctor whose ever hit the staff refrigerator for a drink. Shasta Cola in all its Shastalicious knockoff flavor variations, is pretty terrible. It leaves a gnarly aftertaste that somehow manages to take an even worse downward spiral after about 3am. There's a particular terrible breath odor that is unique to Shasta soda that kind of festers on the tongue from around 3am until 7am. It's like you have a hangover mouth, but none of the night-before fun.

For real, you think you're getting a fizzy refreshing beverage, but the flavor is basically what disappointment tastes like. Zero stars. Do not recommend. Rather drink the milk in cardboard pint cartons that are stocked in the fridge instead.

(keep reading for more insider info -- next post is the last one!)