Then Comes Love: The Book I Always Wanted To Write

I'll admit it... I'm still working on this whole author thing.

A year ago, I hesitated to call myself a writer. Sure, I'd always loved to write. Putting pen to paper was natural and easy. But a writer? That seemed to be an assumption you were good and other people read your work.

Fast forward a year, and I'm calling myself an author. Do I still hesitate sometimes? Do I still waver in confidence and wonder what the heck I'm doing? You bet. But it's getting easier to own up to the author title because I've found I love this work. I am addicted to the idea of creating worlds in my head to share with others. I'm addicted to seeing my words, my name on the cover of a book.

Do I still have a lot to learn? YES. A ton. But the thing is, I've committed to learning it. I want to keep writing. Most importantly, I want to write pieces with meaning and depth. I want to write pieces that stir emotion in the reader, that make the reader say, "Yes, I get that! I've felt that, too." I want to connect.

That's perhaps why I'm so excited for my third book, Then Comes Love. This is the book I've always wanted to write. This is the book I think represents who I am as a writer most accurately. 

Then Comes Love was a step out of my writer shell, for sure. It still has the descriptive style of my other books. It still focuses on love and realism. 

But it's different, too. Here's what makes Then Comes Love a bit different than my other works and what I think makes it so special.

If you think it will speak to you, check it out on March 18th when it releases with Hot Tree Publishing. You can also see it on Goodreads and add it to your TBR pile now. Thanks, as always, for your support.  

1. Second Loves

I married my first love. 

​I have absolutely no experience with second loves.

In Voice of Innocence and even in Without You to an extent, I focused on the power of first love. I think first love always stays with us...and especially in my case.

But I've had friends who haven't stayed with their first loves. I've know others whose lives were racked with tragedy and loss. They had no choice but to move on to second loves.

In Then Comes Love, I wanted to explore this idea. Some marry their first loves, but many do not. I wanted to explore the confusion, complications, and also beauty of a second love.

For Charlotte, second love comes because of tragedy.
For Annie, it comes because of divorce.
And for Amelia, it comes because she just realizes her first love doesn't fit.

All three women have to learn to move on, to let go, and open their hearts again. I felt like many women could connect to that. 

2. Humor Mixed With Drama

In real life, I'm no comedian. 

Chad takes that role in our lives.

In writing, though, I've found that I enjoy capturing the humor in life. Voice of Innocence was a very heavy book. Some readers found the mom a bit zany and humorous. In Without You, I eased into humor. There were definitely some funny scenes, but I still held back, not sure if I could pull it off.

In Then Comes Love, I let go of my insecurities. I went all in for the humorous scenes.

So far, I've gotten good feedback about it, too.

Charlotte is eighty in the book, but don't let that fool you. Witty and wild, she certainly has a penchant for getting into some peculiar situations that are filled with laughter. From bingo catastrophes to dance aerobic issues, I think she has plenty of laughter-inspiring scenes.

Mixed in with the humor, there's still the drama I love. There are issues dealing with aging, loss, and self-identity.

I would describe Then Comes Love as a mixture between the styles of Nicholas Sparks and Janet Evanovich. There's heavy and sweet scenes mixed with outrageous antics. 

3. A Sexy, Tattooed Rocker

We've all got our fantasy book boyfriend, right?

Mine happens to be a rocker.

What's sexier than a man who can sing? What woman doesn't want a song dedicated to her?

Add to that some tattoos, a six-pack, some gorgeous hair, and a wicked sense of humor, and you've got Owen, my favorite male character in this new book. I loved writing his character. 

He's got a touch of bad with a huge touch of romantic. He's edgy but sweet. He's the perfect balance of excitement and stability. I adore him, and I think you're going to love him too. 

He's my favorite male character I've written to date. I hope he's your new book boyfriend.

4. Relates to All Ages of Women

This book follows three women: Charlotte is eighty, Annie is fifty, and Amelia is thirty-two.

I love the concept because I really wanted to show the connections between women in a family. I also wanted to show that every stage of life is filled with complications, woman drama, and also beauty.

I think no matter who you are, you'll find yourself in a piece of this book. Charlotte's dealing with the hardships of aging and losing her freedom. Annie is dealing with a mid-life crisis and being a caregiver, which isn't an easy job (See my post on caregiving). Amelia is dealing with reconciling what society tells her a thirty-something should want and what kind of life she actually wants.

This book shows us that no matter what your age, life and love can truly be crazy.

5. Cats and Henry

Okay, so this is a similarity.

There are cats in Then Comes Love.

And Henry makes his appearance.

I've been asked about Henry being in my books. 

He's my mastiff. I'm obsessed with him. That's it. :) 

I'd like to say there is symbolic meaning in his appearance or literary significance. But there's really not.

I'm just a crazy cat lady who also loves her dog way too much. 

So if you read Then Comes Love and review it, don't forget to mention your favorite character: so far Henry got a few shout outs in reviews, and I must say it makes him happy.