If you've ever been to New Orleans, you'll know Jackson Square is one of the best places to visit. It's full of history, museums, shops, and the sidewalks often have vendors and artists. So, it was a no-brainer to have my characters exploring the area in Destination: Romance. 
Of course, as an author, I get to play a little loose with reality as I describe things that happen there. When I visited New Orleans as a teen, I don't remember seeing a caricature artist there. But let's be honest, it fits. So, when my characters find one, it feels right even if it never happened to me in real life.

Of course, a book needs more than just two characters. Today, we're going to chat about a few of the other characters in my book that releases NEXT WEEK, Destination: Romance.

Today, I'm delighted to help you get to know one of my favorite people I've never met in real life. Beth Westcott is a fellow Scrivenings author and one of the best encouragers I've ever known. She lives way up in New York, but I've enjoyed chatting with her online and always feel well-supported by her as my own books release. She's about to have a new book come out, too, and I'm thrilled to find out more about it (I just finished reading the first one in the series and am eager to know what happens next). So, settle in and read on to find out about Beth and her books.​


Congratulations on your third book being published next month! I'm excited to read it. Do you feel you learn something new with each one?
 
Thank you, Amy. Yes, I learn much more about writing well with each book, more about character and plot development. We have some great editors at Scrivenings Press, and I’m thankful for their help.
 
This is the second book in your Three Sisters series. How hard did you find it to make sure everything tied together smoothly between the books (I'm learning with my own series that it's not always the easiest)?
 
A Heart’s Journey was the first book I wrote, although it’s the second book in the series. Once I wrote Heart’s Desire, I had to make sure the second book lined up with the first. I’ve written the third book, Her Heart’s Longing, but because of changes I made in A Heart’s Journey, I must make changes in the third book. It’s certainly a challenge to keep the details straight. I began writing the series many years ago. Developing character biographies and flexible outlines has helped.

Are you wondering if the idea behind a Roadtrip Romance came from well ... a roadtrip, you're right. And not, at the same time. Want me to explain?
Once upon a time, a long time ago (at least it feels that way with every passing year), I took a trip with two college friends over Spring Break. Good start? It only has a little bit to do with the book I wrote.
Anyway, that trip wasn't planned the best. We traveled from TN to FL and then back up to AR for a few days before back to TN and school. But what do college freshmen know about planning trips? We had fun anyway, and were young enough that the hours in the car didn't bother us. We rocked out to music, flirted with the cute guys in the car next to ours, and laughed together.

If you've followed me long, you know I mostly read romances. Historical or contemporary, I don't care. I read them.
However, every now and then I break out of my "rut" and grab something else, including speculative. And my friend Erin R Howard has a new dystopian novel out that's amazing.
It's called Beyond the Gates, and is set in two of the last colonies in a dystopian future, as well as the woods around them. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this, but after reading a page or two, I was hooked and wanted more.

September 27th, three other authors and I have a novella collection releasing. And we're pretty excited about it.
If you somehow missed all our posts on social media and our newsletters last week, here's the cover and more information about each of our stories--four seasons, four small towns, four festivals, and four romances. Sounds good, right? Keep reading!

Since first being published in 2017, my writing life has picked up speed. I went from writing maybe one story a year to writing several ... and doing a ton of editing and marketing, too. Apparently, this wears a computer out. Who knew?
Needless to say, the computer I purchased back in 2017 was moving much slower than I needed. It froze, it restarted, and it made funny noises when I tried to join zoom meetings. Besides that, several parts had broken off, making it a bit unstable (no need to comment on how the laptop was like the laptop owner).