I have a confession to make: I love reading romance novels. It’s pretty weird, right? The stack next to my bed teeters high with whale biology research, Science News magazines, and old National Geographics. But when I want to totally escape, I reach for my Kindle and download a new romance.

Not bodice-rippers with damsels in distress, mind you. More like modern-day rom-coms where the woman is the hero (or the villain) and the man throws a wrench in her world-domination plans. I love witty dialogue and characters who I’d want to get a beer with downtown.

So during the pandemic lock-down, I decided to create my own whisk-you-away romantic comedy. It started as a way to escape the busy, kid-filled world inside my house. And it morphed into a finished manuscript. There’s some sailing. Some cow manure. A bit of blackmail and a lot of beautiful Montana scenery. And yes, a couple of sex scenes.

Another confession? Writing a romance novel was almost as fun as reading one (minus the umpteen revisions). I’m currently shopping it around with agents and publishers. While I keep my fingers and toes crossed and wait impatiently for feedback, I thought I’d share a synopsis of the story here.

Stay tuned! And if you know of an agent or editor who might be interested, I’m all ears 🙂

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Liv Watson, 30, is a modern-day pioneer who is as comfortable wearing a bunny-emblazoned apron as she is wielding an axe. Capable and artistic, she runs a bakery out of her cabin in a rural Montana valley. She rarely combs her hair, always chooses hiking over shopping, and usually prefers the company of her goats—unless the company is her best friend, Angie, who runs the sprawling Triple B Ranch next door with her husband and two young daughters. 

But money is tight and when a wealthy, out-of-state developer comes knocking on their doors looking to buy—or take—their beloved land, Angie and Liv must figure out a way to keep up with rising taxes or risk losing it all. 

Gabe Beckwith, Angie’s brother, hasn’t returned home since their parents died when he was a teenager. As a ship captain, he drifts between sailing gigs around the world. During his first visit home in 15 years, he tries to reconcile whether he can stay landlocked in order to help save the family ranch and give back to the community that helped raise him. Meanwhile, his growing attraction to Liv—who insists on holding him at arm’s length—rocks him as surely as a storm at sea.

The story alternates between Gabe and Liv’s point of view, giving readers intimate access to both of these characters as their relationship—and the stakes—escalate.