Even if I’m the only one reading this, here’s an update on my status as a NaNoWriMo participant: I won! And it isn’t like I actually won anything, other than bragging rights about writing 50,000 words in one calendar month. I can’t say I FINISHED the novel I began on November 1st by the 30th. I did finish it, but it was on December 5th when I finally typed the words, “THE END.” And that’s fine.
CHURCHILL’S PEAK started out as an experiment. A challenge to see if I could write a conventional, trope-driven romance. My other “romances” are more complicated animals, rich with plot, fun locales, and multiple, complex characters. A couple of them can be shoe-horned into the romance category, but they wouldn’t fit the bill for a Hallmark movie or a Harlequin Heartwarming novel.
So. Sarah Higgins is a widowed mom of nine-year-old Emmy, and a down-on-her-luck freelance writer. She’s caught up in the struggle to homeschool her witty and precocious daughter, renovate her crumbling 1903 bungalow and still find writing gigs that will put food on the table.
Charming and sexy veterinarian Kyle Churchill lives right next door in a modern duplex. Although the lovable vet has all the right moves (and loves her daughter, besides), Sarah can’t stomach the fact that he designs video games in his spare time. Still, she’s willing to set that aside until Kyle reveals plans to demolish a beautiful, vintage lighthouse inherited from his great-grandfather. Sarah is horrified.
It’s a fun and fairly simple plot. Fun because Kyle treats all types of animals, and I got to write about them. Fun because Emmy is just a darling of a little girl, and she helps cement the relationship between the H/H. I really enjoyed writing this book. Not sure where it will go from here (after my “first look” editor gives it a read-through.) I’ll keep you posted.