Today I welcome Carolyn LaRoche, author of All She Never Wanted. She’s here to tell you about writing the book and her inspiration. I plan on having a review of the book soon because I am very excited to read it. For now, please welcome Carolyn and enjoy her guest post.
Thank you so much for letting me visit with your readers today. I’m very excited about my newest book All She Never Wanted. It is such a different kind of story for me to write and definitely holds a piece of my heart. As a long time police officer’s wife, I’ve often contemplated how I would end up if something tragic happened to my husband. When I wrote the beginning of the book, I was in one of those moods and decided to explore the emotions I expected would accompany such a tragedy. It turned out to be one of the most intense pieces I have ever written and even now, two years later, when I read it again I feel it all. The fear, the sadness, the anger. Evie deserved and needed a happy ending more than any character I’ve ever written. I just hated that she had to work so hard for it and was never quite sure she’d get it.
Landon is a completely different kind of hero for me as well. I’ve mostly written the alpha cop. Hot guys who know how to handle a big gun have been my favourite for obvious reasons…if you ask my husband, I’m a total badge bunny! So, writing what I love has always been easy. Landon challenged me. I had to make him hateable and likeable. His personality is completely alpha before his accident and becomes angry, defeatist after. Evie has no interest in his attitude, she only wants to do her job and move on with her life. Landon challenges her but she handles everything he tosses at her with city girl attitude and healthy doses of snark. They are completely different yet absolutely perfect for each other. They just have to figure it out.
In my Secret Lives series, the romance sort of takes a supporting role to the mysteries and crimes. My Defenders of Love series is based on the James family—lawmen working in every branch of law enforcement. They save the day and get the girl. Falling in love is a given. Evie and Landon have to work so hard for their happy ending and there are so many question as to whether or not they will get there. They carry tons of personal emotional baggage—I wasn’t sure they could get through it all.
Writing a story that makes the reader feel what Evie and Landon are feeling, both individually and in their budding relationship, has been my greatest writing challenge so far. I’ve fallen totally and completely in love with Evie and Landon in the process. I hope that you will too.