As an author of women’s fiction, I find empathy and hope in exploring the emotions behind flawed characters; those who think they’re not good enough, or those who carry a heaviness on their hearts but don’t know why. Yes, I love heartbreaking stories, but only if they’re authentic, raw, and realistic. Life is messy. Life isn’t picture perfect. But life is still worth living because in everything, we can find something good. And that is what I strive to explore as I bring tough topics to life on the page for my characters to go through: find the good things.
My author journey began as a young teen, and was honed by two years in Winghill Writing School, followed by 15 years participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), where you’re challenged to write 50,000 words in one month. Then came the most hectic, stressful year to date, and I made a deal with myself: just start, and use it to unravel the tangled mess inside in my mind and heart. I had NO intention to let anyone read it, let alone know about it. Well, those promises broke the dam and out came the easiest, the most sincere, and the truest side of me: The Shore and the Tide.
"He was her safest love …
and her greatest regret."
Five years have gone by since Amelia Hayes spent a summer in Miami, but grief-filled memories remain her constant companion. When her niece, Sophie, suggests moving to a North Atlantic fishing town for a fresh start, Amelia realizes that the day she left her heart behind—tangled up with the blue-eyed sailor she can’t forget—was the day she stopped living.
The smell of the sea, the tumultuous deep-blue waves, and the mysterious, whitewashed lighthouse of Lyn Harbor charm Amelia as soon as she arrives. There, she forms new friendships with a feisty bed and breakfast hostess who knows too much, a foul-mouthed sailor with a heart of gold, and a whimsical shop owner, but hints of him keep invading her new life until there’s no mistaking it: Jack Fletcher has reentered her world.
As drawn to her as she is to him, Jack’s scarred and hardened life forces Amelia to confront what happened in Miami, and how their lives had irrevocably changed. But before they can fully repair their bruised hearts, Amelia must decide if she can trust love again … even if untold secrets risk breaking her heart in a way she never imagined.
