I get this question a lot: Where do you get the ideas for your books?
My answer? Everywhere.
But one of the more interesting ideas behind a book happened about eight years ago, when I picked up a newspaper and saw a short article with the headline “Husband and Wife Discover They Are Twins After DNA Test for IVF.” I was immediately intrigued. What on earth would that feel like, to discover that the person you had fallen in love with, you were blood related to?
Turns out it’s not that far-fetched a question. I did a little reading, and then a little more, and I found something called Genetic Sexual Attraction, which is something that happens when two people who are genetically related, but denied the ability to properly form emotional bonds as children, meet as adults and develop strong feelings for one another. These days, with anonymous donors more and more common in the world of fertility, it’s actually not unheard of for people who are blood related to cross paths as adults and, yes, date or fall in love.
So that brought me back to my original question: what would it feel like to make that discovery? Could you “unlove” the person you thought was your soulmate? Could you possibly stay with the person anyway? Would you tell anyone? And that’s when I knew I had to write a romance novel with those questions at their core.
Labyrinth of Love is the fourth book in my Hometown Heroes series, and it features two related love stories, sixty years apart. Within those two stories I finally got to weave the idea of that long-ago newspaper article — but I’m not saying any more! If you want to find out what happens, you’ll have to read the book.
If you want a little teaser first, you’re just in time to sign up for my newsletter and receive my next free short story, “Roses are Red, Violets are Pink.” It’s a tie-in to Labyrinth of Love, so you can get a peek at the small town of Lindsey Point and a little of its history before you dive into the series.
Happy reading, everyone!
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