Holly & Heartbeats follows a burned-out doctor who books a Christmas escape at a cozy inn run by a guarded single dad, and they both find something they didn’t know they needed. What drew you to write a quieter, more healing holiday romance?

I wanted to write a holiday story where love shows up in small, meaningful ways instead of grand gestures. I’m deeply interested in how complicated love is, and I center my writing on relatable relationships—the Working for Love series lives in that tender space where we’re all a little wounded, a little lonely, and reaching for connection that rarely comes easily. Writing Holly and Heartbeats was about running somewhere new and still finding exactly what you didn’t know you needed: a home full of love. And honestly, I adore a ridiculously sweet holiday romance. Who doesn’t?

Jess carries loneliness with her long before the romance begins. How did you shape her emotional journey?

Jess’s arc began in Toolbelts & Ties (Working for Love, Book 2), where she got her first real taste of love—and of getting it wrong. I wanted to explore how that “miss” wasn’t a failure so much as an education, giving her the chance to understand herself better and ultimately find a love that truly fit, rather than settling for the one that arrived first.  

How does being snowed in change the emotional stakes? 

Snow is often used as a metaphor for purity—a reset, and an isolating force. In Holly and Heartbeats, the storm becomes a common enemy and a reason to come together. What could have frightened Jess instead gives her the chance to shine, and a crisis at the inn that should demand Graham step up actually forces him to slow down. The storm clears away their doubts and defenses, making space for both of them to begin something entirely new.

I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?

Yes—Holly and Heartbeats is actually the final book in the Working for Love series. It was written a little out of order because I couldn’t resist sharing a Christmas story this year, but Book Five, Bourbons and Bling, is coming soon and will complete the six-book set. The Working for Love series is about finding love where you least expect it. It centers on strong women and endlessly patient men who discover connection through their work, their lives, and their community in the small town of Serenity, Texas. Mixing business with pleasure has never been so much fun!  

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