Escapade follows a deeply caring human woman who attracts the romantic attention of the Archangel Michael. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

In recent years- on my personal journey- and especially since the passing of both of my parents, I have been forging a stronger relationship with Archangel Michael as my anxiety has increased and taken a toll on my life.

I already write paranormal romances with guardian angels and warrior angels and I toyed around with the idea of writing a love story with him in it and giving him a fated mate.

I had considered writing a book with him and jotted several chapters down but never went further with it. At that time, I was warned, by the friend I confided in, to be careful when writing a book with him in it because he is such a beloved and popular angel. People may take my telling a fictional story the wrong way and it wasn’t meant to be in that way or with that intent. It was merely meant to be a fun story with him in it but having romance, as well.

I took this wise advice into consideration as I finally sat down and decided to work on his book. The funny part was, everything I had written before, I deleted. As soon as I read the manuscript, I knew it wasn’t right and it wasn’t meant for him so I started his book fresh with the intent of wanting his book to honor him, above all, but to also tell a tale that had whimsy and romance in it.

I admire and respect Archangel Michael so much that I wanted to tell his story from a different perspective. An angel that has very little time for much else besides working for his creator- how does he find romance, too? How does he date? Does he date? What does he do on his “time off?” What are his likes and dislikes? Then I went from there and created Escapade.

When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?

Actually, no. (chuckling) When I go to write a story, I know, really, very little about it. I know maybe the two main characters that will fall in love, know if they are fated mates or not and maybe know one or two other players I want to involve in the story.

I almost never create an outline for any of my books and, if I ever do, I usually don’t look at it ever again. The story is all up in my head until it gets written down on paper.

When I sat down to write his story, I knew I wanted him to be the main character and Teresa to be his fated mate. I had already created Wingtopia – the night club for Archangels- so I knew I would include that club in the story, too. I also knew I wanted to write a rival for Teresa. The idea of Anatolie came later after I had the bare bones of the story set in my head.

Anatolie adds an interesting layer to this love story. How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story, and how did it change as you wrote?

Anatolie wasn’t supposed to be so mean. (laughing) When I first considered her character, I knew she would be an angel with a thing for Michael. I mean….Archangel Michael is pretty popular, famous and powerful… Who wouldn’t have a thing for him, if they could?

The idea of her having a distaste for humanity came later and was such a great opposite of what Michael is all about. Michael embraces, adores and loves humanity. He would do anything for human beings but Anatolie feels angels are higher evolved than humans. That’s how she is able to get away with what she does with Teresa in the book- to a point.

From the moment Anatolie formally introduced herself to Teresa, her character quickly evolved after that. It was fun writing Anatolie as she could get away with so many things- being a celestial being, herself and being pretty powerful as an angel. When Anatolie realizes that the one thing standing between her and Michael is Teresa- oh, that was thrilling to write.

I threw in, last minute, that Anatolie had a job. As I reflect on it now, it adds a bit of whimsy and an element of surprise that readers won’t see coming. It ended up being a fantastic twist in the story.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

My next book in the works is another angel paranormal romance titled The Way Back to Heaven. The premise for the book came directly from a dream I had where I received the name of an angel. This book has him in it with a fanciful job.

He meets his fated mate while performing his job. She is in the wrong place at the wrong time yet she doesn’t want to be anywhere else. It is because of this strange incident occurring that she proves unforgettable. He is intrigued by her and knows he has to find a way to meet her. Yet, he can’t leave his job unmanned. It is impossible and he has to find someone to take over while he goes to court, romance and woo the woman who has captured more than his attention.

This produces a cameo in the book from one of my books that will be published again soon with my new publisher. Centurion from “The Guardian League Series, Book Two: Centurion” will take over for the angel in charge though no one wants him to.

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