I’m doing Q&A’s with all the Hopeless Romantics of Willow Ridge Authors and this week it’s Karen McCullough’s turn.
Happy release week for Falling for the Deputy by Karen McCullough
3. What made you decide to write about this particular hero?
As a long-time mystery writer as well doing romance and fantasy, I’ve spent a fair amount of time around police and other law enforcement officers. U like and admire them. Most of them are good people, trying their best to help others and keep peace. I was intrigued by the idea of a man moving from the fast-paced life of a police officer in a large city (Charlotte) to a small town to become the Chief Deputy. Why would he do that and how would it affect him?
2. If you could spend an hour in Willow Ridge where would you go?
Latte Da! Love coffee and it seems like a warm and friendly place. Plus Georgia’s pastries…
3. What did you enjoy most about writing this story?
Pretty much everything. The heroine of the book is partly modeled after my sister, who is a banker, but not in a small Southern town. I knew that both my hero and heroine were coming off heart-breaking losses and that recovering from those and being open to a new relationship wouldn’t be easy. And of course I threw a few other obstacles in their way as well. But I also brought in the stray dog Mookie, and he tried to steal the show, along with my heroine’s heart. Once I had the basic idea of what would happen, the book almost wrote itself.
4. What’s your favorite thing about writing small town romance?
As best I can remember, this is actually my first small-town romance and it’s required a considerable change of mindset. I grew up in a suburb of New York City and have lived in cities (or their suburbs) all my life. My books generally have urban settings. However, my husband is from a very small town in South Carolina, and we’ve spent enough time there and in other small towns in the southeast that I’ve been able at times to immerse myself in that culture and get the feel for it. There are a lot of things to like about writing in a small town setting – a warmth and friendliness to the people that you often don’t find in larger cities; the fact that everyone knows everyone else and their history; and a simpler, more down-to-earth culture.
5. Are you or have you ever been in a bookclub yourself?
No, but I know people who are. I’ve been tempted to join because, of course, I love to read and do it a lot, but I think an author has very different perspectives on books and I’m not sure it would be helpful to other readers.
Falling for the Deputy: A Small-Town Southern Romance (Hopeless Romantics of Willow Ridge Book 4)
Can a group of hopeless romantics finally find love? Or are they destined always to be a bridesmaid and never the bride?
After losing at love twice, Barbara Wilton needs a change, some place far from her home in Boston, so she takes a position as manager of a small branch bank in Willow Ridge, Georgia. She’s done with relationships and ready to concentrate on her career. The experience in Willow Ridge will help her move forward in the banking industry, but she doesn’t plan to stay there permanently. Nevertheless, an invitation to join the Hopeless Romantics book club, a position on a planning committee, helping a little league team that needs coaching, and being adopted by a stray dog begin to wind her into the community.
Chris Harper was a police officer in Charlotte until his marriage fell apart. With his mother and elderly aunt in deteriorating health, Chris returns home to Willow Ridge to help them and takes a job as chief deputy to the local sheriff. The wound left by his failed marriage is still raw and, despite his mother’s nagging, he’s not interested in pursuing any relationship, even with the attractive new bank manager.
Fate, helped by a few local residents, conspires to push Barbara and Chris together. They meet during a false alarm at the bank and then he assists her with a car problem. But when his aunt receives a foreclosure notice on her house, Chris is angry with Barbara for not warning him that his aunt was behind on her payments.
She agrees to help him work out the problem with the bank, but the deeper issues between them keep flaring. Can two wary, wounded people learn to trust again and find happiness together? Find out in this sweet, second chance, enemies to lovers romance.
The Hopeless Romantics of Willow Ridge series are sweet, small-town contemporary romances. Each book is a standalone and can be read individually or as part of the series.
Hopeless Romantics of Willow Ridge series
Book 1: Falling for the Boss
Book 2: Falling for the Fireman
Book 3: Falling for the Doctor
Book 4: Falling for the Deputy
Book 5: Falling for the Hockey Player
Book 6: Falling for the Single Dad
Book 7: Falling for the Farmer
Book 8: Falling for the Scotsman
1. What made you decide to write about this particular hero? 
Dead Heat
Once unguided, our paths were obscured until
Bronte Fishburn loves her hometown of Willow Ridge and her job as an elementary school teacher, but she wishes she could find someone to spend her life with. Someone who loves this town and wants to settle here as much as she does. She used to dream that someone would be her neighbor Ben, but he left her behind years ago and it’s time she created a new dream. Except now Ben is back, sleeping in her spare room and a constant reminder of what she can’t have.
I finished my Upper Crust Series with
rented out our house (which needed more than a little TLC before we could do that), we found somewhere to live and moved to Newcastle, located about 2.5 hours north of Sydney (depending on traffic).
Another exciting thing that happened this November was I’ve been part of the inaugural group of Artists in Residence in the Lighthouse Arts Program.
