I released a book last week in a new genre
I’ve been writing romantic suspense for a few years, but until recently it was only for my agent. Things changed with her when she became her own agency, allowing me to write romantic suspense both as an independent publisher and traditionally, which led to this passion project.
Operation: Restoration
I envisioned a healing ranch where victims of human trafficking could heal and acclimate to life “as normal” again. But, they would need somewhere they felt protected and a way to connect with something . . . like horses or dogs, because relating to people wouldn’t be easy.
That’s how the second aspect of the series came about. The ranch is run by a group of former military heroes, wounded warriors, who want to continue in service but different from how they did as servicemen.
Finally, I write romance (which also helps lighten a series that could get heavy with these topics) so I needed a series trope that people really love. Since the whole point of Wayside Ranch is to help victims heal and form healthy relationships, what if the guys were also tasked with healing from former relationships?
And with that, a series of second chance romances was born
I then started hunting for information on various horse therapy ranches. If you ever have a chance to look any up, do so. It’s really interesting. I found out that many of them use rescue horses (which means that literally every being on Wayside Ranch is there to heal).
Junior Morrison walked away from her to start a life with the military.
Now he works at a special ranch to help rehabilitate victims of human trafficking. When his boss is challenged to fix his one regret, he passes that challenge to all his men. Junior wants to see Gabby, the woman he left behind, again, but how can he explain that he’s not the man he was before?
Gabby Loftens abandoned her girlhood dreams of marrying Junior and went off to school to be a counselor, convinced she could help others heal where she couldn’t help herself. Her life is not full, but she gives wherever she can.
When Junior calls her to come help with a patient, Gabby is skeptical. Why call her? Especially when the ranch is an hour away and he hasn’t talked to her in ten years. She can’t deny she’s curious and what she finds at the ranch draws her in. She wants to help, but more than that, she wants to know what she did to make Junior walk out of her life. Because she wants him back, if he’ll accept her.
When Gabby unwittingly leads a victim back to her trafficker, Junior and Gabby, along with the team at Wayside Ranch, must keep her protected. If they don’t, their ranch, and all the people safely living there, could face their worst enemies all over again.
Grab your copy here.
I’ll give away an ebook copy of Operation: Restoration to one commenter today. Do you think you would find a ranch therapeutic?
