Introducing Magnolia: the town, the vision, and all the details for book one

After five years of writing, dabbling in romantic suspense and mafia romance, I've found my happy place within the subgenre of small-town romance.

While my readers have loved my work so far, they've also noted my books are unconventional. I tend to focus on my character's emotional development and the romance and world-building rather than the violence or even gratuitous sex that is common in the mafia romance genre. Now, I feel I've found my niche as a romance writer. Ironically, it's brought this small-town girl back to her roots.

The town of Magnolia is inspired by my hometown and my favorite fictional small town, Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. If you know me personally, you'll notice family names throughout the series. If you're familiar with Gilmore Girls, you'll notice some characters and settings that remind you of our favorites.

Magnolia will be the hallmark of my career as a writer. I plan on returning to this setting time and time again to write several duets. The first is the Magnolia Blooms duet.

The Magnolia Blooms duet will feature two standalone novels, one for both of the Calhoun siblings. These novels will feature the themes of reconnecting with oneself, one's hometown, and finding love after tragedy.

You Can Feel It In The Silence is a combination of a book idea I dreamt of long ago and a sudden burst of inspiration that came to me while observing one of my deaf counterparts. Seeing him communicate so fluently, without skipping a beat, made me see the beauty of his uniquness, not the barrier of a disability. Then, the Taylor Swift song "You're in Love" popped into my head and it was game over.

You Can Feel It In The Silence is unlike any novel I've written. You will see Emmett and April communicate differently yet effortlessly and love each other so loudly, there is no denying it.

Note: I did enough research to know I am severly underqualified to write a story with an FMC who was born deaf. April lost her hearing in a car accident in her twenties. Her experience is not meant to be representative of all deaf experiences.

Description, tropes, and trigger warnings...

"You can feel it in the silence--when you're loved, when you're home."

Welcome to Magnolia, Louisiana, a small town desperate for a fresh start after tragedy. Newcomer, April has made it her life’s work bringing old, abandoned properties back to beauty. It was a dream first instilled in her by her father after they lost their home in a hurricane. Since then, April has lost much more—both her parents and her hearing. April’s life has been quiet for far too long. The only comfort she finds is in her work. That is until she meets the farmer next door, Emmett Calhoun.

Emmett is driven by two things—responsibility to his family and a desire to never become his father. Reluctant to allow himself a taste of something new, Emmett avoids helping April with the renovation until he simply can’t. When he finally agrees to help, more than the historic inn gets a fresh start.

April hears Emmett, sees him, more than anyone else ever has. Emmett learns and loves April in a way no one else has ever been willing to. Together, they find the silence isn’t so quiet. Together, they tear down the walls guarding their hearts and open their minds to new possibilities for the future—to new dreams, to new love. And the town of Magnolia enters a new chapter of togetherness.

Tropes: deaf/ mute, virgin FMC, protective farmer next door MC, close proximity, slow burn turned spicy, found family, small town, healing love story

TW: loss, grief, PTSD, alcoholism (not MCs)

You Can Feel It In the Silence is available to preorder now on Amazon (ebook only) and will release in all formats on July 1st--only on Amazon.

The second book in the Magnolia Blooms duet will be announced this fall and will likely release in January 2026. I'm excited to bring all of these new characters to life. As I write You Can Feel It In The Silence, I'm already taking note of side characters who will one day have their own stories.