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What inspired you to write A RANGER FOR THE TWINS?

When I started plotting the prequel, The Sheriff’s Second Chance, Georgie Bennett was an independent heroine who needed friends. Immediately, Lucie Appleby Decker leapt into mind as Georgie’s opposite: a woman who embraces happiness and loves frills but who has experienced the betrayal of her ex-husband who stole money from people Lucie loves. I knew then I wanted Lucie to have a happy ending of her own.

A Ranger for the Twins then started out with Lucie and her road to redemption as she feels she has to win back the respect of the residents in Hollydale, a town set in the Great Smoky Mountains area of North Carolina, a place I love visiting. After her ex-husband embezzled money from some of the town residents, Lucie wants to rebuild relationships and is thrilled at the chance of reconnecting with an old friend, one of the few who looked past her image to the person underneath. Caleb comes to Hollydale in search of the truth about what happened to his parents’ money and finds the truth isn’t what he expected, just like Lucie’s life isn’t anything like he expected. They come together for her new business but find they have more in common than they ever expected. They find unexpected treasures can emerge where you least expect to find them.

If you could sum the book up in one sentence, what would you say?

The road to redemption might be rocky, but love will always help you find your way home in the end.

What is your favorite part of this story?

One of my favorite scenes occurs near the end, but I don’t want to spoil any parts of the book. I love, though, how Lucie creates a support system with her close friends, family, and pets. Her menagerie of pets is one of my favorite parts of the story as I think pets become part of our family, and so too did Lucie’s pets become part of her family when many people disassociated themselves from her because of her ex-husband’s Ponzi scheme. Her pets include two dogs, a cat, three bunnies, and a pair of miniature pigs, all of whom were strays that found their way into her household. There’s a scene where Lucie introduces Caleb to Fred and Ethel, the miniature pigs. Ethel immediately takes to Caleb and jumps on the dilapidated couch next to him, much to Caleb’s surprise. He discovers Lucie has poured out the love and trust in her heart to those around her, and this helps him realize everything he’s heard about her part in the scheme might not be true after all.

Which character do you most relate to and why?

Lucie Decker and I are both moms of twins! But the reason I relate to Lucie goes deeper than that. She’s been through some difficult situations yet still wants to believe in the magic of love. With her strong ties to her friends and her pets and her family, Lucie looks a little messy on the outside but inside she’s aware of what’s important and what counts in life. I hope I have some of those same qualities.

What do you hope readers will take with them after they’ve read it?

I hope readers will take away that love and relationships provide the biggest treasure of our lives. Rather than locking love away to keep it hidden, sharing it is one of the hardest, but most worthwhile, aspects of life. Sometimes we have to look within and accept ourselves in those relationships, but acceptance can come where we least expect it, even from those we least expect it. In Caleb’s case, he finds love and acceptance for the real Caleb at Lucie’s house, from Ethel the pig to Lucie herself. For Lucie, redemption started with accepting herself and not letting her inner self stay hidden forever.

What is something about you that is unique or we may not know?

I am deaf in my left ear. I try to walk on other people’s left side and sit at booths so my right ear will be turned toward the waiter or waitress. My daughter didn’t realize she always walks on people’s right side until someone asked her why she always moves to someone’s right side. I have a hard time knowing what direction sounds come from, but most people are helpful once they find out and do little things to help me, like nudge me politely if I don’t know someone’s talking to me or let me try to read their lips if we’re in a crowded area.