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Kelly grew up in Southwest Colorado, exploring the outdoors as well as her hometown library. She transplanted to Southern California to attend Biola University, where she earned a degree in communication studies. While working in sales, she met her husband and earned a Master’s in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Azusa Pacific University. In her spare time, she and her husband enjoy boating, camping, and cheering for their kids in their various activities. By day, she’s the queen of her own castle with three active boys. By night (or very early morning), she writes happily ever after stories filled with romance and suspense from the Central Coast of California.
Connect with Kelly:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | Podcast
Welcome to Heartbeats & Hideaways!
Thanks for joining us today, Kelly. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.
I read that High Exposure lived on your computer for about eleven years. Looking back, what did those extra years give Julia, Cade, or Silverberg that a faster path to publication might have missed?
This is a fascinating question because this story DID live on my computer for a very long time. Like many authors, I thought the first version would be almost perfect. Boy, was I wrong! Julia and Cade both walked into the story with the same original hurts and hangups, but the plot wasn’t nearly as intense. Originally, I didn’t understand how to write tension or leave a reader wanting to turn the pages to find out what happens. It took many drafts and many sets of eyes to help me balance the romance and suspense in a page-turning way. It’s like I had all the right ingredients for a recipe (romance, setting, adventures, mystery), but I didn’t know how to combine the right amounts of each ingredient in the right order to generate an end masterpiece.
Julia and Cade’s first meeting has all the makings of a memorable meet cute. Which romance tropes or themes did you most want High Exposure to carry, and which one was the most fun to write?
I’m a sucker for a love story and tropes! I love the enemies-to-lovers/slow-burn/grumpy-sunshine that Cade and Julia bring to the page. Just when they see progress in their relationship, there’s another setback. I wanted their happily-ever-after to be a hard-fought success after many distractions and dangerous situations! I also wanted Cade and Julia to meet in a unique way that showed their attraction to each other, despite the obstacles in front of them. Then, when they were paired together for Julia’s assignments, they already had an initial spark.
If you could spend one ordinary afternoon in Silverberg with a character who is not Julia or Cade, who would you pick?
I would spend time with Linda, Cade’s mom. She’s a strong woman—still pouring into the lives of her adult children while her husband battles cancer. Still, she finds a way to make everyone feel welcome. I would join her for a slice of her homemade banana bread and cup of coffee. Fun fact: the Haskins home is very similar to a home my parents owned in Colorado. I can so clearly imagine sitting at the kitchen table overlooking the trees and river! Linda makes an appearance in each book and shows strength and compassion despite her unfolding circumstances.
How many books are planned for the Jagged Edges series?
This is a three-book series. They are each standalone, but each one feature a different of the Haskins siblings (Cade, Ami, Graham). Throughout the series, we see the cancer battle of their father, Bruce, and how each adult child handles his sickness. As is the case in many families, each sibling’s personality and choices impact their relationships—both with themselves and God. Of course, each book has its own love story and suspense/mystery to solve.
Julia has spent two years barely speaking to God. What did you want readers to sit with in that part of her story?
When Julia walks onto the page of High Exposure, she feels like a shell of herself. She still has the adventurous personality and tenacity, but now she’s faced with old wounds and fears she tried to bury. I think many of us try to run away from pain, but Julia learns dealing with pain and grief is the true path to healing. She also learns that God finishes the work He started. I love this idea because of how much He loves us!
For someone landing on Elle’s blog who has never heard your name, how would you introduce High Exposure in two or three sentences so they know what kind of story they are stepping into?
High Exposure is a romantic suspense story set in a small Colorado town in the height of winter. An adventurous heroine, grumpy but loyal hero, and a meth ring combine for an epic adventure of faith, love, and endurance.
 High Exposure The riveting start to an adventure-driven romantic suspense series from a debut author
Determined travel blogger Julia Stevens is on her final assignment in snowy Silverberg, Colorado. She’s running from her past-and God-but the charm of small-town life brings little comfort when she’s face-to-face with the winter sport that killed her sister: skiing. Upon her arrival in town, she discovers a dead body and is compelled to research the situation, give justice to the man’s story, and kick off her new career in journalism.
Cade Haskins is back home after a failed mission and his subsequent retirement from the DEA. His father’s declining health has pushed Cade to prioritize family, and he helps at the historic Silverberg Hotel on his dad’s behalf. When Julia shows up at the hotel, Cade becomes her local contact. He quickly realizes she has a knack for sniffing around where she shouldn’t, and he attaches himself to her side.
With the local death connected to a meth ring, Julia’s investigation has unknowingly put a target on her back. As the danger increases and she begins to learn more about Cade and his family, she finds herself trusting the God she was running from. And Cade? He doesn’t want to get dragged back into DEA work, but it seems like he may not have a choice if he wants to protect Julia . . . and his growing attraction to her.
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