In Losing My Breath, a Marine veteran finds himself matching wits with his princess of a neighbor, a woman to whom he finds himself drawn despite the fact they are complete opposites. What was the inspiration for the setup...

In Losing My Breath, a Marine veteran finds himself matching wits with his princess of a neighbor, a woman to whom he finds himself drawn despite the fact they are complete opposites. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

This one wandered off track. I started off with a prompt that was supposed to be for a short story, just a cute little sexy thing where a new girl moves into an apartment building and her neighbor ends up helping her out. The prompt was: �I don�t know what he�s fixing but mine just broke.� So, I wanted a rather attractive-looking guy to be her neighbor. And he needed to be the kind of guy that would help people, but it�s more fun when you get them to grudgingly help the person. And then, over time, get to be not-so-grudging. As Callan and Meridian began to emerge from the pages their story became so much more real and deep and interesting.

I tried my best to do their story justice.

What is one pivotal moment in the story that you think best defines Callan and Meridian�s relationship?

I think it has to be the part where he somewhat jokingly says that he�s been through SERE training � so he�d be able to withstand / survive her interrogations (she, rightfully, wants to know more about him).

Meridian turns serious for a moment, basically saying she knows he�d survive just fine without her. But is survival really all he wants out of life? Is that enough?

And he knows, he can tell in that moment, what she�s asking him. She�s asking if he�ll ever let her in? Callan wants a committed relationship with her, but this is about what she wants and needs, too.

The part of him that has a habit of emotionally withdrawing, hates this question. But the part of him that has fallen in love with Meridian knows he has to fight �safety� sometimes and be vulnerable with her. So if he retreats right then (emotionally and figuratively as he was standing at her door, about to exit); if he lets that part of remain in control when he�s with her, she will (eventually) leave him.

So he finds a way to say something. Fights the urge to retreat to safety, and tells her that no, survival isn�t enough, anymore. (He wants to be with her).

And it may not have been the pretty words she would have liked to hear, but they were real. And they were honest and hard-fought. And they were enough.

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

I had fun with several scenes. Most of this was just a lot of fun to write. I think the one where he�s saying that he didn�t get into Princess school, though, really set the stage for many of the other fun scenes.

I also can�t help but have a fondness for the scene where Callan is griping at his friend Greyson Watts after hearing Meridian�s friend Nora swoon over the guy (Callan was somewhat mollified that Meridian had better taste � in his opinion, anyway), since that�s the scene where the prompt line showed up.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

My next book is a sports romcom. You can read a short story, called �Off the Record�, about Breslin and Olivia � available, now (free) on my website. The longer novel will be available in late summer 2024.

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A Marine never says die.
Neither does his princess.Battle lines are drawn when sheltered debutante Meridian Daly moves across the hall from grumpy veteran Marine Callan Brand. Situated a bit closer than advertised to �crime alley�, Meridian�s neighbor finds himself grudgingly guarding the pampered princess out of habit. But with her sharp wit and killer curves, he can�t help but surrender to temptation�
When their relationship evolves from casual courtship to something more, Callan finds that Meridian�s already discovered his closely-guarded secret. But can he let go of his pride, and tell her the whole truth of who he is and what he�s done�in the name of honor and country?
As Callan�s scars start to reveal themselves, his life spirals beyond the careful control that�s helped him survive�and kept those he cares about safe.
From him.
But this tough-in-a-tiara princess won�t back down, even in Callan�s darkest hours. And Meridian just might prove to be more tenacious than a never-say-die Marine!

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