When I was a little girl, I had a very strange game I liked to play. I would steal my mother’s JCPenny’s catalogues, cut out a man, woman, some teens, maybe a few kids and a dog, if I could find it, and I would glue them all in a line on a piece of paper. Once that was done, I would name each person, decide where in the country they lived, and what their ages and jobs were. Then, once all of the facts were decided, I would sit down and start writing stories about the family I created. It was an odd thing to do, and I knew it. I would show my “families” to my friends and they would look at me strangely, but it was my favorite thing to do! I loved making up stories about normal families with normal lives.
Now look at me. Here I am, at thirty five years old, still doing the same thing…well, minus the JCPenny catalogues and glue. I spend my time wrangling four children, and my lovely husband I call my “nerd”, while writing tales of kismet, undying love, reunited lovers, and lovers torn apart during my spare time. My family lives in eastern Washington, I am a passionate Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder awareness advocate, an avid reader, a cheese enthusiast, and change my hair color every three to four months.The “What If” Guy will be my first published book, but I also have a trilogy coming out (through Entangled) in 2012, and I have several other books in the works. Writing is my absolute passion, and the closest thing to my heart, second only to my family.
The “What If” Guy tells the tale of two college sweethearts who haven’t seen each other in over twelve years. They are reunited when the two of them unexpectedly wind up in the same tiny town, where the heroine, Autumn, is living as a single mom, and the daughter of the town drunk. The story is set in the farming community of Fairfield, Washington, which is the town I grew up in. The people in town are as important as the main characters themselves, with all of their quirks and gossipy tendencies. The story as a whole is equal parts funny, heart wrenching, romantic, and endearing, and I am thrilled to be sharing it with the world!
When I started The “What If” Guy, I knew three things: I wanted to tell the story of a woman who was at what she considered to be her ultimate low; I wanted to base the story in the small town of my youth; and I wanted to explore the idea of a woman being reunited with her “what if guy”. You see, I have a theory…
Every woman has a what if guy.
It doesn’t matter whether she is happily married, unhappily married, never married, or divorced….every woman has a what if guy. A man who she finds herself, if even for a fleeting moment, imagining what her life would be like if she’d wound up with him. I’ve had countless discussions with my girlfriends about their what-if guys, and we’ve had many a giggle and shared many a tear over memories and “what-if’s”. I guess when I wanted to write a small town book, the concept of a former boyfriend returning just felt right. I mean, what would you do if you ran into an ex while wearing stained jeans and flannel in a town the size of a postage stamp? Autumn did what I would more than likely have done, and smashed him in the nose with an encyclopedia.
I am a firm believer that every couple has a love story to tell. As an author of contemporary romance, my goal is to bring real stories
and scenarios to life, that would otherwise be overlooked. My husband and I might be the stereotypical suburban married couple with four kids and a minivan, but when we fell in love, it was an amazing and beautiful thing. I want to breathe life into such stories, and share them with the world!
Writing The “What If” Guy was a very therapeutic experience for me. It made me laugh, blush, squirm, sigh, and, yes, even cry. It is a story very close to my heart, and I am both honored and thrilled to be sharing it with you all, through Entangled Publishing. Read it, email me, find me on Facebook, or tweet me…and let me know what you think!
Much love to you all!
~Brooke Moss
Now, tell us, did you ever have a “What If” guy?
Visit Brooke Moss on her website and at her blog.
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