Behind the Book with Her Summer with the Marine’s Susan Meier

There comes a morning in every writer’s life when she wakes up and decides she wants to write something different. Not just different for her, but something she’s never seen before. That was the start of HER SUMMER WITH THE MARINE.

I wanted the story to be rich with emotion. To be real. I wanted the heroine to have to return to her small town and do something she absolutely hated. Which was how the idea of the funeral home was born. LOL I couldn’t imagine anyone would want to return home and have to take over a funeral home, but my heroine would do it – out of love. So I knew that part was going to be funny/sad.

But how could I make it sexy? Enter Finn. Seriously. Finn virtually walked into my head fully formed. Smart and handsome, sexy with a brain for business, Finn was Ellie’s perfect mate. Of course, they didn’t know that. They had a past. And in order to have a future, they both needed the same customers and one of them would probably end up bankrupt.

Through the course of writing this book, I laughed and cried. Ellie’s father’s Alzheimer’s reminded me of an aunt I had lost. Finn’s mom being abused sent righteous anger through me. But, those things, like the funeral home are part of life. And, as Finn said at one point, their feelings for each other, their relationship? That was what made all their troubles bearable.

I’ve always looked at my relationship with my husband as nature’s gift to me for all the crappy jobs I’ve endured, the trauma of raising teenagers, for tolerating traffic and trouble that comes in all shapes and sizes. But isn’t that the truth of life and love? When you’re married to someone who truly fits you – as Finn and Ellie truly fit – then seeing their face becomes the thing you look forward to, and knowing you’re loved gets you through the worst days.

So I like Finn and Ellie. I like that they’re just a shade different. I like that they fit. I like that they fight. But mostly I like the way they end up loving each other.

Their story really is the “something different” I’ve been longing to write for what felt like forever. J So I was thrilled when I could write it for Bliss – Red Hot Bliss. J Finn and Ellie and their small town have the flavor of a regular Bliss, but we add the fun of opening the bedroom door because these two were just too perfect for readers to miss a minute of their story!

So grab your copy while the book is $.99! I think you’ll fall in love with Finn and Ellie as much as I did.

Happy Reading!

~Susan Meier