The Guardian Fun Facts

Okay, readers. We are less than two weeks from the release of The Guardian (I will not freak out, I will not freak out, I will maybe only freak out a little bit…) so I thought I’d give you a few fun facts about the book. No spoilers (what kind of a monster do you think I am?!)–this is really more of a “behind the scenes” vibe than anything else.

Fun Fact #1: I plotted this book nearly three years ago. Back in 2018, I was finishing up the Station Seventeen series, and the original plan was to move to the Intelligence Unit books first (those bossy Remington Mem docs won out, though!) My bestie, Avery Flynn, and I were road tripping to a book signing, and we had an 11-hour drive in front of us. So, we did what any respectable romance authors would. We loaded up on caffeine and snacks, hit the open road, and plotted books! There are a LOT of twists and turns in The Guardian…thanks mostly to that crazy-pants plotting session.

Fun Fact #2: Delia’s name was NOT originally Delia. Back to that plotting session in Avery’s minivan: I knew who my hero was going to be (oh, Grumpy Garza. How I love him), but I needed a heroine. I’m super particular about my character’s names–I almost NEVER change them once they’re set. We drove past a sign for Mount Olive (Ohio, maybe? New Jersey? We did a lot of road trips that year) and I said, “Oh, Olive! I love that name for a heroine.” But, it turns out, I also loved it when we got a puppy last year, and our naughty Whippet ended up being an Olive. So, I changed Delia’s name to…well, Delia. And there’s a story behind her name in the book!

Fun Fact #3: I changed a MAJOR part of the book after it was fully plotted, and I blame Robin Covington (also my bestie!) for the whole thing. There was part of the ending that didn’t feel quite right to me even though it technically worked. After a panic-dial to RC, she said, “I think you could change This Part to That Part.” And as soon as she said it, alllllll the fireworks went off in my head. Since we don’t do spoilers (see: Kimberly is not a monster, above), I won’t say what it was. But it was huge, and I think the change makes the book SO much better!

So, who’s ready to read? Anyone get an ARC? What do you think about Grumpy Garza finally finding love? And don’t forget, it’s specially priced for preorders–get it cheaper if you get it first!