Jane Buehler Follow

This is my book! I introduced Jane in book 1 of this series and then left her hanging. I wanted her to reach a happy ending but kept hitting a wall until I imagined her in a grumpy/sunshine pairing.

I’d been considering writing a heroine with pelvic floor issues that cause pain, and the condition seemed to fit with Jane, who’s so cheery on the outside but hiding much worry and frustration. I’d never seen pelvic floor issues addressed in a romance novel and thought they should be because they are not uncommon and people with such issues can often feel isolated. The topic also got me thinking about the types of love scenes that are common in cis-het M/F romance novels, and wanting to push back on the idea that one particular type is better or necessary.

I hope you like Jane and Roman’s story and their trek into the mountains. And if you finish and you’re wondering what is so special about two slugs mating, subscribing to my e-news gets you bonus content that includes a video :-)

The idea for this book originated with Gray, who first appears in the previous book of the series. When I finished drafting that book, Gray kept pestering me as if he were after his own story. So I thought about who might be his love interest and immediately remembered Burne. Burne is mentioned in the first book as “shy and anxious, not fit to be a guard.” I was interested in writing a romance with a main character who is nervous about relationships and struggles with anxiety, and Burne seemed to fit.
 
I worked with an authenticity reader on this novel and he suggested that Burne might be on the asexual spectrum. I’ve since read more about this spectrum and would guess that Burne is demisexual, although I hesitate to label him since I did not specifically write him to fit a label. He experiences panic attacks when he tries to rush into a relationship but does feel attraction. FWIW, I based his symptoms of anxiety on my own experiences, and one beta reader told me she couldn’t read them, so if anxiety is triggering to you, you might want to avoid this story.
 
Anyway, I hope you love reading Burne and Gray’s story as much as I loved creating it with them. And if you want a copy of Kate’s recipe for Easy Plum Jam, it will soon be part of the bonus content when you subscribe to my e-news.