Let’s be friends.

The first time I remember reading romance was at my friend’s house at age 15.

Well, that’s not exactly true. I remember finding these historical teen romance books in the books store when I was about ten. I picked up one after another and wanted all of them. They were $6.95 each, so my mom said I could only get two. This is after she asked if I didn’t want clothes of some sort (which was a much smarter use of money).

But, folks, I definitely got my money out of those books. They were lovely and simply called a girl’s name. The first one was Marilee, and she lived in Jamestown and had to choose between two men. Of course, one was a gambler and a rogue and the other was her brother’s best friend and indentured servant.

From that book on, I was obsessed. Of course I was reading Sweet Valley High and others. But those Sunfire books? They were always displayed in my room.

In college, in the world with no interwebs, I would sometimes come home from my jobs – the day job as a tour guide at the historical society, the night job as a bartender – and I would be wired yet exhausted. And I would read the majority of one of these books as comfort.

And perhaps a little regression? The bar scene for an 18-year old woman bartender exhausted my brain.

So, I had NO IDEA that romance existed for adult women. And when I saw it at my friend’s house, I was beyond thrilled – a whole new world!

And in about 2010, I started wondering why no one had ever written about this idea I had called the Traveling Finishing School for Young Ladies. Why had no one ever done this?

Also, PS, I couldn’t do it – I was too busy. I had small children who were blowing my mind. And I like my down time. And I like my husband and I didn’t want to take time from that to do some silly fan fiction that would never work out.

And then, last year, I started it. And dearLordbabyJesus, it was the most exhilarating thing I’d ever done. And now I’m here!

So, let me know you’re here, too. Because I love this, and I’ll be here.

And if you read romance I have a feeling we’re kindred souls.