Happy Ever Afters (Past and Present)

I have always been a fan of stories with happy ever afters. As a teen, I would devour series romance books. My two favorite series were Sweet Dreams and Sunfire. I am not ashamed to say that I owned every single book in those collections at one time. I also was big into the Sweet Valley High series. I'll bet I'm not the only one, too.

Of course, not every book had a happy ending. And that was okay. I treasured the stories. They were the perfect escape for this shy girl from Illinois who always felt like an outsider in a crowd. I wanted my own happy ending. When I was twenty-seven, I finally got it. 

Meet Brad. We've been together for twenty-one years. He's an amazing man. My best friend, my biggest advocate, the father of my three beautiful children. He supports me even when I want to do something crazy. Like write romance. In fact, this sweet man has read every book I have written. Published and non-published. He also let's me use him as a sounding board. That's love. When I thought that the dream of publication was out of reach, he never doubted.

Next week, my ninth book will release. That amazes me. When I was writing Amish Country Ambush, my husband, as an EMT and volunteer firefighter, was key to my research. My heroine, Elise St. Clair, is a dispatcher. Having no experience as a dispatcher, or responding to emergencies, I was very happy to be able to ask my husband for assistance.

This was a fun story to write. Here's the back cover blurb:

Hidden in Plain SightAn Amish Country Justice story

After police dispatcher Elise St. Clair’s home is invaded by her murderous brother-in-law, her nephew is hidden in Amish Country by her cleaning lady. Now relying on police officer Ryan Parker is Elise’s only hope of reuniting with the child…and evading the killer. And Elise and Ryan quickly discover their temporary partnership has long-term potential—if they can stay alive.

I'm curious... what are some of the books that you read as a child or teen that have stayed with you through years?