Ever since I was a little girl reading Nancy Drew, I’ve loved series. When I graduated to romance series, I was hooked into Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, Robin Carr’s Virgin River and Susan Mallory’s Fool’s Gold.

What makes a romance series so memorable? For me, it’s two things.

Romance Series Settings

The first thing that makes a romance series enjoyable is the setting. I feel at home in a series setting. I know where the library is, the police department if I’m ever in trouble and I regularly eat at the best places.  (If you’ve read any of my romance series books, you’ll realize I’m a closet foodie.)

In California Sunset (available in print or e-book formats), the first of my California Romance Series, I establish the town of Costanoa. Costanoa is loosely based on the towns of Aptos and Capitola near Santa Cruz on the beautiful Monterey Bay. If you’ve read California Sunset, you’ll know where the police station is, along with the best places to eat. And if you ever find yourself on the Monterey Bay, use the guide I’ve provided to explore those places for yourself.

Romance Series Characters

I don’t know about you, but Nancy, Bess and George are forever etched in my mind. Periodically, I wonder what they did with the raccoon coats and pennants of their high school football days.

That’s the beauty of romance series. In Carr’s Virgin River series you know that sooner or later the hero or heroine is going to wind up at Jack’s Bar and we’ll catch up with a whole lot of people.  I think that’s why I hate letting friend’s go. I always want to know the end of the story!

In California Wine, the next of my romance series due out on December 31, Annie’s best friend, Elizabeth, tells her story. And we get to catch up with Annie. Familiar secondary characters, like Mandy the waitress, also make their appearance. And we’re introduced to Sarah, Elizabeth’s daughter.

Sarah’s story will be told in California Homecoming, my current work in progress.

See you in Costanoa on December 31!

P.S.  If you’re in Missoula, Montana on Dec. 1, be sure to stop into Fact and Fiction.  I and my fellow writers will be signing books to support First Night Missoula!