SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Author Judythe Morgan!

Joining me today in The Loft is author Judythe Morgan. Judythe writes sweet romance and romantic suspense. Her stories feature strong characters tackling real-life situations from a Christian worldview. Judythe believes books should be a break from real life and leave readers feeling happy. The romantic relationships in her books end with HEA/HFN (happily ever after/ happy for now) and there are no on-page sex scenes. After years of roaming as an Air Force daughter and then Army wife, Texas called her home. She and her husband now live in a small town called Rose Hill. Besides writing fiction full-time, Judythe shares a weekly blog with her urban farmer/music teacher daughter at www.judythewriter.com.

Author Judythe Morgan

S: Good morning, Judythe and Happy Holidays!

Why did you start writing romance?

S: I am an avid reader of romance. The more I read, the more I thought I bet I could do this. Sitting at the counter in my antique shop in the nineties, I decided to try it. Between serving customers, of course. I joined writer organizations and attended craft workshops to learn how to write fiction. I entered contests and sent submissions to romance short story magazines to see how I was doing. I was pleased and proud to have magazine publishers buy my stories and win writing contests. Since that beginning, I’ve published a six-book small town series about a preacher’s children, The Fitzpatrick Family, a four-book military romance series titled, The Promises, and two standalone romantic suspense books. A third suspense book, "Dead Body Girl,' will be released next year.

S: Do you write in other genres?

J: I do love a good love story. I write small-town stories and military hero stories. Because I read and watch lots of mystery/suspense, I started writing in the romantic suspense genre. All my books are written from a Christian worldview and labeled closed door because I leave that part of the romance to the reader’s imagination.

S: If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?

J: Yes, yes, yes! If I had it to do all over again, I’d start a lot sooner. I love what I do and I’m pleased to say, based on readers’ reviews, they think the stories are five-stars.

S: I am also a "late bloomer!" I didn't start writing books until I stepped away from my first career.

How do you get in the mood for writing?

J: I don’t wait for a mood or a muse. I’m a writer. I write. Some days writing comes easy. Other days not so much and I end up cutting everything I wrote the day before, but I write every day. After breakfast with my hubby-dear, I grab a cup of Irish Breakfast tea and head to my computer in my writing corner. First, I read over the last scene I wrote to reconnect with the story, and then I begin. The mood always comes.

S: I wish I had that much discipline. I write when I feel like it. I can't force it.

Have you ever shelved or thrown out a manuscript?

J: I haven’t thrown out any manuscripts but I have done lots and lots of editing, such as cutting out scenes and rewriting.

S: I haven't thrown anything out, but I have shelved plenty stories. Somedays, I'll write like the wind for hours and then the story just stops. If I'm lucky, I can pick it up the next day. However, what seems like a great story one day, isn't the next.

What inspired "Christmas Prom Rerun"?

J: Short answer, memories. Every holiday season, my husband and I reminisce about past Christmases. This year, we talked about our Christmas proms. He suggested a prom would be a great setting for a Hallmark Christmas movie, which prompted me to think, why not a Christmas reunion novella? And thus, "Christmas Prom Rerun" was born.

S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Christmas Prom Rerun?"

J: "Christmas Prom Rerun" is a sweet story of second chance love that just might bring back some high school prom memories.

Here's the blurb--

Welcome to Dawson Springs, Texas

Where dreams are big and love always wins.

Shannon O'Leary always had a plan for her life: escape Dawson Spring and strike it rich as a personal trainer to the stars. Her plans crashed and burned when her two-timing husband squandered every penny of her hard-earned savings.

Broke and divorced, Shannon retreats to her parents’ home to regroup. She takes a teaching job at the high school she once attended. Unfortunately, that also means facing Tyler Evans, the high school sweetheart she jilted, along with responsibility for organizing the annual Christmas Prom.

Being in the familiar place where they’d fallen in love becomes a challenging walk down Memory Lane. Shannon knows she needs to put her life back together before she thinks about love again. She believes she doesn't deserve a second chance. But she also knows she never stopped loving Tyler.

Can she put the pieces of her heart and life together when her heart insists on falling in love all over again with him?