A decade ago, I had just finished the third of my Florida fiction books–serious novels with literary leanings on complicated topics with metaphorical subplots crisscrossing the landscape. The research, topics, and intricate dances with the characters exhausted me.

I didn’t want to stop writing, but I knew I needed a break from writing that type of book. So, I took an online class on how to write a romance in a month. I enjoyed the process and the direction, and even surprising myself, at the end of the month I had a rough draft and an offer to participate in a boxset with other romance writers. The result: Behind the Altar. While the main characters have a bit of “lust at first sight” syndrome, it soon changes. I couldn’t just write a romance, however. For the couple to find their way to one another both must deal with the traumas from their childhoods to move forward.

I created a community of people who chose each other as family. It was easy to go further and create a story for each of the characters from the first one. Within two years, I had four novels in the Behind the Love series.

“It won’t take you long to find out what I learned at a very early age,” he said softly, his breath caressing her lips. “When you do find out, you’ll come running to me for more of this.”

Behind the Altar by P.C. Zick