This is it, my darlings! The last one! ON THE ROPES released on October 1st and I think y’all know how I feel about this baby:
Vibes: A cute, flirty, cozy hug of a romance novel. Shy, broody (former) boxer Dean “The Machine” Knox-Morelli is stunned when his old high school crush – sparkly ray-of-sunshine Tabitha Tyler – is suddenly his temporary neighbor and willing to help him turn an abandoned lot on the block into a pocket park. Friends-to-lovers in the sweetest way. Insta-crush like whoa. ‘Parks n Rec’ meets ‘Rocky’ (basically). Nostalgia, hot summer nights, stoop beers, block parties,
My favorite moments: Uh, the whole book?! But seriously - Tabitha falling into Dean’s lap at the bar, their water ice date, their – ahem – date at the art museum, when she’s doing the twist with Dean’s parents, when Dean and Eddie talk about his food needs at the end, Pam!!, all of the neighbors on Tenth Street, Alice’s all-caps text messages, Rowan being adorable, Tabitha’s entire family, Kathleen’s boozy book club saving the day, the – ahem, again – lingerie scene, their sweet memories of growing up together and going to the Lavender Center.
Line most highlighted by readers: “The counselors would always tell us that you find the people who love you more loudly than the ones who don’t,” he said. “That’s your real family, your found family, in the end. To me, it’s what the park represents.”
My favorite lines: (uh, all of them?!) But also:
“You and me?” Rowan said, pointing between our chests. “We don’t hug like that, and I’ve known your ass for two decades. That was like at the end of a movie when one of the characters saves the planet and the love of their life runs over and hugs them while behind them, an asteroid blows up.”
“You’re so full of shit.”
He pulled his phone out. Turned his screen around and tapped at it. “I’m not the only one who sees it.”
It was a text chain between him and his grandmother. The message above was Rowan, asking her if she wanted him to pick up green peppers because there was a sale at the Acme.
The response from Alice, below, read: YOU COULD CUT THE SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN DEAN AND TABITHA WITH A KNIFE PLEASE GET PEPPERS AND THOSE CRACKERS I LIKE.
I scrubbed a hand down my face with a sigh. It was looking more likely that I was the one who was so full of shit.
What Dean and Tabitha taught me: Honestly? Everything. This was truly a book of my heart, but it also showed me in a very real, very scary way, that I was struggling through creative burn-out and exhaustion. I made it through this book by the skin of my teeth, then promptly took an entire month off writing (first time not writing since 2016) and re-worked my publishing schedule and deadlines for 2022, carving out much more time for rest and rejuvenation. Luckily, I’d experienced some horrific burn-out in 2016/2017, so was able to recognize what was happening and make the changes I needed – though it’s never easy to do stuff like that, Dean and Tabitha taught me it’s as vital and necessary as air, food and water. I will always be grateful for this lesson.
As a bisexual lady, I was thrilled to write my very first bisexual main character. The second that Tabitha appeared on the page – with her goofy humor and loveable charm – I felt called to tell her story through the lens of being a queer woman and the many unique ways that her sexuality shaped her life, her struggles and triumphs, her reactions and her relationships to those around her.
I’m always overjoyed to see bisexual folks get their own happily-ever-after…and for Tabitha to find that love with Dean was extra special. Dean’s own experiences being raised by gay parents also shaped who he was and his world view, and he was – in so many ways – the perfect person for Tabitha. Kind, compassionate, thoughtful, and understanding of the things they experienced and shared in their support group.
As a bisexual person in a straight-passing marriage, it was a privilege to write a love story that looked like my own and to celebrate love, identity and relationships in all of their many beautiful and unique forms. In the end, Tabitha Tyler helped me discover and celebrate my bisexuality in a new and beautiful way. She helped me learn to be more me.