Confession: I think I wrote a weird book...

Bethany snuck up on me.

As I was drafting War on Christmas, I couldn't have articulated why Bethany was going through it so hard. She was obviously stressed and overwhelmed. She was a super Type-A mom of four, a stark contrast to Freya's Type "Loner for Life." And I think that's how I originally thought of her...a side-character contrast to Freya.

But extra details worked their way in. Something was going on with her husband, Drew, at work. He'd been pulling extra-long hours. Bethany had just returned to work after being a stay-at-home mom and was reeling at the challenge of trying to "have it all." By the time I wrapped up Freya and Jeremy's story, I knew that I needed to tackle Bethany and Drew next.

My vision was clear: As a married mom in my early forties, I was experiencing—and witnessing so many of my friends and peers experience—a new stage in marriage. We were emerging, exhausted and perimenopausal, from the sleep-deprived, identity-shifting, babies-and-toddlers stage of motherhood. We were tentatively peeking our heads up after years of dirty diapers and 24/7 caretaking, looking at our now salt-and-pepper spouses, and thinking, "Wow! So that just happened! Um...what now?"

That's the story I wanted to write. Not a story about "How do two people fall in love?"—although I do adore those, obviously—but a story about "How do couples who stay together long term keep falling in love? Not once, but over and over again?"

I wanted to write that love story. But fun and sexy with the romance tropes we all know and love.

So I jumped into it, naively assuming that, with War on Christmas under my belt, it would be a cinch. The writing process would go more smoothly. I would have all my new, hard-won experience to guide me. It gets easier as you go, right?

Right?

(Crickets.)

Oh, sweet summer child. Lol! Writing a married couple was a completely different ball game. Good characters are always complex, but as I tried to get into any single scene, I was shocked at the number of emotions I had to slog my way through, always having to make a judgment call about which one or two would get highlighted on the page. Bethany and Drew weren't just lovers who lost their spark. They were co-parents who oftentimes approached parenting differently. They were best friends who were currently out of sync. They were cheerleaders...who also needed their spouse to watch the kids so they could go into work on a Saturday. They loved each other and wanted to make their marriage work, but they also felt absolutely burned by recent events in their relationship.

They were messy. They made bad judgment calls. Sometimes they were immature and passive aggressive because feelings are hard.

Whereas War on Christmas, like most traditional rom-coms, felt like pushing a match-made-in-heaven couple down a hill and watching them tumble into love, Bethany Romano Quits often felt more like forcing Bethany and Drew to army crawl through the muddiest, most challenging parts of marriage to get to their happily ever after.

Add in the fact that—in a weird case of life imitating art—I myself ended up returning to full-time work after a long stint as a stay-at-home mom, and this book was anything but easy.

It was also, however, a joy to write. Despite the challenges. Despite the complexity. Despite the emotional angst. Bethany and Drew are trying to "spice things up" twenty years into their relationship. It gets steamy! Bethany is going through a witchy midlife crisis. It has sprinkles of magic! And once Bethany and Drew work up the courage, it gets pretty swoony and emotional.

After two years of drafting, I finally typed "The End" in March and dove into edits so that I could get Bethany Romano Quits into the hands of beta readers. And as I read the book for the first time, I had a disconcerting experience: I really liked it, but...it was also weird.

Forgive me for this next part because it doesn't make much logical sense. But I'm not always a logical creature, so bear with me. Bethany Romano Quits is exactly what I set out to write—a story about a middle-age couple learning to fall back in love after the grueling years of early parenting—but it also feels, for lack of a better word, weird. I simply haven't read anything like it. So, as I sought out beta readers, it was with a slightly self-conscious disclaimer: Does anybody want to read my weird rom-com about a couple that's been married forever and has four kids?

(Quite the saleswoman, I know!)

But as my first beta readers are starting to get back to me, I'm getting some clarity on what exactly feels so weird. I'm getting comments like:

"I have so much to tell you when I'm done. But this is the most perfect book I've ever read as a long time married woman."

"This book moved me and was relatable beyond anything I've read in ages."

"OK I finished it and I LOVED it! Like legit I feel like Bethany is in some ways me and my husband!"

So...I came up with the concept for this book because I wanted to write a rom-com that reflected this stage of life and marriage, but I simply wasn't prepared for a rom-com that has relatability as its defining feature.

Romance is about fantasy. It's about escape from reality.

And now I went and wrote a weird-ass rom-com that is super relatable! Lol!

(Don't ask me why I'm so surprised by this. I don't have a good answer.)

Don't get me wrong—there is still plenty of fantasy in this book. Drew is dreamy handsome and has six-pack abs. They live in a quirky, charming small-town. There is absolutely a happily ever after.

However, it's got a dose of reality to it as well. Probably more than the average rom-com, which is what makes it feel weird. To me, at least. Is it going to be for everyone? Nope. No book is.

Overall, though, despite the weirdness, I'm feeling pretty...proud. The world will always be in love with falling in love. (Proudly raises hand. "Me! It's me!") However, this is something different. A geriatric Millennial romance? A magical midlife crisis romance? A second (and third) chance married romance? A "leveling up their marriage" romance?

Whatever it is—or however it ends up being defined—I'm proud that I wrote a story that readers can see themselves and their relationships in.

Despite the weirdness.

Note: If this weirdly relatable midlife rom-com sounds like something you'd be interested in, I encourage you to sign up for an ARC. Here is the SIGN-UP FORM.