A while ago, I had a conversation with some friends about the most outrageous Romance characters we’ve ever encountered. In addition to mentioning dinosaurs and viruses, we started talking about the types of characters we recently discovered we enjoyed reading about. I, of course, mentioned I like vampires. (Vampires are very on-brand for me.) Someone else mentioned cowboys. And while I knew cowboys have had a place in Romance for a long time, my brain squished the two together.

A contemporary paranormal western. Why not?

And that is what kicked off my writing journey for Under a Pale Red Moon. It fits within the Dark Paranormal Romance category, as it features vampires enacting violence and threats of violence. But central to the story is the romantic relationship between our heroine, Hannah, and our hero, Ever. A list of tropes for this story include: forced proximity, pining, an emotionally scarred heroine, and some hints of small town and perceived enemies-to-lovers.

Under a Pale Red Moon takes place in the isolated area of Devil’s Creek, Montana. Out here, cattle and horses are the important businesses. Hannah has been living in New York City for the past 10 years, and getting pulled back into the rural community of her childhood, she’s surprised by how much has changed. And who… She’s not at all happy to see Ever on her late-grandfather’s ranch. It doesn’t matter how supportive Ever is, how good he looks in those jeans, or how being near him floods her with a warmth she hasn’t felt in years. She wants to get the estate settled and get back to New York and her “normal,” as quickly as possible. Ever’s still the guy who broke her heart all those years ago and she won’t let it happen a second time.

Ever, on the other hand, feels like he can finally breathe now that Hannah has returned. He’s worked hard to move past the mistakes he’s made, but Hannah has been as constant in his heart since the first day he met her. Despite how painful it will be to watch her walk away again, he knows she must get out of Devil’s Creek as quickly as possible. A fiendish group of men have taken a morbid interest in Hannah and pulled Ever into their dark, bloodthirsty world with one bite. It is taking everything Ever has in him to not give in to this growing appetite and hurt Hannah again.

Standing in the way of Hannah’s plans and Ever’s desires are George and his fellow vampires. They are more interested in the treasure hidden on Hannah’s inherited land than the lives they have to destroy to get to it. They have waited too long to let a stubborn city girl and a veteran turned ranch hand prevent them from getting everything they deserve.

I’ve had a blast developing Hannah and Ever’s relationship, re-imagining vampire rules, researching Montana and horse farms, and exploring side characters that are clearly attracted to each other. Under a Pale Red Moon will be out this fall, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned for updates!