Story Inspiration by Merrillee Whren

One of my writing goals is to write at least one book set in every state where I have lived. I have lived in eleven. I have written books set in nine. I still have Illinois and Arizona to add to my list. This latest book is set in Arizona, where I currently live. I still don't have a definite title for this book. For now, I call it Hannah's Story. Hannah was a secondary character in the last book of my Kellersburg series, Hometown Girl. This series is set in the small fictional town of Kellersburg, Ohio. The series features stories of faith, family, and love. 

Hannah is the friend of Samantha Dawson the heroine of Hometown Girl. I've taken Hannah out of the Kellersburg series and moved her cross country to Arizona. The hero and owner of the Arizona ranch, Mac, is a widower with grown children. In order to keep the ranch on a good financial footing, his kids have convinced Mac that they need to make the place a guest ranch. The ranch has been a part of his deceased wife's family for several generations, and he doesn't want to lose it. Hannah is hired by the main investor in the project as the hotel manager. The photo above of the saguaro was partly an inspiration for the book. This twisted saguaro is in my neighborhood. The ranch's name is Rancho Saguaro Retorcido, which translates to Twisted Saguaro Ranch. 

Near the area where I live, there are numerous guest ranches. A few years ago, I attended a weekend retreat at a guest ranch for a mission, Unite4Africa. They build schools, churches, and wells for water. They give orphans goats and sanitary products to young girls so they don't drop out of school. Besides learning about this worthwhile endeavor, we also had some fun. Staying at the ranch was definitely part of the inspiration for the book. Here are some photos I took.

Here is an AI produced picture of what I think my hero and heroine look like. I didn't find any real photos that did the trick, so I thought I would give AI a chance. What do you think?

This new book is a May-December romance. How do Mac and Hannah resolve all the issues related to this kind of romance? What do you think of May-December relationships? 

Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of forty-plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.