Guest blogger: Julie Weaver

As a child, I remember wondering why my mum was so engrossed in her paperback novels. And why did she have no fewer than four half-read books stashed in random locations around the house? You know the ones I’m talking about. I’m pretty sure a windswept Fabio featured on several covers.

As an adult, I get it. I also really wish Mum had kept those books so I could’ve read them.

No matter what subgenre of romance you read, our favourite books transport us to another time and place. For a moment, we can escape the everyday rat race and fall into a world where we know everything will end up okay, even if we gasp, cry, and throw the book against the wall along the way.

When my sons were just babies and the night-time feeding routine meant my sleep patterns were chaotic, I began imagining stories to help me doze off. Each night, the plot developed further, and the characters became so loud I had to do something about it. That was when book 1 in the Team Zulu series, The Hit, became more than just a figment of my overactive imagination.

After attending a creative writing course, and armed with far more bravado than I had a right to, I wrote the first draft. Oh, how clueless I was. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m terrified to take another look at that early revision. Little did I know at the time how much I had to learn about writing romance.

Skip ahead a few years and, after polishing my manuscript by spending countless hours rewriting, fixing plot holes, and having my work critiqued by peers and professionals, The Hit went on to win the 2021 Romance Writers of Australia Emerald Award. Yep. Still pinching myself. But what an incredible way to be recognised for my hard work.

Just before COVID shut our international borders, I was fortunate to visit the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where The Hit is set. My lodging was a small log cabin, just like the one the main characters find themselves secluded in. I hope my readers can connect to the location through my experiences and the way I’ve incorporated the mountain sights, sounds, and smells into my writing.

Until recently, I still worked as a mechanical engineer, but I’m very pleased to say I’m now a full-time author. Talk about a career change! My engineering skills have come in useful for writing. My technical brain loves research and learning new things. And six years of Muay Thai training (similar to kickboxing, but more fun because you get to use elbows and knees as weapons) has made choreographing a fight scene much simpler.

If you’ve guessed I write romantic suspense, you’re right. Each book in the Team Zulu series features an ex-elite military hero and the brave heroine who challenges him. The Payback, book 2 in the series, releases 26 May on Amazon (Kindle Unlimited).

For more information about my books, including a free novella to download, visit my website.

You can find Julie here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon

The Payback

Sage

Three years ago, the Mafia murdered my first love and shattered my chance of happiness. I won’t stop searching for the gunman until justice is served, even if every step toward the killer is a step into the gaping jaws of Philly’s notorious underworld.

If only the new guy in my building, AKA Mr. Tall, Dark, and Annoyingly Alpha, would leave me and my secrets alone. My body might want him, but my head knows better. I’ve lost too much to risk giving my heart away again, especially to someone as deliciously tempting as Brandon Lewis.

When the Mob catches on to my revenge plans and delivers a deadly ultimatum, my persistent new neighbor discovers we share a common enemy. Brandon might be an incredibly skilled hacker, but why isn’t he scared of taking on the most dangerous men in the city? And how does a computer geek get the body of a warrior, bullet scars and all?

Teaming up with the fierce, overprotective man next door becomes a proposition too appealing to resist. Except the more I get to know Brandon, the more I realize he’s the last person I could let pay for my foolish mistakes. If it happened again, neither of us would survive.