Welcome back to Behind the Bliss, the blog series where I share the stories behind the stories.
Today, we’re going back to the beach. 🌊
Back to regrets, surfboards, awkward reunions, and the kind of love you never really get over in And Then She Kissed Me.
We are doing this with very good reason because my upcoming book This Is Who I Am is set in Clearwater Bay, the coastal town where Sadie and Devon fell in love.
Although NOT a sequel, you may want to (re-)read it before This Is Who I Am is out (which may be sooner than you think… 😍)
Where It Started
The seed for And Then She Kissed Me was planted when I reread an old short story called I Still Remember. It’s about a woman who returns to her hometown and runs into the best friend she secretly loved—twenty years after everything was left unsaid.
There was something about that story that lingered. The longing. The what-ifs. The way time doesn’t dull certain memories but only seems to sharpen them.
I kept wondering what would happen if I turned this idea of nostalgia and teenage friendship and unrequited love into a full-length novel. Then Sadie and Devon turned up…
Sadie & Devon
Sadie Ireland doesn’t just walk into a room—she owns it. She is a magnetic TV cop, but beneath the surface is someone who never truly dealt with being left behind.
She learned early on to keep her feelings in check, to stay in control—because letting go wasn’t an option.
Devon Douglas built a life around her son, sharing parenting duties with her best friend Hunter and his always-extra husband Bobby.
Devon’s not flashy, but she feels it all—and she’s never fully forgiven herself for the reckless kiss that ended her friendship with Sadie in a single heartbeat.
I loved every second of writing Sadie and Devon’s story. They’re different in how they move through the world, but despite all the time that has gone by, they still understand each other. Their connection is real. Their feelings run deep. Their friendship easy to pick back up… perhaps even too easy.
A Homecoming
Sadie returns to Clearwater Bay to celebrate her 40th birthday—and to escape the chaos of her Hollywood life.
But this isn’t just a birthday trip. It’s a reckoning.
She reconnects with her family: her older sister Suzy, who can’t seem to settle on a career (though if you read This Is Who I Am, you’ll know she’s finally made her choice 😉), and her twin brother Sam.
And then there are the ghosts of the past: her absent mother, her own younger self, and the girl she left behind.
I wanted this book to feel like what it’s like to go home after a long time away. The warmth. The friction. The feeling of being known and misunderstood in the exact same breath.
Also, like Sadie, I’m a twin. (I’m totally aware I’ve written more than my fair share of twins over the years… 😊)
A Toaster Oven Special
Ah, that moment when a woman realises she might not be as straight as she once thought. 🤩
Now divorced, Sadie had been married to her male co-star for a decade, but then she sees Devon again…
This isn’t a coming-out story, exactly. It’s more of a coming-into-yourself story. Writing Sadie’s arc was deeply satisfying (as writing the-first-time-with-a-woman always is.) 🔥
Clearwater Bay
Clearwater Bay is such a wonderful setting, I’ve decided to return to it in my new book.
There’s something about a small town where you always run into someone you know (but is, somehow, also full of gays!) 🌈
The beach-side setting and many surf scenes were also a joy to write, especially because it was something Sadie and Devon really re-connected over. (Sadie may even have started a ladies-only later-in-life surf club in my new book… 😎)
And Then She Kissed Me is about many things: forgiveness, homecoming, growing up (again), and the joy of realising that maybe you weren’t wrong back then. Maybe the timing was.
It’s a big-hearted book with an irresistible beach setting and a whole lot of soul.
If you read it (again): Enjoy!
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
