When Americans think about the War for Independence, many of us picture ragged militiamen, George Washington at Valley Forge, and the “Spirit of ’76.” What often gets left out is the role our allies played, particularly France. Without French involvement, the United States might never have become the United States at all. In some ways, The Chevalier and His Unlikely Lady started out as a homage to the French, and one man in particular—a young French aristocrat named Gilbert d

I had an epiphany at 2 a.m. while revising a scene in Caution to the Wind. Insomnia may be a nuisance, but it’s also when my brain pulls out the most interesting ideas—the ones I can’t quite see in the full light of day. Last night’s realization was this: I don’t actually write historical romance. Perhaps I should unpack that a bit before I lose half my audience. The 2 A.M. Epiphany There I was, tinkering with a battle scene, deciding how much detail to include and how much t

I’m excited to share Chapter Two of Caution to the Wind. If you missed the beginning of the story, you can read Chapter One here and then sail back to this post. This story is firmly in the “clean, not sweet” camp: it’s closed‑door, and any deeper intimacy will only take place after marriage. That said, in this chapter, we see more of Captain Will—an honorable man with a complicated past when it comes to women. Fear not, as his growing feelings for Amanda will tug him toward

As promised, here’s the opening chapter of my next project, Caution to the Wind, an American Historical Romance set in Baltimore in 1778. The American Revolution is in full swing. Amanda, a young woman determined to keep her little brother from volunteering aboard a Privateer, finds herself enlisted as one of the crew. As a reminder, this is a clean rewrite of my 2013 release of Caution to the Wind. I anticipate changing the title before publication. As always, I’d love to he

I’m diving into my next rewrite a little earlier than I expected. On June 22, I released The Chevalier and His Unlikely Lady (originally published in 2012 under the title LeChevalier). Releasing the novel first, then turning around to build a website and social media presence post-launch probably isn’t considered best practice—but it all came together faster than I anticipated. Now that the foundation is in place, I’m eager to turn the page and start the next project. Revis

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? When readers open The Chevalier and His Unlikely Lady, they’re immediately met with an unusual introduction to the novel’s hero: he’s wearing a dress—a ballgown, to be precise. In a romance novel, that can raise a few eyebrows, spark questions, and even invite some misguided assumptions. Some readers might close the book in disgust, while others may feel a twinge of disappointment later when he vows to leave his unconvent

I didn’t plan to design a book cover in the middle of the night—but apparently, that’s when my creativity shows up, even if the rest of me is running on fumes. This latest cover came together during one of those late-night stretches where sleep refused to come. I decided this was as good a time as any to explore Canva’s AI tools. I knew full well I’d be in for a bit of a learning curve, but I'd been meaning to redesign my cover anyway. At first, the results were… a little str

In just a few days, the United States of America turns 250 years old, and I couldn’t resist taking a moment to celebrate—with a little bookish twist. Some of you know that my very first published novel, the original version of The Chevalier and His Unlikely Lady, made its debut on July 4th, 2012. Releasing a romance on Independence Day felt wonderfully symbolic, but it was also an unexpected gift from my publisher. She never said anything outright, but I’ve always suspected

After nearly three years away from the romance writing community, I’ve been thinking for a while about how to reintroduce myself. Some of you may be familiar with me as a writer, but let’s be honest, most of you probably aren’t. I thought we might start, not with a big splashy announcement, but with something that feels more like a sit‑down coffee chat—just you and me, talking about writing and reading romance. So, first, let me introduce myself. Hi! My name is Mary Jean Adam