This Saturday, my newest book, A Ranger for an Angel, officially launches, and I couldn’t be more excited! This story holds a special place in my heart because it’s the book that started my dream of becoming an author when I was just sixteen.
Luke and LeAnn have grown so much over the years, but if I had to choose the character who experienced the most development, it would undoubtedly be LeAnn.
Luke has always been strong, brave—a hero among men. From the very beginning, I knew I wanted him to be a Texas Ranger. Maybe that was because I grew up watching Walker, Texas Ranger in the ‘90s (LOL), but beyond that, the Texas Rangers were respected men of integrity with far-reaching influence in upholding justice. Originally, Luke was the oldest sibling, but as the series developed, Adam took on that role—though both were born on the same day.
LeAnn’s development, on the other hand, was a completely different story. When I first wrote her, she was your typical damsel in distress—beautiful, in need of rescue, and… not much else. (I’m not sure why I gave all the personality to Luke!) I’ve always loved the idea of a strong, heroic man saving the woman he loves, but when I finished the rough draft, I realized something—I didn’t like her.
It wasn’t that she was unlikable; she simply didn’t have a personality to like. And that was entirely my fault.
When I came back to this story with the intention of finishing it properly, I knew I had to fix LeAnn. And to my surprise, it was easy—almost as if she’d been waiting all along for me to come to my senses.
LeAnn is strong. She’s protective, stubborn, and undeniably feminine. She’s someone I would want to be friends with—and in a way, I feel like I am.
In today’s world, femininity is often seen as a weakness, but I believe true strength comes from embracing the way God made us. Trusting and leaning on a man doesn’t make a woman weak—it makes her stronger. And when you place God at the center of a relationship, that bond becomes unbreakable.
As much as I love Luke and LeAnn, this book wouldn’t have been the same without the vibrant, living, breathing town of Riverview. A Georgia Princess for an Orphan wasn’t just a prequel—it gave me an entire community of characters who made Riverview a place I wanted to return to again and again.
Seth and Sophia built Riverview from nothing, but by the time A Ranger for an Angel takes place, the town is filled with warmth, love, and people who make it feel like home. The friendships, the hard-fought struggles, the triumphs of faith—every one of those elements came from the foundation laid in A Georgia Princess for an Orphan. I never expected that story to give me such a rich world to explore, but now I can’t imagine Riverview without its people—the ones who challenge, protect, and stand by my characters through every trial.
This book evolved into something almost unrecognizable from the original rough draft I published as Angel Ranger. The final version of A Ranger for an Angel made me laugh, made me cry, gave me chills with its villains, and had me practically swooning over the chemistry between Luke and LeAnn. It turned out to be everything I wanted it to be—and so much more.
And for that, I have only God to thank.
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