Why I Wrote The Almost-Real Date

I wrote The Almost-Real Date because I wanted a love story that feels the way real life feels in a small town: a little busy, a little ridiculous, and somehow full of people who notice when you’re carrying too much.

I wanted a romance where the biggest turning points don’t come with dramatic speeches or grand gestures, but with quiet choices. The kind that happen in a coffee line, in a hallway, in the half-second pause before someone says yes out of habit, or no on purpose. I love the everyday bravery of that. The way a person can be steady without being loud.

This book is also a love letter to community, the kind where everyone knows your name and still respects your boundaries. Where the lights stay on because someone cared enough to show up, and someone else cared enough to ask, kindly. And where “almost real” isn’t a trick, it’s a beginning.

If you’re here for comfort, you’re in the right place.