In this week’s Jen’s Jewels, author Sarah Monzon takes readers on a heartwarming ride in HEARTS IN CIRCULATION, a charming tale about a hopeful librarian, a reclusive hero, and the bookmobile affectionately named Cletus that brings them together. Blending humor, heart, and a touch of small-town magic, Sarah delivers a story filled with second chances, unexpected connections, and the quiet courage it takes to open one’s heart. Join me as Sarah shares the inspiration behind her beloved Checking Out Love series, the power of empathy in fiction, and why libraries, big or small, rolling or stationary, remain the heart of every community.
Jen: I just love the premise of this story, a rundown bookmobile bringing two hearts together. What first inspired this idea, and did you always know it would center around a library on wheels?
Sarah: I originally pitched a single story featuring a librarian and my editor came back and asked if I could come up with a couple more ideas to make it a series. Which of course I said absolutely! I wanted each book to be unique even though the main character in each would be librarians, and so decided to focus each book on a specific aspect or duty a librarian might have. Having one of the books include a bookmobile was just a natural progression from there.
Jen: Hayley is such a relatable heroine, hopeful, a little anxious, and determined to make a difference. How did her character first come to life for you?
Sarah: We first meet Hayley in book one of the series, AN OVERDUE MATCH. I don’t do very much, if any, character work prewriting, so her personality developed on the page as my fingers found the keystrokes on my computer. She presented herself as an exuberant, slightly over-the-top in her enthusiasm character, and so for book two when she stepped into the spotlight of the main character, I delved in to the reasons of why she approaches life the way she does and what sorts of events molded her into who she is.
Jen: Levi is such an intriguing contrast to Hayley, quiet, reclusive, and tender beneath the surface. What was it like writing his character, especially in those moments of vulnerability?
Sarah: Levi is definitely the type of person who is more than what he presents himself as. On the surface he seems like a reclusive grumpy guy, but at his center he’s really actually very considerate and sensitive. I think fictional characters tend to get more grace than we may extend to people in real life because as readers we are privy to the fictional characters’ inner thoughts and backstory while in real life we aren’t. I tried to write Levi in such a way that it may help someone to pause before jumping to conclusions if they met someone like him on the street.
Jen: The bookmobile itself almost feels like a character. Was it inspired by a real-life experience or perhaps your own love of libraries?
Sarah: I love that it (can I say he?) feels like a character, especially since he was gifted his own name by Hayley—Cletus. I’d say pretty much everything in this book and series stems from my love of libraries but there wasn’t a specific bookmobile that Cletus was inspired by. He was just the perfect vehicle (see what I did there?) to get the story on its way.
Jen: I was so touched by the way you explored Hayley’s backstory as a liver transplant survivor. What made you want to include that layer of emotional depth and resilience in her journey?
Sarah: It makes my heart happy that her journey affected you in an emotional way. I wish I could say I had some premeditated and profound reason for including a liver transplant backstory to her character, but the truth is that it just came on to the page organically. There are definitely times when I am writing when a character reveals something about themselves that I had no pre-knowledge about. I know it sounds strange. I’m the author and these characters came from my imagination so how could I not know everything about them? But I don’t plot out my books and I’m consistently surprised by a turn a story will take or a layer to a character I hadn’t realized was there until I’m actually writing it. That’s how Hayley’s backstory of being a liver transplant survivor developed.
Jen: How did you balance humor, tension, and heartfelt emotion as their relationship developed?
Sarah: Getting the balance right in a romantic comedy that has depth is a bit of a tight rope. The vibe of the book overall needs to be lighthearted and fun, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have its moments of heartstring tugging either. I think there’s a difference between a story that goes deep and one that feels heavy and it’s the humor and giggly moments and the overall tone that help keep the playfulness to the story.
Jen: Turkey Grove and Little Creek sound like the kind of cozy small towns readers fall in love with. How did you create such vivid, heartwarming settings?
Sarah: Little Creek and Turkey Grove are inspired by my memories of attending college in a small town in Southeastern Tennessee. I pictured my many weekends hiking and exploring the nature within the boundaries of the Cherokee National Forest and the tiny little towns sprinkled throughout when I created Turkey Grove.
Jen: What message do you hope readers take away from Hayley and Levi’s story, about love, second chances, or the quiet strength found in unexpected connections?
Sarah: I wouldn’t necessarily say there is any sort of message I’m trying to convey with this book. I wanted to feature a main character with sensory processing issues because it is something that is underrepresented in fiction and yet so many people deal with overstimulation every day. Fiction is such a great way to grow empathy and understanding of things and people beyond our personal experience, and that’s what I want to do with my books.
Jen: If this book were made into a movie, who would you love to see cast as Hayley and Levi?
Sarah: Oh man. I don’t watch very many movies, so I have no idea who the current cast of actors are. Levi would need to be played by someone very tall and who could grow a full beard. He’d also need to pull off grumpy/broody vibes while portraying a soft center. For Hayley, she’d need someone with a big smile and freckles. Someone with a lot of energy and magnetic personality.
Jen: Finally, what’s next for you?
Sarah: Book 3 in the Checking Out Love Series! It releases July 21, 2026, and features a children’s library trying to save her job and the youth programs at the library and her having to work with her childhood crush to do it!
Narrator: Allyson Morgan
Checking Out Love #2
A Christian Contemporary Autumn Rom-Com Book-about-Books with Forced-Proximity, Grumpy-Sunshine, and Pen-Pal Romance
Can a rundown bookmobile be the vehicle that brings two unlikely hearts together?
Little Creek's bookmobile is more of a death trap on wheels than a vehicle of literary delights, and circulation librarian Hayley Holt is afraid it's going to careen down a mountainside with her in it. Yet she sees it as a way to serve her community and be worthy of the liver transplant that saved her life as a child. However, her fears come true when the bookmobile breaks down and a rockslide traps her in the small hollow of Turkey Grove.
Reclusive mechanic Levi Redding lives in tiny Turkey Grove to get away from people. He can handle getting the bookmobile running again, but the endless chatter and unsettling touches from the vibrant librarian leave him overstimulated. When forced proximity leads to a misunderstanding, a note of apology begins an epistolary friendship, proving that sometimes the happiest of endings aren't contained within the bindings of a book.
Christian Romance | Romance Contemporary [ Baker Publishing Group, On Sale: November 18, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780764243752 / eISBN: 9780764243752 ]
Winner of the Holt Medallion and Selah Award, Sarah Monzon is a stay-at-home mom who makes up imaginary friends to have adult conversations with (otherwise known as writing novels). As a navy chaplain's wife, she resides wherever the military happens to station her family and enjoys exploring the beauty of the world around her.
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