Jamie Beck | After "Happily Ever After"

Thank you for inviting me to speak to your readers about ALL WE KNEW, the second book in my Cabot series, which is set near Portland, Oregon, and revolves around the dysfunctional Cabot family.

This book differs from most romance novels because Hunter and Sara are already
married. Theirs was a love-at-first-sight union, having met by chance on campus
on a sunny afternoon. After graduation, Sara moved away from her close-knit
family in California to move to Oregon to be near Hunter. They married at
twenty-five but, at thirty-four, have yet to start a family of their own.

We first meet Hunter and Sara in the first book of the series, where we learned
that a failed IVF cycle is creating a lot of stress. At the opening of their
book, they are undertaking a second IVF cycle at the same time that Hunter is
fighting to keep his father from selling the family business—one he considers
his family legacy and wants to retain for future Cabots. The strain of these
events is reaching a crisis point, and communication between Hunter and Sara is
breaking down under its weight.

Writing this story was an interesting challenge because it wasn't about the
chase to the "happily ever after." I couldn't rely on those delicious tingles of
new love to woo the reader. But as a writer of a certain age, I assume that
there are readers out there, like me, who will appreciate a love story about
overcoming the obstacles that can pull couples apart. At a time when the
contemporary romance-novel market is extremely competitive, I must give my
editor credit for letting me run with my idea.

Bringing this story to market was not without any bumps, though. A married couple presented unique challenges in terms of creating story conflict and tension. Romance readers are conditioned to the drama of the journey to whether a couple will get to a commitment. In this book, the couple already made the commitment. The love is not in question, so how do you generate story-sustaining conflict?

We had one big disagreement in the editing of this book—whether or not to
include an infidelity storyline. I did not want that betrayal to be part of
their marital strife, but my editor suggested it. For the first time in ten
books, I fought hard against editorial advice. To me, the story had plenty of
conflict: communication problems, disparate priorities, infertility, and general
feelings of neglect. Additionally, there are two emotional plot twists that
should tug at the heartstrings, too. Infidelity seemed like a no-win
proposition, and I'm glad we agreed to keep it out of the story.

I hope readers will cheer Hunter and Sara on as they struggle to keep their
marriage in tact and create a loving family of their own. Thanks for taking a
minute to learn more about this book. Happy reading!