To celebrate this holiday weekend, I thought I’d give you a teensy peek into THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT PRETEND YOU’RE MINE.

How’s that for excitement? Let’s jump right in, shall we?

The Idea

The idea for Pretend You’re Mine came from binge watching surprise military homecoming videos and sobbing hysterically. The videos made me think that if that day is so joyful, how painful is the day of deployment? And then the entire Luke leaving scene and the “Stay” moment popped into my head. And voila! The book was born.

No Bad Guy?

The original storyline didn’t have Clive Perry in it. I know, right? What was I thinking? I was almost done with the first draft when I realized I really wanted to give Harper something that she’s been running from, a physical obstacle to prevent her from putting down roots. And creeper Clive was born.

When Did Luke Fall in Love with Harper?

Luke fell for Harper the second he saw her jump on Glenn’s back in the parking lot. He just didn’t know what he was feeling because of his sense of guilt related to his past. He tried to tell himself it was just lust, but he was as fiercely protective of Harper as he was the rest of his family. And that was a major hint to the reader that he was head over heels for her.

Luke’s sister Sophie recognized his feelings immediately and schemed to get them together so nature could take its course. Its very slow, stubborn course. In fact, all of Benevolence knew that Luke loved Harper before Luke ever admitted it to himself.

My Favorite Scene

Linc shoved a bag of lettuce at him. “Keep up, bro.”

“Give me a minute … and don’t call me bro.”

“Fine. Keep up, dick.”

The grocery store fight, hands down, is my favorite. I wanted the first time that Harper saw Luke again after the breakup to be really emotional…and a little funny. I loved the tension between Luke and Harper here, even before they see each other. And the escalation that happens with Luke finding Harper wrapped up in Linc’s arms in the cooler was so exciting to write.

It was so much fun incorporating the townspeople into this scene. They know the score and do their best to protect Harper, but when their efforts fail, they’re happy to watch how it all unfolds… even with the freezer goods melting in their abandoned carts. And Ty getting to punch Luke in the face was kind of like every reader getting their shot at knocking a little sense into him.

My Favorite Character

Aldo. I still have a huge crush on that man.

Xoxo,

Lucy