A Match for Merle

Vanessa Acker appeared in my very first book in The Matchmakers - Agatha Returns series as a minor antagonist. With her forward ways and cutting remarks, she didn't make herself very likable. After A Match for Marshall, she also made brief appearances in A Match for Cord and A Match for Silas. When I first wrote about her, I didn't know she'd end up being the heroine of her own book, but here she, doing just that, in A Match for Merle.

In this novel, the reader gets to see life from Vanessa's point of view and watch as she gradually begins to change. Merle Warner is a new character. He's been a real estate speculator, traveling ahead of the railroad, buying up land, and selling it for a profit after the railroad comes through; but now he's ready to settle down and start a family, so he contacts a well-known matchmaker in Chicago. The moment he sees Vanessa, he knows she's going to be a challenge, but he almost looks forward to it.

I once heard an actor say that it was more fun to play the part of a villain than the part of a hero. I found that writing about Vanessa flowed easily, and although she starts changing from the moment she meets Merle, she needed to be shocked into seeing what she'd become, so there is also a pivotal moment at the climax of the story. I hope readers enjoy this third novel of mine in the collection because it has a different slant. It publishes on July 1 and is on preorder now.

Link to A Match for Merle

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