Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about Deer Springs

  • Deer Springs is small town USA. It’s the place to escape when you can’t handle the traffic anymore or the neighbor in the apartment next door who’s watching their action movie too loud again at midnight.

    Deer Springs has no smog. The air is sweet from all those trees. It’s quiet. More time for people to talk and connect. It has mountains and valleys and caves. There are more cows than buildings and the hiking trails are divine.

    Deer Springs also has real people living messy, modern lives. All captured in the pages of the series.

  • If you’ve read The Luxury of Being Honest already, you may remember Jenny. She’s one of Emma’s good friends who provided some life-saving mixed drinks during times of trouble.

    Jenny’s not looking for love, but it might be looking for her. It might even be stalking her. You can find out in the Deer Springs Series Book 2: Roommates for Now.

  • The Ozarks are like an untamed land. The forests are deep, the deer are everywhere, and the bluffs look like the type of nature scenery you see in movies.

    It’s a beautiful place with forests, mountains, valleys, waterfalls, caves, lakes, streams and rivers.

    The wilder areas also have their share of elk, coyotes, bobcats, brown bears and mountain lions. There’s nothing like the sound of a coyote pack singing after dark fall.

    Nature holds a strong grip on the Ozarks.

    When I first contemplated starting the Deer Springs romance series, I knew I wanted to place it deep in the Ozark Mountains, because it’s a place in our country that really exists that not everyone gets a chance to experience.

    I’m writing the Deer Springs series for any of you yearning for a simple world where it’s ok that people still don’t lock their doors at night. One with less power lines and more stars in the night sky.

  • Of course! In fact, they make cameos in books 2 and 3 of the Deer Springs series.

    They may be secretly deciding on their wedding date as we speak! I have a feeling their wedding may even be the location of a scene in a future Deer Springs book. Maybe book four? Maybe book five? We’ll have to wait and see together!

  • Roommates for Now features Jenny Hall and Asher Harris, two people destined to never fall in love, until Asher decides to do something about that. Will this mild-mannered bookkeeper upend his whole life to chase after a pretty woman in pink cowgirl boots? You better believe it, ladies. Asher Harris does all kinds of things he’s not supposed to do in order to get his woman.

    Sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date on the book’s release date.

  • I write contemporary romance. My current series is a small town contemporary romance set in a tiny town in the Ozark mountains. Each book in the Deer Springs series can be read standalone.

    I recommend reading them in order since many of the main characters are also featured as side characters in the other books.

  • I do! I love a good happily ever after and happy for now. It can’t be a romance without that, right?

  • I write open door contemporary romance with a generous sprinkle of steam and spice. There are a scattering of sexy scenes in each book, along with some adult language, but the love stories come first.

    On a 1-5 chili pepper scale my books typically land at a 3.

  • Enemies to Lovers: The tension and banter in an enemies to lovers romance can set the house on fire. I love to write two characters who absolutely can't get along, but are also drawn to each other like magnets.

    Curvy Girls: I enjoy writing plus size romances where the FMC's weight is not a primary driver of the plot. Sure, she might feel a little angsty during the let's-get-naked scenes, but that definitely doesn't stop her!

    Age Gap: I throw some age gap trope into some of my romance novels. Just like with the curvy girls, the age gap isn't the primary driver of the plot, but often an extra wrinkle for the FMC and MMC to navigate together.

    Slow Burn: I love a good slow burn. I’m all about the buildup. I get my swoon on from the small moments. It’s where the fireworks exist for me.

    Grumpy Sunshine: For me this trope is not just about an eternal grump vs. a ray of dazzling sparkles. Sometimes characters hold both these archetypes within themselves at the same time, and sometimes it exists within them on a spectrum of emotion.

    Forced Proximity: It’s fun putting two characters together in different scenarios and seeing how they engage, especially when they have to interact with each other.

    Forbidden Romance: Isn’t it fun when there’s an obstacle in the way after all? Who or what is keeping our star-crossed lovers apart? Oh no, they’ll have to fight hard to be together and keep it a secret.

    Shared Bed: I know, what a cliche! But it’s still fun to read and write this one. Nuff’ said. :)

  • People sometimes ask where the ideas for a book come from. The Luxury of Being Honest came to me in a flash. I woke up at three in the morning on a cold February night. It was deep winter in the Ozarks and I couldn’t fall back asleep. I bumped around the house for a while, trying not to wake anyone else up. It was right then, in the quiet dark of moonlight, that Emma and Grant’s love story came to life. I hurried to the computer and started writing. I wrote the first draft of the novel in a mad burst, doing long days and nights. Then spent months rewriting, editing and weaving the story tighter.

    I find my characters often breath themselves into existence. They start as a wisp of a thought, a light brushstroke hitting canvas.

    Then they follow me along on my walks while I get to know them, and they get to know me. It’s during these between times where their fate gets decided. If I feel their story is strong enough, I bring them to life.

  • I do! Lily Birch is my pen name.