Way back in ninth grade, Mr. Bishop asked a group of us, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

He got the standard responses as he worked his way around the table to finally end up with me.

"I'm going to be a writer," I stated unequivocally. I hadn't really thought that much about it, but the conviction was there in my head, firm and sure.

"And what are you going to write about?"  His smile felt like a pat on the head.

"Love," I answered, and again wondered at my answer and how right it felt.

"Love?" he snorted. "Write about what you know."

And that was the end of it—for him.

For me, the fairy tale came true on October 17, 2003, when Tim de Young, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Dorchester Publishing announced my name as co-winner of the New Voice In Romance contest. I must admit, I couldn't believe it at first, not even when he beckoned to me to join him on a stage before what looked like thousands of fellow authors and booksellers. The events that came after are still a hazy blur; thank goodness someone took pictures! And now it's official. I write books about love! I just wish Old Bish was still around. I'd send him an autographed copy!

As in most fairy tales, many years have passed since I first voiced my dream, many years when I felt I had nothing relevant to say. I'm still working on relevance, but love is something I understand.

I met my husband of 38 years unexpectedly and married him after a "whirlwind romance." Yes, he swept me off my feet -- before I even met him. Although I'd received signs that someone new was coming into my life, when he arrived, I took some convincing. Since he didn't have a lot of time, my persuasion took all the magic in the book -- a first kiss that prompted the voice in my head to tell me, "This is the man you're going to marry;" a subsequent kiss that made rain on a sunny day; and a star-studded dream that silenced all my fears.

The ensuing years have challenged our ability to keep the magic alive and growing, but I think we've done a pretty good job. Now, I endeavor to fill my books with the kind of magic that introduced me to love.

—Kate