Sally Jo Pitts
Why I Started Writing:
I have an innate love for learning and discovering how to write has been a part of that desire. As a youngster, for fun, I wrote storylines that played out like movies in my head. The enjoyment of reading Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries and Alfred Hitchcock stories with twist endings translated into creative writing in high school. At one point, I thought I would major in English education, but life choices took me in a different direction. Even though I became a home economics teacher, high school guidance counselor, and a private investigator in my husband’s agency, the underlying longing to write has remained. I have a swirl of story ideas in my head, and I feel compelled to shape them into fiction stories that will inspire, entertain and encourage others.
Authors Who Have Influenced Me:
I have been influenced by authors Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck. Through My Book Therapy and Learn How to Write a Novel I have been given invaluable help in crafting stories. My favorite Susan May Warren book is Nothing but Trouble. My favorite book of Rachel’s is How to Catch a Prince. I also enjoy the descriptive expertise of Raymond Chandler and Robert Ludlum and the Ivy Malone mysteries by Lorena McCourtney.
Books I Have Written:
Hamilton Harbor Legacy Series:
- The Winter Solstice Bride (a prequel short story)
- And Then Blooms Love
- Stumbling Upon Romance
- Designed for Love
"The Lost Box" novella in Christmas from the Heart (a collection of Christmas romances)
"Color Me Springtime" novella in Where Blooms Love (a collection of springtime romances)
What I'm Working On Now:
My current work in progress is a Sweet County Secrets romantic suspense series for Elk Lake. The first book in the series, Sweet Deceit, is in the edit stage. The story centers around a waitress whose life is threatened and an interim sheriff. Together they fight to uncover corruption in the county filled with sugar-coated secrets. I’m in the planning stages on the second book in the series, Sweet Double-Cross.