When you're young, have zero responsibilities, and a full-blown addiction to salsa music, there's no reason not to dance every single night. I spent my 20s either in rehearsal with a competitive team or on a club floor dancing to a live orchestra until close.

Even then, I knew the social salsa scene was ripe for a steamy romance. The potential for heat, connection, and tension between strangers is literally built in. And damn, it’s fun.

Years later, with decades of marketing and executive ghostwriting on my resume, I was dying to push my writing somewhere new and finally try creative fiction. I decided to pull inspiration from my salsa days, my gorgeous hometown of San Diego, and the idea that partner dance can reawaken desire and connection at any age. I wanted my main characters to be over 30 and fully embrace their desire and sense of adventure.

That's how Quick, Quick, Slow started. It’s book one in the San Diego After Dark series, a love letter to the city that saved me, the music I can't get enough of, and the dance that makes me feel most alive.

I hope you enjoy it — and I hope you dance!