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Have you ever seen someone from a distance that you felt an instant attraction—connection—whether it’s just a glance or smile, yet you let them pass you by? Have you ever met someone and had a lengthy conversation with but then parted ways without exchanging names or numbers, all because you didn’t have the confidence to believe it could ever work out?

 I’ve always thought about questions like those, and in my head I turned the ‘what ifs’ into story ideas. I’m certain most of us have experienced something like this…even I have encountered that moment where I made eye contact with someone and let the opportunity pass by. We intuitively know when the connection is there but as a rational person, we don’t think beyond the fact that it was a simple blip in our day…but as a writer, we think, dwell, fantasize and regret. Why? Because it’s natural for us to want to continue the story and develop it into something complete. We want to know what will happen when these characters take that chance and we want to help them get their happy ending.

While I was in Paris years ago, I was on the metro with a friend on a sightseeing day trip. My eyes locked on a very handsome man sitting across the aisle from me. I could honestly say he was gorgeous! My ideal type: Tall, jet black hair, beautiful baby blue eyes, very stylishly dressed—and that voice made me hot all over. Sounds like something out of a novel, right? Well it was totally real! We smiled and sneaked glances. He overheard my conversation and gave me directions when he discovered we were on the wrong route. It turned out that he was from Texas and had only been in Paris a few months. He was a runway and print model who was signed to a French talent agency. He didn’t have very many friends and couldn’t speak French well so he asked if I’d want to meet up sometime for coffee or drinks with him. I didn’t get any creepy vibes but I did get the sense that he wanted to connect with another American living in Paris. We hit it off and when it was finally my stop, the friend I was with dragged me out without giving me a chance to say goodbye. Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to exchange information either. I could only stand there and watched the metro doors close, separating us. It was a total scene from a romantic comedy.

Years later, I thought about that moment. I remembered it so clearly that it made me want to write a story about opportunities, and how we shouldn’t miss them. When the holidays approached I figured it was the perfect time to write a story about two people who were thrown together by fate. I wanted to make sure that they would seize the moment and share one exciting, adventurous day together. The setting had to be dreamy and the romance would capture the beauty of their connection. I hope my readers will be able to experience the exhilaration of first dates through the eyes of the characters.

SEOULFUL KISS is set in the Seoul, Korea and almost all the places I wrote about are real. It’s a city that is so rich in culture, tradition, breathtaking scenery, and mouthwatering cuisine. Basically, I wanted to share my obsession with Seoul and introduce this setting to those wanting to discover the charm of international destinations in romance. This won’t be the last time you’ll see me writing about this city! Hopefully I’ll also be able to put a smile in my reader’s heart with this sweet story.