Seelie Kay is here today to chat about her work, what kind of romance hero inspires her, and why she wrote her latest book, In the Midst of Angels.

Q. Why do you write romance?

It began as a way to relieve the stress of a career as a lawyer/journalist and dealing with MS “on the side.” Writing has always been my outlet and the best way to break away from reality for a bit was to write romance. Plus, I love happy endings. I get rather emotional (yes, I’m a crier) but it’s a wonderful release.

Q. Do you prefer a certain type of romantic hero?

I adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a lawyer, a bad boy, a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me! However, they have to be paired with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love. And brains over brawn, every time!

Q. Why did you write “In the Midst of Angels?”

For several reasons. When my father died during the pandemic (not from COVID), I really struggled with the idea that I could never ever seek his advice again. He lived in another city and was kept in a tight “bubble,” so neither my son or I could visit. My mother had died 15 years prior and I regularly had dreams in which we had some pretty serious discussions about love and romance. That had me thinking about what type of advice they would give my son about relationships and finding the right partner. I also wondered how they would react to the relationship style of Millennials. Somedays, I feel like all of the advanced technology they use has killed romance. They seem much more practical about it, less playful. In a way, this book is a nod to my parents, as well as a guide to romance for the younger generation.

Q. You pretty much use lawyers as your main characters. Why?

It’s what I know. After 30 years, the law and the legal world are so firmly embedded in my brain that I can’t flush them out. That has become the lens through which I view the world and that naturally guides my characters and plots. Injustice infuriates me, but it also leads me to great stories. Even in this book, I find a way to explore social and criminal justice issues.

In the Midst of Angels by Seelie Kay

Greta McDonald is convinced she doesn’t have time for love, but her dearly departed parents feel differently.

Attorney Greta McDonald runs a free legal clinic for Milwaukee’s financially disadvantaged population. Funded by the estate of her late parents, Greta’s dedication to those who can’t afford legal services leaves no time for romance. While on Earth, Melissa and Steven McDonald had enjoyed a true love match and they want the same for their daughter. Unfortunately, angels are only permitted to observe family members left behind, and in times of extreme danger, request assistance, but they are not allowed to interfere in matters of the heart. The couple has already tested God’s indulgence several times and now they’re facing the possibility of being cast out of Heaven into Purgatory.

Enter Aaron Buckley, a ruthless litigator, and Greta’s primary nemesis in court. Despite their differences, he is determined to win Greta’s heart. Unfortunately, Greta’s commitment to her clinic, her resistance to a relationship, and her propensity to place herself in peril, threaten to prevent a love match. Without a little heavenly #1 intervention, this couple may never have the opportunity to embrace the miracle of true love.

When Aaron’s grandfather offers a family-tested three-part plan to win Greta’s heart, Aaron is all in. Unfortunately, Greta isn’t making things easy, but as everyone knows, the show’s not over until the heavenly choir sings!

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Excerpt

“Pops, she looks like an angel. Long wavy blonde hair with glints of red, big hazel eyes, and built like a nymph. Slender with legs that were molded by Venus. And she’s bright and snarky and just a breath of fresh air. So different from other women I’ve met.”

Pops whistled. “Molded by Venus? Son, you’ve got it bad.” He ran a hand through his sparse gray hair and shook his head. At age eighty-three, he was still in fine shape. “She just wants you to work for it. Hell, all women want their men to work for it. Why your grandmother made me plow her father’s fields. For free. She said she wanted his approval before she would grant me the pleasure of her company.” He grinned. “So, there I was, sweating my ass off in this humungous field, plowing away with some rickety old tractor, she and her daddy grinning from ear to ear, so proud that they had conned me into free labor.”

Aaron chuckled. “What did you do?”

“I plowed the rest of the damn field into a crazy-eight pattern, one that would require a do-over, and told her—and her daddy—that I wasn’t going to fix it unless and until she went on three dates with me.”

“You did not…”

“Yup. And she caved, too. Her Daddy was horrified that I would leave his fields in such disarray. Said he’d be the laughingstock of the Farmer’s Coop. He ordered her to date me. Of course, he had no way of knowing that I intended to charm her socks off. By the third date, she was all but begging me to marry her. And believe me, I made her beg. After the third date, I fixed her Daddy’s field and started dating Gladys Culpepper. Your grandmother was fit to be tied. Came storming up to me after church and tried to slap me. I grabbed her hand and nuzzled her neck—much to the consternation of all the old church ladies—and whispered, “You want me? The only way to get me is to agree to marry me at this very moment. I won’t be offering again.” Pops ran a hand through his thin gray hair. “She grabbed me by the ears, laid one on me, turned to poor Gladys, and declared, Charles Buckley won’t be calling you anymore, Gladys. He’s marrying me__.”

Aaron stared at his grandfather. “What the heck did you do to charm her?”

About Seelie Kay

Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes scintillating tales of lawyers in love, sometimes with a dash of kink.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s wicked pen has resulted in twenty-two works of fiction, including the new paranormal romance series Donovan Trait, as well the erotic romance Kinky Briefs series and The Feisty Lawyers romantic suspense series. She also authored The Last Christmas, The Garage Dweller, A Touchdown to Remember, The President’s Wife, The President’s Daughter, Seizing Hope, The White House Wedding, and participated in the romance anthology Pieces of Us.

When not spinning romantic tales, Seelie ghostwrites nonfiction for lawyers and other professionals. Currently, she resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

Seelie is an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis. Her message to those diagnosed with MS: Never give up. You define MS, it does not define you!

Seelie can be reached at www.seeliekay.com, www.seeliekay.blogspot.com, or on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

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