Vets falling in love, adorable pups, village settings and the age-old surprise…‘I’m pregnant…with your baby!’

We caught up with Medical authors Kate Hardy and Louisa Heaton to talk about the inspiration and writing journey behind their new duet, Yorkshire Village Vets.

 

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Kate Hardy

A vet book, set in a village…

Both Louisa Heaton and I loved the James Herriot stories when we were growing up, so we leaped at the chance of writing a duet. Our heroes and heroines also loved James Herriot, so where else could we set it but in a Yorkshire village?

Coincidentally, I was on a mini-break in Yorkshire while I was writing my book, so I had the inspiration for the scenery all around me. Including the sheep in the road, which absolutely had to end up in the book!

We’d worked out who was treating which case, and I begged to have a spaniel puppy (mainly because in real life my husband says that we can’t have a third, and I love spaniel puppies). Louisa’s Archer and Halley had their shared love of stars, and James and Jenny have castles and waterfalls. (Guess what I was doing in Yorkshire?)

But my hero and heroine have complications: widower James has a small daughter, and divorcee Jenny has a sick mother. Can love stretch enough to make a three-generational blended family?

Louisa Heaton

It was great to work with Kate on our Yorkshire Vets Duet. We scheduled a Zoom call and spent a couple of hours chatting and brainstorming our ideas and characters and set to work. I began writing first, so I created a Google Sheets document listing all of the people in the village that I’d included – pets, descriptions, histories, etc, so that when Kate came to write her book, she had a catalogue of people she could use to help people her story if she needed and so we didn’t double up on names and ideas.

From there, I began researching Yorkshire locales and building up a selection of photos that I could keep by my side as I worked, alongside the pics that I was using as my inspiration for my hero and heroine.

I love writing veterinary stories as I adore animals and had great fun putting in some cute and some moving cases to strike a balance of peaks and troughs that would mirror the roller coaster that I was sending my hero and heroine along, before they reached their Happy Ever After!

 

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Bound By Their Pregnancy Surprise by Louisa Heaton

Returning to her hometown, veterinary nurse Halley’s determined to put heartbreak behind her. So she’s stunned when she’s swept off her feet by former classmate Archer, who’s no longer the shy boy he once was. But their magical night under the stars has consequences—Halley’s expecting! And just as shocking…? Archer is her new boss. Now they’re bound by their surprise—and feelings they never expected…

Sparks Fly With The Single Dad  by Kate Hardy

The arrival of gorgeous animal doc James sets sparks flying for vet Jenny. She hasn’t felt anything since her divorce, and with her ailing mother to care for she doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth for a relationship—particularly with a widowed single dad. But the instant connection she shares with James, his sweet daughter, and their adorable spaniel, soon jeopardises Jenny’s plans for staying off the market!

Read the Yorkshire Village Vets duet now in paperback or eBook!

By Lauren Gardiner