American author Susan Mallery is well known around the world for writing grab-you-by-the heart relationship novels full of passion and humor. Here, Susan chats about the surprising source of inspiration behind her most popular series, the Fool’s Gold romances, set for a print debut here in the UK on July 22 with the release of book one, Chasing Perfect.

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Fool’s Gold came about because of an article on the then-upcoming US census. I was trying to sleep, and if you want to sleep, read an article on the census. It talked about all the things that a town could find out about itself, from how many people graduated to rates of home ownership. I know, I know, seems dry and tedious. But I asked myself, “What’s the most embarrassing thing a town could discover about itself?”

It has to be embarrassing—fiction is only fun when the characters are being tortured. Every good author has a streak of cruelty when it comes to her characters.

A thought so sparkly popped into my head that I had to leap out of bed to madly scribble notes as fast as I could.

Man shortage!

Fool’s Gold, California has a man shortage. They don’t know how or why, but there are more women in town than men. By a lot. As the news gets out, the town becomes a nationwide punchline, but the local women are not amused. They don’t want to be perceived as desperate or needy. They’re strong and independent and doing just fine, thank you very much. But clearly something must be done.

In Chasing Perfect, Charity Jones has been hired as the new city planner to help recruit more men to Fool’s Gold. But not just any men. A man has to be pretty special to earn a place in a town as special as Fool’s Gold. Like Josh Golden, retired professional bicyclist and local entrepreneur who’s hiding a big secret.

Fool’s Gold is a fun and quirky small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the kind of place you want to live. Where neighbors bring a casserole for every occasion, big or small. Where there’s a local festival nearly every month, marking the changing of the seasons. There’s no better place in the world to fall in love than in Fool’s Gold, the Land of Happy Endings!

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Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery is out now! Get your copy here.

By Lauren Gardiner