How Zee Irwin became a steamy small town romance author: a story idea on a two-hour commute, a leap of faith in 2021 & 50 books later. Her first interview.
Hello Readers: I recently dug up a gem — my very first author interview, with Lynne Jordan of the I Love Romance Novels Facebook page, recorded in June of 2021, the very week my debut novel, This Is Fate, launched. Fifty-plus books later, it's a time capsule of the moment this whole adventure began — right down to the bio that mentioned my faithful golden retriever (the twin kitties hadn't taken over yet).
Watch the original interview here on YouTube, or read on for the story.
It started on a two-hour commute
I never thought much about writing until 2016. I was finishing master's work, driving an hour each way to my job, and a story popped into my head — and then it just kept plaguing me until, over the holidays that December, I finally sat down and wrote it. (It was a historical romance that will probably never see the light of day. Every author has one of those. Really. We do.)
The year I stopped writing — on purpose
Here's the part of my origin story I share most with new writers: I took a year off from writing entirely. I read instead — romance in every subgenre, craft books, self-publishing guides — until I found the sweet spot between what I loved to read and what I wanted to write. That year of discovery made all the difference.
"Life is too short. I'm going for it."
Just before the pandemic, I lost my dad unexpectedly. Somewhere in the quarantine quiet that followed, a light went on: I had always wanted to do this, and life is too short to keep asking will-I-or-won't-I. So in 2021, I went for it — This Is Fate launched the Fated Loves series, set in Boston (a city I'd always dreamed of visiting and somehow kept missing — so I wrote my way there instead).
"Luck is just a four-letter word for work." ~Zee Irwin
The advice that still holds, 50 books later
Two things I said in that interview that I stand by completely, 5 years later. First: don't write in isolation — my writing sprint groups and plot calls with author friends have carried me through every book since. Romance authors are the most generous community I've ever been part of. Second, the advice Lynne and I agreed on then and I'd shout from a rooftop now:
"Don't sit on your work. Write it, make it as good as you can, and get it out there — take what you learned into the next book. This book is your learning curve."
And one prediction from that interview aged deliciously: I told Lynn I'd never written a holiday romance but had a feeling I'd try one someday. Reader, I now have an entire sleigh-full of them, like this one.
Author's Note: This Is Fate and the Fated Loves series (five interconnected romance books set in Boston) hold a special place in my heart as my debut series— and some exciting changes are coming for this series soon. A refresh is in the works, and my newsletter VIPs will hear about it first. Stay tuned...
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