A book in the In Her Shoes series, 2009

Dear Reader,

The year 2009 marks a personal milestone for me-it’s twenty years since my first book was accepted-but it’s a much more exciting one for Harlequin, which is marking its sixtieth anniversary this year. The mind boggles at how many romances Harlequin has published since 1949, and at how many women around the world have read them and enjoyed them over the past sixty years! I feel very lucky-and very proud-to be part of such a great tradition of romance writing.

In the twenty years I’ve been writing, my stories have inevitably changed to reflect changes in my own life-but at the same time I think they have stayed exactly the same. Story details may change in tune with the times, but at its heart, every Harlequin romance is about the power of love to transform the hero and the heroine, enabling them to overcome the obstacles between them, to sort out all their misunderstandings and to find lasting happiness together. That was true for Abby, the heroine of my first book twenty years ago, just as it is for Miranda, the heroine of Cinderella’s Wedding Wish, in 2009, although otherwise their stories are quite different.

I’m thrilled that Miranda and Rafe’s story is being published in Harlequin’s special year, and hope you’ll join me in celebrating sixty years of happy endings like theirs. Here’s to Harlequin, to romance and to many more years of the books we love to read…and to write!

Jessica

‘OH, FOR heaven’s sake!’ Miranda yanked impatiently at the front of the photocopier and banged it open so that she could peer inside. ‘Now what?’ she demanded. ‘I’ve cleared the jam, I’ve refilled all the paper trays…I can’t believe you really need toner too! You’re just being difficult.’