I spent twenty-five years managing IT projects — deadlines, deliverables, stakeholders who couldn't make up their minds. I was good at it. I was also, if I'm honest, a little bored.

When I retired three years ago I started writing stories mostly to amuse myself. Long-married couples. Real desire. The messy, complicated, deeply human business of wanting more from the person you've built a life with. I shared a few with my girlfriends expecting polite encouragement.

They were not polite. They told me to publish.

So I did.

The Deep Dive series is everything I wanted to read and couldn't quite find — erotic romance that doesn't pretend desire exists in a vacuum, that understands long marriages are complicated and beautiful and worth fighting for, and that the sexiest stories are the ones that feel real.

I split my time between Parker, Colorado and wherever in Europe Spike will tolerate being dragged to next. Spike is a French Bulldog with strong opinions about café seating and absolutely no opinions about personal space. He has been to Portugal twice and considers himself cosmopolitan.

I drink too much coffee. I write every day. I'm not done yet.

— Petra