Sarah Morgan talks about her new book First Time in Forever

First Time in Forever is the first book in Sarah Morgan’s highly anticipated Puffin Island trilogy.

Thoughts from the author: When I finished my O’Neil Brothers trilogy (Sleigh Bells in the Snow, Suddenly Last Summer and Maybe This Christmas) and was pondering what to write next, I decided to explore an idea I’d had for a while, and that was a character who had chosen never to have children but found herself guardian to a little girl. There are so many great stories out there about becoming a mother and what it means for women, but I wanted to write about what it means to take on someone else’s role as a mum and what big shoes those can be to fill. And so the inspiration for my new novel, First Time in Forever, was born. In First Time in Forever, Emily Donovan suddenly finds herself thrust into the role of ‘mum’ when her half sister is tragically killed and Emily is named as the legal guardian for her niece Lizzy. Emily is haunted by her past and convinced she’s not mother material, so I couldn’t wait to find out how she would react in this situation, and how she would cope with facing something that, for her, represented the ultimate challenge. Puffin Island has always been a sanctuary for Emily and her friends, so she turns her back on her high-flying career in New York, packs her bags, picks up Lizzy and starts afresh in the only place she’s ever felt truly safe. The island is beautiful – rugged coastline, gorgeous beaches, and friendly locals – but for Emily it represents another challenge because she is afraid of the water. Her new life on Puffin Island might be the best thing for her niece, but being surrounded by ocean on all sides forces Emily to confront memories she has kept buried for years. Already dealing with so many challenges, Emily would be happy to avoid all emotional entanglement but sexy local businessman Ryan Cooper is determined to push her out of her comfort zone. With a little help from Ryan, Emily starts to do all the things she has avoided for most of her life, and to tackle her fears head on. Soon, she’s carried away by the magic of Puffin Island. Her journey to taking a leap of faith and putting her heart on the line was such an emotional one for me to write. This is a story of courage, friendship and, of course, romance and I really hope my readers will be swept away by Ryan and Emily’s love story.