The name put me in mind of the small town where I was born--Menard, Texas—from which I drew a few details, such as the golf course as it existed during my childhood. Charlotte and I had previously worked together on a Harlequin American Romance miniseries, The Brides Of Grazer’s Corners, with Mindy Neff. This time, based on our previous brainstorming experience, Charlotte and I were ready to swing into action. We played hooky during a workshop at the Orange County chapter of Romance Writers of America and met in a restaurant. There we devised the town’s layout and such kooky characters as Mazeppa the Bag Lady and Horace Popsworthy, the blowhard mayoral candidate. Because Designer Genes and Charlotte’s sequel, Two for One, were packaged together, we created some continuing plotlines, never envisioning that the books might someday be separated. Rather than leave you hanging as to the fate of the school, I’m here to report that Mazeppa turns out to be the widow of an oil multi-millionaire.
