From Friends to Forever:
A Love Grows Collection
by
Darynda Jones
J. Kenner
Shayla Black
Susan Stoker
The sweetest love stories often bloom from friendship. From Friends to Forever is filled with heartwarming romances where bonds of friendship evolve into something deeper. Whether they’ve always known each other, or their friendship stood the test of time, these characters will find that the best love grows from the most unexpected places.
Buy The Book:
For our new trope collection releases, we thought we’d do a little something different with our author Q&A section and give you a glimpse into the writers personal trope faves! (And occasionally a peek at their writing spaces and pets!). We hope you enjoy!
Darynda Jones (THE GRAVEDIGGER’S SON):
What is your favorite thing about (the trope you’ve been included in)?
I adore friends to forever stories because there is already that deep emotional connection that can make any kind of betrayal cut all the more deep. There is a comforting familiarity and yet that insecurity that a new, blossoming love will bring. Also, the slow burn. I love a good slow burn.
What trope have you not written yet but want to?
I feel I haven’t truly done a forbidden love, where the stakes are highly dangerous but the attraction is just inescapable. I would love to do that.
Darynda Jones’ office
J. Kenner (MEMORIES OF YOU)
What is your favorite thing about (the trope you’ve been included in)?
My novella is Friends to Lovers, and, my favorite thing about that trope is that it’s so emotionally dangerous. Because it’s one thing to toss yourself out there for someone you barely know. Sure, you can get hurt, but the cut isn’t as deep. But you make an advance on someone who’s your friend and, well, that can mess up something very special if the feelings aren’t reciprocated. And that makes for a lot of pre-move angst. Which, from a writing standpoint that makes it extra fun. Because (author secret here), torturing characters is fun, fun, fun…and always makes for a sexier, meatier book! AND … bonus … once the characters are past the “we both feel that way” point, the emotions and the sex are that much deeper because the characters’ connection is that much deeper. So, yeah, lots to love about the trope!
What trope have you not written yet but want to?
Funny you should ask … I’ve been fiddling with some ideas for a Why Choose series, one of my (many) guilty pleasures! There never seems to be enough time, but I’m hoping to make that happen in 2026!
Here is the view of my office. I considered cleaning first, but, hey, natural habitat in the winter. Loveseat, coffee, electric blanket, throws 🙂
The panoramic pic shows my desk to the left, then pans around the room. There are shelves near the ceiling that you can’t see that go around the entire room. There is one copy of each of my books on those shelves, and they are completely full!
Shayla Black (MORE THAN POSSESS YOU):
What is your favorite thing about (the trope you’ve been included in)?
My favorite things about a juicy friends-to-lovers book are the will-they/won’t-they feeling while you hold your breath and wonder…what’s next? I wait for that moment they cross the line and realize their “person” has been in front of them all along. Then watching the hero and heroine wade through their shared history and explore their new awareness from a slow-burn attraction, to the magic of their first kiss, and finally to the explosive payoff of their passion. And I adore watching them navigate all that while dealing with the angst of possibly losing the friendship. All of these elements make an amazing read!
What trope have you not written yet but want to?
Honestly, I can’t think of a trope I love that I haven’t written. In fact, I think they all have more elements I’m looking forward to exploring!
Susan Stoker (SECURING JANE):
What is your favorite thing about (the trope you’ve been included in)?
I love a good friends to forever trope because I think that’s how so many good relationships start. Two people really get to know each other and “like” turns to love. In Securing Jane the main characters are older, they’ve had past relationships that haven’t worked out and they work together. They find out exactly how much of a connection they really have when disaster hits and what is important in the world becomes clear…namely relationships.
What trope have you not written yet but want to?
I’m not sure I really WANT to write this trope, because I don’t think I’d be very good at it, but I’d love to be able to write an alien romance one day. I’d include all the things I love about romance books…instant connections, a male who is ALL IN when it comes to the female, kidnapping, drama, strange planets and animals (although the heroine would befriend some sort of creature that everyone, including the hero, is terrified of because it’s so deadly, but of course it would be uber protective of the heroine and devoted to her), and of course a final drama so exciting it would keep the reader on the edge of their seat wondering if everything will turn out all right (of course it will!). But I think for now I’ll have to be content to read my alien romances by my go-to authors and continue to dream of one day writing my own. Lol!
Here’s my pet, Callie, in my lap in my recliner, with the view of the Cove out my window. You wanted a pic of our “work space”, well this is it! In my chair with the dog between my legs snoring her heart out.