Romance, With a Wink

Because happily-ever-after looks different these days. Thankfully.

Well, hello there.

My name is Avery — that’s my pen name, anyway. By daylight, I’m a normal person with a job, a husband, and two ADORABLE cats.

I mean, just look at them. Anyway….

By moonlight (or at least late afternoon), I write witty, spicy contemporary romances about real women juggling love, life, and friendship in Europe’s most seductive cities.

My stories aspire to be fun and empowering — the kind that make you want to book that flight, dye your hair, or finally text that person. They don’t always end with a ring or a mortgage, but with something I think is better: the kind of happily-ever-after that comes from learning to be true to yourself. How to become what you already are, as someone once said.

This Substack exists because, quite frankly, I’m looking for my people — the women (and men!) who will get a spark of recognition, amusement, or thrill from reading my words. I’m not here for fame or followers — mostly because I wouldn’t know how to acquire either. My first novel is about to be published, and I hope my readers and I will find each other at last— because isn’t that what romance is about?

What you won’t get here: endless life updates, affiliate links, or — god forbid — my morning routine.

What you will get:

• Original — fun, European contemporary romance — short stories, written just for you

• Reflections on romance lit, old and new (for example: why do we romanticize relationships that any decent shrink would call toxic?)

• Tidbits about Italy (and Europe more broadly) — culture, food, ways of thinking. Hell, I might even share the occasional recipe if you ask nicely.

If you’re here for tidy love stories with white dresses and picket fences, you may be disappointed. But if you’re here for fun, heat, and passion in your inbox — well, you’re in the right place.

Do subscribe. It’s gonna be fun.