2nd Place Winner in the After Dark Category of the Romance Reads 2024

🖤🖤🖤

Bio: AuthorCassidyKate is a writer of New Adult and Young Adult Rom-Com/ Thriller's and has written twelve books on Wattpad including Season Girls series, Heist Queen, Star Chaser series and two short stories. Their stories have one serveral awards including but not limited to The Ambys Chicklit 2022 category, PrettyInPunkBC Chicklet Award 3rd Place 2022, and The Ambys MysteryThriller 2023 category.

Story title: The Detective and Her Bachelor

Premise/Blurb: When someone on a reality dating show drops dead, detective Delle Falls, is forced to go undercover as a dating contestant to catch the killer.

-----

With an entire team of cops watching her every move on national television, Delle is forced to pretend to be smitten when all she wants to do is punch the handsome bachelor, Ace Walker in the face. With the cockiest detective at her agency, Decker's voice always in her ear, and forced to string along the hottest man alive, Delle is running out of time to figure out who the killer is before she has to either accept Ace Walker's inevitable proposal or get kicked off the show. But one question remains, Is Ace Walker a killer, or does he just have looks that could kill?

🖤🖤🖤

What inspired you to write this book?

I am a huge fan of mashups, and one day while watching a dating show, I thought to myself, "What would happen if someone who is anti-romance/ feelings had to go undercover on a show like 'The Bachelor' to solve a mystery? How would they pull it off?" And thus, my 'Miss Congeniality' meets 'The Bachelor' story was born.

What was the inspiration behind the main character and their love interest?

I am a strong believer in healthy relationships and showcasing that the right guy doesn't have to be 'the boring choice' just because he's not the morally grey man on the scene. My main character was inspired by a lot of women out there who keep the burdens of the world on their shoulders when they should allow the people around them to support them.

My leading man was inspired by so many wonderful men I know who have healthy boundaries, strive to treat the women in their lives right, and want nothing more than to help their wives and girlfriends to grow into who they were always meant to become. My leading man is a tribute to the 'healthy guy'.

What sparked your interest in writing, and how did you end up writing on Wattpad?

I have been writing ever since I was a little kid. I've always written fantasy and sci-fi and wanted to give RomCom a try. And after finding Wattpad, I thought it would be the best place to give it a try. After posting "The Author and Her Bodyguard," my story took off! Which inspired the characters in all of the following stories that followed.

Do you have a favorite scene in your story? If so, what makes it special to you?

My favorite scene in the story is one that takes place in Delle's bedroom. It's not a spicy scene, but a scene where Delle lays her heart and dreams bare for the very first time and that openness is so raw and real that I feel it every time I look over those pages. Someone in her life broke her, and in that scene, I see a hint of the girl who could maybe let someone help her put the pieces of her heart back together if she'd be brave enough to let it happen.

How do you create and develop your characters? Do you base them on real people, or arethey entirely fictional?

All of my characters are fictional. But they have pieces that have been inspired by real people.Delle's struggle to allow others to help her reminds me of myself. Andrew's honesty (our leading man) reminds me of my husband.

Do you have any favorite romance authors, on or off Wattpad, who inspired you to writeromance stories? Feel free to name up to three people and some of your favorite stories they authored.@MeiSummer's 'Love in a Shanghai Summer' is one of my favorite stories on Wattpad. She captures romance beautifully, and I just love it. I also really enjoy @ToastedBagels's Float. She really nails the teenage angst of first love, and I have a hard time putting down the book whenever I read it.