All about the novel Where We Belong

Who is Ashley Munoz?

Ashley is an Amazon Top 50 bestselling romance author who is best known for her small-town, second-chance romances. I grew up all over the place, including the South, but currently, I reside in the Pacific Northwest, where I live with my four children and my husband. I love coffee, reading fantasy, and writing about people who kiss and cuss. 

What is Where We Belong?

They call him the Wolf.

His club, his brothers, and even my best friend Callie.

I didn’t really care what they called him, not when the only name I had ever called him was, coward.

Because three months ago he snuck under my resilient heart, like the thief he is, and stole it.

Then he broke it.

Going home wasn’t an option, not when I promised Callie I’d stay. She swore I’d eventually feel like I belonged in this small town.

The club ensured I had a job, and a place to live which reluctantly earned my loyalty.

Until I discovered their little caveat.

The apartment technically belonged to the new president.

I was welcome to stay…as long as I understood it meant sharing.

And my new roommate?

The very man who turned avoidance into an Olympic sport.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙡𝙛.

Interview

What was your inspiration for W.W.B.?

A: With it being book two a lot of the inspiration came from writing and developing these characters in book one. Killian was a bit of an enigma as he was passed over for club leader in book one. I wanted to draw on that and discover how that made him feel, and bring it full circle as he steps into a completely new role in book two.

What drew you to writing?

A: I used to blog. More specifically, I was a mommy blogger. My face just turned three different shades of red confessing that. My blogs were always about embracing imperfection and the chaos of having young children while working full time outside of the home. It was a cathartic exercise for me, but that love of writing was really started at a young age. My dad would get custody of my siblings and me every summer and at the start of each summer, he would give me a journal. He didn’t have cable, or television and we were often left to our own devices, so I would write stories about magical woodland creatures, stars that hung too low in the sky and being whisked away to a magical kingdom.

What made you choose romance?

A: When my dad passed, my sister and best friend thrust a novel into my hands and told me to read. It was Cinder by Merissa Meyer. The love story in that book, and then the three others thrilled me to no end. I was obsessed with love stories. Then my sister told me about Mariana Zapata and I read her entire backlog within a week I think. I didn’t even know there were other romance writers out there at the time, so I just kept rereading Wall of Winnipeg and Me, until my sister thrust Vicious by LJ Shen into my hands. By then I was realizing kindle reading was a thing, and then I discovered kindle unlimited and by looking through the back of a few books, I realized self-publishing was a thing. So, as a story began stirring in me, I decided to try it.

I figured, ‘what can it hurt?’

Then Glimmer was born, and I had become a romance author.

How did you choose which character to centre the story around?

A: I had picked these two in book one, but I also am not a fan of cliché’s. I wanted to try something different but the more I fought against selecting Laura and Killian the more their story began to develop in my head. Their looks, the silent communication, the secrets they held in book one. It just made for such a fun writing experience in book two.

What was your process for writing the W.W.B.?

A: I am a pantser, so most of my process is merely based on inspiration. However, I also rely heavily on a few beta readers. So once I had a good amount of text in place, I would send it off to those beta readers and get feedback on how I needed to modify or change the scenes, or develop the characters.

What is your approach to world and character building?

A: I start with something small. A small flaw, or a childhood trauma or memory. From there I begin to develop and pull-on thread after thread until the character is starting to form. This modifies and changes through various stages of the book. So what I had figured out in the first part of the book may have to change by the last part of the book. World building is always so fun for me, I find a real town I’ve been to and then I create a fictional duplicate. For example, Rose Ridge in W.W.B is based off Fredericksburg Virginia. Making it fictional provides me more freedom to think up fun distinct characteristics of the town that don’t exist anywhere else and I’m not tied to anyone being angry over ruining where they live.

How would you describe W.W.B. in five words?

A: Thrilling, Steamy, Deep, Unexpected, Emotional

Did you have a favorite moment in the book to write?

A: Yes, when Killian follows Laura into the apartment after she’s been hurt and he realizes she never really moved in and is still living out of her suitcases and has no furniture. The emotion he shows and his anger, and how he fixes the situation afterward is so swoony.

What was your favorite book growing up?

A: Julia of the Wolves and The Hobbit

Do you have a favorite genre to read?

A: Yes. Fantasy Romance is my absolute favorite, followed up by Paranormal Romance as a very close second, bonus points if the two coincide.