Casting Cupid, Book 1 in the Maiden’s Bay series, is out now!

When it comes to love, there’s no competition.

When Cynthia Pruitt dreamed of reeling in the catch of a lifetime, she meant seafood. Not her soul mate.

Part-time jobs in the quaint fishing village of Maiden’s Bay pay the bills, but they do little to calm Cynthia’s adventurous spirit. She dreams of commanding the open sea aboard her own crab fishing vessel. When a popular local captain hosts a week-long contest to find a new greenhorn for his fishing vessel, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Her goal is to prove she can do anything the men can do, and that includes sharing a room with one for the duration of the tryouts. She’s expecting to bunk with Captain Ahab—not Captain America.

Liam Reynolds has put his past as a greenhorn behind him. After an accident at sea left him scarred, he’s content to stay ashore. But when his friend asks him to help assess greenhorn candidates, he’s hard pressed to refuse. But his time onboard reawakens his enthusiasm for working on the water. Unfortunately, it also ignites a passion for one of his competitors, who also happens to be his roommate. He can fight for the job or fight for Cynthia, but he can’t have both.

With every wave that crashes against the hull, their connection deepens and so do the stakes. As secrets surface and desires unfurl, they must navigate turbulent waters toward a potential life together and chart the best course forward. Failure to do so could set them permanently off course. Will Cynthia’s dreams sail beyond the horizon, or will the net of their intertwined hearts be caught in the throes of deception?

Casting Cupid is a captivating love story of self-discovery, trust, and the transformative power of love set against the backdrop of a enchanting little coastal town hiding big dreams and bigger secrets.

Available NOW!! Christmas Island, Book 3 in the Waverly Lake series.

Twenty-six-year-old Laura Crawford loves her job at The Learning Center for ASD. If only she could get her love-life in order. After her fiancé, Logan, leaves her for another woman, Laura throws herself into her work, helping kids and teenagers with ASD. But the heartbreak bleeds through her work, and her boss sends her on a special assignment—to help the Bennetts with a fundraiser in Waverly Lake. It’s a chance to get out of town for a change of scenery, and with a fast-approaching deadline, Laura puts her all behind it.

Hometown attorney Steve Albertson has had it with feuding citizens, and the nearing holidays only magnify the tension. He plans on getting out of Waverly Lake, spending Christmas at a condo on the Gulf Coast. When Beverly Bennett asks him to help with her fundraiser, how could he say no? He only wishes he had when he meets the organizer, Laura, who immediately pegs him as too high maintenance and self-absorbed to care about the task at hand.

As the two work together to hammer down a fundraiser theme and venue, they discover that first impressions aren’t always accurate. Between tree farms and Winter Fest, sailing and uncovering an old island mystery, the two are drawn to each other. As a bah humbug citizen threatens to shut down their fundraiser, Laura’s past threatens to pull them apart. Can Waverly Lake’s holiday magic pull off a Christmas miracle?

OUT NOW! Click here to BUY. Truelove Trail, Book 2 in the Waverly Lake series.

Can a past friendship lead to love?

World traveler Tracy Bennett agrees to extend her stay in Waverly Lake beyond summer in the hopes of affording her girlfriends’ trip—a three-month excursion in New Zealand! And well, Aunt Dee could use her help at Woodsman’s Lodge, packing away summer items and prepping for the winter holiday crowd. So, she’s stuck until Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, Ben Walker is drawn back to Waverly Lake after the death of the custodian to his parents’ estate. He plans to work at Aunt Dee’s for his stay and is surprised to learn his childhood best friend Tracy is also working at the lodge. Hesitant to tell anyone else in Waverly Lake who he truly is for fear the town will want him to fill his parents’ shoes, he gives a false name and pretends not to know Tracy.

While Tracy’s questioning of the mysterious Ben escalates, Aunt Dorothy assigns them to her pet project—Lovetoberfest. The October event is set to match guests on three blind dates around town. Tracy and Ben are forced to test run and narrow down five proposed dates to the best three.

As the two reluctantly go on match-making practice full of apple orchards, corn mazes, and acorn painting, Tracy can’t help but be attracted to Ben. Their chemistry makes her question not only her trip overseas but her long-term future; yet she can’t shake the feeling he’s hiding something. Ben’s (re)connection with Tracy is undeniable, and while the dates push them closer, he’s running out of time to face his tragic past and tell Tracy they’re not, in fact, strangers at all.

I am so excited for you all to meet some wonderful characters in an amazing, quaint lakeside town in North Carolina. CLICK HERE TO BUY today, or use one of the links below.

Can these high school sweethearts sail through the pain of the past?

Kara Carter has her future set—the right photography job, the perfect reliable boyfriend, and her own apartment in New York, until one morning changes it all. She has no choice but to move back home to Waverly Lake, North Carolina, a town she had sworn off for ten years.

It’s one thing to return as a failure, it’s another to find her neighbor is the one and only Danny Bennett, the boy who broke her heart senior year of high school.

As Kara helps with the family’s furniture business—and steers clear of Danny—she is pressured into teaming up with her dad for the Annual Waverly Lake Regatta. But when her dad’s accident results in forfeiting his sailing team slot, no one in Waverly Lake can forgive her past—except Danny.

Danny Bennett, now a single father of seven-year-old daughter Hannah, can’t help but be drawn to Kara. When he offers to help Kara race in the regatta, little does he know how the woman who stole his heart long ago will change the way he sees family, love, and parenting a child with autism.

“Grab a cup of hot chocolate, put on some cozy pj’s, and spend some time in Oregon for the season. Shotwell’s latest will leave you with images of Cape Sunset wrapped in Christmas lights, and fans will certainly finish this read hoping for a return visit.”-Library Journal Starred Review

***2019 Golden Leaf Finalist, Best First Book***

A sweet and heartwarming Holiday Rom Com you won’t want to put down.

“The very essence of Christmas. A must-have for your Christmas reading list.”—Goodreads

Can an unlikely grumpy-sunshine romance return the magic of Christmas to this small town?

All podcaster “Cheery Charlee” Ridgeway wants for Christmas is to land her one-millionth follower. But first, she needs a really good story. Amid hundreds of submissions, one stands out: a plea for a Christmas miracle from Cape Sunset, a small fishing village that hasn’t celebrated Christmas since Jack Fortner lost his fiancée four years ago.

It’s the perfect pitch, but who knew Jack would be such a downright Grinch—or so heart-stoppingly handsome?

Jack’s comfortable crab-fisherman routine is shaken when Charlee blows into town. It’s not long before the pretty podcaster is breathing new life into Cape Sunset, captivating everyone—including Jack, who’s feeling things for Charlee he once thought he’d never feel again. Do opposites really attract?

A must-read for fans of:

• Small town romance
• Grumpy sunshine romance
• Christmas miracle

“This book was a great way to kick off the holiday season. It was like reading a Hallmark movie—a sweet story with likeable characters and a tale of friends, family, and community”—Goodreads

Previously published as Christmas Catch.

Read an excerpt here.

A new short nonfiction story is featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Christmas! Read “The Gingerbread Mistake,” in paperback or e-book. Just click on the cover!

Catch Mary’s short story “Matt, Mitts and Magic” in paperback or e-book in either edition. Just click on the cover!

For Mary’s darker writing side, check out these books.