New Release: Dr. Dan in Ketchikan by Katy Regnery

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New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Katy Regnery is celebrating the release of her novella, DR. DAN IN KETCHIKAN (An Odds-Are-Good Standalone Romance), by giving away some amazing prizes to 3 lucky winners! Click here to enter!

New York Times bestselling author Katy Regnery returns with a brand new novella in her Odds-Are-Good collection!

Legendary among female cruise employees, Dr. Dan Molloy’s waiting room is always full on port days. After all, he’s the hottest and youngest Doc west of Canada, and rumor has it, he’s still single, to boot! Too bad he’s so clueless … no matter how obvious they are in their attempts to woo him, Dr. Dan is all business with patients.

Equally-clueless cruise passenger Ruby Bacon has a freak accident during a lumberjack show that requires five stitches in her – er, um … kitty. Relentlessly cheerful despite her mishap (and chock full of kooky “fun facts” that she shares at the worst moments), Ruby misses her ship’s departure, stranding her in Ketchikan.

Concerned for the safety and comfort of his newest patient (and more than a little intrigued by her offbeat manners!), Dr. Dan offers to accompany Ruby on a two-day ferry ride from Ketchikan to Juneau, where she should be able to catch up with her ship.

But when it comes to travel and love, even the best laid plans can go sideways; and two adorable misfits may discover that they’re only at the beginning of a journey towards forever!

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Excerpt from Dr. Dan In Ketchikan

Ruby

I was lucky enough to secure the last room at the New York Hotel, but I have nothing to drop off upstairs, and I don’t feel the need to take up Dr. Dan on his offer to wait for me downstairs while I “freshen up.”

The only way I’m going to feel fresher is by taking a long, hot shower and getting some sleep; and I may not be good at reading a room, but I know that making him wait that long would be rude. Besides, I’m hungry.

“Let’s get dinner,” I tell him, tucking my room key in my pocket and gesturing to the adjacent cafe. “After that, I’m going to bed.”

“You can take a shower if you want one,” he calls to me, rushing ahead to hold open the café door.

“I intend to. I need one.”

In a too-loud voice that he hasn’t adjusted from our long walk outdoors, he says: “Just be certain to towel off your vaginal, perineal, and anal areas carefully. Excess moisture won’t do your pelvic region any favors over the next few days as you heal.”

The young woman at the hostess station, who overhears these instructions, gasps loudly, blinks dramatically at Dr. Dan, then bursts into noisy giggles.

It takes me a second to realize why she’s laughing, and when I do, I slide my eyes to Dr. Dan to find him staring intently at my face. His attractive blue eyes register horror over his words and the hostess’s reaction to them.

And instantly, I understand.

He’s embarrassed. He’s worried that he’s embarrassed me. He’s worried about my reaction. He may even be worried that I’ll join the hostess in some cruel sisterhood of ridicule with him as the target.

Yes, I understand. I get it. Oh, Lord, I get it. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been standing in his shoes.

But I also recognize this moment for the opportunity it is. This is my chance to react to him the way I wish someone would react to me in an identical situation. To balance a little bit of karma for the universe. For my universe.

Facing Dr. Dan squarely, I lift my chin.

“I will be sure to dry my vaginal, perineal, and anal areas carefully after I shower,” I tell him with a definitive nod and small smile. “Thank you for reminding me, Dr. Dan. You’re a very caring doctor.” I turn to the hostess. “Table for two, please.”

She stops laughing and clears her throat, grabbing two menus and telling us to follow her. It’s only when we arrive at the table that I realize Dr. Dan is still standing at the hostess stand. He’s staring at me, an expression that I would describe as “emotional” blanketing his face; his eyebrows furrowed, and his lips softly parted.

He looks beautiful staring at me like that. He looks vulnerable. He looks stricken. He looks… undone.

He’s also blocking the doorway from the couple trying to enter the restaurant.

“Dr. Dan!” I call, gesturing to him to follow us. “Our table’s ready!”

Shaking his head as though surprised, he rushes across the dining room to join me, pulling out my chair to help me sit. When he sits down across from me, he smiles, and—oh, wow—I feel that smile in the curl of my toes.

Meet Author Katy Regnery

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract, and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.

Several dozen books and three RITA® nominations later, Katy claims authorship of the multititled Blueberry Lane series, the A Modern Fairytale collection, the Summerhaven series, the Arranged duo, and several other stand-alone romances, including the critically acclaimed mainstream fiction novel Unloved, a love story.

Katy’s books are available in English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Turkish.

Interview with Katy Regnery

Q: Hi Katy! Can you tell us a little more about your book?

KR: I mention in the blurb that my main characters are “awkward” and “clueless,” but I actually envisioned both Dan and Ruby on the autism spectrum. I’ve long wanted to write a book about a neuroatypical couple; I’m not sure if neuro-diverse folks are well-represented in romance books in general, and I wanted to be sure my audience had a Katy Regnery option in the genre.

Dan and Ruby have a really sweet conversation in the book bonding over their lack of solid diagnoses:

“I’m not… typical,” says Dan, drawing circles on the table with his index finger.

“How do you mean?”

“One neurologist called it ‘Asperger’s Light,’ another called it ‘SAD,’ Social Anxiety Disorder. It’s possible that I’m on the autism spectrum, but when Susanna couldn’t get any definitive answers, we stopped going to doctors. Her attitude was—” He chuckles, looking up at me and affecting a very credible New England accent when he continues. “Fuck it, Danny. You’re wicked smaht. You just do you, kid. I couldn’t give a flyin’ fuck if you’re like everyone else. Everyone else is boring as fuck. Listen to me: you just do you.” The accent is gone when he speaks again. “I really miss her sometimes.”

“I was diagnosed with Asperger’s when I was ten,” I blurt out. “But another doctor said I didn’t have it because I make eye contact and can talk about a variety of topics. I don’t perseverate on one or two.”

“I don’t have tics,” he offers.

“Making friends doesn’t come easy for me,” I say.

“Nor me,” he says. “I miss subtext in conversations. I miss jokes. I miss pop-culture references. I just don’t see it.”

I grin at him. “Me either. Ha!”

“I get sensory overload,” says Dan, planting his elbows on the table and leaning toward me. “Not as much as I did when I was a kid, but certain colors and sounds still bug me.”

“Popping balloons?”

He shudders. “Neon colors under fluorescent light?”

I cringe. “Cars that backfire?”

“Nails on a chalkboard?”

“Oh, come on!” I protest, giggling. “Even neurotypicals hate that one!”

“You’re fun,” says Dan, sitting back in his chair and grinning at me in wonder. “I’ve never had a friend like you.”

Q: Tell us about your heroine. What inspired her quirks and struggles?

KR: Ruby is told by an ex that she’s a “rare bird,” and accepts this comment as truth rather than criticism. Her father advises her to try harder to “read the room” before speaking, but even when she does, she’s pretty sure she reads something different than most other people. Social interactions and relationships don’t come easy to Ruby, which is why Dan becomes so precious to her so quickly. He doesn’t seem to mind her outspokenness, use of old-fashioned words and passionate interest in off-beat topics, like subarctic oceanic flora and fauna. He just accepts her for exactly who she is.

Q: Tell us about your hero. What motivates him?

Dan was orphaned at an early age and adopted by his older sister, who was a brash, loving, accepting guardian of her neuroatypical brother. But Dan is lonely and fears alone-ness. As someone who doesn’t easily “get” people, this is a very real and active concern. He desperately wants a girlfriend—he longs for intimacy; but he has a history of (inadvertently) offending his dates. Still, hope springs eternal and when we meet Dan, he’s writing a personal ad, still trying to find his perfect “someone.”

Q: Why did you choose your setting?

KR: In my Odds-Are-Good series, all six of the standalone books take place in Alaska, and all start with the hero writing a personal ad, looking for a love interest in the “lower-48.”

As to how I specifically chose Ketchikan, however, I posted a map of the Alaska panhandle on my Facebook group (Katy’s Ladies) when I published my last book, Catfished in Craig, and it included the town of Ketchikan. One of my fans, Alexandria B., mentioned that she was born there, and I started playing around with names that rhymed with Ketchikan to see if I could come up with a catchy title for a novella. I love alliteration and adding the Dr. in front of Dan made it rhyme with Ketchikan. The idea of making Dan neurotypical followed quickly and I was off to the races!

Q: What were some challenges while writing this book?

KR: I didn’t want to write caricatures of neuroatypical people. It was important to me that while Dan and Ruby were clearly neuro-diverse, that they also came across as genuine and realistic. I lurked on a few open/public Asperger’s chat boards, following the conversations and reading some real-life perspectives, hopes, fears and challenges, especially as they pertained to the opposite sex, dating and interpersonal relationships. It was super helpful in forming realistic characters, and I hope my depictions of Dan and Ruby are respectful to the neuro-diverse community.

Q: What is one thing you hope readers will take away from your book?

That—really and truly—there is someone for EVERYONE. True love isn’t going to suddenly knock on your door or fly through your open window. You need to put yourself out there: place a personal ad, join a chat group, find your tribe…but if you don’t give up on yourself or your dreams, I am absolutely convinced you can find someone to love, who will love you in return. At least, that’s my dearest hope for every one of you. xo

This Or That Questions:

Coffee or Tea? COFFEE times a million, please.
Coke or Pepsi? Neither! I had gastric sleeve surgery in May and can’t drink carbonated beverages anymore!
Book or Movie? Don’t kill me…MOVIE!
Morning or Night? I’m 100% a night owl.
City or Country? Oh, man. Tough one. We live on three acres of woods about an hour from New York City, and I love my home and visits to the Big Apple! Both have their charms. I can’t choose!
Spiders or Snakes? Neither. I’m a burn-the-house-down sort of gal when it comes to those types of encounters!

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