Writing The Matchmaking Twins was so much fun for me, especially because I got to channel so much energy into my eight-year-old characters, Aiden and Caden Gregson. I have two boys (not twins) who’ve caused plenty of mischief and have taught me to cringe every time their school phone number pops up on my caller ID.

But even more compelling for me was to write about Nana Gregson and Abuela. Luke, the hero, had a favorite relative he’d connected to early on during his childhood and Carmen, the police officer heroine in this story, is not about to be outdone by Luke’s bond with his Nana. She invokes quite a few of her own recollections and favorite expressions of her insightful grandmother.

These scenes made me realize that many of us have specific expressions, smells or songs that trigger memories of certain loved ones. Like Luke, I sought solace away from my gaggle of brothers by spending quality time with my Aunt Mary Jane. She taught me how to roll hair curlers, how to scour a kitchen sink, and how to light her cigarettes for her so she could keep both her nervous hands on the steering wheel of her ’74 Lincoln Continental. To this day, the smell of Ponds Cold Cream, Soft Scrub Bleach and Kent 100s always make me think of her.