Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present ASHLEY HASTINGS!  What I Write About: I write contemporary and new adult fiction that leans to towards the humorous side. My version of romance is steamy with a lot of hearts and flowers. My goal when writing is to rev up your libido while tugging at your heartstrings! All of my books are set in the small, fictional town of Peacock, and my characters cross over from book to book. Although the books are linked, they are all stand-alones, so you can jump in and start reading with any book. About Me: Lifelong romantic seeks readers who appreciate heroines who are facing change in their lives with courage and a sense of humor. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Must appreciate witty banter. Stray animals who show up and move in. Whimsical, over-the-top characters and predicaments. Must also love an Alpha male and the women who keep them in check. What to expect: Jaw-dropping plot twists. Swoon-worthy love scenes….

Scotland’s held a special place in my heart for a long time. My mom put me in Highland Dancing when I was little, and I can remember standing on a chair in our dining room for hours as she struggled to make my kilt–pinning and repining the pleats and making sure it sat perfectly on my hips. She also made me a fitted, velvet vest to wear over my lacey blouse. The final product was beautiful but heavy (all those deep pleats!), making the dances even harder to perform. Not surprisingly, when I grew out of my costume a few years later and needed a new one, she paid someone else to make it. We were both happier that she left it to the professionals! So years later, when I was on a University exchange in England for six months, the first trip I took during spring break was all the way north through Scotland to the Orkney Islands, off the northeast coast. To get there I stopped in Edinburgh, Inverness, and other places along the way. Scotland was a magical place to me with its history, castles, green valleys, craggy mountains, and wild seas. And brawny Scots in kilts,…