Samantha Chase
My Happy Place
Okay, so I know that sounds a bit cheesy, but honestly, it’s the truth.
When I started writing back in 2010, I had a computer desk in the corner of our bedroom. It was one of those big, monstrous computers that took up way too much space. My husband used to stay up late playing Solitaire on it and after a while, that got old – I mean, come on. The light from the computer was shining in my face and THEN he gets in bed and snores! A girl needs some sleep!
We eventually moved it out to the dining room. Our house at the time was super tiny – like 900 square feet – and again, it dominated that room. I got a laptop and would sit on the bed, but the mega-computer stayed in the dining room.
In 2014 (3 years after releasing my first indie book, JORDAN’S RETURN), I got signed by a traditional publisher in a twelve-book deal and the first thing we did, was move! True story. My only criteria for the new house was that it have an office. I fell in love with the model home I walked through on Mother’s Day the year before and I knew if we ever bought a home, that was the one I wanted.
I didn’t get the model home, but I got that floorplan and the very first room to get set up was my office.
It’s gone through several upgrades since we moved in and a year ago my husband built me these custom bookcases! Aren’t they gorgeous??? It took him FOREVER and we had a lot of arguments during the process, but I think they were well worth it.
The best part about this space? I’ve literally surrounded myself with things that make me happy. My books are a given, but my love of Disney is seen everywhere and my little tribute to the TV show Friends is there on my door, and that one time I got to be the cover story on RT Book Reviews magazine! Talk about a career high!!
On days when I’m struggling and I can’t seem to get the words on the page or I’m feeling defeated because I feel like the Susan Lucci of the romance world where I can’t seem to get on a list, I look around and see all of the amazing things I’ve accomplished.
One of my favorite shelves is some memorabilia for my book THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was made into a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017.
I had friends that were as excited as I was and as you can see, one painted me a picture of what she envisioned the cottage looking like, another sent me a fun movie gift basket with the director’s sign and film reel (there was candy in there at one point), and another found the cutest Christmas ornament, and of course, the mug.
I think every home should have a happy place and I’m thrilled that I have mine.
And that my husband is incredibly patient and has learned to just smile and nod when I buy more things to put on my shelves!
Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than sixty titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 28 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.