Contemporary Romance Spotlight: Strings by Jan Merritt

Sometimes the moments that change our lives arrive during the most uncertain times.

STRINGS by Jan Merritt brings together two people standing at very different crossroads. One is determined to rebuild her career and protect her future, while the other finds himself unexpectedly intrigued by a woman who refuses to be easily drawn into his world. When their paths cross during a time of global upheaval, what begins as curiosity slowly becomes something harder to ignore.

Blending contemporary romance, emotional drama, and elements of women’s fiction, this story explores ambition, independence, and the complicated pull of connection. Set against contrasting backdrops—from the quiet beauty of the Minnesota wilderness to the challenges of isolation during uncertain times—it’s a story about the choices we make when life shifts in unexpected ways.

Contemporary Romance, Romantic Drama, Women’s Fiction

Date Published: 11-21-2025

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about the book

With a national lockdown looming, a Southern journalist flees north, determined to jumpstart her career in the safety of a Minnesota wilderness, feisty and wary of entanglements, she piques the interest of a bored Native American rock star.

A pandemic is spreading across the globe. A national lockdown looms in the United States. A Southern journalist sees a chance to protect her health and jumpstart her career by escaping north to a Minnesota wilderness. Feisty and wary of entanglement, she piques the interest of a bored Native American rock star on his way home.

Robby Song’s career may be on hold, but Grace Wheeler is on a mission to build hers. To Robby, she’s an intriguing challenge. To Grace, he’s a distraction she’s not ready to handle. But the brutal Northwoods winter is coming. Grace flees back south . . . to soul-searching isolation and a puzzling middle-of-the-night call.

about the author

Jan Merritt is passionate about teaching both in the classroom and on horses, but brain cancer changed her life. Surgeries and treatments have left her with a new brain, one that does not have skills to teach middle school English or balance to ride horses . . . but loves to create stories.

Jan lives on the coast of South Carolina with strong ties to northern Minnesota. Growing up was filled with rich but conflicting narratives. Her dad told stories about his pioneering Minnesota family, egalitarian values, and the importance of self-reliance. They made annual trips to family cabins on a lake north of Duluth. But in her friends’ homes back in Charleston, she was immersed in plantation lore, tales of the Confederacy, and exclusive traditions of a social set that she was not born into. She is married to a musician who is also a mental health therapist. They have three children.

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