This is Ink & Intrigue—the blog where romance ignites, secrets simmer, and every love story hides a twist. I’m your blog host, Sheila Kell, romance author and lover of plot twists, slow burns, and morally questionable book boyfriends.
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to an author whose stories deliver characters who leap from the page, Terry Newman! If you love romantic comedy with a splash of fantasy, you’re in for a treat.
Terry Newman is known for blurring the lines of reality for her quirky characters. Their latest release, Murphy’s Laws, is a captivating, slow-burn beach read introducing the “grumpy/grumpy” trope.
In this spotlight, Terry shares a character interview with Murphy Clarke and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Murphy’s Laws.
Whether you write love stories, devour them, or dream of doing both, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it and give a warm welcome to Terry Newman! 💖
Character interview with Murphy Clarke
What’s your full name, and do you like it?
I’m Murphy Clarke. That’s Clarke with an “e.” And yes, I do like my name. It’s about the only good thing about my life right now. Oops! Sorry. Too much information. It’s been a tough three years.
What’s your current relationship status?
I knew you’d ask that. Right now, at least at the start of my story in Summer’s Beach, North Carolina, I’m single. And I’m not interested in any relationship. Not after what Nik Peterson did to me.
What’s the biggest event that shaped who you are?
Without a doubt, my un-wedding day. That’s the day I stood in front of family and friends in a small church in Bell Wyck, Ohio in my gown and clutching my flowers, and told them the wedding was off.
My fiancé, Nik Peterson, ran off to New York City to take a gig of a lifetime. He’d become the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band, Counterculture. He wrote a note and gave it to the best man to deliver to me. Coward.
So I created seven rules to protect my heart. I’ve been following them faithfully for the last three years.
But, I have to tell you, something happened recently, that may have…no, it’s nothing. It’s just on the first day of vacation (a vacation I didn’t want to take mind you. It broke rule number one), an arrogant yoga instructor snatched my cellphone out of my hand. I learned after class his name is Noah.
Anyway, I had to take the call. It was from a client. It just so happened my client called during the meditation period. I’m sure that spark of whatever I felt when he touched me is nothing. At most, it’s my imagination.
Do you have any siblings? What’s your relationship like?
I have an older sister, TC, and we’re very close, because we’re the only family we have. Well, we were close before I shut everyone out of my world. It was the only way at the time I could handle my heartbreak from the un-wedding.
And TC and I have a close friend, Eli, who’s like a sister to both of us. She’s on this monthlong vacation with us. Eli is, well, a bit different, but she’s a loyal friend.
What does “home” mean to you?
Wow, what a loaded question. If you’d ask me that before I took this vacation, I would have said my apartment back in Bell Wyck. It was my sanctuary. A place where I worked (I’m a life coach, by the way) and ate and lived. It kept me safe from the outside world and all the pain interacting with the world brings.
But, now that I’m in Summer’s Beach, well, I think I have a different definition of home. I’ve met Suzanne, the owner of a small restaurant on the town square and Aurora, our next-door neighbor (and yes, she is the aunt of Noah, the arrogant yoga instructor) and I’ve expanded my thoughts about home.
Home is anywhere you have people who love you around. Down here in Summer’s Beach I have TC and Eli, and now Suzanne and Aurora and Noah…
No, I did not say Noah. I am not under any circumstances romantically drawn to him. No.
Next question, please.
What’s a weakness you try to hide?
Ugh, that’s not a much better question. I had no idea this interview would get so personal. If you must know, it’s probably how broken I am following the un-wedding. I hurt so much and I’m afraid to move on, because I figure life’s just going to hand me more heartbreak. That’s why I’ve kept to myself. Besides, who’d want anything to do with me? Evidently, Nik didn’t.
Shh. Don’t tell too many people. They don’t need to know.
Favorite way to spend a day off?
A day off?
Oh, no. You have me confused with someone else.
I don’t take days off. That’s one of my seven rules. Rule number one: No vacations. Right there, that implies I work every day.
Rule number two: Work harder than the day before. Do you see any time for a day off in that command? Of course not.
But…that day I spent with Noah at the boardwalk and that Ferris wheel ride…
Hey, I worked hard before we did that. So no, that wasn’t a day off. You’re not rolling your eyes at me, are you?
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Well, before the un-wedding, I would have said, “I Will Never Leave You.” That’s the song Nik wrote while we lived together. We’d stay up late so many nights while he wrote and rewrote it. And now I know why I refused to leave my apartment. That song is playing everywhere at the bar on karaoke night, at the restaurant, everywhere. And it’s a gut punch every time I hear it.
So, a go-to karaoke song? Nope, I don’t have one.
If you could trade lives with another character in your book for a day, who would it be?
What a great question. And I’m tempted to say Aurora Corbin. She’s Noah’s aunt. I’m not sure how to describe her. But nothing, absolutely nothing rattles her. I mean, she even met Eli’s “special” friend, Sky, and didn’t bat an eye. No judgment, just acceptance. Being in her presence is the most peaceful place to be.
But I’m not going to say that, because if I’ve learned one thing on my unplanned and unwanted vacation it’s this: being yourself, your authentic self is a gift.
I know, I’ve complained about Nik. And my heart has been shattered. It may be corny to say, but by going on this vacation, I found myself. And being the best me I can be is better than trying to be anybody else.
What’s your personal motto?
I don’t know if this is a motto, but it’s a concept I’ve come to learn the hard way. But then aren’t all the best lessons learned the hard way. I guess sometimes the Universe just has to shake us up a bit. But I digress.
I’ve learned that sometimes, you’ve got to break your own rules. You need to recognize when the rules no longer serve you. As Eli asked me once, “Have you ever thought your rules have outlived their usefulness?”
Sometimes, breaking the rules is the only way to truly find freedom and your authentic self. And that’s when you can move on and find the people who love you just for who you are.
Are there any rules you’re living by that have outlived their usefulness?
Bio
Terry Newman is an award-winning author who writes romantic comedy with a splash of fantasy.
Fueled by coffee, peanut butter, and popcorn, she writes stories set in fictional towns in northeast Ohio. Terry loves to place her characters in improbably situations, then allows them to take over…uhm…guide the story.
She lives in a small apartment with overflowing bookshelves, her muse, Moose, and all her characters in North Lima, a real town in northeast Ohio. And, yes, it does get crowded at times.
I hope you loved getting to know Terry Newman and hearing from her main character in her latest swoon-worthy release, Murphy’s Laws. If you haven’t added this to your TBR yet, now’s the time—trust me, you won’t want to miss it. 💖
You can connect with Terry Newman here:
📱 Socials: Substack: https://thirgeltnewmanauthor.substack.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terry.newman.31521
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terry.newman.31521/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@terrynewman614
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@terry.newman.31521
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/terrynewmanauthor.bsky.social
🛒 Grab her books: https://books2read.com/u/31yROr
Thank you for joining me in spotlighting a fellow romance lover who’s giving us all the feels. Stay tuned for more author features, book talk, and behind-the-scenes romance goodness.
Until next time—keep reading, keep swooning! 💖