How My Love of Tennis Inspired Meridian File

DEEP DIVE DIARIES - BEHIND THE SCENES

Long before Aurora Meridian stepped onto the page—a fierce, determined, world-class athlete fighting for her comeback—I was the girl growing up with a tennis racket in hand. Tennis has woven itself through my life in the most meaningful ways, shaping not only my competitive spirit but also my relationships, my resilience, and eventually… my fiction.

So when I sat down to write Meridian File, the very first book in The Rider Files, there was no question that tennis would play a starring role. Aurora’s drive, her grit, and her fire all drew from a sport that has been part of my world for decades.

Here’s how my love of tennis became the backbone of this romantic suspense adventure.
I learned tennis side-by-side with my parents.

• Weekend matches with my mom
• Baseline rallies with my dad
• Endless summer evenings chasing lobs across sun-warmed courts
  
  

I wasn’t destined for the pro circuit, but I was destined to fall in love—with the rhythm, the challenge, the thrill of a well-placed shot.

In college, tennis became my favorite way to unwind. I played for fun, with friends, with classmates… and one day, with a guy who would become my husband. Yes—our romance started with serves, volleys, and a healthy dose of competitive banter.

Today, my kids play middle and high school tennis, and we still hit the courts as a family. Tennis has always been a thread connecting generations for us.

🎾 How Tennis Became Aurora Meridian
Aurora Meridian is the heroine I always wanted to write: strong, fiery, athletic, determined, flawed, and absolutely unstoppable.
She’s a tennis superstar clawing her way back to the top after an injury. I poured into her all the things I admire about athletes—and all the things tennis taught me:--persistence after setbacks
--precision under pressure
--the loneliness of individual competition
​--the mental game behind the physical one
--the hunger to win, but on your own terms Aurora’s intensity comes from real emotion.
Her frustration? I’ve felt it.
Her joy? I’ve lived it.
Her passion for the sport? Absolutely mine.

And then I threw her into danger—because no romantic suspense story is complete without a few death threats and a scorchingly attractive bodyguard.

🔥 Mason Stone: The Bodyguard Who Can’t Break His Own Rules
Aurora needed a match made of sparks, tension, and strength—and Mason Stone fit the bill perfectly.

A former Navy SEAL burned by a false accusation, Mason has vowed to keep things strictly professional. Hands off. Feelings locked down.

Too bad Aurora walks into his life with a 120-mph serve and enough fire to break through every one of his defenses.

And tennis becomes the perfect metaphor for their relationship:

• push and pull
• attack and defend
• strategy and instinct
• trusting someone to be on the other side of the net
  
  

Aurora may control the court—but Mason is the one protecting her off it.

🎾 Writing the Sport Into the Suspense
Because tennis is such a physical, emotional sport, it lends itself beautifully to fiction.
Meridian File includes:

• injury recovery
• behind-the-scenes training
• the pressure of the professional circuit
• jealousy and rivalry
• chaotic schedules and media scrutiny
• and a dangerous stalker threatening to take Aurora out of the game—permanently

Tennis gave the story a world rich with movement and metaphor, and a heroine whose strength was as real as her vulnerability.
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💓 Why Meridian File Means So Much to Me
This book is personal. It’s the first of the Rider Files, the spark that began an entire series. It’s a love letter to tennis, wrapped in suspense, danger, and sizzling chemistry. It’s the story that let me channel years of passion into a heroine who fights like hell—on the court, and for the man she comes to love.

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