Meet author Regina Merrick

I’m so happy to have Regina Merrick on my blog! She is – you guessed it – a Scrivenings Press author! She’s written a number of books. Let’s get to know her!

Getting to know Regina

Jen – I’d love to know about where you grew up and where you live.

Regina – I grew up in Western KY, in the small community of Symsonia, close to Paducah, KY. It’s where my husband and I, my parents, and two of my grandparents grew up. When I was sixteen, my parents responded to a call to volunteer missions, so we lived at the Highland Lakes Baptist Center camp in Martinsville, Indiana, about an hour from Indianapolis. I graduated from high school there, going from a class of about eighty at Symsonia High to a class of about four hundred at Martinsville High. It was crazy. I learned that with God’s help (even when I’m mad at Him!) I could do hard things, even move away from everything I’d ever known. As there are no coincidences with God, that helped me when, in 1991, we left our hometown and moved to Marion, Kentucky, sixty miles away. Never expecting to stay there, thirty-three years later, it’s home.

Jen – Totally agree that there are no coincidences with God. What inspired you to start writing?

Regina – I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I never thought about doing it seriously until I met a group of ladies on a fanfiction site using this forum to practice writing skills and techniques to write for the Christian market. They saw something in my writing that they wanted to encourage, and they were a great fan club. Through them, I was involved in a group blogging effort, attended my first ACFW conference, met many people in the Christian publishing industry, and was blessed to cheer them on as they became published authors. God is good, and He sends the people alongside as you need them.

What is Regina working on now?

Jen – What genre do you write in, and what are you currently working on?

Regina – Most of my books are contemporary romance, with a few side-trips into historical and suspense. All my books are available through Scrivenings Press LLC and on Amazon. I’m currently writing book five of the RenoVations Inc. series, Reframing Trust, which will be released next June (2025). It’s the last book in the series. If you’re catching up, book four, Christmas Rewired, released a few weeks ago!

In electricity, as in love, opposites attract.

When electrical engineer Trace Reno loses his job during the holidays, he decides it’s time for a change. He hires on with the family contracting firm, RenoVations Inc., as assistant to the licensed electrician, Hannah Buckner.

Hannah is known for her sunny disposition, but lately, she has decided God must have forgotten her as her friends all around her find “the one,” and she hasn’t. When the only man in her life who shows an interest is the grouchy Trace Reno, she tries to be patient, but in her opinion, he’s bossy. And even worse, he knows nothing about construction. She’d rather be single.

Love at first sight for him—pure irritation for her.

A mishap on a last-minute Christmas Eve job gives them the time together Trace craves, and Hannah makes the best of it. Could it be possible that Trace has a gooey center beneath his crusty exterior?

The work in writing

Jen – Did you have to do research for your story? If so, what did you find most interesting?

Regina – My research consists mainly of internet searches about places, situations, and medical terminology and a few books I have on forensics and police procedurals. I won’t say my law enforcement officers go strictly by the book, but in MY world, they do!

Jen – Do you have a certain time of day you prefer to write? Do you follow an outline?

Regina – I know a lot of people write early or late into the night, but when asked if I’m a “morning person” or a “night person,” I answer that I rock the middle of the day like nobody’s business! I do have a rough outline and I try to follow plot points to make sure I’m getting all the elements of a good story in, but I’m a “planter.” Once I start writing a story, the characters take over. Sometimes, I have someone turn into a bad guy unexpectedly! THAT is the fun part! My first book, Carolina Dream, came from a dream I had. I wrote on that story for at least ten years, and by the time it was published, I was quite proud of it.

What about goals?

Jen – I’ve been a pantser, and I’m learning to plot to save my sanity! Tell us about your goals for when you write.

Regina – I used to scoff when people said that they couldn’t NOT write, but the longer I’m in this business, the more I think it’s true. When I’m between books or am looking at a place on the calendar where I don’t have a book to work on, I am at loose ends. A while back, I heard this on a podcast when considering your audience—Find your Timothy. Mine is a typically Christian woman, who could be anywhere from their thirties to their eighties, who wants to read stories of women like them who are human, who struggle with trusting God with every aspect of their lives, and who find romance in the least likely places. I want my readers to know that, as Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun. No matter what your experience, God has seen it all, and Jesus experienced it, making Him our safe place.

Jen – I love that! Find your Timothy … I’ll be thinking about that more! In your spare time, what do you like to read?

Regina – I read very few nonfiction books. The exceptions are a few biographies, Christian living, housekeeping, and decluttering. I read a LOT of fiction, though! I’ve read Gone With the Wind at least six times, The Long Winter (one of the “Little House” books) more times than I can count, and I always have a book in process. I’m currently reading Patricia Bradley’s latest, Deadly Revenge, and it is SO GOOD!

Fun facts about Regina Merrick

Jen – Pat is the master!! Share some fun facts your readers would love to know!

Regina –

• Tea or coffee – depends on the time of day, but coffee is necessary. Tea is extra! 😉
• Season? – Spring, when things are just budding
• Bible Verse _Ps. 37:4
• Free time – What is this “free time” of which you speak? I like to watch other people work on HGTV, make candy at Christmastime, decorate my house (I always have something going, or want to!), travel with my husband, and spend time with my family, who are all grown up and living away from me.

Jen – Coffee is necessary!! Totally agree. What is your advice for new authors?

Regina – Don’t do it alone. Find a writing group, even if it’s an online one. Writing is hard, mentally and physically. People think you sit and make up stories all day, but it’s not that simple. Learn your craft. You wouldn’t play the piano or sing in front of people without practicing, would you? The same goes for writing. I learned a lot by writing fanfiction and attending writing workshops. Your story has to make sense and be of good quality, and it needs to be what a reader will read.

Regina’s bio

Regina Rudd Merrick started her journey as a life-long lover of reading in first grade, and eventually parlayed that love of literature into a degree in library science, with stints as both elementary and middle school librarians, and later as a public library director.

After finding the enjoyable world of reading and writing “fan-fiction,” she realized that God had given her the ability to weave a story, whether it be in an online community or with original characters. Her first novel, Carolina Dream, book one of the Southern Breeze Series, was the winner of a publishing contest with Mantle Rock Publishing, LLC (now Scrivenings Press), and her writing career was born.

Now the author of eight novels and a contributor to four novella collections, Regina writes about people like all of us who sometimes struggle with their faith and trusting God. In addition to writing, Regina has recently added the title of “editor” to her resume.

Her most recent novel, Christmas Rewired, November 2024, is book four in her RenoVations Inc. Series, book five releasing in 2025.

Regina loves chocolate, the beach, providing keyboard and vocals in her church’s praise band, historical homes, watching other people renovate on HGTV, and Hallmark movies. She and her husband of forty-plus years are empty nesters in rural western Kentucky and are the proud parents of two grown-up daughters and a son-in-law.

To connect with Regina:

Facebook, Instagram , Pinterest, Website, Scrivenings Press, LLC Author Page, Amazon Author Page, and

Christmas Rewired purchase link SP 

Jen – Thanks for being on my blog, Regina!

Read A Guide to Setting SMART Goals for Writers, then follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, and subscribe to my newsletter to keep up with news about my book and any special offers! Be sure you grab your FREE 10-step checklist to plan your novel when you subscribe!

Hi, I’m Jen! I’ve been married for over 37 years, have 5 amazing kids, and have 3 adorable grandkids. I homeschooled our three youngest children and used to blog about homeschooling. I also taught Oral Communication as an adjunct instructor for over 5 years.

Jen Dodrill Writes is born of a passion of mine – to write a novel! My first cozy mystery – Birds Alive! – released Feb. 27, 2024 with Book #2 in the series on the way in 2025!

When I’m not working, you’ll find me writing, spending time with my family, or curled up on the couch reading and drinking a mug of dark roast coffee. (Don’t forget to check out my mug shop – JDMugs!)