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For Debra McLaughlin, writing romance novels isn't just about creating love stories. It's about crafting tales of transformation, where troubled souls find healing and strength through connection. The Kernersville author, who writes as D.K. McLaughlin and publishes her work through her own Ravenmoor Press, has been writing romance since 2004. On Jan. 15, she'll celebrate the launch of her newest series with a book signing at Main & Mountain Bookstore on Main Street.

It will be a joint signing. McLaughlin will sign The Scarlett Rose Prophecy, book one in her Psychic Flames series, and fellow author Arthur Williams will sign his two latest novels, Turning Points and Holding On.

McLaughlin's journey as a writer began in an unlikely place: a small village in West Africa, where she lived with her parents as a child. "I've always been a writer. I used to write when I was a kid," she recalls. "I lived in West Africa for a while with my parents, and I guess just being alone so much, you know, living in the village, I just started writing novels."

That solitude planted seeds that grew into a publishing career spanning more than two decades.

What sets McLaughlin's novels apart is her focus on characters who carry emotional weight. "I like to write stories about just the real classical stories about strong men and strong women, and both of them are usually troubled souls," she explains. "They come together, and they change each other."

That theme of transformation through love runs through all of her work. Her characters don't just fall in love; they fundamentally change because of the connection.

The appeal is personal, too. McLaughlin reads the same kind of stories she writes. "It just kind of takes me out of a very normal, boring kind of life, actually," she says. "It gets into where I can experience the adventure and just kind of get out of my head a little bit and get into somebody else's story."

McLaughlin keeps a disciplined schedule, typically writing four to five hours a day. Being an independent publisher means wearing more than one hat, though. "Sometimes I have to spend a bit of that time for marketing, which is not my favorite thing, but it's one of the necessary things about publishing," she admits, with a candor many independent authors will recognize.

Social media and Facebook ads are her main marketing tools, supplemented by book signings. She has tried hiring marketing help to reach a wider audience and saw some success, but she keeps coming back to social media. "Social media seems to be the easiest way right now," she notes.

The in-person connections at signings are what make the effort worthwhile. McLaughlin lights up recalling one reader who reached out after buying a book. "She actually contacted me after she got the book, and she told me how much she liked it, and then she came to my next signing just because she liked the book," she shares. "That felt really good."

The Jan. 15 signing celebrates the first book in the new series, with the second installment scheduled for release the same day. The series promises everything McLaughlin's readers have come to love: complex characters, emotional depth and a satisfying journey toward happiness.

The story unfolds in Helston Weir, a fictional small town about 40 minutes outside New York City. At its center is an orphan who becomes the mysterious recipient of a million-dollar check, a gift that lets her buy and open a small corner bookstore. The benefactor's identity remains unknown, adding a layer of mystery to the romance that follows.

"On her opening day of the bookstore, my male main character walks in, and he's fascinated by her," McLaughlin explains. "That was sort of the meet-cute between the two of them." He couldn't be more different from the bookstore owner: a sophisticated New York City businessman from a wealthy family, and significantly older than she is, which creates both tension and possibility.

As the story builds, readers will encounter mafia involvement and revelations about the heroine's past. Having grown up in foster care without ever knowing her parents, she finally learns the truth about her mother and father. "It has a happy ending," McLaughlin promises, staying true to the genre's commitment to a satisfying finish.

For romance readers in Kernersville and beyond, McLaughlin's work offers exactly what she looks for in her own reading: an escape from the ordinary into stories where love transforms, troubled souls find peace and happy endings feel earned.

The Jan. 15 signing at Main & Mountain Bookstore is a chance to meet the author behind these stories, pick up a signed copy of The Scarlett Rose Prophecy, meet Arthur Williams and maybe become one of those readers who comes back for the next signing.