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Mandy Pike | 🇨🇦 Romance Author

@mandypikewrites

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Small towns • big feelings • found family
Wildflower Summer • OUT NOW
Writer @wrecklesswild
Swiftie • Survivor • Jurassic Park

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by @mandypikewrites

by @mandypikewrites

by @mandypikewrites

🐈 PICK A CAT, GET A BOOK REC! 📚💙

My TBR list is insanely long, and I continue to live with the assumption 1) I’m Immortal and 2) I’ll have endless reading time for myself. 😂

So I thought, let’s have some fun with it!

Welcome to Part 1 of my never-ending TBR, featuring some fabulous fellow indie romance authors whose books I’m SO excited to read! 💕

🐾 Swipe to slide 2 and pick a kitty!
📖 Keep swiping to find your cat and discover your next book recommendation!
😉 And because I couldn’t help myself, there’s a BONUS CAT waiting at the end!

And this is only the beginning! I read and love SO many different genres, so I’ll be turning this into a series featuring books from all corners of my ever-growing TBR.

Stick around because we’ve got a LOT of books to get through! 📚

Which cat did you pick, and have you read any of these books yet?! 👀🐈

#IndieAuthors #BookRecommendations #IndieRomance #Bookstagram #TBRList by @mandypikewrites

SWIFTIES, ROMANCE READERS, AND EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER ASSIGNED A TAYLOR SWIFT SONG TO A FICTIONAL COUPLE...

IT'S OFFICIALLY GIVEAWAY TIME!

Wildflower Summer (Mandy's Version) is here, and I am SO excited to finally share this little project with you!

What started as a perfectly innocent idea to create a Taylor Swift soundtrack for Merrick and Logan's story somehow turned into thirteen carefully chosen songs, a whole lot of handwritten annotations, and an author who has apparently never learned how to do anything in moderation.

Shocking, I know. 😂

And now, FIVE lucky readers will get to experience a little bit of Wildflower Summer in a whole new way!

Each winner will receive a special hand-annotated copy of the book, complete with handwritten annotation cards tucked throughout the story, sharing my own thoughts, memories, and little behind-the-scenes details, along with a thirteen-song Taylor Swift playlist inspired by particular moments in Merrick and Logan's journey.

And because I couldn't resist having a little extra fun with the theme, I've tucked in a few small Taylor-inspired and Saltwater Hollow goodies, too. Just some cute little bookish extras to go along with the reading experience.

I've had so much fun revisiting these characters, matching songs to scenes, and adding little pieces of the story behind the story to these special copies.

And I genuinely cannot wait to share that experience with five of you!

SO... HERE'S HOW TO JOIN THE FUN!

🩷 LIKE this post!
✨ FOLLOW @MandyPikeWrites!
🎶 SHARE this post to your stories and tag me!
📝 COMMENT below with your answer to this very important question to officially enter the giveaway!

IMAGINE THIS...

You're spending the summer in Saltwater Hollow. You've got a beach, a stack of romance novels, and the perfect little spot to spend an afternoon reading.

But there's a catch...

You can only bring ONE Taylor Swift album to be the soundtrack to your summer.

WHICH ONE ARE YOU CHOOSING!?

And yes, I realize asking Swifties to choose just ONE album is borderline criminal.

But apparently, that's the kind of person I've become. 😂

THE IMPORTANT DATES:

🎤 GIVEAWAY OPENS: November 2, 2 by @mandypikewrites

Okay, Swifties. I have been keeping a little secret.

Remember when I asked what Wildflower Summer would sound like if Taylor Swift wrote the soundtrack?

Well...

I did a thing.

Actually, I did THIRTEEN things. 😂

And because apparently, I am physically incapable of having a fun little idea without turning it into an entire project, I may have taken things a little further than originally intended.

So, without further ado...

INTRODUCING WILDFLOWER SUMMER (MANDY'S VERSION): THE 13 SONGS EDITION!

Here's how it started.

I wanted to create a playlist made up entirely of Taylor Swift songs. Thirteen of them, obviously. Because if we're doing a Taylor-inspired project, we're doing it properly. 😂

But I didn't want to choose thirteen songs simply because I loved them or because they fit the overall vibe of the book.

I wanted each song to mean something.

To belong to a particular moment. A specific scene. A memory, a conversation, a heartbreak, or one of those quiet little moments that somehow end up changing everything.

I wanted to take the music and weave it through Merrick and Logan's story in a way that would allow readers to experience Wildflower Summer a little differently.

And somewhere between choosing songs, revisiting scenes, and getting completely lost in my own fictional world again, I started wondering...

What if I could share that experience with some of you?

Not just through a playlist.

But through something a little more personal.

Something that felt a little like sitting down with me, opening the book together, and letting me tell you some of the stories behind the story.

The little things I remember about writing certain scenes. The emotions I was hoping to capture. The moments that have stayed with me, even after the book was finished and out in the world.

And, well...

Here we are. 😂

I'M GIVING AWAY FIVE SPECIAL HAND-ANNOTATED COPIES OF WILDFLOWER SUMMER (MANDY'S VERSION)!

Each copy will include my own handwritten annotations throughout the novel, along with a specially curated thirteen-song Taylor Swift playlist inspired by moments in Merrick and Logan's story.

And because I couldn't resist having a li by @mandypikewrites

In honour of Halloween, I thought we should discuss something genuinely terrifying.

And no, I'm not talking about haunted houses, creepy dolls, things that go bump in the night, or that one suspicious noise coming from the basement.

I'm talking about ROMANCE NOVELS.

Specifically, the completely unnecessary amount of emotional distress I willingly put myself through while reading them.

Because apparently, I am perfectly comfortable watching a horror movie.

But give me two fictional people who have finally admitted they're in love, are blissfully happy, and still have approximately eighty-seven pages left in their story?

I AM CONCERNED.

Deeply concerned.

WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THOSE EXTRA PAGES!? 😂

And don't even get me started on the words "we need to talk."

No, you don't.

Actually, yes, you absolutely DO need to talk. You should have talked six chapters ago.

But I have a terrible feeling that whatever conversation you're about to have is going to involve someone misunderstanding something, storming out, and making a spectacularly bad decision.

And somehow, despite knowing exactly how these things work, I will still be sitting there in my pajamas at 1:37 a.m., emotionally invested in people who do not exist, whispering threats at a paperback.

Perfectly reasonable behaviour, really. 😂

The funniest part is that I usually know I'm getting a happily-ever-after.

I KNOW.

Does it stop me from panicking every single time?

Absolutely not.

But that's the magic of a good romance novel, isn't it?

Even when you know where the story is going, the characters can still make you feel every single moment along the way.

And apparently, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Honestly, being a romance reader at Halloween feels a little redundant. Fictional people already scare me enough all year long. 😂

So, romance readers, what's your biggest bookish jump scare?

The third-act breakup? A completely avoidable misunderstanding? An unexpected cliffhanger?

Or do you have one that deserves its own horror movie? 😂

Happy Halloween, my fellow emotionally compromised readers! 🎃 by @mandypikewrites

🇨🇦 CANADIAN AUTHORS 🇨🇦

Check out these books written by canadian authors! They are all available on our website! 📖

The Undead Duology by Hayleigh Huntley (Dark romance)

The apocalypse rendered everything Meaghan had learned at university completely useless. Only three months later, she now lives by three rules: Travel alone.
Don’t stay anywhere longer than necessary. And trust absolutely no one. If she keeps to the rules, she may be able to not only survive, but make a good life for herself in the heavily dense and easily defendable forests of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Well, as good as you can in the aftermath of an infection ridden undead takeover of an apocalypse. But when an overly confident and far too optimistic Jessie Baker storms in and flips her world upside down...an unlikely arrangement forces them to travel the country together and fight for survival against the undead. Crazed lunatics, deadly scenarios and heightened emotions leave a storm brewing in Meaghan unlike anything she’s dealt with before. Jesse, on the other hand, welcomes the turmoil with open arms and one goal; either die for Meghan or at her hands. He’s ready to tear down anyone in his way for her, but will that be what tears them apart? Or can they overcome all odds?

Wildflower Summer by Mandy Pike (Contemporary romance)

In Saltwater Hollow, summer always feels temporary.
Tourists come and go. The boardwalk quiets after Labor Day. And eventually, everyone leaves. Then Logan Hayes meets Merrick Calloway. She’s chaos and kindness wrapped in ocean air and late-night laughter.
He’s spent so long taking care of everyone else that he barely remembers how to want anything for himself anymore. What begins as chance encounters around town slowly becomes something deeper - built through carnival nights, handwritten letters, quiet conversations, and the kind of love that feels inevitable long before either of them are ready to admit it. But some stories become memories before we realize we’re living them.

Man in the Purple Coat by Travis Mushanski
(Urban fantasy, Mystery)

While working for Cedar Point Public Works, Beatrix Francis is tasked to collect decades worth by @mandypikewrites

A few things I've learned since becoming a published author...

First of all, apparently nobody hands you a manual.

Which feels like a fairly significant oversight, if you ask me. 😂

You spend months—sometimes years—writing a book. Editing it. Questioning every decision you've ever made. Convincing yourself that surely, at some point, you're going to figure out what you're doing.

And then you publish it.

And suddenly there's an entirely new collection of things to learn.

Like how to talk about your book without either forgetting every important detail or accidentally delivering a seventeen-minute explanation of the characters' entire emotional history.

How to set up an author table.

How to be simultaneously excited and slightly terrified when someone picks up your book and starts reading the back cover.

And how to accept that there are probably always going to be things you wish you'd done differently afterward.

But here's the thing.

After Author Palooza, Rose Romance Con, and these first few experiences of taking Wildflower Summer out into the world, I'm starting to realize that the best parts aren't necessarily the things I would have expected.

It's the conversations.

The people who light up when you mention a favourite romance trope.

The readers who understand why a fictional small town can feel like somewhere you've actually been.

The other authors who know exactly what it's like to spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about people who don't technically exist.

And those little moments when I look at a physical copy of Wildflower Summer and remember that there was a time when none of this existed outside my own imagination.

I think that's the part that gets me.

I'm still learning. Still trying things. Still occasionally wondering whether everyone else received some sort of secret instruction booklet that I missed.

But I'm also having a pretty wonderful time figuring it out.

And I'm learning that I don't need to have every answer to enjoy the experience.

Sometimes I just need to show up, bring the books, and talk to people who love stories as much as I do.

Which, honestly, is a pretty great assignment. ❤️ by @mandypikewrites

I have a confession.

I've been spending a frankly unreasonable amount of time thinking about Taylor Swift songs and fictional people.

Which, if we're being honest, probably isn't particularly surprising to anybody who knows me. 😂

But here's the thing.

I've always loved the way music can become tangled up with a story.

How you can hear the first few notes of a song and immediately remember a particular scene, a certain character, or that one fictional relationship that left you staring at a wall for twenty minutes while you attempted to recover emotionally.

You know. Normal reader behaviour.

And somewhere along the way, I started wondering what Wildflower Summer would sound like if it had its very own Taylor Swift soundtrack.

Not just a collection of songs I love.

An actual soundtrack.

The songs that belong to particular chapters. The ones that capture the moments between Merrick and Logan. The longing, the memories, the complicated feelings, the things left unsaid, and those little moments that somehow end up meaning everything.

And because this is me we're talking about, I couldn't possibly stop at simply thinking about it.

Oh, no.

That would have been far too reasonable.

Instead, one idea turned into another. And another.

And before I knew it, I'd managed to take something that started as a fun little what if and turn it into an actual project.

Because apparently, my two favourite things—Taylor Swift and emotionally complicated fictional people—were never going to coexist peacefully inside my brain. 😂

Thirteen songs.

One book.

And a little something I've been having an absolutely ridiculous amount of fun putting together.

I'm not telling you everything just yet.

But I WILL say that you might want to come back on Sunday, November 1st.

In the meantime, I have a very important question.

What's the ONE Taylor Swift song that immediately makes you think of a romance novel?

It can be a specific fictional couple, a favourite trope, a particular scene, or just a song that makes you feel like you're living inside a love story.

And if you've already read Wildflower Summer, I'm especially curious whether there's a song th by @mandypikewrites

SAULT STE. MARIE, LET'S TALK BOOKS!

I have some exciting news to share!

On Saturday, November 28th, I'll be spending the afternoon at The Skeleton Key Used Bookstore for a special local author event, book signing, and Q&A!

And I would absolutely LOVE to see you there!

Whether you've already fallen in love with the little coastal town of Saltwater Hollow, you're curious about Wildflower Summer, or you just want to come chat about books, writing, and all things romance, please stop by and say hello!

We'll be talking about Wildflower Summer, the stories behind the story, the writing and publishing journey, and whatever else you'd like to ask me. And, of course, I'll be signing books, too!

📍 The Skeleton Key Used Bookstore
288 Korah Road, Sault Ste. Marie

📅 Saturday, November 28, 2026

🕑 2:00–5:00 PM

There's something pretty special about getting to share a story that means so much to me with the people in my own community.

So bring your questions, bring your book-loving friends, and come spend a little of your Saturday afternoon with me.

I can't wait to meet you!

#MandyPikeWrites #WildflowerSummer #SaultSteMarie #BookSigning #SupportLocalAuthors by @mandypikewrites

Something I've learned about writing fiction?

The amount of information a writer knows about fictional people that will never actually make it into a book is frankly a little concerning. 😂

I'm talking about the completely unnecessary details.

The inside jokes. The embarrassing stories. The conversations that happen between scenes. The opinions nobody asked for. The things that probably have absolutely no business taking up valuable space in my brain.

And yet, there they are.

Living rent-free.

Occasionally interrupting whatever I'm SUPPOSED to be working on.

Because apparently, creating an entire fictional town also means developing a deeply unreasonable level of interest in everybody's personal business.

Who knew? 😂

But here's the thing.

I actually love those little details.

I love figuring out who my characters are when nobody's watching. What makes them laugh. What they worry about. The things they remember. The conversations that change them in ways nobody else ever gets to see.

And sometimes, those moments don't belong in the final manuscript.

They don't necessarily move the plot forward or help tell the particular story I'm trying to tell.

But they still matter to me.

Because I think part of what makes a fictional world feel real is knowing that there's always more happening beyond the pages.

That these people have lives that don't begin and end with a single book.

And perhaps that's why I find it so difficult to let go of all those little pieces.

Some of them are funny. Some are heartfelt. Some are probably best left in the drafts folder for everyone's sake. 😂

But they're all part of the world I've come to love.

And I have a sneaking suspicion I'm not quite finished finding things to do with them.

Anyway, enough about my questionable attachment to fictional people.

Romance readers, I have a question!

If you could ask your favourite author for ONE bonus scene, what would it be?

An alternate POV? A deleted scene? A little glimpse into life after the happily-ever-after?

Or something else entirely?

Tell me, because I'm genuinely curious.

#WIPWednesday #WritingRomance #WildflowerSummer #SaltwaterHollow by @mandypikewrites