My latest adventure is writing Contemporary Western Romance. I've had a blast creating the Romance on the Ranch Series!

Also, for many years, I've had a passion for researching the unexplained and exotic locations. Ultimately, I wanted to share that research in an exciting way. To that end, I wrote fictional stories blending reality with fantasy and the paranormal, and then spiced the mix with romantic tension, mystery, and adventure.

Another pursuit has been writing a novella for middle graders. I discovered that writing for children is more difficult than writing for adults. It took four years to complete a 64-page novella! However, I finally finished my four year trek through "Tween Time" with Roscoe and his quirky friends.

Reviewed by Kristie I. for Readers' Favorite

Verna Clay continues her 'Romance on the Ranch' series with book three, "Baby Kisses." Tooty, Julie's best friend, who is introduced in book one, is now a twenty year-old single mother of an adorable four year-old boy Harris. Tooty and Harris are living with Tooty's parents and she desires so much more for their lives. This arises when Tooty is offered a job of being an assistant to a famous author who is staying in Colorado for a while. This is only the beginning of change as Tooty is notified that she is the heir of a home from a distant relative and in the midst of all of this Tooty finds herself falling in love with her employer, Miles. Miles is attracted to Tooty, but he is confined to a wheelchair and several years older than Tooty. Rather than follow his heart, Miles runs and guards his heart until he finds out that Tooty is not the only person he has left behind.

I really enjoyed this book and the "extra" story that is being read at the same time in the journal that Tooty inherits in the house. Clay does a wonderful job with tying these stories and lives together. Tooty and Miles are both searching and hurting and although they both need each other, they both fight it as well. I wanted to keep on reading as I wanted them to give in and acknowledge their feelings for each other. The trip that Tooty and Harris accompany Miles on gives the reader so much insight as to Miles' life, both before he met Tooty and how he was raised. Miles' sister plays a minor role, but she is someone who I instantly liked and I would love to read more about her. I was expecting Julie to play a larger role in this book as she and Tooty were inseparable in book one, but she was only mentioned a few times here. This is a series that any romance reader is not going to want to miss out on as it is filled with lovable characters who are so realistic. They experience love and heartache and are trying to move on from past hurts to rediscover the joy of everyday life.