Behind the Scenes

Two women navigating past traumas fall in love during the process of pitching a film about two women falling in love while navigating past trauma. Rose Josten is a savvy business consultant (and secret ASMR artist) whose younger adult years were dominated by ensuring her sisters’ well-being in the wake of their parents’ deaths. After a chance meeting and a well-timed request, she’s brought in to help director Ash Stewart convince an investor to fund Ash’s first solo project after separating from her producer ex-wife. Stetz-Waters (Satisfaction Guaranteed) effectively balances Rose’s struggle to make her own happiness a priority with Ash’s gradual journey toward regaining her self-confidence after a messy divorce and a disabling accident. Readers who relish dark moments and misunderstandings may be disappointed, as potential conflicts between Rose and Ash are resolved within pages through forthright conversation—but this open communication is appropriate to the characters, who are both emotionally generous yet worried about having their own secrets revealed.