"In Mara Purl’s enchanting novel What the Heart Knows...(a)lthough the picturesque, seaside setting of Milford-Haven plays an important role in the novel, the cast of interesting and eccentric characters is what really draws the reader into the book. Purl skillfully tackles tough environmental issues such as land development and off-shore oil drilling through the lives of her characters and the events that unfold. Detailed descriptions of scenic settings, eccentric characters, and tantalizing storylines combine to make this book one that fans of romance will enjoy."
– Bookwire

"In Mara Purl’s books the writing is crisp and clean, the dialogue realistic, the scenes well described. I salute her ingenuity."
– Bob Johnson, Former Managing Editor, The Associated Press

"Every reader who enjoys book series about small town life has a treat to anticipate in…Mara Purl’s Milford-Haven Novels."
– Dee Ann Ray, The Clinton Daily News

"… in a series of romantic novels centered in the fictional California coastal town of Milford-Haven, we meet…an intrigu[ing] cast of diverse characters."
– Fred Klein, Santa Barbara News Press

A few years ago, if anyone had told author Mara Purl she had small towns in her future, she’d have laughed. Why? Because this is a woman who grew up in Tokyo, Japan, then spent several years in New York City, and finally settled in Los Angeles, California. Hardly a small town girl. But that was before she spent a summer performing in the tiny coastal town of Cambria, and had her first taste of life in the slow lane. Turns out she loved it.

It was the following Fall while performing a regular role on "Days of Our Lives" that she realized she wanted to create her own soap opera. Basing it loosely on the real Cambria—a Welsh name—she found the name of a real Welsh town for her fictitious one. Her stirring radio plays together with an all-star cast landed her a contract as the first American radio serial ever broadcast by the BBC. And the rest, as they say, is history. Milford-Haven USA went on to achieve a cult following in the U.K. with 4.5 million listeners—a following that has persisted long after its initial airing.It led Purl to begin writing a series of novels based on the show. "Nothing could make me happier," Purl enthused. "I loved doing the radio drama, but I feel I’ve come home in writing the novels."

Mara Purl honed her researching and writing skills with the Associated Press, Rolling Stone, The Financial Times of London, Working Woman Magazine, and The Christian Science Monitor, to name a few. And while a student at ASIJ and later at Sophia University, she wrote a column for the Mainichi Daily News. But she’s spent equal time as a performer on-camera and on-stage, with her regular character on Days Of Our Lives having been her starting point for soap opera.

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