Elle, a French Potions Expert, a working girl, much like a barmaid
Henry, a British spy with an aristocratic heritage
These two very different characters are thrown together in this epic tale of espionage and romance. Traveling from France to Egypt then to America and back to Europe, in search of a reason for the serum shortage.
The serum has magical properties that allows medicines to work, powers vehicles and even lights up a city, and the world is in peril without it. Together, Elle and Henry must work together to search for a new source and discover the cause for the shortage. Others do not wish their mission to succeed.
As their friendship and attraction to each other grow, so does the danger surrounding their mission. The enemy has many disguises, can they root out the true villains before it is too late?
Catherine does an excellent job of world building. If you like steampunk romances or gaslight fantasy, you are sure to love “How to Seduce a Spy.” Also, check out Catherine’s short story, “Love in the Airship” in the spring anthology, “Love In Bloom,” brought to you by The New Romance Cafe Facebook Group.
Are you ready for spring? Well, I have no control of the weather, but I can give you a little taste of spring, spring romance that is. Check out our spring romance anthology, “Love in Bloom.”
When my friend, Tammera Cooper, author of The Water Street Chronicles, first suggested I join The New Romance Café Facebook group, I thought, yeah whatever. Another boring group doing nothing. Boy was I wrong. Right away, I could tell this group was going to be different. The group is a combination of writers, both published and dreamers, and readers, romance readers. The New Romance Café offers a safe haven for those who love reading and writing romance.
The founder and host of The New Romance Cafe, Andie Wood and her founding group have given its members a place that allows us to share our eclectic views on romance, characters, reading and writing. The genre is explored from different perspectives and even if we don’t agree, our views are respected. The Café is a place to discuss what we love, romance. I am surprised at how much I look forward to and enjoy participating with this group. (The New Romance Café is a closed group.) Shortly after I joined the group, Andie put out a call for short stories for the group’s upcoming anthologies. A vacancy due to a family emergency offered an opportunity for someone else to join the two planned anthologies. Someone was needed who was willing to write a short story for their spring anthology. Without stopping to think, I volunteered. Little did I know, as we were ending the first week of January that the story would need to be finished, edited and ready to go by February first. Uh, what did I just agree to? Thanks to Lauriel Masson-Oakden, who took on the task of editing both for content and grammar, we managed to get my story, R and R, ready with time to spare. Thank you so much for that, Lauriel!
Having the opportunity to be a part of this anthology is important for several reasons. The first, all the proceeds will go to breast cancer research. Eastern North Carolina has one of the highest rates of cancer in the U S. Learning that the group wanted to support an international charity and was leaning towards breast cancer made being part of this project more important. All of us have been touched by cancer whether we are survivors ourselves, have family or friends who’ve fought the battle or lost it, cancer is very real for all of us. Finding the right charity was a little more difficult. When the U S based Breast Cancer Research Foundation was chosen, it was obvious it was the perfect fit. This foundation works globally to help women and men, deal with breast cancer. BCRF is active in teaching preventive measures and searching for a cure. BCRF funds nearly three hundred researchers across fourteen countries and six continents. I am so proud to be a part of this anthology, all the proceeds from “Love in Bloom” will got to BCRF.
The second reason to be a part of this anthology is a selfish one. Because the group is an eclectic one, representing several different countries, I hope being included in this international anthology will put my name out into the world. The anthology will link to our stories to our other works making it easier for readers to find our other books. As indie authors, our biggest hurdle is being seen in the crowd. If you are on a budget, you have to choose where to spend your marketing dollar and hope you don’t get lost amid the plethora of similar books. By being part of the anthology, helps us to stand out in the crowd. If readers like your story, they can find more from you with just a tap. The third reason I am so glad to be a part of this anthology are the people I have met. I started doing interviews on my blog. Along the way I have discovered other readers and writers, their work and their friendship. I cannot tell you how interesting it is to meet people from Romania, Norway, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and even the good ole USA, each reads and writes different from me, there may be some similarities but where we are from, our education, our ages all play a factor in what we write. Sharing their stories on my blog and sharing space with them in the anthology is a great honor.
“Love in Bloom” is a collection of romance stories from writers from different parts of the world. Some of the authors are multi-published and successful. For some, this is their first published work. Others, like myself fall into the middle. The stories’ subgenres are just as varied: historical, contemporary, suspense, vampire and steampunk to name just a few. It’s midrange on the heat level but high octane on the romance. Our overall theme is Spring. So, when you purchase “Love in Bloom,” you are not only getting entertaining stories, you are helping search for a cure for breast cancer.
Today I have the great
honor of welcoming Andie Wood, the founder of The New Romance Café Facebook
Group and the heart behind the spring and summer anthologies, “Love in Bloom”
and “Hot Summer Nights.” Welcome to North Carolina and Creekside Café.
Andie: I’ve never been to the States. I have many friends there and
would love to visit one day soon.
Sherri: It means so much to have you here today. I am so honored to be
included in the “Love in Bloom” spring anthology. Is this the first time you’ve
coordinated an anthology?
Andie: When I started the group (The New Romance Café), I wanted to
help empower and provide a platform for aspiring and unpublished writers, as
well as connecting them with their readership. More established authors joined
as well, and I felt this led to a greater sense of community and purpose. Since
it is a romance focused group, it felt natural that the output should be a
romance collection or anthology. This also led to the idea that the profits of
this should all go to charity.
I’m very excited that The Romance
Café will be launching its first anthology of short stories created by author
members. I see the anthology as the first step in generating as much exposure
for them as possible, all towards a great cause: breast cancer research and
care. Several members’ lives have been affected by cancer one way or
another. Many are survivors themselves. We’re honoring all those whose lives
have been touched by cancer.
Sherri: That is one of the things that attracted me to the anthology. Eastern
North Carolina has one of the largest groups of death by cancer in the United States.
Where are you from?
Andie: I’m originally from Romania but I’ve lived all over the place. I
lived in the UK (United Kingdom) for 11 years, had a stint in Spain and
Gibraltar, and for the past 2 years I’ve been in the other side of the world,
in New Zealand.
Sherri: I’m so jealous. I’ve never been anywhere except the US and
Mexico. I traveled some before David and I married, but haven’t had much chance
to travel since. Are you married? Do you have children?
Andie: I’m married, I have a 3-year old
son and I’m currently 32 weeks pregnant, expecting a baby girl in April.
Sherri: That’s exciting. I had all boys, six of them but I’ve been
lucky to have great daughters-in-law and some awesome granddaughters.
You are so active in The
New Romance Café, do you work full-time?
Andie: By
day, I roam the virtual streets of digital marketing. By night, I’m a voracious
romance reader.
Sherri: I
love to read but have less chance to do so now with trying to publish and at
the moment I’m eye-ball deep in conference preparations. Who are your favorite authors,
what genres do you like to read?
Andie: I love romance and gentle crime. In terms of authors, I
have to mention Alexander McCall Smith, Sarah MacLean, Nora Roberts, Tessa
Dare, and Jayne Ann Krentz and her alter egos. It’s a long list.
Sherri: I’m not familiar
with Alexander McCall Smith, but the others you mentioned are some of my favorites.
I’ll suggest Sabrina Jeffries, she writes Regency Romance.
Besides reading, what are your other passions?
Andie: I love reading, of course. My other big love is Pokemon. If you
watch any of my Facebook Live sessions, you’ll notice I have an impressive
collection of Pokemon mugs.
Sherri: I’m a big fan
of Minions. They crack me up. I’ve even made a minion of me.
One of my passions is cooking though I have very
little time to do it with work and writing. Do you like to cook?
Andie: In terms of my cooking, I have a mantra: if it’s not
ready in 45 mins max, I’m not making it.
Sherri: I watch a lot
of cooking shows but mostly dream about cooking. Do you have a favorite recipe
or a favorite food?
Andie: I’m a big pizza fan, ideally with a thin crust. I
remember the first time I saw a pizza, it was being eaten by the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles! I must have been quite young and it’s left an impression on me.
Sherri:
Pizza is one of my favorite things to eat, I’m not good at making it. My first
memory of pizza was when we lived in Hampton, Virginia we’d pick up pizza from
the Giant Open-Air Market and carry it home. The aroma of pepperoni and bell peppers,
spicy sauce and yeast still wafts around in my brain like a ghost. I couldn’t
have been more than seven or eight.
The bad thing about pizza, for me
anyway, is the calories. I need to start dieting and exercising? My youngest son
and his wife are big on going to the gym and running. If I’m running, don’t ask
questions just keep going. Are you an athlete or into fitness?
Andie: I’m
afraid the most taxing exercise I do is yoga.
Sherri: You talked about
having friends all over the world. Do you keep in touch with them? It must be
difficult with the different time zones.
Andie: I
try to make myself as available as possible to my friends, particularly as
distance and different time zones make it difficult to have set times.
Sherri:
You are the founder and host of several online
writing and reading groups, tell us about them.
Andie: Even
though romance is THE most sold book genre, it has a stigma attached to it, as
well as to those who read it. I created The Romance Café in mid 2018 because I
felt that romance readers and aspiring writers were lacking safe,
non-judgemental places online where they could discuss their favourite books
and authors. Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/292243634861501.
Sherri: Thank you Andie for joining me at Creekside Café, I’ve enjoyed our chat. Don’t forget our spring anthology, Love in Bloom goes on sale March 8th, you can preorder your copy. I ordered mine from Amazon US. The proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation #BCRF, a US based company that works globally. For more information about the charity, go to their website https://www.bcrf.org/
Welcome to Creekside Café, West Virginia author, Jess
Taylor. It’s great to have you here. Jess and I met on The New Romance Café
Facebook Group and we are both part of the upcoming spring romance anthology,
“Love in Bloom.”
Jess: Thanks for
this opportunity. It’s been great getting to know you. Can I just say I love
your book titles…I’ve been waiting forever to tell you that in person. I don’t
know where you got that idea from but those are cool!
Sherri: Thank
you. Chrome
Pink came about because of the Harley my character Rae Lynn restored
for breast cancer. My mom was actually the inspiration for the title, she liked
that country song, “Her favorite color is Chrome…” My mentor, Marni Graff uses
color in the titles of her Nora Tierney cozy mysteries. I asked if she minded
if I stole her idea. For the Leeward series, I wanted to blend a color with a
metal. My daughter-in-law, Katelynn is the photographer for the cover of White
Gold, she also helped me come up with the title. But enough about me,
tell me about your books.
Jess: In talking
about my books, there’s so many different things I’ve worked on as a
ghostwriter, that really I can’t narrow down to one specific genre, but
romance is definitely my favorite. We all have to sign non-disclosure
agreements in which we can’t really discuss the work or claim any ownership
of content. It’s a small price to pay though, to do the work I
love.
Sherri: What
genre do you write?
Jess: I love
romance. There’s something about always
having a happy ending that’s wildly comforting.
I also enjoy paranormal things.
Ghosts, vampires, swamp creatures, things that go bump in the
night. I love that gothic vibe.
As a writer, I think one of my large-scale goals is to
contribute to diversity in literature. As a lesbian, I feel that despite large
strides being made there’s still not enough representation or diversity in any
media. I think that the romance genre could help that tremendously as everyone
knows romance readers are the best readers in the world. They will stick by
their writers though thick and thin and are really the best fans to have.
Sherri: I feel
the same way, Jess. My characters are biracial, and their relationships are
interracial because that is the world I live in. I want to promote characters
who are as diverse and as multifaceted as the people I know.
You are single and a doggie mom, tell me about your
fur-babies.
Jess: Hah! I am
definitely single and ready to mingle as they say. All three of mine are rescue
babies. There’s not a purebred amongst them though the oldest one…He’s a
12-year old Terrier mix, that looks like a Scottie dog, I call him Scruffington
J. Bear to make him feel more regal. There’s also ten-year old Mugsie “Mugshot”
because he’s twelve pounds of terror lol and my seven-year old pretty girl,
Deliliah.
Sherri: Do any of
your babies end up in your stories?
Jess: One did. It
was an awesome Schauzner mix name Beau. His nickname was ‘Commander,’ though
lol. I love making up little back stories about mine.
Sherri: When did
you first know you were a writer?
Jess: I’ve been
writing since I was an older teenage but didn’t really take it seriously until
a few years ago.
Sherri: Are you a
full-time writer or are you like me, you have to work a day job?
Jess: I currently
work at a local pharmacy as a cashier in addition to my ghostwriting. During
the day, whole day I’m at work in the pharmacy. Especially now–It’s flu
season.
Sherri: When do
you get time to write?
Jess: Definitely
morning or late at night.
Sherri: Do you
have a writing schedule or routine? Do you try to get a certain word count per
day or week?
Jess: I really don’t have a writing schedule. I do have a
word count goal I meet every day though. I do at least three thousand
words a day, even on days when I don’t feel good, otherwise projects go
unfinished.
Sherri: What is
some of your favorite things about writing?
Jess: Oh it’s
just fun. I don’t know any other
profession which allows for so much creativity.
I mean you get to constantly answer the question, “what’s next?” It’s
really a dream gig. I’m a lucky gal.
Sherri: What are
your writing strengths and weaknesses?
Jess: I always
catch myself asking, ‘what does that look like, what does that smell like, how
does that feel?’ So, a big weakness is more details. Sometimes I assume because
I can see it in my head everyone else can too. Strengths? I’m not really sure.
I’ve been told before I do good dialogue.
Sherri: Help our
readers get to know you. Who is Jess Taylor?
Jess: I’m 37
years old and have lived in West Virginia all my life. I am a geeky gal. I love
comic books and I have been a reader from a young age. I’m also a big art buff
and enjoy all kinds of movies, in particular classic movies. Currently I’m
watching and loving The Orville and Sabrina the Teenage Witch lol!
I love hot dogs. If
there’s anyone who wants to sit in the parking lot of Dairy Queen or Sheetz
with me and eat hot dogs now’s the time to come forward.
Sherri: Tell us a
little about your story for the anthology.
Jess: For this
story, I wanted to find some inspiration in the classics, so the title comes
from that. I also wanted to show a bit about how sometimes reality doesn’t
always match up with expectations, but there can be a happy ending even after
you’ve given up hope. The title is The Rain Falls Mainly…
Sherri: The
international spring romance anthology Jess and I are a part of is “Love
in Bloom.” It comes out Friday, March 8, International Women’s Day. All
of the proceeds will go to Breast Cancer Research Foundation. #BCRF
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to achieving prevention and a cure for breast cancer. We provide critical funding for cancer research worldwide to fuel advances in tumor biology, genetics, prevention, treatment, metastasis and survivorship.
Since our founding in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder, BCRF has
raised more than half a billion dollars for lifesaving research.
Through a unique and streamlined grants program, we seek out the brightest
minds in science and medicine and give them the necessary resources to pursue
their best ideas. As a result, researchers are able to make discoveries and
design new approaches to address all aspects of breast cancer—and do so in
record time.
“Our goal is to accelerate the breakthroughs bringing us
closer to a cure to speed up the progress that will improve survivorship and
quality of life for breast cancer patients today.” – Myra J. Biblowit,
President & CEO
In 2018-2019, BCRF will award $63 million in annual grants
nearly 300 scientists from top universities and medical institutions
around the globe. In addition, BCRF has established the Evelyn H.
Lauder Founder’s Fund, a multi-year international program dedicated to metastasis
that is the first large-scale global effort to unravel the biology of
metastasis, with more than $30 million earmarked to date. It is the largest
privately funded project exclusively focused on metastasis in the world.
But we still have more to do.
The thousands of women and men suffering from breast cancer
today depend on us. No institution can conquer this disease alone. Together, we
can.
It
all started in 1993 at Evelyn Lauder’s kitchen table.
Over
a cup of coffee, Mrs. Lauder and her dear friend Dr. Larry Norton began a
conversation that would, over time, change breast cancer history. Recognizing
the power of research and its potential to change the lives of millions of
women and men worldwide, they realized that to tackle this disease a new
approach was critical.
At
the time, a breast cancer diagnosis inspired fear and little hope. Scientific
understanding of the nature of the disease and how it moved through the body
was still nascent. Investigations on prevention strategies were fledgling,
screening methods were limited and treatment options were few.
Mrs.
Lauder, along with Dr. Norton and her husband, Leonard, committed then and
there to change that. They believed research was the way forward and founded
BCRF on the belief that funding was the only obstacle standing between breast
cancer and a cure.
Years
before, Mrs. Lauder was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and chose to
channel her experience into action. A model of resolve, she took it upon
herself in 1989 to help establish a state-of the-art breast and diagnostic
center at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she was a
board member. The facility, known today as the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast
Center, set a new global standard for cancer care offering the most up-to-date
prevention, diagnosis and treatment services under one roof.
In
that same year, Mrs. Lauder created the signature pink ribbon with Alexandra
Penney, then editor of SELF and launched the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign
within The Estée Lauder Companies. The program distributed the ribbons, along
with self-exam instruction cards, at Estée Lauder counters across the United
States and around the world, helping to raise awareness about the importance of
breast health and effectively placing breast cancer at the public
forefront.
Since
then, Evelyn Lauder’s life’s mission has become ours: to rid the world of
breast cancer. Today, BCRF stands as a testament to her fierce dedication, keen
intuition and extraordinary vision.
Evelyn
H. Lauder, 1936 – 2011
BCRF Founder
sherrilhollister.com/Suspense She Writes Bookstore Dismiss
You must be logged in to post a comment.