So happy to share some new releases from The Wild Rose Press’s awesome Lobster Cove series. Fun settings, great covers and intriguing romance awaits you….
Working My Way Back to You by Doreen Alsen
Was there anything in particular that inspired your idea?
My heroine, Beth, and my hero, Jeff, were teenagers in my first book with TWRP called Mike’s Best Bet. He was the high school quarterback and she was a musician and he fell in love with her the minute he heard her play the piano. More impulsive than cautious, Jeff got Beth pregnant. Her father was pretty much insane and so the two ran away to Maine, in a blizzard, to elope. They got busted, and Beth’s father picked up his family and made them disappear.
The most asked question from readers who read Mike’s Best Bet was will Jeff and Beth get an HEA. Now they do.
What was it like working on a series where you had to coordinate with other writers?
It’s been a blast writing with other authors, especially ones as friendly and generous authors as the Lobster Cove peeps! Sometimes it was a challenge, but there was always someone to lend a hand or an ear.
Was there any part of your story that was taken from real life?
I’m a musician, I teach singing and musical theater and I spent 26 years at a Catholic church here in upstate NY.
Besides the main characters, who is your favorite character in the story and why?
Jeff and Beth’s ten year old son Danny. He’s a pistol. I also loved making up The Adventures of the Refractor comic book, as The Refractor is Danny’s favorite hero.
What do you love that most people would find odd?
Anchovies. Love ‘em on my pizza.
What do you dislike that most people would find odd?
Bowling. Hate it. Had to put a bowling alley in the book. It didn’t hurt too much.
Blurb:
Beth and her ten-year-old son are living happily in Lobster Cove, Maine–the only place she’s felt true love. She works hard as a single mom to provide for her son. Her world is rocked by the appearance of her high school sweetheart. Love for Jeff battles with fear that he will find out he’s the father of her precious son. Lies pile upon lies as she dodges his questions about the child.
PE teacher Jeff Myers can’t believe his eyes when he spots a familiar face in the diner. Though the beautiful Beth ducks his advances, his persistence finally wins out and she agrees to a dinner date. But when he discovers she gave birth to a son rather than the daughter she’d told him about, he is over-the-top angry.
Can they escape the quagmire of emotions, rediscover love, and bring three people together as a family?
Excerpt:
“She isn’t here. Don’t say anything else.” She disappeared behind the door.
A tiny blonde, Jenna squeezed the bridge of her nose looking like Tinkerbelle trying to stave off a migraine. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything different.”
“You are totally made of awesome,” Beth said from behind the door. “I owe you.”
Jenna sighed. “I’ll put it on your tab.”
“And that’s why I adore you.”
“You adore me because I sign your paychecks.” The door to the shop opened. “Shut up,” Jenna said, sotto voce. “May I help you?” she said, in a very hearty voice, to the new arrival in the shop.
“Yeah, I’m looking for someone named Beth.” Jeff glanced around the store. “I know this looks weird, but Maggie and Sally told me she works here.”
Jenna cleared her throat. “Beth isn’t here right now.” Big pause. “Do you want to leave her a message?”
Beth trembled waiting for Jeff to answer Jenna. “When she comes back, tell her Jeff Myers was here asking about her. Here’s my card so she knows how to get in touch with me.”
“You got it.”
“Thanks.”
Beth waited until the store door opened and closed.
Jenna yelled, “Ollie, Ollie, oxen free! Come out, come out wherever you are!”
Beth inched out of the storeroom. “Thank you so much.”
Jenna crossed her arms under her chest. “Okay. Who is that guy and why is he wearing my coffee?”
Find the book here:
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The Widows’ Gallery, A Lobster Cove Book by Marilyn Baron
Was there anything in particular that inspired your idea? The Birth of Venus, by Italian painter Sandro Botticelli, is my favorite painting. I used to gaze at it when I visited The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, where I studied in college. That painting is a recurring theme in the book. The story starts on a Mediterranean cruise, which I took last year with my husband on our 40th anniversary. Like the book, our ship made a stop in Florence, but the rest of the story was set in the fictional town of Lobster Cove. I’ve been to several towns in Maine and I fell in love with those places so I enjoyed setting my story in Maine. This might be my favorite book. I’m excited about it and can’t wait to see it in print.
What was it like working on a series where you had to coordinate with other writers? I enjoyed it a lot. We followed a literal map of the fictional town, and a story Bible with all the main characters, and we communicated back and forth via an internal loop when we had questions. If one of us had a character name that was already taken, we had to rename that character. I enjoyed the fact that characters from other books would appear in our books and vice versa. I did something similar with my blog group, The Petit Fours and Hot Tamales. We wrote several books (Free Reads on our site) where one blogger would start a chapter and the others would finish chapters, in turn, so it took a lot of coordination.
Was there any part of your story that was taken from real life? The fact that, like the main character, Abigail, I studied Italian. Mythology and Art History in Florence, Italy. I love Renaissance art and especially the painting The Birth of Venus, which also inspired the cover. I took that love of art and used it in the book when I had the characters start an art gallery and take possession of a missing masterpiece.
Besides the main characters, who is your favorite character in the story and why? I love five-year-old Isabella. My favorite line of hers is, “I’m Queen Isabella and I’m going to marry the Prince of Whales.” She means real whales, since her father, Tack Garrity is captain of a whale-watching excursion ship. Her mother, a ballerina, is dead and Isabella wears a tutu all the time, but she wears it inside out. She’s in desperate need of a mother and Abigail, the main character falls in love with Isabella and wishes she were her own. Now it’s up to Tack, who has harbored a crush on Abigail for a number of years, to make her fall in love with him.
What do you love that most people would find odd? Nothing comes to mind. I love the ocean and the beach, and nature, which most people do. I also love jewelry, which most women can relate to.
What do you dislike that most people would find odd? I don’t drink coffee, but I love hot chocolate.
Blurb:
Childless heiress Abigail Adams Longley and three other widows bond over a Renaissance masterpiece in Florence, Italy, and find love, friendship and joy in their joint venture to open an art gallery at the Longley mansion in Lobster Cove, Maine. Since the death of her husband, Abigail has been lonely and drifting in a house that’s too big and a town that’s too small. When she literally runs into sexy widower and whale-watching excursion captain Tack Garrity on the dock, she’s entranced by his adorable five-year-old daughter. But will Tack, who has harbored a secret crush on Abigail for almost two decades, be able to capture her heart? A secret pact her husband made with Tack could either tear them apart or bring them closer together and change their lives forever.
Excerpt:
Abigail Adams Longley looked around at the three women flanking her in Hall 10/14 of the Uffizi Gallery. They were all staring at The Birth of Venus like wide-eyed art students. Admittedly, the painting was as compelling as when the Medici family originally commissioned the tempera on canvas in the fifteenth century. But for Abigail, seeing the painting again wasn’t cathartic. It was beautiful, but that wasn’t the feeling she was going for. Peace. Why couldn’t she get some goddamned peace in this life? Abigail glanced at the square-cut, four-carat diamond on her finger, gazed at the sparkle of the ring she hadn’t removed since the day Louis had proposed. And now, a whole year after his death, she still hadn’t taken it off. Conventional wisdom dictated that you weren’t supposed to make any major life decisions until a year after a spouse’s death. Well, it had been a year already, and she hadn’t wanted to make even one decision—major or minor—about where to live, where to go, or what to do. Whoever said money can’t buy happiness had devised another dead-on axiom. She had all the money in the world—in fact Louis had left her a big chunk of the globe. He’d left her set for life, monetarily. But she would have traded every cent for the chance to be with him again. Louis was gone, and the sooner she faced the fact that she was alone on this planet, the better off she’d be.
Pre-order here: (Release date Feb 11)
Contact/Social Media Information
If you’re interested in learning about Marilyn’s other books, short stories and a musical, visit her Web site at www.marilynbaron.com. Or find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marilyn-Baron/286807714666748 and follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MarilynBaron.
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One More Second Chance by Jana Richards
Was there anything in particular that inspired your idea?
I already had a small town novel in mind when the call came out from The Wild Rose Press about the Lobster Cove series. So I packed up my characters and moved them to Maine, where they fit in perfectly!
What was it like working on a series where you had to coordinate with other writers?
It was fun and challenging. Keeping all the details straight in our little town takes a lot of effort. But everyone has been so helpful and upbeat that it’s been a real pleasure.
Was there any part of your story that was taken from real life?
The only part of ONE MORE SECOND CHANCE that is from real life is my knowledge of small towns. My character Alex is a city boy and he’s shocked by the gossip of small towns, and how everyone seems to know a lot about everyone. But he’s also struck by how much people look after each other in Lobster Cove. He comes to realize that you’ve got to take the good with the bad.
Besides the main characters, who is your favorite character in the story and why?
That’s a hard question! I like all of my secondary characters, but if I had to choose a favorite, I guess it would have to be Julia’s six year old daughter Ava. She’s sunny and adorable, without being too cloyingly sweet, I hope!
What do you love that most people would find odd?
Most think that the flat prairie or plains is boring, but I happen to think it’s beautiful. Who needs an ocean view?
What do you dislike that most people would find odd?
I really hate Dr. Pepper, and I’m not fond of anything with figs. And though I love sunshine, I can’t handle hot weather, especially hot, humid weather. I’m definitely a Northern girl!
Blurb:
Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda—finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.
Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her men don’t stay.
Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?
Excerpt:
He stepped off the stage as inconspicuously as he could, and made his way to the table manned by Jill from the diner and several other volunteers who were collecting the proceeds of the auction. Writing a check for his purchase, and adding an extra hundred dollars to make an even thousand, he handed it to Jill.
“Thank you very much for your contribution, Dr. Campbell,” she said with a smile.
“Please, call me Alex. I spend so much time in your diner I feel we should be on a first-name basis.”
“All right. Alex it is.” She wrote a receipt and handed it to him. “You made a very fine purchase.”
“Yeah.”
He couldn’t help turning his attention back to the stage. Edie and Aaron had stepped down, leaving Julia alone to handle the master of ceremonies duties. Her voice sounded shaky, as if she was still struggling with her emotions.
“I invite you to take a look at the silent auction prizes we’ve assembled. There’s something there for everyone. We’ll be picking the winners in an hour, so there’s still time to get your tickets. And the ladies at the bake sale booth tell me they still have some items for sale. Everything has to go, so please go see them. I’m going to turn over the mic to our deejay now. Let’s get this party started!”
Alex closed his eyes. He had to get out of here. He couldn’t listen to Julia’s voice anymore, couldn’t watch her, and still pretend there wasn’t something between them. He couldn’t hide his feelings any longer.
He was in love with her.
“Dr. Campbell? Alex? Are you okay?”
Jill stared at him with a concerned look on her face.
She probably thought he was crazy. Maybe he was. He couldn’t be in love with Julia. He was leaving in six months.
He left the gymnasium as quickly as he could manage, but he couldn’t outrun his thoughts. He was in serious trouble. He was in love with a woman he couldn’t have. A woman who didn’t want him.
Find the book here:
Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.janarichards.com
Blog: http://janarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards
Google+ Profile: https://plus.google.com/100820406211390323245
I don’t have any buy links or pre-order links yet, but I do have a page on my website where the buy will eventually go: http://www.janarichards.com/onemoresecondchance.html
Author Alicia Dean 