Do you dread certain holidays? I’ve had a love/hate
relationship with many holidays, dating back to childhood. Holidays involve family
gatherings, and when family comes together, it often brings out the worst in
people.
For much of my adult life holidays weren’t much
better. Early on I realized I had married into a family where competition rose
to blood sport levels. Half my husband’s relatives constantly had to prove they
were better, smarter, or more accomplished than anyone else. The other half
wanted nothing to do with us, thanks to my communist mother-in-law. I think I
probably would have liked them, given how my mother-in-law treated me, had I
ever had the chance to meet and get to know them.
However, there has been one upside to spending time
with all these bullies. They’ve given me a wealth of ideas for
both characters and plots in my books. When people take pleasure in making your
life miserable, rather than getting mad, it’s best to get even. Writers do this by putting these people in their books.
Just in case you're wondering, my mother-in-law died before I published the first Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery featuring Anastasia's nasty commie mother-in-law. And in other books, names and various details have been changed. I know who inspired that antagonist, but you'll never know. Still, it's very cathartic.
Just in case you're wondering, my mother-in-law died before I published the first Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery featuring Anastasia's nasty commie mother-in-law. And in other books, names and various details have been changed. I know who inspired that antagonist, but you'll never know. Still, it's very cathartic.
So why am I telling you this today? It’s because Valentine’s
Day is quickly approaching. It’s another holiday that many people anticipate
with dread, especially anyone not currently in a loving relationship. Thea
Chandler and Luke Bennett are two people who would cringe at the sight of all
those heart-shaped chocolate boxes in store windows this time of year—as would
Grace Wainwright and Beck Delaney.
Thea and Luke are the hero and heroine of the
award-winning romantic comedy Hooking Mr.
Right. Grace is Thea’s editor. She and Beck, who both have their own
reasons for hating Valentine’s Day, show up in the short story sequel Finding Mr. Right. Both the novel and
the short story include recipes perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day.
Hooking Mr.
Right
Can a butt-ugly alley
cat named Cupid bring together two people driven apart by secrets and lies?
After writing a
doctoral thesis that exposed fraud in the pop-psychology genre, thirty-two year
old professor Althea Chandler sacrifices her professional integrity to save her
family from financial disaster. She secretly becomes best-selling romance guru
Dr. Trulee Lovejoy, self-proclaimed expert on how to catch a man, even though
Thea's a miserable failure when it comes to relationships -- especially those
with the opposite sex.
Burned by a failed
marriage, Luke Bennett finds himself pursued by Dr. Lovejoy toting women after
a gossip columnist dubs him New York's most eligible bachelor. When he at first
mistakes Thea for one of the women out to snare him, sparks fly, but the two
soon find themselves battling sparks of a less hostile nature, thanks in part
to that alley cat.
Luke believes he's
finally found an honest woman. Unfortunately, Thea is anything but honest.
She's got more secrets than the CIA and a desperate gossip columnist out to
expose her. Cupid definitely has his work cut out for him.
Buy Links
Paperback (includes
Finding Mr. Right)
Finding Mr.
Right
In this short story sequel
to the award-winning Hooking Mr. Right by Lois Winston (writing as
Emma Carlyle,) editor Grace Wainwright, has taken over the role of bestselling
author and romance guru Dr. Trulee Lovejoy. Thea Chandler, the original Trulee,
is now married to her Mr. Right and is a successful cookbook author. She and
Grace host the top-rated Love Recipes cooking show. When producer
Becket Delaney announces the first two shows in February will have a
Valentine’s Day theme, Grace freaks out. The worst day of her life occurred on
Valentine’s Day ten years ago, and she wants no reminders of it. Beck has his
own reasons for hating the holiday, but the show must go on, and he absolutely
refuses to deal with an uncooperative prima donna. When a citywide blackout
traps him and Grace in his thirty-fourth floor office, their adversarial
relationship really begins to heat up.
Buy Links
No comments:
Post a Comment