Deerbourne Inn Dates: Charlotte O'Shay
Today I’m talking to Charlotte O’Shay author of four contemporary romances. She is a contributing author to the Deerbourne Inn series, and her book Forever in a Moment is now available. Check Charlotte’s Events section on her website charlotteoshayauthor.com for all of the stops on her blog tour for this release and her upcoming May 29 release Their No-Strings Affair.What’s the first book you remember reading on your own as a child? I was raised on Dr. Seuss. One of my first as a new reader was Green Eggs and Ham which is actually mentioned by my heroine in Forever in a Moment, Samantha who is known as Sam. It was read to her by her father. Fiction and life collide in so many ways!What is your favorite place to write?At my desk which is in a cozy corner of the family room. I’ve never tried writing in a coffee shop type place since I need relative quiet.What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned on your writing journey so far?I’ve learned two things that are related:
- Strive to stretch, grow and improve as a writer with every
- Once the book is out in the world, people may love it or hate it and strangely some people will love the exact thing others hate. No matter. It’s out of your control. Move on to the next and write the best book you can write. Because no one else can write the book you will write.
What do you do when you feel stuck?I walk, mediate, sometimes I read or reread a book about process. I try to listen and be aware of life around me because the answer is there just waiting for me to notice it.Please recommend a romance you recently read and enjoyed.I am working my way through the Deerbourne Inn series. I love them all yet they are all so varied.I recently read The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker. Wow does she have a way with words.What was it that appealed to you about the Deerbourne Inn series?I saw the series as a challenge. Could I write a good book at novella length? Could I write first person POV well? (that was a personal challenge) Could I give life to characters from the series bible and have them realistically interact with my created characters? Could I write a book in a rural setting? I hope I answered all of those in the affirmative.What was the inspiration behind Forever in a Moment?We were asked to set our story around a holiday. I chose the days leading up to New Year because I have always found New Year’s Eve and its celebrations have a lot of potential for awkward encounters but maybe also romance. I immediately thought of a fish out of water city woman stuck in small town Vermont for a holiday.Tell us about Forever in a Moment in 150 words or less.Here is the blurb:
A stormy encounter...Samantha DeMartino’s Christmas wedding is two weeks away when her fiancé calls the whole thing off. Word on the street: his cold feet are being heated by an old flame.With her well-ordered world in complete disarray, Sam’s friends convince her to go on her honeymoon—alone. A week away from the city and her demanding corporate career at a charming Vermont inn, could be just what she needs to figure out next steps.Between his twenty-four seven work schedule on his family’s dairy farm and teaching tourists to ski, Jed Armstrong’s too busy to think about how lonely he is...until Sam sings her way into his life during a Christmas snowstorm. Now he has to figure out a way to convince her to stay.Can a vivacious city girl find forever with a reclusive farmer? Will her secret keep her from trying?Do you have an extract you can share with us?“Samantha.” If his voice were angry or commanding I’d have kept going. But his voice is low and there’s an anguished, guttural quality to the way he says my name. And I won’t have it. I can’t have him thinking anything negative about me after I go. When I turn, he takes a step toward me and I raise a hand. “Stop…I can’t think when you get too close.” My face heats as those damning words spill out and he chuckles, a genuine laugh and it’s the only one between us today. “Glad I still amuse you.” I fold my arms across my chest. “I feel the same way, Sam.” “Jed, don’t make this tougher,” I say but he keeps speaking in that same harsh voice. “When I’m near you everything fades away except the need to be closer. Close enough to watch your eyes cloud up when I’m about to kiss you, close enough to hear your breathing get ragged when my hands are on you.” “Jed, we agreed…” He shakes his head. “No, I gave in. Because you asked me to. If I had my way, I’d see you all day, every day and… sleep with you every night. I…” “Stop,” I say. “This, us, whatever this is—can’t happen. I go back to New York in a couple of days.” “Sam, I…” “No.” I slash my hand through the air. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.” I’m on edge, close to tears at the way I can’t control my response to him. And all my precious logic is eluding me. He plows a hand through his hair then captures my gaze with his and I can’t look away. “What’s happening is us. We’re happening. This is our beginning. You and me together. I’d started to think it would never happen. But it did. When I saw you that first night…I knew. And you did too.” “No.” My denial is swift. “No. I didn’t. It’s not that simple. We hardly know each other…” I lift my chin in spite of the flush I know covers my cheeks. But it’s true, isn’t it? We don’t know each other. I surprise myself when a tear trickles down my cheek and I swipe it fast.Buy Links
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