Thanks for the invitation to appear on your gorgeous blog to talk about my new release Forever in a Moment, my addition to the Wild Rose Press Deerbourne Inn series.
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 warmed 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 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 blizzard. 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?
Why did you write this particular book?
Some ideas cook up fast and some simmer in the back of one’s mind till the time is right.
Forever in a Moment was born with no epidural, I barely made it to the hospital in time! As soon as the publisher’s call went out for submissions, I pictured my heroine, Samantha and since I love to put my characters in a crisis at a pivot point in their lives, it was vital I send this urban professional used to being so focused and driven up to rural Vermont to a strange place with people she didn’t know. Sam is forced out of her comfort zone.
[I love this comparison to pregnancy and birth…I use the same analogy with book writing and publication! And once that baby’s in the world we still don’t know how everything will turn out!]
One of the first things Sam discovers is though she was left practically at the altar, she isn’t heartbroken. She’s embarrassed to know she put her emotional life on auto-pilot and she resolves to change. She’s an energetic, driven woman so even though the stuffing’s been knocked out of her, she’s determined to recover her buoyant spirit.
In Willow Springs she slows down, regroups and gives herself a chance to think about the direction of her life. How rare is it after college that we get that time to reflect? Most of us, like Sam, have to have introspection forced upon us.
I loved watching Sam meet Jed, a soft-spoken farmer who is all wrong for her but yeah you guessed it, oh so right. There are some rom-com moments and some angsty emotional ones too. Sam is reminded people are the same everywhere. We’re all human, fallible beings. And life is short.
Do you ever put any part of yourself in your characters?
There’s a tiny bit of me in all my characters and a little more of me in Sam— at least the bare outlines. Urban woman, lawyer (former). I made her braver than me though and she’s seldom at a loss for words. I’ve been to Vermont a bunch of times to ski and I will never forget my first time seeing all the snow and trees and just quiet as far as my eye could see. Quite a memorable experience for a city kid.
Find Forever in a Moment: Amazon, Kobo, Google Play
Let’s get to know Charlotte more! Speed Round!
Coffee or Tea or Wine:
Coffee! I can get up as early as the next person but I need lots of coffee if I have any hope of forming a sentence. Tea only when sick with honey, turmeric, ginger, cayenne & lemon.
And yes wine. Always.
Manuscript Playlist?
In addition to the karaoke Glory Days by Springsteen and Carole King’s You make me Feel like a Natural Woman in this story one song that I couldn’t get out of my head was Home by Phillip Phillips https://youtu.be/97yHtjVyzi4
Beach, Lake, or Mountains?
Beach, beach, beach any time of year.
What are you known for?
What an interesting question. I would say that I am known for my roasted chicken, my green salad, my icebox cake and for giving great hugs
Thanks again for the opportunity to appear on you blog, Jean.
- Charlotte
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Time for an excerpt!
“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.