Does Birth Order Matter? by Amber Cross

June 30, 2021 Jean Grant

Birth Order Matters, Right?

by Amber Cross

I find it fascinating how birth order affects us and shapes our personalities, evident in my LOVE IN THE KINGDOM books.

Abby is the oldest child of parents who split up; an overachiever, spunky, brilliant, and absolutely devoted to her younger brothers. Meet her in Precedent for Passion:

Their attraction set a precedent no one else could match…

Abby's imagination hadn't been playing tricks with her memory. Glen Plankey is still so attractive he makes her toes curl, even fifteen years after first meeting him in a court room. And that voice! Deep and authoritative, she practically melts into a puddle at the sound of it. She can't wait to see more of him. Glen can't get away fast enough. Everything about Abby reminds him of a terrible day in his life, yet his brain turns to adolescent mush at her curves and his heart skips a beat every time she smiles. Soon undeniable attraction leads to scorching passion and grows into a true love affair. But is it strong enough to survive when he thinks she has played him for a fool?

I can’t remember if I planned to write the brothers’ stories when I began Precedent for Passion, but by the end I knew. Follow Romney’s story in Tender Possession:

Can he charm his way into her heart?

Emmeline Charbonneau spent most of her life protecting others from her father's violent mood swings and erratic behavior. Now that he's gone she isn't so much relieved as cast adrift. She desperately needs an anchor. Romney Wilson is his mother's second son and his father's second child. Success may take him all over the world, but he is still that youngest sibling trying to find his place in it. Quite simply, he needs to be needed. The connection between them is immediate and strong. But can she trust this impulsive and spontaneous charmer to stick around? And will he get past her wall of self-preservation only to scare her away?

David “grounds” his brilliant siblings. The reliable middle child. Unflappable until he meets the exciting Jonnie Moulton in Open Door to Love:

A hot chef in a cold climate makes this wild woman want to settle down…

Jonnie Moulton's chance for a fresh start as Somerset's marketing consultant might be over before it begins unless she can convince David Wang she knows what she's doing and isn't the desperate woman he met three years ago. This confident new Jonnie makes David's blood sizzle. He plans to keep her close and not just because she's living in one of his resort cabins. He "gets" her like no one else. She excites him more every day. But is this simply passion, or have they found an open door to love?

Find Amber’s books online:

Apple Books

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Target

I thought I was done, but Lisa had her own ideas. HR director at the hospital in Tender Possession, Jonnie’s best friend in Open Door to Love, she screamed, “Write my story!” So I did: A Full-Bodied Love.

Speed-dating round:

Find Amber online: Website ~ Facebook page ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Bookbub Profile

In an alternate reality, what would be your dream job (besides author)?

I would be an acrobat in the circus, because I could do all the things I loved as a child-swing, ride ponies, twirl a baton, and strut to music.

Where would you visit if you could go anywhere?

St. Petersburg, Russia. I’d love to see the colorful houses and skate on the river.

If you could meet one famous person, living or dead, who would it be?

Queen Rania of Jordan. When she first came into power, she announced an ambitious and very progressive agenda for the women of her country. Since then, that agenda has been drastically scaled back but I think might be even more effective as a result. I’d love to sit with her for an afternoon.

You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why?

Flaming orange, because orange is my favorite color and there aren’t that many shades of it in the crayon box.

You find a $100 bill in your purse/bag, what would you spend it on?

Fresh flowers, a book, a big salad, and then I’d probably use the rest for mundane things like gas, bread, and milk.

Favorite childhood book?

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Favorite book of all time?

A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich (published 1928)

Lion Dancing for Love: the latest in the Deerbourne Inn series

March 25, 2019 Jean Grant

What inspired Lion Dancing for Love?

I wanted to write a story that reflected the multi-cultural world we live in, and how, as human beings, we have far more in common than we have differences. I have a number of Chinese friends and I have always been intrigued by their culture, and the process whereby immigrants are absorbed into the mainstream culture and what they retain and what they lose from their culture of origin. My heroine Caitlin’s family is typical of many immigrant families in that her granny, who was born in America to Chinese immigrants, is still very Chinese. However, her mother married an Anglo American, so Caitlin has a foot in both worlds. My hero Corey, however, is a born and bred Vermonter several generations back.

As a city dweller my whole life, I am also always intrigued by the differences between large and small towns and how individuals used to the hustle and bustle of large cities adapt (or don’t) to the intimacy of smaller towns.

Amazon ~ iTunes ~ Kobo ~ Google Play ~ Series link

Licking her wounds after a bad relationship, San Diego accountant Caitlyn Summers travels to Willow Springs to help her friend gear up for the annual Maple Sugar Ball. She isn't planning on staying long, but one encounter with the delicious Corey Duncan has her re-evaluating her plans.

Corey swore off love when his wife Annie died from breast cancer. Caitlyn is too young, too citified, and vibrates with a passion and energy that will upend the safe, comfortable rhythm of his life. Corey has to choose between playing it safe and taking a risk on love. Caitlyn needs to find the patience to let Corey lead. If not, the Maple Sugar Ball might end in a sticky mess, instead of a slow dance with the man who has captured her heart.

Will their fire burn hot enough to erase doubts and past hurts?

Did you learn any interesting discovery or tidbit of info while researching/writing this book?

Lion Dancing costume similar to Caitlyn and Corey’s in the book

So many! However, the ones tied to the lion dance were most interesting. I’m familiar with the color and pageantry of Chinese New Year celebrations, but it wasn’t until I started researching the topic that I found out that a Lion Dance is performed to usher in good luck and fortune. It is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other Chinese traditional, cultural and religious festivals – including the opening of new businesses. That’s the link that allowed me to tie a Lion Dance to the Maple Sugar Ball held in Willow Springs.

I also discovered that 1.5% of Vermont’s population is Asian in origin, of which at least some are Chinese, so I felt comfortable introducing Chinese characters despite its French colonial history and association with maple sugar, maple syrup and skiing.

Tell us one unique thing about you we might not know.

I’ve always been a bit of a nerd and a bookworm, so many people are surprised to find out that I paid for my university education with a tennis scholarship.

How about an excerpt?

Caitlin gulped in a cooling draught of fresh morning air. She didn’t want to get off to a bad start with Annette’s friends and neighbors, but she would not, could not, say anything good about that show.
“So not a fan of reality TV, huh?” Corey sounded amused.
She bristled. “No.”
“Up to people what they want to do with their time, isn’t it? Popular entertainment has been around since the Romans fed gladiators to the lions. I’m sure some Romans found other entertainment, plays and suchlike.”
“It’s the biggest con job, on both participants and audiences. The only people who get rich are the producers who dream up the rubbish.” She gave him a sidelong glance. “I suppose I’ve offended you.”
Corey shook his head. “Not me. I’m hard to offend. Besides, I like to watch sports. Also reality TV, but not scripted.” He winked at her.
“So they say,” she muttered, but her tension eased.
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those conspiracy theorists who thinks every match is fixed?” He clutched at his heart. “And I thought we were developing a beautiful friendship.”
“We can’t be friends if I don’t like sports?”
He shrugged, but his lips tilted up, and his eyes twinkled. Built and a sense of humor. Why couldn’t he live in San Diego?

Laura Boon stole her first romance from her father’s bookshelves as a teenager, The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss, and was immediately captivated. After holding a variety of positions in publishing, from bookseller to sales rep and publicist, she eventually found the courage to write her own stories. She was born in Zambia, grew up in South Africa, and went to university in America. She now lives in Australia with her husband and their fur babies Beau and Arro. When she is not reading or writing, she enjoys sleuthing for artisan chocolate and beautiful stationery, watching tennis, and walking alongside Sydney’s beautiful harbor. Laura was name 2018 Australian Romance Readers of Australia Debut Romance Author of the year (The Millionaire Mountain Climber).