Dear Readers, I knew
Cecelia from the ACFW email loop. When we had our Minneapolis
Welcome back,
Cecelia. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on
the horizon?
I’d like to write as many books as I can while searching for
people to read my stories. I’ve started promoting my novels to secular readers.
I’ve actually found some people who’ve read my books and said they’ve been
enlightened by my stories. These readers usually read hot, steamy romances, and
they felt it was touching to read a story about characters who turn to God for
answers to their troubles.
I’d also love to make a living with my writing someday, Lord
willing.
That’s what we all
want. Way to go. Tell us a little about your family.
I’ve been married to a wonderful man for twelve years. We
have a ten-year-old son. Our son has a black belt in karate, and he’s an honor
roll student. He also loves to play video games. Both my husband and my son
love sports. While they watch basketball and football games, I’m usually
reading a book!
I read a lot of books
while James and I are watching the Texas
I noticed since I’ve started writing Christian fiction that
that is what I mostly read. Yes, I still read secular fiction, but, I read it
sparingly.
Me, too. What are you
working on right now?
Right now I’m working on Sweet
Dreams, Book 3 in The Bakery Romance Series.
What outside
interests do you have?
I love to bake! I love baking cookies and cakes. I also
enjoy some gardening.
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
I tend to choose places that are familiar to me. If I’m
using a fictional town, I usually set it in Maryland
since I’ve lived in Maryland
my entire life.
If you could spend an
evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
I’d like to talk to the Apostle Paul. I’ve been amazed and
curious about the lives of the early Christians. I’d like to sit and talk to
the Apostle Paul, discuss what’s going on in the world today. I’d like to hear
what he thinks about the way the church has evolved over the last two thousand
years.
What is the one thing
you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
I wish I’d known that I wanted to write novels! I didn’t
realize I wanted to be a writer until I was almost thirty years old! If I’d
known this earlier, I may have gotten my writing career started earlier.
I wrote my first
novel in my forties. What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?
Patience. I’m still learning patience. So difficult not to
be anxious about certain things, but, I’m working on that with the Lord’s help.
What are the three
best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
Go to a writers’ conference and network with other authors. Read
all of the books that you possibly can that are within the genre that you are
targeting. Write the book – I’ve met so many “writers” that talk about writing,
but, they don’t actually write anything.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Shades of Chocolate: Toni enjoys making chocolate treats in her
bakery. Haunted by her abusive past, she struggles with her faith in God. Her
world changes when a handsome stranger arrives, reminiscing about his
childhood. Jason Matthews misses his days of working in his family's pastry
shop. Estranged from his father, he longs to rediscover the joy and comfort
from baking. When Toni's life is threatened, Jason realizes how deeply he cares
for her. Can Toni and Jason overcome their pasts and learn to trust one
another?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
The security guard grinned at Toni, wiping the crumbs away
from his mouth. He placed the partially-eaten pink, heart-shaped cupcake on a napkin.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.”
She returned his smile, snuggling beneath the winter cape
her fiancé Brian had gotten for her last birthday. “Happy Valentine’s Day to
you, too.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. “I’m here
to see Brian Carter.”
The guard nodded. “Go on up. His admin told me you’d be
stopping by for lunch.”
“Thanks.” Toni’s high-heeled shoes tapped against the waxed
floor as she strolled toward the elevator. Clutching the handle of her picnic
basket, she entered, pressing the button for the third floor. “I’ve got to make
it through this lunch.” She closed her eyes, the cool interior of the carpeted
elevator bringing her a little comfort. Hopefully, her surprise Valentine’s Day
lunch with Brian would give them a chance to talk about the problems they’d
been having.
She exited the elevator, strolled to the double oak doors
that led to Brian’s office. She slowly opened the door, blinked several times,
her heart pounding. What in the world? This had to be a bad dream. Brian
clutched his secretary, Gia, in his arms, kissing her! He moaned, opened his
eyes, spotted Toni in the doorway. He dropped his arms, his light brown skin
reddening.
“Toni—” He started toward her.
She froze, unable to move. She finally backed up, slamming into
the wall behind her, her eyes locked with Brian’s. She opened her mouth, but
she couldn’t speak. She glanced at Gia, who grinned, her eyes sparkling. Gia’s
unbuttoned blouse granted Toni a peek at the lacy pattern of her bra. Finally
finding her voice, Toni groaned, closing her eyes, her heart continuing to
pound.
She swallowed when Brian approached, the tangy scent of his
cologne surrounding her. She’d usually found joy in Brian’s scent, but now, the
nauseous odor of his aftershave just made her sick. He reached for her.
“Don’t touch me!”
“Baby, just give me a minute to explain.” His deep voice
filled the room, as Toni made her way toward the door. Gia buttoned her blouse,
grabbed her pantyhose from the floor and rushed from the office.
The chocolate muffin Toni had eaten an hour ago swirled in
her stomach. A sour taste filled her mouth. The picnic basket slipped from her
sweaty, shaky hands and fried chicken and chocolate pie exploded from the
container onto Brian’s immaculate beige carpet. Her Valentine’s Day card landed
on top of the pie. The intermingled scents of chicken and chocolate filled her
nose, the food making her stomach cramp. She pressed her fingers to her
quivering mouth. A sour taste filled her tongue. Brian approached her, grabbed her
arm.
Vomit gushed from her lips, right onto Brian’s fancy leather
shoes. He dropped her arm.
Blackness swirled around her, and she blinked. She couldn’t
faint, not right now. She needed to give Brian a piece of her mind. She glanced
at him. He studied his shoes, refusing to give her any attention. Did he really
care more about his shoes than their relationship?
She rushed from the room.
“Toni!”
His voice echoed behind her but she couldn’t stop. Somehow,
she finally made it outside to her car, got in, dropping her keys while trying
to put them into the ignition. She couldn’t drive, not like this. Her phone
buzzed, but she ignored it. Salty tears slid down her cheeks as she gripped her
steering wheel.
You really caught our
attention. How can readers find you on the Internet?
My website, Twitter, and Facebook links:
Thank you, Cecelia, for sharing this new book with us. I know my blog readers are eager to read it.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Shades Of Chocolate (The Bakery Romance Series Book 2)
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