Always, Almond Fudge by Charlotte O’Shay
Interview with Charlotte O’Shay. Charlotte, here’s the mic:-
What is your greatest temptation:
In men: A sense of humor and a positive outlook on life get me every time.
In food: Brioche or olive bread, cheese, chocolate & wine
In clothes: I’m drawn to soft linen and cozy wool depending on the season.
It’s all about the natural fibers.
What is your greatest weakness (example: buying shoes)? Funky earrings always call to me
If you could have any kind of car, what would it be? I’m obsessed with old school circa late sixties Jeep Wagoneers. Someday…
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Your dream home – mountains or ocean? Ocean. Ocean. Ocean. There is nothing like the mesmerizing music of the waves, the light over the water at sunrise and sunset.
What inspired you to become a writer?
I was always a writer. Several years ago after a personal health crisis and the premature deaths of people I love, I finally said to myself, “what the *%$@ are you waiting for?” and chose to focus on getting published.
Do you have a daily writing routine? If so, please share. I have chapter goals, like a chapter a day on the days I write. I try hard to keep to my writing routine. There’s nothing like the feeling of setting and meeting a goal.
What is your favorite book? Impossible to name. I’ve enjoyed and been influenced by so many books in so many genres but by far, reading romance gives me that escapism feeling I crave.
What is your favorite movie? I love the first (original) Terminator. Strong female who doesn’t think she’s strong, fighting an enemy from the future. Romance and time travel perfection.
Who is your favorite historical figure? Alexander Hamilton. A passionate, flawed genius who made the most of his time here on earth. Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton rocked my world.
If you were given the opportunity to spend a day with any person, living or dead, who would it be? Hamilton and/or Shakespeare.
In your books, who is your favorite hero and please introduce him? It’s impossible to choose a favorite. Vladimir Grigory from my first book, THE MARRIAGE ULTIMATUM is a classic wounded alpha who readers loved to hate. I have a soft spot for him.
Lately, I love Zane Blackthorne from HOME IN YOUR ARMS, my upcoming Deerbourne Inn novella. Both men feel deeply but find it difficult to express their emotions.
Who is your favorite heroine and please introduce her? There’s a little of me in all of my heroines and in that sense they’re all favorites. I love Samantha DiMartino of FOREVER IN A MOMENT and Karla Payne, the heroine in my upcoming Deerbourne Inn novella, HOME IN YOUR ARMS. Life knocks them both down hard but they find the strength to get back up. I admire them because neither of these ladies is afraid to speak her mind to each other, their men or anyone else.
What do you have out now?
ALWAYS, ALMOND FUDGE, a sweet, small-town romance set in the WWII era was just released. The Wild Rose Press, my publisher put out a call for novella length romances featuring summer at the shore and ice cream. I challenged myself by setting the story in a different era. I also chose to keep the story innocent, almost fairy tale-like in spite of its wartime setting.
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Always, Almond Fudge
[image error]Blurb
On a lengthy car ride to their annual seaside vacation, a mother recounts the true story of a sweet family tradition. It’s the summer of 1941 in the seaside town of Langford, Rhode Island, and seventeen-year-old Meredith Franklin works as a server at Seymore’s Ice Cream Shoppe.
When aspiring baseball player Anthony Fanelli strolls into the ice cream shop, his teasing banter leads to romantic sparks and dreams of forever love.
Their whirlwind courtship comes to an abrupt halt on December 7, 1941, when America enters World War Two, forcing the couple to put their future on hold.
Decades later, a treasure trove of wartime letters details the romance of Merry and Anthony and the sacrifices of a generation.
Excerpt
Merry swallowed. Her powers of speech deserted her as she soaked in his animated features. What was happening to her? A planner by nature, Merry wasn’t ready for the[image error] way her imagination was flying off, far into the future. A future where she’d see the strong planes of Anthony’s tanned face every day for the rest of her life. Frightened by the strength of her vision, she occupied her trembling fingers, rearranging the cups and napkins behind the counter. It was getting near to nine p.m. She had work to do to close the shop.
“So, I’ve come for my ice cream. Your favorite.”
“You’re very confident,” she said. Her heartbeat fluttered then galloped forward with a curious combination of nerves and exhilaration.
He pressed his big hands to his thighs and shrugged. “Confident is the only way to go through life.”
Merry felt herself sinking deep into his densely lashed eyes. “I couldn’t agree more. Okay, Mr. Anthony Fanelli, which flavor do you choose?”
Buy Links
(click above link for Amazon, Kobo, Apple/IBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook & Google)
New releases anytime soon?
Coming very soon is HOME IN YOUR ARMS, my second novella in the Deerbourne Inn world. Readers wanted to know more about Karla Payne who appeared in my first Deerbourne Inn story and in HOME IN YOUR ARMS she gets her well-deserved Happily ever after.
Where can eager fans find you?
Charlotte O’Shay’s Social Media Links:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
[image error]Author Charlotte O’Shay was born in New York City into big family and then married into another big family.
Negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in the law.
But after four beautiful children joined the crowded family tree, Charlotte traded her legal career to write about happily ever afters in the City of Dreams.
Charlotte loves to challenge her heroines and heroes with a crisis and watch them figure out who they are while they fall in love.
