Cocktails For You! Quick Reads to Brighten the Dullest Day.

If you’ve been following my writing these past seven years, then you know I tend to write long books, full of detail and intrigue. Whether it’s a contemporary, historical, fantasy, mild paranormal, or suspense novel, my books are generally written in the third person, giving you, the reader, a look inside the motivation and point of view of each of the story’s main characters.

Last summer, a very good friend persuaded me to try something new. She challenged me to write a short romantic comedy, the kind often referred to as chick-lit. These books are often written in the first person, something I’d attempted before in Same Time Next Year, when I wrote Twyla’s story within the book that way. As well, these books usually have comedic scenes, something else I was familiar with and used in both Just for the Weekend, Wedding Bell Blues, and His Christmas Family.

At the time she suggested I try my hand at this new genre, I’d just returned from a vacation in Los Cabos, Mexico. There were rumors of a vicious virus over in China, but like most North Americans, I had no idea how bad this virus was, nor that it would launch a pandemic unseen in over 100 years.

Still sated in vacation bliss, I decided to try my hand at a first person story. Since no one really wants to read about a seventy-year-old’s vacation, I decided to show it through the eyes of a much younger heroine. Since the story had to be a romance, I fell back on my favorite ‘second chance at love’ trope.

The events in the story are all based on my vacation. Some things like the flight delay actually happened. Other things are the product of my imagination and stories I was told. The places mentioned are all real, and I invite you to visit the area when the pandemic is over. I certainly hope to go again.

Tequila Sunrise was originally published as part of the Author’s Billboard Summer Shorts Box Set and its cover was made against the background of one of the photographs I took one morning at sunrise.

The colours were breathtaking and as I watched, the sky grew lighter and even more beautiful. My cover artist knew the cover didn’t suit the style of the story, but she humored me and created this.

It’s easy to see that she was right. Now, I’ve released Tequila Sunrise with a fantastic Melinda De Ross cover befitting the story. It’s the first book in a series known as Cocktails for You. Each novel in the story will feature a signature drink that plays a part in the story itself. The stories will be short and easy to read.

Here’s the blurb for the first book in Cocktails for You, Tequila Sunrise.

Sun, sand, and mind-blowing kisses!

Kelly Winters, an up and coming recreational facilities designer for Dreamscapes, is thrilled to be part of a Think Tank Conway Enterprises is putting together—so thrilled in fact that she agrees, despite the fact she hates flying.
Liam Conway, the heir apparent to Conway Enterprises, can’t believe his luck when he spots his Kellyanne in the airport and discovers she’ll be his seatmate on the flight to Mexico City. He was sure they’d connected that day ten years ago, and not just because she’d literally left him in stitches. He searched for her for weeks afterwards, but it was as if she’d vanished into thin air.
Kelly is stunned to see Liam after all these years. Discovering that not only is he participating in the same Think Tank she is, but he’s also her boss leads to more than she bargained for. Can a ten-year-old attraction blossom again, or will their positions keep them apart?

Tequila Sunrise is available from Amazon for only 99 cents or free through your KU membership. It’s also available in paperback for those of you who commute or simply love the feel of a book in your hands.