Tequila Sunrise. Inspiration Can Come From Anywhere!

When I decided to try my hand at romantic comedy, sometimes called chick-lit, I struggled with what to write. I knew that I would be working in the first person, something I’d never done, and that I would have a narrow point of view for the plot. I also knew that I would be dealing with a strong, self-sufficient heroine, one who was still soft and insecure at times but did her best to hide it. And of course in keeping with the times, I might need more sex than I was used to adding to my books.

I was determined to try my hand at it when I returned from visiting family in Los Cabos, Mexico in January, 2020. We all know what happened three months later. The pandemic shut everything down, plunging us into terror at the deadliest virus of our age.

Stuck inside by the order to shelter in place and avoid crowds, even our own families and friends, I had lots of time to think about this new writing style. My best friend and fellow author suggested I needed to consider writing more than one book and linking them with some kind of common theme. That’s where the Cocktails for You series was born.

I decided to name each book in the series after a specific cocktail and include the recipe for that cocktail in the story. I did my April A to Z in 2021 on cocktails. By then, there were four books in the series.

But, let’s get back to numero uno. While I was looking through the pictures of that vacation that seemed years rather than a mere three months earlier, I saw the shots of the sunrise I’d taken one morning as I’d watched the sky turn form a vibrant purple to bright pink, peach, and yellow before the bright blue of the clear day chased all the clouds away. The pictures reminded me of a song. Can you guess which one?

The colors also reminded me of the drink I’d ordered the previous night. I’m not a fan of Margaritas since I find them either too salty, or like the ones my brother-in-law made, authentic ones not frozen like I was used to, too strong. This was mild, sweet, and pretty, with the grenadine settling at the base, and the orange juice and orange liqueur hit the spot.

Those three ideas gave me the title for my first Cocktails for You book, Tequila Sunrise. I decided to throw in a few of the things that had happened to me during the vacation, like the long flight delay and the deicing, described some of the places we’d visited down there, the condo where we’d stayed on the beach, and a humerous thing that had happened to my nephew a few years back. Just because something looks harmless doesn’t mean that it is, especailly when it comes to taco toppings.

Then, of course I needed a romance. Since it was my first attempt, I chose something simple, a combined second chance at love-office romance with the boss trope. Satisfied with the story, it was edited, reedited, and edited again. The story was short, a novella rather than the novel I usually wrote, but not bad for my first attempt at the genre. Then the start for the perfect cover. The first one in the pictures is the last and current one.

The first cover we chose was the one with the silhouette and the photograph I’d taken. It sold well when it was part of the box set but not so well on its own. My cover artist suggested something more in line with the genre. That was when we moved to the blonde in the hammock. Sadly, it still didn’t capture the attention we’d hoped. Was it because the model looked too sweet and innocent? After a few months, she suggested we try something sassier, thus cover number three with the model looking straight at the camera took its place. The book did a little better, but not well enough. Last year, my cover artist insisted the cover wasn’t right and that was hampering sales. She claimed that vector covers were all the rage for this genre of book and came up with the fourth and current cover. To be honest, I’m not sold on cartoon-style covers, but the book is selling a bit better. Increasing sales might come if I got a better handle on promotion, too. I really suck at that!

Here’s the blurb:

Tequila Sunrise: a romantic comedy about a career woman with a second chance at love (Cocktails For You)

She left him in stitches before pulling a Cinderella and disappearing. Ten years later, she wants a second chance.

You can check out the opening pages here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PCCXH1W

And because Imentioned the song … Love the Eagles! Enjoy.