Tag Archives: Charlotte O’Shay

September 21, 2021 · 12:00 am

MY ONLY ONE, a new first-in-a-series book by author Charlotte O’Shay…

One of my favorite things as a blogger is introducing you, lovely reader, to a new-author-to-you. If you’ve followed this blog you know one of my favorite authors is Wild Rose Press sistah, Charlotte O’Shay. She writes great female leads, swoony heroes, and fabulous stories. She’s got her first indie book, MY ONLY ONE, out today and I am honored she’s visiting me on release day.

Hi Peggy,

Thanks you for hosting me! I’m over the moon today because it’s release day for My Only One. To be 100% truthful there’s a queasy edge to my excitement because this romance is my first indie as well as the start of a new series. So…anyway… here goes.

Five fun facts about the story & world of the Fortunato family. And a Newsletter Sign-up Giveaway.

1-My Only One, a short-ish friends to lovers, romantic suspense introduces the seven Fortunato siblings: Shane, Leo, Finn, Holly, Christopher, Ivy and Delaney and the Fortunato Family series. All of the stories are set in and around New York City.

2-I also come from a family of seven siblings. Are there any autobiographical elements in this series? Hmm…

3- The first book, My Only One features the eldest Fortunato brother, Shane, an NYPD detective and the girl next door, Esme, a cancer cure researcher. An early reviewer said, “I couldn’t put this book down as it was so addictive and a real page turner that kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what the outcome would be for Esme and Shane and would they have a future together.”

4-The upcoming romances in this series are packed with family antics, steam and some my favorite romance tropes; like enemies to lovers, slow burn, opposites attract, best friend’s younger sister, fake relationship.

5-If this intrigues you and you want some more of the Fortunato saga, sign up to my newsletter here because I will be sharing the prologue to My Only One only with subscribers .

My Only One, Book One of the Fortunato Family series, is a friends to lovers, romantic suspense that’s chock full of feels.

Esme:
We grew up in side-by-side New York City tenements. Shane was my first friend, my first crush, and when he enlisted, my unforgettable heartbreak. When fate brings us back together after ten years, I’m in a world of danger. But I’m not a kid anymore and I know what I want. Shane and I have a second chance at forever and there’s no way I’ll lose him again.

Shane:
Brilliant, beautiful, bound for success, Esme was the girl next door and a temptation I had to resist. I was too old for her, but I couldn’t forget her. When we meet again after ten long years, she’s caught in the crosshairs of a deadly drug kingpin. But I wear a badge now. Nothing will stop me from protecting the woman who claimed me—heart and soul—so long ago. I’ll keep Esme safe or die trying.

Time’s running out for Esme to pay her father’s debt to the cartel.

Purchase from your favorite bookseller via Books2Read HERE

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.

Social Media Links:

WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

PINTEREST

FACEBOOK PAGE

BOOKBUB

Peggy here; to say I love Charlotte’s writing wouldn’t be a strong enough descriptive phrase. She is one of my one-click authors – the ones I preorder without even knowing what the book is about because she never NEVER disappoints. MY ONLY ONE is no exception to that. I was honored to read an ARC of this book and I’m sharing my review with you, here: My Only One Here’s a hint: LOVED IT!

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October 12, 2020 · 1:00 am

HOME IN YOUR ARMS by Charlotte O’Shay – A Deerbourne Inn Novella

I’ve got one of my favorite authors – and people – visiting here today. CHARLOTTE O’SHAY is a one-click author for me for so many reasons, not the least of which is her amazeballs story telling talent. We are Wild Rose Press sistahs and I have been honored to meet and get to know her at several RWA conferences. Today, she’s visiting because she has a brand new release out, her second addition to the Deerbourne Inn series titled HOME IN YOUR ARMS.

I was lucky enough to read this book before it went into release and I can’t say enough about how much I loved the characters, the storyline, and the way Charlotte just draws me in every single time to one of her stories. I’m gonna turn the mic over to her now…

Charlotte, take it away.

When I asked Peggy Jaeger about visiting her blog to talk about my new release HOME IN YOUR ARMS, and after she delivered her enthusiastic, typically Peggy yes! we had an inevitable moment catching up with our lives and our families, virtually, of course because that’s the way we do everything these days… sigh.

We talked about our families—weddings and funerals, parents and grandchildren, the seasons, the weather, how we’re always looking for time, striving for more and trying to be better.

And when we got to the end of our exchange, and I thought about what I would say about my latest release, I realized our chat was exactly what HOME IN YOUR ARMS is all about.

HOME IN YOUR ARMS is a romance but it’s also about finding one’s life and one’s self again. It’s about recognizing grief must have its time but if you let it, love will find a way back into your life. It’s about forgiving people—family and friends who mean well and accepting they are only being themselves with their own burdens to shoulder. It’s about mourning but recognizing it’s okay to dance again, it’s okay to hope, to look forward, make plans, create a future.

Karla & Zane are two people who meet when the time is finally right for them. They fight their attraction, they’re united in their loyalty, believing all sorts of things, but mainly that they’re undeserving of another chance at happiness. HOME IN YOUR ARMS is about how they understand, eventually, it’s okay to open themselves to love and romance, that it’s okay to be happy again.

It’s no wonder I felt compelled to quote from Ecclesiastes in one of the last chapters of the book. “To everything there is a season…”

Check me out on social media and let me know what you think of Karla and Zane’s story.

BLURB

After her sweetheart Joe dies in a road accident, twenty-four hours after he returns from Army service, grieving Karla Payne slams the door on love.
Five years later, Karla’s tavern business is booming, and she owns her home, but she knows forever love has no part in her future.

Headed to interview for his first civilian job, retired career Army 1st Sgt. Zane Blackthorne can’t resist visiting his late buddy’s beloved Vermont hometown. He also can’t resist looking up Joe’s sweetheart, Karla, who is an alluring mix of brains, beauty, and bravery.
Loyalty to his brother-in-arms demands Zane fight his attraction to Karla. Besides, even if Karla wants him, she’ll never love him.

Can Zane say goodbye to the woman he has no right to call his own?
Even if his only true home is in her arms?

Excerpt: 

He’d neglected to make a reservation for dinner at the inn which would have been handy given his hunger, but he was inclined to want something faster than a three-course meal anyway.

He took a quick look at the town map the desk clerk proffered, but he didn’t need it. It was all as Joe described. Setting the map back on the desk, he proceeded into town.

The Stone Hearth Tavern was filled to bursting with people, the jukebox blaring Roy Orbison. Not in the mood to converse with the throng at the bar, Zane made his way to an empty back table. After he gave the teenage server his order, he did his best to melt into the background—no easy feat given his size, but it felt good to stretch his legs and cross booted feet under one of the tables backed against the rear wall.

There she was—Karla. Exactly as Joe described her and yet more so. A strawberry blonde who commanded the area behind the bar, her staff, and the entire tavern with a simple flick of her capable hand and an impatient lift of one dark auburn eyebrow.

It was a busy night for a Tuesday in early March. Winter had barely loosed its grip on this part of the country, but nevertheless it seemed in the small town of Willow Springs, people socialized. Socializing was as foreign a concept to him as smiling. Two months after his retirement from the service, two months back on American soil, and he was as wary of people as a monk emerging from a twenty-year vow of silence.

This felt weird. No, it was weird because he didn’t belong here. Did he belong anywhere? Zane squashed the intrusive thought because he reckoned he belonged here as much as anywhere else. Even if his mind knew the truth of it, it would take some convincing before his body unwound from its tense coil in the hard seat at the back of the tavern. Wary and on watch, he was the furthest thing from relaxed or social. Cheeseburger and fries consumed, he stood, casting one last look behind the bar. Karla stood at the old-school register, hair gleaming bright under the pendant light, pencil tight between her white teeth as she rang up a customer. He dropped some cash on his table and found the exit.

What a mistake. Zane shook his head at the absurdity of the ridiculous plan prompting him to stop at the tavern Karla owned, and to visit Willow Springs at all.

You can get your copy here: Barnes & Noble Nook// Amazon Kindle // Apple – I Books //

Add it to your  Goodreads/ and Bookbub Pages

A little about Charlotte O’Shay

Award winning, NYC author Charlotte O’Shay is the middle child of a big family who married into another equally boisterous large family. Arguing, er…negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in law. 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 challenges her heroines and heroes with a crisis then watches them figure out who they are while they fall in love.

You can connect with, and follow Charlotte here: WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER  // INSTAGRAM // TWITTER // PINTEREST // FACEBOOK PAGE  // BOOKBUB

 

 

 

 

 

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August 12, 2020 · 12:00 am

ALWAYS, ALMOND FUDGE, a new #OneScooporTwo novella from #author Charlotte O’Shay releases today.

I love day’s like this. I get to shout out about one of my favorite books of the year, one of my favorite authors, and a dear writing pal!!
Charlotte O’Shay, one of my ubertalented Wild Rose Press sistahs, has a new book releasing today, titled ALWAYS, ALMOND FUDGE. It’s part of the wonderful One Scoop or Two series from WRP and I was honored to read the book prior to publication. You can see my review at the end of this post, but here’s a hint: I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I’m gonna give it over to Charlotte now so she can tell you a bit about this wonderful story.

Charlotte….take it away.

Hi Peggy!

I’m thrilled to visit you.

Thanks for letting me shout-out about my just released novella, Always, Almond Fudge, part of The Wild Rose Press’ One Scoop or Two series.

Here’s what people have asked me about the story.

Isn’t this out of your usual genre?

Absolutely. I’ve only written contemporary romance so far. This story is a 20th century historical starting in 1941. (Can you believe we are twenty years into a new century already?)

It’s also a sweet romance. I typically write steamier stories.

Why write historical?

I want to stretch myself as a writer and historical romance is a challenge. Language, lifestyle, dress, and the drama of the WW2 era— I had to get myself into the proper head and research to get details and the atmosphere right.

How does this fit into the One Scoop or Two series?

Summertime (in the northern hemisphere), seaside, and ice cream are what link all of the stories in this series. When I thought about those words my immediate vision was of a sweet, in name and deed, romance that starts on the eve of America’s entry into World War Two.

What inspired the characters of Merry and Anthony?

My parents. Like Merry and Anthony, there’s an age gap between them. My father had to ask my mom’s employer if he could ask her on a date. (She had a summer job as a waitress in a resort.) He was very much like the character of Anthony— a city kid, a stellar natural athlete, whether baseball, swimming, horseback riding, ice skating, you name it. He loved to sing and cook, too! Just a happy go lucky guy who always told us when he met our mom for the first time, “I fell like a ton of bricks.”

Always, Almond Fudge

 

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.

Buy Links Books2Read Universal Buy Link

(click above link for Amazon, Kobo, Apple/IBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook & Google)

Excerpt:

But jeepers, if anything could sidetrack a girl it would be Anthony Fanelli. If anyone could turn a determined woman’s head in the direction of romance it was this handsome fellow who’d smiled big and placed his hand over his heart when he saw her sitting in the stands. Merry had blushed to the roots of her hair, hair that was pinned to the side in deference to the ninety-something degree heat. She’d worn a navy skirt and a simple white polo—Rockets colors. A few of the Langford folk had looked her way at Anthony’s public display but Merry simply smiled and tilted her chin in response. It didn’t matter what stories they might carry back to her parents. Nothing would ever mar the memory of the first time she saw Anthony play.

 

A little about Charlotte O’Shay

Award winning 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.

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.

You can connect with Charlotte here:

WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // TWITTER// PINTEREST// FACEBOOK PAGE// BOOKBUB

 The ONE SCOOP OR TWO series are all novellas by Award Winning  and Bestselling Authors of the Wild Rose Press. See a complete list of the books available in the One Scoop or Two series at The Wild Rose Press, here: OSOT

Pssst… more books are planned for 2021!!!

My review of ALWAYS, ALMOND FUDGE is here( Hint: I LOVED IT!) : AAF

 

 

 

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May 29, 2019 · 12:54 am

A new #bookrelease from #author Charlotte O’Shay

I’ve said this a thousand times, but I lovelovelove  when one of my Wild Rose Press sistahs comes to visit, especially when she brings news of a new book release. Today, I’ve got dear friend and amazeballs writer, Charlotte O’Shay visiting me. Her newest book has just released and she graciously offered to tell me a little about it, and about the series it’s attached to. So, sit back and meet my lovely friend….

Charlotte:

Thanks Peggy for your generous invitation to chat with you today.

Woohoo! It’s release day for Their No-Strings Affair and I’m pumped to unleash this story on Romancelandia.

Their No-Strings Affair is the final book in my City of Dreams series. The story is a steamy, standalone contemporary.

My idea for this series came from the knowledge that NYC has always been a premiere destination for ambitious souls. It’s also a great place to get lost, or try to, if you’re running from a painful past or hiding a secret. All of the women and men in my series, Sabrina & Vlad, Lacey & Connor and Honey & Jake, are strivers and dreamers—all hellbent on achieving their goals. Dealing with painful pasts, the last thing they’re looking for is permanency in a relationship or romantic love. To a person they don’t believe in it. But sometimes fate has other plans.

Honey arrives in the city ready to jump start her art career. Her move to NYC was impulsively executed on the heels of a humiliating breakup with her long-term boyfriend. To make some fast cash she fills in as a server at a fancy, Pierre Hotel wedding (Sabrina and Vlad’s wedding ~The Marriage Ultimatum) and quickly runs afoul of security for the event run by Jake Ricco.

BLURB:

Honey packs everything she owns and heads to NYC to jumpstart her art career. Her cheating boyfriend is history, and she finally acknowledges the truth of her mother’s mantra: Careers are forever and happily ever after isn’t in their DNA.

All she needs is a job and a place to live. What she doesn’t need is a taciturn, sexy, ballbuster but she’s woman enough to know the difference between need and want. Isn’t she?

Jake’s childhood was marred by tragedy and his future hijacked to a promise born of guilt. His failure drove him to a career as a SEAL and a security expert.
But it’s not enough. Soon he’ll give up his freedom in reparation for the life he lost. Honey may be the last sweet stop on the road to a joyless future. If it’s what they both want, where’s the harm in a no-strings affair?

Excerpt:

A hand closed over her arm, and the tray of empties pitched sideways like the deckchairs on the Titanic. She heaved out a frustrated breath and stopped. The empties slid to a halt on the tray.

Honey was in no mood, especially not today, to be manhandled by a guy just because he was bigger and she stood only five-two in her sneakers.

“Get…your…hand…off…me. Right now. I don’t know who you think you are…” She pushed out the words low and slow. She could do this. She could get rid of him and squash her temper. This horrendous day was moments away from exploding into utter disaster.

But no, he wasn’t letting go of her arm, and it was either let the whole tray of wine glasses tumble to the floor, or let the bully have his say. Mother Nature had a nasty sense of humor, making Honey the size of a hummingbird and giving her the temper of a hippo.

“Who I am is your worst nightmare. Now plant your feet and give me your name.”

“Get lost.” Her words came out in a hiss. “Let go of my arm, and I’ll forget this happened.”

“Oh, really?” A sarcastic black brow lifted. “Give me your name now, and maybe”—his sneer said right, if you believe that, I have some bitcoin to sell you—“I won’t write you up.”

Honey stood her ground, lifted her chin, and stared him down in a way her brothers would’ve recognized as dangerous.

“First, let go of my arm.”

The volume of her voice inched up a couple of notches. Loud enough so any passing guests would wonder just what was going on in the midst of this glamorous wedding reception.

He released her arm but stayed so far inside her personal space she caught a hint of the lemon and leather of his aftershave. The heady scent fit the vibe of that TV commercial she loved, the one where the amber Italian sun cast shadows on a gorgeous guy on a motorcycle speeding down some scenic Roman side street at sunset.

Buy links

Their No-Strings Affair

Amazon US // Amazon UK //  Amazon CA // Amazon AU // Nook // IBooks  // Google play // Kobo

Look for books 1 and 2 in Charlotte’s City Of Dream trilogy:

The Marriage Ultimatum

and A Model Engagement

 

A little about Charlotte:

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.

You can connect with Charlotte here:

 WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // TWITTER  // PINTEREST  // FACEBOOK PAGE  // BOOKBUB

 

 

 

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April 10, 2019 · 12:03 am

A new #DeerbourneInn novella & visit from #author Charlotte O’Shay

I am so pleased to have another Wild Rose Press sistah with me today and her newest release, an addition to the  Deerbourne Inn series. Please welcome , an uber-talented author and my friend, Charlotte O’Shay and her new book FOREVER IN A MOMENT ( Deerbourne Inn).

Hi Peggy,

Thanks for inviting me to visit your busy blog. Today is release day and I’m so excited to share my new release Forever in a Moment.

Why did you write this story?

Perfect question. There are a million stories out there aren’t there? and so many romance tropes.

Forever in a Moment is my take on some age-old questions: Is there such a thing as love at first sight? What role does fate play in our lives?

I do believe in love at first sight, that instant connection that tells you this person, this guy or woman, is the one. And yet what we know as people and as authors is: nothing is ever that easy. If you asked Sam, my heroine, she’d tell you she didn’t believe anything, especially love happens that fast. Then she meets Jed…and wow. Now I think she’d say, “when you know, you know.”

What was your favorite part about writing this story?

My favorite part of this story was writing it in first person POV, which was the only way to write Sam. She’s a fish out of water in rural Vermont whose natural optimism is squashed when she’s jilted. Sam was like a friend who called me up to say: you’ll never believe the week I just had. She told me her story and I wrote it down. Fastest I’ve ever written a book.

I also Ioved the way our publisher’s series bible gave me an array of people like Jared Crawford who works at the inn and Karla Payne to work with. I met those characters and my imagination took off.

Favorite moments in the story?

I love the way Sam got to know the people in Willow Springs as individuals. She came up to the inn to lick her wounds but she’s a natural optimist and people person. I loved seeing the town and the people of Willow Springs through her eyes. She’s the quintessential empathetic person who’d give you the shirt off her back. I loved watching everyone warm to her…especially Jed *wink*

Now about you. What drove you to become a romance author?

Reading and writing were my companions at all levels of school and beyond, in spite of the fact that I have a large family. I fight my introverted personality and I’m always happiest deep into book whether someone else’s or my own.

I love the escape reading provides and the feeling I get in the hands of an author who can tell a good story well. It’s transportive. I strive to be that author.

Do you write in other genres?

Not yet. I do sometimes feel otherworldly or spiritual elements creeping into my stories. I talk about fate in the dedication to this book.

Here’s the Dedication:

I believe in destiny. I believe we drive the car but fate takes us on uncharted roads. I believe in the hope and fresh start of every New Year.

I love history too. But so far the stories that come fastest are the contemporaries and I’ve focused on them.

What’s next?

Book 3 in my steamy City of Dreams series, Their No Strings Affair will release on May 29th. You can find that blurb on my website.

Thanks Peggy!

Totally my pleasure, Charlotte. ~peg

 

A stormy encounter… 
Samantha DeMartino’s Christmas wedding is two weeks away when her fiancé calls the whole thing off. Word on the street: his cold feet are being heated by an old flame. With her well-ordered world in complete disarray, Sam’s friends convince her to go on her honeymoon—alone. A week at a charming Vermont inn away from the city and her demanding corporate career could be just what she needs to figure out her next steps. 
Between his twenty-four seven work schedule on his family’s dairy farm and teaching tourists to ski, Jed Armstrong’s too busy to think about how lonely he is…until Sam sings her way into his life during a Christmas blizzard. Now he has to figure out a way to convince her to stay. 
Can a vivacious city girl find forever with a reclusive farmer? 
Will her secret keep her from trying?

Forever in a Moment Buy links

Amazon // Kobo // Google Play //

A little more about this wonderful author…

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.

You can connect with Charlotte here: 

WEBSITE//INSTAGRAM//TWITTER// PINTEREST //  FACEBOOK PAGE

// BOOKBUB

My review of FOREVER IN A MOMENT is here ( Hint: I loveloveloved it!)

By Reservation Only      Hope’s Dream     Freedom’s Path   

      

Lyrical Embrace     Spirited Quest       Soul of the Storm

              

Lion Dancing for Love

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September 21, 2017 · 8:46 am

When Characters have their say….

It’s always a treat when I get to interview my favorite authors. It’s a double treat when I get to sit down with one of their characters!!! Today I’m talking to Lacey Reed, star of my author friend Charlotte O’Shay‘s newest book A MODEL ENGAGEMENT. Lacey is much much more than just a pretty face, as you’ll see in our interview. Sit back and enjoy!

 

Blurb:

Lacey Reed jumps at the chance for independence with a career in the big city. But her naivety and ambition blind her to the lure of a blackmailer.

With her savings gone she has nowhere to turn when she literally runs into financier Connor Devlin.

Though dazzled by Lacey Connor sees the desperation she tries to hide. He hires her as his fake fiancée. Now Lacey has a job and he has a bandage for a family crisis.

When the blackmailer ups the ante, Lacey resolves to face him down— no matter what the consequences.

Does that mean Lacey will lose the only man who’s ever seen who she truly is?

 

Let’s chat with Lacey…..

Q: Well we can dispense with some preliminaries because I recognize you. You’re Lacey Lee, the runway model for Miranda’s Moments. Didn’t Vogue call you ‘the eyes that launched the fantasies of a generation’?

A: (Blushes, rolls those cornflower eyes) Yep, that’s me.

Q: Well, your eyes are even more striking in person. Even that impressive sapphire on your engagement finger doesn’t quite have the same intensity. Who’s the lucky man?

A: Well, I’m not engaged. Not for real. I’m employed as a companion and Connor, my fiancé, I mean my employer, knew his mama who has a severe generative vision problem, wouldn’t accept outside help. So I’m just pretending to … (mutters) always pretending.

Q: Something doesn’t add up here. Why would a model pulling down the kind of income models earn have to take a job as a companion?

A: (Deep sigh) Yeah, it’s a great question. In a nutshell, I need the money. (fidgets, crosses then uncrosses legs) It’s complicated. I only just told my best friend Sabrina. (whispers) I’m being blackmailed.

Q: (shouts) What???

A: (presses lips together then) That was Sabrina’s reaction too. I’ve been living with this secret for months and I finally decided enough is enough and I’m going to get this guy that’s doing this to me. Get him arrested and hopefully put away for what he did to me.

Q: Did to you? Oh honey, what’s he blackmailing you for?

A: (Looks down, then raises head to look straight into Q’s eyes) He gave me a date rape drug and then he filmed me doing… I don’t know what, I was so zonked out I just remember not being able to move and, and… (clears throat) I don’t know what’s on the video. I’ve only seen a couple of seconds of it. But if the film is put online it won’t just affect me. I mean (shrugs) I have sort of a wild reputation in the media but the video might hurt my dad’s career. So I’ve been paying him off.

Q: Your dad’s career?

A: My father is Lucius Reed, the admiral. He’s up for a post in the new administration. He’s career navy. This appointment will be the pinnacle for him and he deserves it. I can’t let my mistakes cause him to lose out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

Q: Who would do such a thing?

A: (voice firms) I knew I should have canceled this interview. Listen, one way or another this will all be out in the open soon. Either he (voice drops) releases the video or I can get him arrested. Either way, you’ll know then. But I can’t take the chance of telling anyone who he is right now…

Q: I understand. And Connor, your fiancé?

A: (Firmly) My employer. He got more than he bargained for. He felt sorry for me I think when he saw how empty my apartment was—I’ve been selling all my stuff. He basically offered me a job on the spot. He loves his mama enough to pretend to have a fiancée just to save her pride. He’s a good son. And I’m a terrible daughter.

Q: From where I’m sitting you’re a pretty good daughter trying to protect your dad.

A: (Shrugs) I got myself into this mess and somehow I will get out of it. I’m not my father’s daughter for nothing.

Q: But Connor?

A: (shakes her head) He’s this big bear of a guy. His entire family, this giant, noisy clan (laughs) all think the world of him. They look up to him for everything.

Q: And you? You and Connor?

A: We get along so well, we have fun. And not only, you know, in the bedroom. But there can’t be a ‘me and Connor’. When all is said and done, if and when this sex video is posted, I won’t drag him, his mama or his family into my drama. They don’t deserve it. I’ll remove myself from their lives. (raises a knuckle to wipe under eyes)

Q: But what if…?

A: (glances at phone) Oh wow, is that the time? I’ve got to go.

(Stands, puts sunglasses on, nods) Such a pleasure to meet you, Miz Jaeger. (walks out the door)


Excerpt:

In that moment, she relived just why she needed a job so damn bad. In that moment, all she could remember were the targeted emails, the strategic telephone calls and the persuasive texts she’d received from Barry as he set out to reel her in like the very gullible fish she was.

It all came back like a rush of filthy sewage.

How he’d drawn her in. Discovered her desire to reap the most financial benefit from her career before retiring. Then, in a seemingly normal progression, he set up a meeting at his office. Designed for shoptalk so that they could discuss photographic details of her breakout exclusive ad campaign for Mon Secret.

His home office as it turned out, complete with multiple couches and a closet full of evening wear and fur, props for the shoot. Lacey had developed a veneer of sophistication during her four plus years in the business. Or so she’d thought. But Barry’s lavish living and working space wowed her. She cringed as she remembered telling him how eager she was to start.

Lacey relived it all in that split second and Connor, who’d done nothing more than offer her his jacket and then a ride home was suddenly a stand in for the monster who had taken her piece of mind along with practically every red cent she possessed.

Buy Links: Amazon //Nook // Wild Rose Press //

About Charlotte…..

Charlotte O’Shay was born into a big family and married into another big family.

The drama! The noise! The inspiration!

Negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in law. After four beautiful children joined the crowded family tree, Charlotte traded her legal career to write about happily ever afters. She lives on the far westside only 3 subway stops from where she grew up.

When Charlotte isn’t reading or writing steamy contemporaries featuring heroines in crisis and swoony heroes with issues, she’s on the hunt for that perfect pair of sunglasses.

She LOVES to hear from readers.

You can find Charlotte here:

website // Twitter //Instagram // Facebook //  Goodreads

Sign up for her  newsletter to find out about giveaways and new releases: http://eepurl.com/b4lbvn

 

 

 

 

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July 6, 2016 · 9:12 am

An interview with author Charlotte O’Shay

I love when I can introduce you to new authors to me who are making their mark. CHARLOTTE O’SHAY is such an author. Her new book, THE MARRIAGE ULTIMATUM is garnering rave reviews. Recently I “sat” down with her (virtually, of course) and found out what makes her tick.  Stick around after the interview, because she’s got a treat for you in the form of an except from her new book. Here’s Charlotte:

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Part 1: The Writer Questions

  1. What drives you to write? The people in my head. It feels good to let them out. Romances of all genres got me through tough times when I needed a happily ever after. I want to give that escape to someone else through what I write.
  1. What genre(s) of Romance do your write, and why? I write Contemporary because I live in NYC. I’m inspired by the energy of the moment, the fast pace, the right nowness of the city and I try to capture that in my stories. But someday I’d like to write an historical set in Colonial/Revolutionary era America.
  1. What genre(s) of Romance do you read, and why? I read everything. Fiction, non-fiction, biography. I’ve read some great authors through my association with The Wild Rose Press. I now have more favorite authors in historic, paranormal and YA genres. I love suspense but not horror.
  1. What’s your writing schedule? Do you write everyday? I try to even if it’s only a page at night. I seem to get a lot done during the cold weather months when there’s less to do outdoors.
  1. Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table? I write best at a desk in our family room on a desktop. The desk faces the wall with an old New Yorker poster and I have a bulletin board off to the side with motivational quotes and favorite photos.
  1. Are you the kind of writer who needs total quiet to compose, or are you able to filter out the typical sounds of the day and use your tunnelvision? I’m very good at filtering out sounds or else I wouldn’t survive the noise of Manhattan. I like total quiet but that’s not reality.
  1. Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not? When I’m not writing I love music of all kinds and going to concerts. I always have the radio or Pandora on. I love to learn lyrics. I really admire lyricists who can express a wealth of emotion in a phrase or two. It’s a skill I’m trying to develop. But I never listen to music while I’m writing.
  1. How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your current WIP? As a lawyer I worked with families in crisis. I met lots of women who struggled to keep their families together against all odds. So my debut novel has those elements. My current WIP A Model Engagement came from a still ongoing news story I follow. I started playing the what if game and my heroine came from that process.
  1. Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why? That’s hard to say. My debut was definitely character driven. I saw both H/h very clearly from the start. But my WIP started from an idea I got watching the news so I had the problem or conflict first.
  1. What 3 words describe you, the writer? Introspective, curious, caffeinated

The Person Questions:

  1. Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing! This city girl didn’t get a driver’s license till age 29. Is that unusual enough?
  2. Who was your first love and what age were you? A third grade classmate. I wrote him a love letter.
  3. If you could relive one day, which one would it be? Think GROUNDHOG DAY, the movie for this one – you’ll have to live it over and over and…. Any of the days I spent on the Amalfi coast with my family a couple of years ago. It’s my emotional and geographical happy place.
  4. Do you like a guy in boxers, briefs, or commando? Boxers!
  5. If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it beauty item, what would it be? I could never give up my lipstick.
  6. What three words describe you, the person? Analytical, shy, stubborn
  7. If you could sing a song with Jimmy Fallon, what would it be? My Shot from the musical Hamilton
  8. If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any time line, who would it by, why, and what would you do together? Jo March from Little Women. Jo is my book twin.

Bonus round

I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:

  1. Favorite sound ~ my dog snoring softly at my feet while I write.
  2. Least favorite sound ~ fire engine siren
  3. Best song every written ~Too difficult to choose one. Desperado (Eagles) Every song in the musical Hamilton
  4. Worst song ever written ~ Havin my Baby by Paul Anka
  5. Favorite actor and actress Liam Neeson, Emma Stone
  6. Who would you want to be for 1 day and why? (It can be anyone living or dead)or Fictional? Pippi Longstocking to be an adventurous little girl again
  7. What turns you on? Good smells: a sexy cologne, fresh mown grass, ocean air, chicken in the oven, jasmine, gardenia, hibiscus
  8. What turns you off? Lack of a sense of humor
  9. Give me the worst 5 words ever heard on a first date (here’s mine: “Is that your real hair?”) “I had onions for lunch.”
  10. What’s your version of a perfect day? Awaken when the sun comes through the window, coffee and newspapers, a long walk on the beach, cook dinner for family or friends, write until bed.

Charlotte O’Shay

Bio

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Charlotte O’Shay was born in New York City into big family and then married into another big family all of which provided her with enough drama, noise and inspiration for a lifetime of stories.

Negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in the law. After four beautiful children joined the crowded family tree, Charlotte gladly traded her legal career to write about happily ever afters in the City of Dreams.

THE MARRIAGE ULTIMATUM

Blurb:

TheMarriageUltimatum_w9979_100-3

Dead-end job? Dreary apartment? Disastrous love life? Check, check, and check. Toddler who makes it all worthwhile? Absolutely. Juggling work, college, and the care of young Alex was never Sabrina’s plan.

But Sabrina’s dreams are bigger than any curve ball life can throw at her. Her top priority is keeping her small family together, no matter what the cost.

Vladimir Grigory doesn’t believe in dreams. He earned his position at the top of New York’s corporate ladder with his own sweat. His empire is his baby, and he’ll destroy anyone who threatens it. Even the sexy employee who challenges him on every level.

When the New York tabloids and the world call him the baby daddy of Sabrina’s son, Vlad believes Sabrina is part of a plot to expose the secrets of his past. He threatens to destroy her future. But since Sabrina has secrets of her own, she has no choice but to agree to Vlad’s marriage ultimatum.

 

Excerpt

“What’re you doing creeping up on me like that? Who are you?” Her gaze narrowed in on him even as she took a step back.

He stared right back, sinking into eyes so mercurially gray then green, then gray again, it was like he’d fallen into the turbulent depths of the Atlantic. With her wild eyes, untamed hair, and skintight clothes, she was a mermaid and absolutely the answer to this sailor’s prayers.

She shoved an unruly swath of hair back over her shoulder, all attitude. One hand was on her hip and the other fiddled with the hem of her sweater. His gaze tracked her every move.

Her chin angled up. “Seen enough? You know what they say: Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Buy Links

The Wild Rose Press: //   Amazon: //    Kobo:  // Barnes & Noble:

 

Find Charlotte here:

Website: //  Facebook: //  Twitter://  Author Page:

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