I’m thrilled to welcome Soul Mate author Beth Carter to the Power of 10 series. Today, Beth shares ten fun facts about the protagonists of her latest release, Sleeping With Elvis.
Here’s Beth!
Five fun Facts about my hero, Elvis impersonator Ty Townsend:
1. Every year, Ty retreats to his favorite island, Key Lime Island, between his Elvis gigs in Branson and Vegas.
2. He rethinks his unique profession after trolls on social media berate him after twice forgetting the legend’s lyrics. But he’ll never stop performing. Besides, Ty enjoys paying homage to Elvis Presley and honors him during performances.
3. Ty has a hilarious African Grey parrot, Saylor, who curses like a, well, sailor. Saylor is a hoot and always knows the exact curse word for every situation.
4. When he performs, Ty practically morphs into a young version of the King with jet black hair, gyrating hips, and a lock of hair that constantly falls over his forehead like a sign from the King himself.
5. Ty never expected to meet a special woman during his beach downtime—especially one from Nowhere—but the stranded woman needs his help, and what’s a gorgeous guy with key lime pie all over his face to do?
Five Fun Facts about my heroine, Pepper Langley:
1. Pepper is from a tiny town in Nowhere, Arkansas, where she lives with her rogue boyfriend, Derek, in a shabby trailer. She hates her life and what her once-nice boyfriend has become.
2. Her confidence has taken a hit due to his nastiness and she decides she’ll end their relationship—right after their dream vacation to Key Lime Island. She scrimped all year to go on this trip and isn’t backing out now, even if that means having a cheating boyfriend in tow.
3. Pepper is afraid of boating and flying but most conquer both fears since the charming, lime-green themed tropical isle is only accessible by boat or the occasional helicopter.
4. Pepper and Derek board Reel Time, an excursion boat, with several other couples. There’s a horrific tropical storm and… You’ll just have to read it.
5. Once her feet hit the sand, Pepper is thrilled by the birds, shells, key lime everything—and is especially taken by the handsome stranger who looks oh-so-familiar. She knows she is meant to be on this island and never wants to return to her life with Derek in Nowhere but will this be the best—or worst—vacation of her life?
Blurb
Pepper Langley, an unemployed pre-school teacher with a fear of flying and boating, hopes a vacation to remote Key Lime Island will bolster her confidence and salvage her relationship with her rogue boyfriend. From tiny Nowhere, Arkansas, she scrimped all year to afford the lavish trip, but a deadly storm changes everything.
Gorgeous Elvis impersonator Ty Townsend flees to Key Lime Island between gigs. During this hiatus, he reevaluates his profession after twice forgetting the King’s lyrics. He craves the isle’s solitude—far away from social media haters—where he shares beach life with a cursing parrot. The last thing on his mind is a woman, especially one who isn’t supposed to be there.
Will their secrets tear them apart or will they find happiness on the sand and stage?
Bio
Award-winning novelist Beth Carter pens novels and children’s picture books. Her latest release is SLEEPING WITH ELVIS, a contemporary romance, with elements of suspense and humor. Her debut novel, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS, won the 2015 RONE award for best “Women’s Fiction/Chick Lit Novel,” as well as “Best Debut Author” by BTS Books. Her novelette, SANTA BABY, appears in the 2015 Christmas anthology, SIZZLE IN THE SNOW, alongside eight romance authors’ stories.
Carter’s three picture books include: SANTA’S SECRET, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE? and THE MISSING KEY. Additionally, the author’s short stories and poems are published in four anthologies and four six-word memoir collections alongside famous authors and celebrities. A former bank vice president, Carter worked in marketing for 20 years in healthcare and banking. The author happily divides her time between her home state of Missouri and her adopted state of sunny Florida.
Where to find Beth…
Website | Facebook (Women’s Fiction) | Facebook (Children’s Books) | Twitter | Amazon
Jambalaya. Of all the fabulous Louisiana dishes, jambalaya is by far my favorite. It’s almost impossible to get it wrong. FYI, there are two basic kinds of jambalaya, brown and red. Red, which has a tomato base, is considered Creole jambalaya and dominates in New Orleans. Brown is prevalent in Cajun Country. I heart them both.
Hotels Mazarin and Le Marais. I’ve had some great hotel experiences in New Orleans, and some dreadful ones. But the hands-down lodging winners are these two beautiful and historic hostelries. The rooms are wonderful, the service impeccable, and the full breakfasts – especially at Mazarin – are excellent. They’re part of the New Orleans Hotel Collection, which rescues derelict properties and turns them into elegant lodging. Bravo, NOHC!
Tulane University. Yes, I’m biased because this happens to be my alma mater. But it’s a charming campus, so if you’ve opted for a ride on the St. Charles streetcar, why not take visit the home of the Green Wave? It’s next to Loyola University and across the street from Audubon Park, so you can wander through both of those locations. Or explore some of the turn-of-the-century mansions in the Silk Stocking Ward, which is the nickname for the Uptown area where the universities and park are located.
Nico, my nephew dog, is featured on Cheryl Cooke Harrington’s blog.
Bestselling author Louise Penny does not mince words. In a recent article, she offered the following advice: “If you’re writing your first work of crime fiction, place the body near the beginning of your book—preferably on the first page, perhaps the first sentence. In later books this won’t be as necessary, but agents and editors like it established early, so readers know what they’re getting.”
Putting words and stories on paper is second nature to co-authors C.D. Hersh. They’ve written separately since they were teenagers and discovered their unique, collaborative abilities in the mid-90s. As high school sweethearts and husband and wife, Catherine and Donald believe in true love and happily ever after.
Thank you to fellow Soul Mate Publishing author, Joanne Guidoccio, for inviting me to be her guest blogger today!
Indigo Sky, now an Amazon eBook, print book and audiobook.
While I enjoy attending workshops and lectures, sometimes I need inspiration in smaller doses.
Winona Kent was born in London, England. She immigrated to Canada with her parents at age 3, and grew up in Saskatchewan, where she received her BA in English from the University of Regina. After settling in Vancouver, she graduated from UBC with an MFA in Creative Writing. More recently, she received her diploma in Writing for Screen and TV from Vancouver Film School. Winona has been a temporary secretary, a travel agent and the Managing Editor of a literary magazine. After a career that’s included freelance articles, long and short fiction, screenplays and TV scripts, Winona has now returned to her first love, novels. She currently lives in Vancouver and works as a Graduate Programs Assistant at the University of British Columbia.
The first stage of my adult life was all about family and animals, animals, animals. The animals included rescued racehorses, cats, and dogs. Luckily, I convinced my husband to move to a farm in rural Virginia against his wishes. At one point we had 28 rescue horses, 12 cats, 10 dogs, and a cow. And it’s not like we were rich. My husband was a Lieutenant JG in the US Navy. I was a stay at home mom raising two young kids, but I soon began running horse shows to help with our finances. We were also very fortunate to have two wonderful teenagers spend their time with us, trading babysitting for riding lessons. They quickly became part of our family.
A fall from grace costs Lexi a position at a top New York financial institution. She ends up in a job at a small private bank in Beverly Hills. But that’s okay, she still gets to work in her favorite field – catching white collar crooks. At least that’s what she tells herself. But when Karista, the daughter of one of the bank’s principal investors, runs into danger while traveling in Indonesia, Lexi’s job comes to depend on her ability to save her. Even worse, Lexi will have to baby sit Steve, her boss’ well-meaning but spoiled son, while going undercover to reach the heiress. Lexi’s cushy tropical assignment soon spirals into chaos as she has to outrun fashion-forward Batak natives, outwit an arrogant FBI agent, help Steve find his stolen Air Yeezy sneakers, and figure out why her ardent former lover and debonair gentleman thief, Andre, is staying at the same resort. Lexi will have to be very good or very lucky to survive it all.
In The Reluctant Farmer of Whimsey Hill, opposites attract; for better or for worse. That is what troubles animal-phobic, robotics engineer Smith who just got married. He learns that his bride’s dream is to have a farm where there are lots of animals and she can rescue ex-race horses to retrain and find them new homes. But according to a Meyers-Briggs Personality Test that they took for fun, their marriage is doomed. There is only one problem: the newlyweds took the test after the wedding.
Last week, I treated myself to a Dairy Queen banana split. I tried not to gasp when the clerk told me the price was $6.77 (CDN). I inquired about the other prices and discovered that, like everything else, Dairy Queen treats had risen in price.
Joanne Guidoccio 