Hooray! Hooray! Annie and I have done it! Our fourth novel, LOVE’S SURPRISE, in our Captain’s Point Stories series written collaboratively as Charlotte Kent has just been released! We are so excited and can’t wait to hear what readers are saying about it!
Have you ever been surprised by love? By its generousity, forgiveness, and unconditional nature? Well wait ’til you read, LOVE’S SURPRISE! The characters/residents of Captain’s Point continue to amaze us with each chapter that we write. The families and friends in our novels care about one another and their community. Preserving the town’s history, revealing undiscovered secrets to its past and building a solid foundation for maintaining Captain’s Point’s core values while bringing its cultural, retail, commercial development and architectural riches into the twenty-first century. Follow the Sheffields (Adrianna and Chase), the Chestertons (Larry and Kate), the Jeffersons (Jack, Susan and Daniel) and our complete cast of characters as they navigate their way down the path of true love — always exciting, continually dynamic, but always nurturing and limitless in their powers of compassion and genuine affection for one another.
Music, love, joy, heartbreak and renewed faith touch the characters’ lives in our fourth novel. Whether in Captain’s Point or jouneying to destinations near or far they manage to make the best of any situation and land on their feet, finding their joy in simple pleasures or unbounded displays of generousity and affection.
Time Flies When Writing a Series!
It’s almost been a year since since author and publisher Annie Acorn approached me about collaborating on a new contemporary romantic women’s fictions series, Captain’s Point Stories, writing together as Charlotte Kent!
The first novel in our series, A Clue for Adrianna, was released on April 13, 2013 and was highlighted on September 9th on Rosie Amber (UK) and Stephanie Hurt’s (US) websites during their #RomancingSeptember Promotion!
A Clue for Adrianna introduces Adrianna Montgomery, a young woman in her late twenties starting out her life and career on the West Coast until a letter informing her of her Great Aunt Martha’s death and an unexpected letter from her fiance, catapult her into a whole new life in Captain’s Point, Maryland.
Adrianna reluctantly makes the cross-country trip summoned by the young lawyer, Chase Sheffield, tasked with handling her great-aunt’s estate. Little does she know that as one door closes after being jilted by Brad, her fiance, another will open in the warm, open arms of Captain’s Point and all its residents!
Don’t miss an exciting and informative introduction to this series by me, Juliette Hill as I’m interviewed as Charlotte Kent about A Clue for Adrianna, the first book in our Captain’s Point Stories Series.
Juliette Hill’s Interview with Rosie Amber
1) You are one half of the writing name of Charlotte Kent is that correct?
Yes, absolutely! Back in January, my indie publisher and editor, Annie Acorn and I were discussing future writing projects for 2013. She mentioned that I should think about starting a romance series. We have always taken note that our writing styles are very similar and to make a long story short we put our heads together and decided to embark upon a new collaborative project of a contemporary romantic women’s fiction series under the new pseudonym of Charlotte Kent! And the rest is history as they say.
2) Can you tell us where your hometown is?
I live in Frederick, Maryland, a medium-sized town with a quaint and historic downtown area, about 35 miles north of Washington, D.C. I was born in Washington, D.C. and raised and lived most of my adult life in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, so I have visited the eastern shore of Maryland where the Captain’s Point Stories series is placed many times.
3) How long have you been writing?
I have loved to write all my life, but I have been seriously writing as a full-time profession for the last two years, thankfully with the guidance and support of Annie Acorn Publishing LLC.
4) How does writing with a partner work?
Writing with Annie Acorn as a partner on the Charlotte Kent Captain’s Point Stories series has been an amazing experience. Our partnership has worked so well! I really attribute that to the fact that our styles are so similar, and we literally think alike in many respects when it comes to our total vision for the series and what we want to accomplish. We have defined roles when starting one of our novels, but the lines soon become blurred as each of our creative and literary energies feeds off the other. Right now, Annie has been mastering the role of head writer, and I of copy editor with the added responsibility for writing several sub-plots and relationship storylines. I also spearhead all of the public relations/marketing efforts for the series. We tend to fill in roles as needed for each other, which allows us to maintain a very open, fluid and creative partnership.
5) “A Clue for Adrianna” is the first book in the “Captain’s Point Stories” Series. What was the inspiration behind the books?
Living in Maryland, one of our state’s classic vacation spots is our Eastern Shore. Many resorts are located along the banks of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean coastline. These areas are picturesque and full of history. When thinking of writing a contemporary romantic series, naturally we gravitated to the Eastern Shore as our setting. A Clue for Adrianna was the brain child of my partner, Annie Acorn, who had had a clear picture in her head of a young, modern contemporary woman coming to an American small town that still held on to an old-fashioned style and way of life, allowing her and a cast of diverse, complex characters to bring progress and positive change to create a thriving modern community. The inspiration behind the series was also to work in a little bit of mystery and a little bit of humor and contemporary issues in all the books.
6) It is a mystery romance, which takes off at the reading of a will with a mystery clue, can you tell us what that clue was?
The story does take off at the reading of the will of Adrianna’s Great-aunt Martha who has tasked her with fulfilling some unusual requirements before she can rightfully claim her inheritance under the strange terms of the will. The only clue she is given to achieve these is a cryptic letter from her great-aunt. You’ll just have to read to book to find out exactly what it was and follow Adrianna’s search for the answer which leads her to many interesting discoveries along the way.
7) What or where is Captain’s Point?
Captain’s Point is a fictional town that we created. Located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, it is positioned where the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay meet, so it is a picturesque setting with ocean views and access to water. Our town is full of historic Victorian homes and rich farmland, with a quaint downtown area that is comprised of interesting shops and restaurants along the thriving waterfront. We have also incorporated many cultural elements such as art and music to complement the environment.
8) Reviewers have loved the descriptive narrative saying they can really picture the places being described, how easy is it to get the descriptions right?
Annie and I both love creating this fictional town and describing in detail the unique aspects of the old historic homes that we have placed in Captain’s Point. Set against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, we really wanted the reader to be able to place themselves in each residence or business with as vivid and specific a description as possible. It was pure joy creating the environments of Captain’s Point. Our goal was to place the reader there as much as possible and invest them in the characters, so that they would never want to leave such a wonderful world. So far, the feedback that we’ve received indicates we’ve been successful in our endeavors.
9) What was the hardest part of the writing of this book to get right?
For me, the hardest part of writing A Clue for Adrianna was to make sure that our main character could renew old relationships and create new ones, while at the same time finding her way in a distinct cultural environment, deciphering her great-aunt’s clue and tending to the everyday needs of the decaying physical environment for which she suddenly found herself responsible. Basically, the hardest part was to create a contemporary romance incorporating the demands of modern times with vestiges of the past.
10) Tomorrow we are going to meet the other half of Charlotte Kent, so do you mind if I ask you about a writing group that you helped found called “From Women’s Pens”? What is it all about?
The group “From Women’s Pens” was established by Annie Acorn to bring a group of talented women writers together in promotion of their work, with the first publication being an anthology or collection of holiday stories, Annie Acorn’s 2011 Christmas Treasury. This year’s Anthology will be the third the group has published. We also support each other’s marketing endeavors by tweeting out new releases and participating in blog tours within the group.
Juliette’s Answer to Stephanie Hurt’s Interview Question for Romancing September
Stephanie: What’s your biggest challenge writing romance in today’s society?
Juliette: My biggest challenge writing romance in today’s society is that the category of romance has so many subcategories—contemporary romantic fiction, being quite large. The competition is fierce! I think another big challenge is satisfying your market of readers. I truly believe writers should always stay true to themselves and their message and not change just because an audience/readership would prefer something else at a particular moment in time. I believe as long as you write a good story, readers will buy it and read it.
Annie Acorn was interviewed September 10th as she discusses our second novel, A Man for Susan.
