Welcome, Donna!
Thank you, PJ, for allowing me to share my latest book with
your followers and fans. I truly
appreciate it.
Hi all! This story
has been a long time in the making and I thought I’d share its inspiration with
you. I believe it was back in July of
2004, I attended an RWA conference in New Orleans. I wasn’t interested so much in the conference
as I was the location. Things were a bit
wonky with two of my roommates, so the remaining roommate and I took off and
played hookey quite a bit. J We had just
gone to visit a fortune teller at Bottom of the Cup on Royal Rue, when we
decided to have a late lunch. A sign
beckoned us across the street. It said
“The Court of Two Sisters.”
“I’ve heard of that place,” I said. “Let’s give it a try.” We entered a hallway, not terribly long, but
terribly bare. It was mostly exposed
brick with splashes of plaster, and had the feel of someplace you really
shouldn’t be. In New Orleans, you sort
of listen to how your body reacts to strange surroundings, but a Maître d' waved
us forward through the glass door at the end of the hallway, so we continued
on.
“I’ve heard of that place,” I said. “Let’s give it a try.” We entered a hallway, not terribly long, but
At the end of the hallway, right before the glass door with
pretty lace curtains, stood an ornate set of iron gates. A sign hung on the wall near the gates that
proclaimed the gates “The Charm Gates” along with the announcement that Queen
Isabella had blessed the gates to give charm to all who touched them. I have a picture somewhere of me holding
those gates with both hands to prove to my husband that I am indeed charming J.
Once we passed through the glass door, we were led to a
beautiful courtyard with a triple fountain and tables placed beneath a huge
wisteria vine. The food was excellent,
the experience wonderful. But the memory
of those gates never left me.
But what if someone truly charming was assigned to work with
the Queen to tactfully instruct her how to deal with foreign dignitaries and
what if the Queen absolutely hated her for it.
What if the Queen found a way to imprison the charm teacher in the iron
gates that were to be shipped off to New Orleans. Her blessing would then have a secret tongue-in-cheek
meaning. Ohhh….great idea!
I had only managed to write the prologue and the first
chapter when Hurricane Katrinia hit New Orleans and so much damage occurred. I
just couldn’t write because my heart hurt watching the reports on televison. I did enter the first chapter in a contest
and won first place, but another story I’d written earlier called The Education
of Mrs. Brimley won the Golden Heart that year and my writing career took off
writing historicals.
But I never forgot this story. Especially as I used to imagine as a child
what it would be like to have a “secret friend” from the past century who came
forward into current time. I’d have to
explain things like cars and electricity and things. I imagined the sort of things that would scare
and frighten my new friend.
So when circumstances allowed me to finish the story, I
did. My agent challenged me to plot out
a sequel (which I hadn’t intended), so I did that too. I now have three books
somewhat plotted in this series. An
opportunity to write a short story, led to the creation of “The Moor’s Tear”
which is a sort of prequel to Charming the Professor. That story didn’t sell as intended so I
published it myself. See – all the fates
aligned so I could bring this book to you. J Here’s the blurb:
Quantum physics Professor Grant Stewart has mourned his wife’s death for the last three years. But he must move on for his young daughter’s sake, the child who delights in terrorizing babysitters. Grant needs adequate childcare to pursue tenure at Tulane. What he doesn’t need is a French beauty believing nonsense like time-travel and voodoo, and whose very being is melting his heart.
Maddie may be without resources but she’s good at making new friends, even if they are on the quirky side. She believes Professor Stewart can return her home, but first she must earn his trust to win his cooperation. Babysitting his daughter gives her both proximity, and love for the child. Will Grant be the key to returning to her time? Or will she, in turn, unlock his frozen heart? All they need is time and maybe a little voodoo…
Did I forget to mention voodoo? Well, that’s a different blog (grin). I hope you give Charming the Professor a try.
So tell me, have you ever visited New Orleans? Did you go to The Court of Two Sisters? What impressed you the most about the
city? Have you ever had a fantasy that
someone from the past came forward to meet you in the current age? Let’s talk FUN! I’m happy to give a digital copy of Charming
The Professor to someone leaving a comment.
