Blurb:
Abandoned by his wife and left to raise a child alone, Caleb Reed falls short of the ideal work-from-home dad. He needs a woman to help him, in every sense of the word. At the suggestion of a friend, Caleb agrees to hire Ariel Lauren on a trial basis.
As an orphan, Ariel has more issues than just how to make it on her own. Yes, she needs the money that Caleb offers her, but more than anything she finds she desires his love. One calamity after another befalls her and jeopardizes her new job and her chance at having a family. But through it all, Caleb is by her side, his gruff exterior threatening to melt in the face of their shared attraction. Will they decide to continue life alone or will the magic of Valentine's Day bring them together?
This book sounds amazing and it has an amazing cover to go with it. Felicia, how did you come up with the title?
Quite simply, this story started as a Christmas story. The beginning idea was A Perfect Gift. When I changed the story to a Valentine’s story, I was given the idea of The Perfect Rose, and it just fit.
What was the best experience you had while writing your book?
There were certain parts about writing the story that I enjoyed, mainly writing Mabel character. And of course writing the banter between Ariel and Joshua was fun. And then the romantic scenes between Cable and Ariel, well, I won’t say more. But the best experience was just working with the owner of the publishing company and getting my novella published.
I totally agree about the owner of Astraea Press, Stephanie Taylor. She's amazing. What's the hardest thing about being a published author?
The hardest part of being a published author has been getting noticed. My goal has been to do one promoting activity each day, but this cuts into my writing time as well. Also not know if the promoting you’ve chosen is working. So much time and effort is placed into blogging, interview, and getting ‘out there’ yet you never know what one thing you did made someone buy your work.
I totally agree about getting noticed as a newbie. It's a slow climb to recognition. Now, the very important questions!
Elvis Presley or Rod Stewart?
Uh, duh! Elvis Presley totally. He was cute, talented, and had the moves.
*Kim sighs dramatically* A woman after my own heart.
Robert Redford or Clint Eastwood?
I have to say Clint Eastwood. I love his voice. My two favorite lines are, “Do you want to pull pistols or whistle Dixie?” and “Go ahead, make my day.” I’m getting the shivers just thinking about it.
Okay, those are fighting words. Robert Redford could so kick Clint Eastwoods a#%. So I guess you gotta ask yourself one question, "Do I feel lucky?" Well do ya, punk? *Kim's Clint Eastwood impresson*
This has been so much fun, Felicia. I'm so glad you stopped by. Felicia has brought along her book trailer and an excerpt to share.
Excerpt:
He walked towards his son, lowered himself down to Joshua’s level, and grasped the young boy by the arms as he spoke. “Joshua, what’s wrong?”
Ariel could almost hear, ‘did that bad woman hurt you’, in his voice. Anguish filled her. Even though she’d yet to earn their trust, the idea that Caleb thought her capable of harming a child bothered her. She tried to ignore the two of them and went back to folding clothes like nothing had happened.
“Who is that?” A small, trembling finger pointed in her direction.
“That’s Ariel.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Caleb frowned at his son. “Joshua, yes it is. Her name is Ariel.”
“She doesn’t look like a mermaid to me.”
Thank you so much for stopping by, Felicia.
Ariel held an unfolded towel in her hand as Joshua’s yell rent the air. Momentarily startled, she wasn’t sure if she should go to him or give him some space. The only other time she’d heard a child sound like Joshua was when she’d been in the church nursery and a toddler had crushed their tiny finger in a closing drawer. But that had been a cry of pain. This was a shout of alarm. She cringed as the sound hit new decibel levels. Maybe Caleb would give her a chance to explain what had happened before he fired her.
Caleb’s feet slapped the floor as he raced upstairs. She was afraid to move. The child’s shriek was at a constant pitch and didn’t appear to be ending. Ariel watched as Caleb burst through the open doorway. He walked towards his son, lowered himself down to Joshua’s level, and grasped the young boy by the arms as he spoke. “Joshua, what’s wrong?”
Ariel could almost hear, ‘did that bad woman hurt you’, in his voice. Anguish filled her. Even though she’d yet to earn their trust, the idea that Caleb thought her capable of harming a child bothered her. She tried to ignore the two of them and went back to folding clothes like nothing had happened.
“Who is that?” A small, trembling finger pointed in her direction.
“That’s Ariel.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Caleb frowned at his son. “Joshua, yes it is. Her name is Ariel.”
“She doesn’t look like a mermaid to me.”
Thank you so much for stopping by, Felicia.
Felicia Rogers, born and raised in the southern part of the United States, is a Christian wife and mother. She is just your average, ordinary woman, with a side interest-- writing.
For eleven years, every waking moment of her life was consumed with changing diapers, wiping noses, and kissing scrapes. But now that her children have grown and she enjoys a modicum of freedom, in addition to taking care of hearth and home, she writes! She enjoys adding a flavor of realism and humor to her all too real romance stories. For what is love without a little laughter!
The Perfect Rose is also available at:
This looks like a sweet story!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a book I would enjoy reading
ReplyDeleterobseanmom at gmail dot com