Today, I'm happy to welcome a good friend and fellow author, Darlene Deluca. Darlene's new book Hard Lemonade (what a cool title) just released on October 1st. This book sounds so interesting, I'm going to stop talking and let Darlene take the floor.
"Let’s see…will today be a writing day? Or should I focus on editing? Researching? Networking? Promoting? A lot of parts and pieces go into launching a new book. Each element is important. But some are more fun than others.
One thing I like to do is create a Pinterest board for my book. It’s fun to pick out faces/people who fit my vision of my characters. Or put together a wardrobe for my heroine. Or find photos that capture the setting and scenery. It helps the book come alive for me if I can visualize the components. The visual snippets can represent a scene, a hobby or a theme inside the book. For my new women’s fiction novel, Hard Lemonade, the title lends itself to visuals—lemons, lemonade. Those were easy. Some of the others aren’t so obvious.
The board is like a little sneak peek into the book. Hopefully, with enough intriguing tidbits to spark the interest of readers. What does a Scrabble game have to do with the story? Read it and find out. Why strawberry Pop-Tarts? Those are actually very significant to a specific element of the story. Libraries? Those are a big deal. A green glass bowl? Symbolic to the main character.
Look for Hard Lemonade in eBook or paperback Oct. 1."
Back Cover Blurb:
Her husband fails. Her marriage fails. Does that make Emily Sherridan a failure?
With high hopes and rose-colored shades, Emily Sherridan leaves her family and friends to build a new life with her screenwriter husband in sunny Los Angeles. There, she learns that love conquers all…until the rent is overdue, the rejections pile up, or the test is positive.
As months, then years, go by and Eric’s career fails to launch, Emily is determined to hold everything together. But when he brings danger into their lives, it’s over. When the cops arrive at her doorstep, anguish mixes with anger. She wonders how low they can go—until one of the officers hands her the number to a women’s shelter.
Broke and broken, her dreams are dashed and her confidence is shaken. With Eric’s taunt about running home pounding in her ears, Emily pushes forward though she’s unsure of her direction. She cannot give up. Her daughter deserves more.
From rosy dreams to real-life roadblocks, Hard Lemonade is a compelling story of friends, family, and fierce sheroes.
Excerpt:
Julia Nickels ended the call with the hotel in Pasadena and gazed out the window, drumming her fingers on the desk in their home office. She’d expected to be going on a trip this month, but the situation and destination had changed dramatically.
Instead of a fun mother-daughter getaway to see friends on Mackinac Island in Michigan, she was heading west to help Emily set up an apartment—a place Julia had only seen through virtual tour. She hoped the reality would at least somewhat resemble the pictures in the video.
The abrupt change of plans still sent jolts of shock through her. She’d expected to have her daughter home for the summer between her sophomore and junior years of college. Still expected her to walk through the door and chatter about her classes and campus activities—to share her world. Just last night, Julia had started to set the dinner table for three before she remembered Emily was two thousand miles away.
Pressing her lips together, she sagged into the chair and gave herself a minute to mentally regroup. Then she switched out the light and wandered from the office into the kitchen. As she poured a fresh glass of tea, her glance landed on the pile of home magazines stacked in the family room. She could start a project. She had a list—always had a list of home improvement projects awaiting their turn. She had to do something besides mope around the house or bother her friends or sister. No doubt they were all tired of hearing her worries and woes. Heck, she was tired of it, too. But she hadn’t yet figured out how to move on—how to be mother to an adult child who with the speed of whiplash didn’t want to be mothered.
The rumble of the garage door interrupted her thoughts, and she straightened, prepared to greet her husband, and at least pretend everything was fine. When the side door opened, she forced a smile. Fake it ’til you make it.
Joe loosened his tied as he entered the room then planted a light kiss on her lips. “How was your day?” he asked.
It was a standard question, but these days Julia had to try and read his mood and discern whether he wanted the truth or a shallow everything-is-fine response.
“Nothing too exciting,” she told him.
He opened the refrigerator and took out a beer. “Yeah? You get the trip worked out?”
Okay, they were going for real tonight. “Yes, everything’s booked.”
He took a long pull on the beer. “Want to trade places?”
Julia choked out a laugh. Neither one of them had a carefree couple of days ahead of them, but she agreed Joe got the short stick. “No, thanks. I want to see this apartment. I suppose the fact that she’s letting me go out is a good sign.”
“Yeah, I have a hard time feeling grateful about any of this.”
Julia let out a long sigh. “Me, too. But it could’ve been worse. They could’ve eloped or run off to California together. At least we got a wedding. That shows commitment.”
Darlene Deluca writes contemporary romance that feels real and women’s fiction that explores relationships – what brings people together or keeps them apart.
Her intent is to bring to life interesting characters that readers can relate to in real-life situations that combine a little fun, plenty of drama, and big helpings of friendship, love, and self-discovery, and will leave readers either cheering or sighing with a satisfied smile as they turn the final page.
The Kansas City author enjoys getting lost in a good story with a glass of tea, a bit of dark chocolate and a warm, sunny beach.
Did you know that some mushrooms are good for trees? We used to pull out the mushrooms that were under our hemlock and spruce trees, but after watching a documentary on trees, we learned that some mushrooms are actually good for trees.
