Today is a special day as I welcome Christina Tetreault and I allow her to take over for the day. I have the pleasure of being a chapter mate of Christina's at NHRWA. She is having a sale this month of HOMETOWN LOVE.
Christina started writing at the age of 10 on her grandmother's manual typewriter and
never stopped. When she is not driving her 3 daughters (ages 7, 5, and 5) around
to their various activities or chasing around their three dogs, she is working on a
story or reading a romance novel. Currently, she has two series out, The
Sherbrookes of Newport and Love on The North Shore. You can visit her website www.christinatetreault.com or follow her on Facebook to
learn more about her characters and to track her progress on her current writing
projects.
Welcome, Christina!!
Don’t
give away any secrets but what’s your book about?
Hometown Love which I have on sale this
month to celebrate my 3 year anniversary as a published author is about how
love can help a person heal.
Back cover blurb:
Everyone in North Salem thinks they know Jessie Quinn. She is the town’s quintessential girl next
door. The woman you can always turn to when you need a helping hand. Nobody
knows that she’s spent years overcoming the emotional scars left by her last
boyfriend.
As a single dad and task force officer with the FBI, Mack
Ellsbury moves back to North Salem to be closer to his family, not to find
love. Then Jessie Quinn returns to his life. Soon Mack no longer sees Jessie as
the quiet girl he once tutored in high school but rather the woman he is
falling in love with.
Mack’s love helps Jessie erase the scars she’s carried
around for so long, but when his ex-wife decides she wants reconciliation,
their relationship is put in jeopardy.
What
inspired you to write Hometown Love
Jessica Quinn the heroine in this story
was originally a minor character in my second book The Billionaire Playboy as
well as The Courage To Love. She continued to bug me until I finally gave her a
book of her own.
How
did you come up with the title?
Both main characters grew up in North
Salem, Massachusetts, the fictitious setting for this both as well as the
entire series Love On The North Shore. While Jessica remained in town, Mack
moved away and lived in Boston for a period of time. At the start of the book
he has just moved back town. Since he falls in love with a hometown girl, the
title just made sense.
If
you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book?
The only thing I might change is to drop
more clues toward what is in store for a Tony Bates a secondary character that
appears in this book as well as two of my other books.
Do
you have plans for a new book? Is your
book part of a series?
Currently, I am working on the sixth
book in my series The Sherbrookes of
Newport. I am hoping for an early summer release. Once that book is done I will start on book
three in my series Love On The North
Shore.
How
long does it take you to write your novel?
It varies. My first book published The Teacher’s Billionaire took me about 5 years to finish. I
started it and then life got in the way. Hometown
Love I finished in the shortest amount of time ever. I was able to get the
rough draft down in about two and half months. Then I spent about a month on
revisions and edits.
What
do you think makes a good story?
I think characters are key to a good
story. If I do not at least like the characters in novel, I will not even
finish it. The plot also needs to stay consistent. Even if it takes place in a
fantasy setting, must stay consistent throughout the book.
What
do you do when you are not writing?
When I am not writing I do like to go to
the gym. Of course I also spend a lot of time driving my daughters to and from
their activities. They are all busy girls. I am also a girl scout leader.
Do
you have a day job as well?
In addition to writing, I am CEO,CFO and
chauffeur for Tetreault Enterprises (AKA my family).
What
is your work schedule like when you're writing?
For the most part, I write 5 days a week
starting around the time my three daughters leave for school. Once they get off
the bus, however, that is it for the day. The weekends are usually filled with
family time and the girls’ activities.
Is
there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I find the beginnings of a story the
most difficult to write. Once I get the first few chapters down, I am more
comfortable and the story starts to flow.
What
does your family think of your writing?
My husband has always been supportive
and is in fact my critique partner. My children are not old enough to read what
I write, but they love to tell people that mommy is a writer.
What
book are you reading now?
I just finished a Lynn Kurland time
travel romance this morning.
Do
you work with an outline, or just write?
I do a character sketch for the two main
characters, however, I do not do a detailed outline. I tried once, and it just
didn’t work for me.
How
do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your
genre?
Over the past three years I have tried a
little of everything when it comes to marketing. I have done paid ads with
companies such as Bookbub. I have done Facebook parties, blog tours and
contest. I have also do ads on such sites as The Romance Studio. I think they
all help. I also think regular interaction with my readers has helped.
Do
you prefer e-books, paperbacks or hardcover?
I tend to buy more e-books only because
it means they don’t take up a lot of space in my house. I still favor
paperbacks. There is just something about feeling the paper between your
fingers. I will buy paperbacks if I have the opportunity to get them signed by
the author. I have never been a big fan of hardcover books.
Is
there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version?
The only movie that I can say I enjoyed
more than the book was The Bourne Identity. I do not watch many movies that are
made from books because I feel they don’t usually do the book justice.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee. I must drink at least 4 cups of
coffee each day.
I personally can't wait to read this book and it has been added to my TBR pile. Where can you find HOMETOWN LOVE?
Thank you, Christina for joining us today.
As I spent some time in Todd’s
studio, I was amazed by the creations that had left this shop. Wooden spoons,
jewelry, furniture to include a bed, tables, bookshelves, meditation stool as
well as custom window sills and fireplace mantels only to mention a few have
made their way out to satisfied customers.
