by Crystal Caudill | Mar 8, 2022 | Character Interview
One of my new favorite things to do this year is to interview characters. They are so much fun, and it just really gets you connected to them even before (or after) you’ve read the book. Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Brielle Adebayo from In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh. Before we meet officially, let me introduce you to her story:
In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh
It seems like a dream come true . . . until it forces her to question everything.
Brielle Adebayo is fully content teaching at a New York City public school and taking annual summer vacations with her mother to Martha’s Vineyard. But everything changes when her mom drops a bombshell–Brielle is really a princess in the island kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé, off the coast of Africa, and she must immediately assume her royal position, since the health of her grandfather, the king, is failing.
Distraught by all the secrets her mother kept, Brielle is further left spinning when the Ọlọrọ Ilé Royal Council brings up an old edict that states she must marry before her coronation, or the crown will pass to another. Brielle is uncertain if she even wants the throne, and with her world totally shaken, where will she find the courage to take a chance on love and brave the perils a wrong decision may bring?
CC: Hi Brielle! It is so great to meet you. Would you please introduce yourself to my readers?
BA: Thank you so much for having me. In case you haven’t seen the cover of the story or read the back cover, I’ll assume you know nothing about me. I’m Brielle Bayo, or at least, that’s the name I went by growing up. It wasn’t until recently that my mom informed me I’m actually a princess. *awkward laugh* I know, the stuff from fantasy, right? But I am Princess Brielle Adebyao, heir to the throne of Ọlọrọ Ilé, a country of the coast of West Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. In Search of a Prince is centered around me, finding out this huge secret, and what that means for my future.
CC: Wow! That is the stuff of fantasies for sure, but I’m sure it couldn’t have actually been that easy to brush off and deal with. Who ended up being one of the hardest people for you to deal with?
BA: Um, my uncle. I know I should be over the moon to have more family since it was just my mom and I for the longest. But he has made it apparent he doesn’t like me or want me around. Every time I see him I want to turn around and hide. But I can’t let him see how his words hurt me.
CC: Ugh. That is so hard. Family can be a challenge to deal with in the best circumstances but in this? My heart goes out to you. So how about the family gatherings? Do you like them? Hate them?
BA: In the past, our family gatherings consisted of my mom and me. Just us two against the world. Now that my family has been expanded, I’m still unsure how I feel about family gatherings. Some of my father’s family seem to judge me and find me lacking. What kind of joy is that to gather with them? *sighs* Maybe one day this question won’t fill me with so much doubt.
CC: Oh, sweetheart, I hope one day you will be able to hang out at those gatherings with so much joy that you burst with rainbows. That is understandably hard right now, and suddenly being a princess comes with a lot of stress. What is your biggest fear?
BA: Failing those who depend on me. I’m not sure why God saw fit to allow me to be a princess that will one day become queen. But if He has called me to this life, I pray that I won’t fail. That He’ll equip me and allow me to be a blessing to this country.
CC: It sounds like you have a good footing in your faith and that is so refreshing. So since you’re a princess, you’ve got to have a prince right? Tell us a little bit about him.
BA: I feel like I cannot NOT talk about the hero. However, I also don’t want to give anything away since there’s a little Bachelorette-like vibe going on in my world thanks to the royal council’s decree. Regardless, the hero fits every definition you can think of. Someone dependable, someone who has my back, someone who makes me smile and want to be around him all the time. I’m so glad I met him.
CC: You’re making me want to swoon just hearing that description. I can’t wait to meet him. And readers, you can meet him NOW. In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh is available for purchase at most book retailers, but you can click this link to find all the options.
Readers, in the comments below, what would you do if you suddenly found out you were royalty?
Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and multi-published Christian contemporary romance author. She writes to bring God glory and to learn more about His goodness. Her novels, Grace Restored, was a 2019 Holt Medallion finalist, Risking Love a 2020 Selah Award finalist, The Truth About Fame a 2021 Holt Medallion finalist, and The Price of Dreams a 2021 Maggie Award finalist. Learn more at http://tonishiloh.com.
Connect with Toni: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | Pinterest
by Crystal Caudill | Jan 25, 2022 | Character Interview
There is something magical about writing a book that is hard to fathom for most non-writers. Our characters come alive and take on their own personalities. They are capable of making their own decisions and changing our plots. They become so real, they can be interviewed, just like any other person in the world.
Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to the Aussie skating heroine from Love on Ice by Caroline Miller, Holly Travers. Before we meet officially, let me introduce you to her story:
Love on Ice by Carolyn Miller
She’s focused on winning gold. He wants to lose the player tag. Can a fake relationship become something real?
Aussie short-track skater Holly Travers has one goal – make the Vancouver Games, no matter what it takes. She has no time for distractions, even if they come in the handsome form of her Canadian best friend’s twin brother. This hockey player may say he’s not a player, but can she trust him?
Brent Karlsson has one goal – make his sister’s best friend realize he’s a changed man and she should give him a chance. When a set-up in Hawaii helps these two opposites realize they have more in common than they thought, what happens when he wants to turn their fake relationship into something real? And how can a relationship work when these two elite athletes never see each other and live on opposite sides of the world?
Love on Ice is the second book in the Original Six hockey romance series, a sweet, slightly sporty, contemporary romance series.
CC: Hi Holly! We’re so excited to have you. So, how do you think others view you?
HT: I think others see me as busy, committed and focused, someone who loves God and who tries to be a good daughter and a good friend. But I know that sometimes between my university studies and my training I can forget there’s more to life. Why? Because I want to win gold at the next Winter Olympics!
CC: Wow! To go to the Winter Olympics must be amazing. Who is your least favorite person to deal with? Why?
HT: Honestly, I find Brent Karlsson a bit of a pain. Sure, he might be my best friend’s twin brother, and some might say he’s handsome (well, that’s what all the girls in Detroit seem to think anyway) but he’s arrogant, or at least he’s acted that way to me in the past, plus he’s way too tall. And while he might say he’s changed from being a ladies’ man, I’m not sure I can trust him. (Can you ever really trust a charming man?) He keeps trying to prove my assumptions about him are wrong – he’s part of this Bible study group for pro hockey players, and he even has favourite Bible verses! – but because of his past I’m never really able to relax around him. Not that I want to. Not that I should. My coach just wants me to focus, focus, focus on my training – so even if I liked him (which I don’t) then I wouldn’t have time for a relationship with him anyway. How could that even work, when I live in Australia and he’s there in Michigan? It couldn’t. It shouldn’t. So it won’t.
CC: Oh those charmers. What a challenge they can be. What is your biggest fear?
HT: My biggest fear is not making the Olympics, or if I did make it, hurting myself beforehand so I couldn’t actually compete. The Olympics is all I’ve dreamed about for so long, and proving myself there is all I want to do. Short track speed skating is who I am – there’s nothing like the feeling of flying on the ice. So I guess my biggest fear is not being able to show that, or finding out I’m not good enough. Because if I couldn’t skate, then who am I? And what would that say about what I’ve spent years training for? And what would I do for the rest of my life?
CC: Do you enjoy family gatherings? Why/why not?
HT: I LOVE family gatherings, especially because I live 1000 kms away from my family (I live and train in Brisbane, Queensland, and they’re 11+ hours drive away in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia). My family is really small – just my mum and dad, brother, uncle, granddad and me – so we try to make the most of our time together when we catch up. My parents have always been my biggest supporters – they encouraged me to go on a student exchange program when I finished school, which ultimately gave me the opportunity to learn to skate when I was staying with Bree Karlsson’s family (she’s now been my best friend for years), and then supported me to follow my dreams when I returned to Australia. I love them, and I miss seeing them for months at a time when I’m training away from home or travelling for competitions around the world. So when we gather for things like Christmas or Easter it’s the best! (And not just because I can get my boogie board out and go have a surf with my brother!)
CC: Your family sounds amazing! If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?
HT: You mean apart from a gold medal? Two things: I’d like to see my Granddad get better (we think he’s getting Alzheimers ☹) and I’d like to see people like my friend Jess come to know God as their savior and best friend. I try to share with her about Jesus, but she wasn’t lucky enough to grow up in a Christian family like I was, so I think she’s struggled with believing like I do. But I keep praying for her. And for Kate (my other training partner, who I’m pretty sure hates me). I’d love to see her get zapped by God – in a good way, of course! Oh, and I’d LOVE to spend more time with Bree. But she’s a newlywed and living in Calgary, so that’s not possible at the moment. But who know? One day in the future God might do a miracle and I could go live there where they have the BEST short track speed skating training facilities in the world. Now that’d be a real answer to prayer!
Wow, Holly. It has been an absolute joy to talk to you today and I look forward to seeing what Love on Ice has in store for you! Friends, you can find out to by picking up Love on Ice at any of the following links.
In the comments below, what questions would YOU ask of Holly Travers?
Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes and Noble Books-a-Million Book Depository Bookshop.org
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked as a high school English and Learning and Support teacher.
A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and LM Montgomery, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her contemporary romance series includes the Original Six hockey romance series, and the Independence Islands series, and her historical series include the Regency Brides and Regency Wallflowers series.
Connect with Carolyn: website | facebook | pinterest | twitter | instagram | bookbub | goodreads
by Crystal Caudill | Jan 11, 2022 | Character Interview
UPDATE: Donna is offering a giveaway! See below!
Last year when I asked what you would like to see more of, the most popular answer was more interviews. It is my joy and privilege to be able to meet that need in this coming year with TWO types of interviews: Character Interviews and Author Interviews. I left the choice up to authors when they signed up as to which ones they wanted to do and a large portion of them were excited to introduce their characters to you in a more intimate manner outside of their stories.
Today I have the amazing honor and privilege to introduce to you, Sadie Bauer of Time will Tell, Book 2 of the “Christmas Under Main Street” series written by Donna Schlachter.
CC: Thanks for joining me, Sadie. First I’d love to know, what can you tell us about yourself and the role you play as a heroine in Time Will Tell.
SB: Hello, and thanks for asking these questions so your friends can get to know me. I own a watch and clock repair shop that I inherited from my Papa, who passed just a month ago. Every time I look around the shop, I see something that reminds me of him. Like his old sweater hanging on the coat rack. Or his pipe in the dish on the work table. Or that old grandfather clock that he refused to sell.
CC: How do you think others view you?
SB: I know my friend Penny thinks I’m much too serious for my own good, but I have a huge responsibility – to keep the shop open so I can keep Papa’s memory alive.
CC: Who is your least favorite person to deal with? Why?
SB: Mr. Pope owns a watch and jewelry shop, and always felt he needed to compete with Papa. However, my Papa was a better artisan. Mr. Pope tried many times to shut my Papa’s business, but he never succeeded. Finally, he bought out Papa’s lease and made it difficult for him. Mr. Pope is also the head of the Colorado Horological Association, a guild that controls who can work as a horologist – timepiece repairer – in Colorado. He doesn’t like me.
CC: What is your biggest fear?
SB: My biggest fear is of disappointing my Papa.
CC: Do you know any secrets about the other characters that you can share with us?
I am fairly certain Will O’Reilly, the man I hired as salesman and the public face of the shop so I can fulfill Mr. Pope’s requirements has a secret. I’m not certain what it is, but there is a woman I sometimes see him with. Which at first hurt my heart, because I might have been a little attracted to him, but now I see he’s already spoken for – which he never once mentioned to me.
It’s been a pleasure to get a glimpse of you Sadie. Friends, you can get to know Sadie more by picking up Time will Tell by Donna Schlachter. You can read the blurb and connect with the author below.
Time Will Tell by Donna Schlachter
Sadie Bauer inherits her father’s watch and clock repair shop in the Mall beneath Main Street, Pueblo. However, she soon learns that Fate conspires against her operating this business and keeping her father’s memory alive.
Will O’Reilly, recently dismissed for fighting, longs to help this beautiful damsel in distress, but she’s about as prickly as a porcupine. He’d like their relationship to be more than employer-employee, but if she learns of their connection through their ex-fiances, she might not want to have anything to do with him.
Can Sadie overcome her mistrust of men in general, and of a certain suave salesman in particular? Can Will get past his former betrothed’s infidelity? And can both learn to trust the God who makes all things beautiful in His time?
Purchase Links: Amazon
A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published 50 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both.
Connect with Donna: Website & Blog Facebook Twitter Amazon Profile & Books Bookbub Goodreads Etsy
GIVEAWAY!!
Donna is offering a print copy of Time Will Tell to those with a mailing address within the United States. For those outside the U.S., she is offering an e-book giveaway. Just complete the Rafflecopter entry below to be added. Open to those legally eligible. Rafflecopter entries open from 1/11 to 1/18/2022 until 11:59 PM EST (GMT-5).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Winner is ROXANNE!!!
