Welcome back to Bridgeview!
Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking back in 2016 when I set out to write a twelve-book romance series! Because my brain works best with alternating series, most years I’ve only published two books in the Urban Farm Fresh Romance series. So 2020 will be a bonus year, since the tenth novel is already on pre-order for a December release. Of course, I still need to write it! But that’s a job for September and October.
On the flip side, I’m going to miss hanging out with all our friends in Bridgeview. The Santoro clan has become a great source of entertainment for many of us, and we feel like we could be friends in Real Life™. Tony Santoro, hero of Lavished with Lavender, has been around longer than most. He first appeared as a mouthy teenager back in the second Farm Fresh Romance, Wild Mint Tea! To follow his appearances through my Story Worlds, check out this interview with Tony Santoro over at Inspy Romance.
The biggest challenge in this novel was writing through the initial onslaught of the covid-19 pandemic. I’d written only a few chapters when the world fell apart. I had a nasty cold for a week (definitely not the dreaded coronavirus) then got sucked into the unending news and opinion pieces. These paralyzed me for a couple of more weeks and, before I knew it, March was over and I’d lost several weeks of writing time.
God and I had a few deep talks before my feet landed back on the straight-and-narrow and I buckled down to writing the story. Interestingly, the themes of stress and resting in God had already been established with the title and early chapters. How’s that for “coincidence?”
Each addition to the Urban Farm Fresh Romance series offers a nod to gardening or farming in the city. In this case, the link is lighter than some as Tony grapples with sourcing food for his restaurant, Antonio’s, and the family (and Kenna) deal with Marietta’s large garden. Especially the lavender, LOL!
About Lavished with Lavender
Nursing the neighborhood matriarch through her convalescence from a nasty fall gives Makenna Johnson the break she needs from the head nurse on her ward. The family is plenty involved. Maybe too much so, since it includes a disapproving grandson who lives in Marietta’s basement.
If chef Tony Santoro weren’t so busy launching his new restaurant, he’d take on Nonna’s care himself, but it isn’t possible. If only the nurse was more obsessed with decent meals and less obsessed with polishing baseboards, he’d rest a lot easier.
How can two driven professionals who clash over Marietta’s care — and everything else — ease up enough to see each other’s hearts?
Lavished with Lavender is currently available only on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited for the foreseeable future.
Enjoy the Pinterest board for this novel here.
