Hi, everyone! I'm Beth Cornelison, one of the new members of the Casablanca blog. I sold my contemporary romance, SECOND CHANCES, to Sourcebooks at the end of July, just in time to meet all the other Casablanca authors and editors at the RWA conference in San Francisco. While I'm new to Casablanca, I'm not new to publishing. I've had books out with three other publishers (Silhouette, Five Star and Samhain) since 2005. But I have to say, the people involved with Casablanca have been among the most welcoming and have made me feel like part of a special family.
I'm in the process now of finishing up a few edits on SECOND CHANCES, so this seemed like a good time to tell you more about this book and whet your appetite for the release coming in the fall of 2009.
In SECOND CHANCES, readers will meet the Morgan men, father Bart, and his two grown sons, Aaron and Luke. The Morgans run a snorkeling and deep sea fishing tours business in Destin, Florida. The three bachelors lead a charmed life until an accident on their tour boat leaves Luke injured and the whole family grappling with the changes in their lives.
Enter Abby Stanford, an occupational therapist from Texas on vacation by herself after breaking her engagement with her philandering fiancé. When Abby arrives at the snorkeling office and has a run-in with a surly Luke, Aaron swoops in to save face for the family business, and, ladies' man that he is, Aaron snags a date with Abby. Aaron quickly realizes the rapport Abby has with his brother, and he and Bart offer Abby an unconventional job– a multi-purpose assistant to the family. Among other duties at the snorkeling office, Abby's goal is to motivate Luke, help with his therapy, and guide the family through the troubled waters they face.
Needing a distraction from her own painful break up and feeling a connection to the Morgan men, Abby accepts the position and takes a leave of absence from her job in Texas. In the weeks that follow, Abby becomes part of the Morgan family, sharing their heartaches and triumphs as she guides Luke through his recovery and rehabilitation. With the Morgan men, Abby finds healing for her own wounded heart, and when friendship and a sizzling attraction flare with Luke, she discovers a second chance for true love.
I had a great time writing about the Morgan men and Abby's unorthodox methods for healing family bonds and goading Luke along the path to spiritual and physical recovery. I had a much more reserved and demure character in mind when I started writing Abby, and she spoke up quickly and told me just who she really was! She was all about spunk and tenacity and optimism and fire. She was going to meet the strong-willed Morgan men head-on and win them over with her passion and unique insight.
And what about the three bachelor Morgans? Well, be still my heart! All three were hot hunks with wounded spirits and hearts of gold. I fell in love with them all! The family dynamic intrigued me as it unfolded, and I learned more about how the desertion of their wife and mother years before affected them all.
I can't wait to share SECOND CHANCES with all of you next fall, and I look forward to sharing more writing insights, reflections and random musings here on the Casablanca blog in the months to come. FMI about my other books vist www.bethcornelison.com.
Happy Friday!