Author Guest Post with Corinne LaBalme, Summer People

Jessica Stratton’s long-cherished dream of opening her own Folk Art gallery in an idyllic Cape Cod setting finally comes true.

Welcome to one of the September 5th stops on the blog tour for Summer People by Corinne LaBalme with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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Author Guest Post

A Café of One’s Own

It’s August 29^th  –  three days before the release of SUMMER PEOPLE – and I’m delighted to say that I can write again!

Let me explain: I live in Paris which – as proven by Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin and F. Scott Fitzgerald – is an excellent for Americans to write. And France has a long-standing café culture. It’s perfectly OK to spend the whole  morning with a café au lait or an afternoon nursing a single glass of Sauvignon while finishing a troublesome chapter. (Honestly, I don’t know too many writers who stop at one glass of wine but we’re staying theoretical, right?)  

But Paris has another tradition: Most of it closes down for the month of August. And surprisingly, that includes my corner café on the north edge of town where the only summer tourists are people who got off the metro at the wrong stop.

Since the tables are large at Chez Christophe and the coffee is cheap, I’ve written and edited all my books here, including SUMMER PEOPLE. I feel like a literary orphan when the doors are closed.  

And every August brings the fear that those doors will never open again. Has some flashy investor replaced my beloved fake-wood tables, tippy Naugahyde chairs and bumpy floor tiles with fancy window treatments, velvet armchairs and a wine-list that reads longer than “red, white or pink” over the vacation hiatus?

But this morning, the place re-opened… just as musty and dusty and delightful as ever! And that’s where I’m writing this message. Whew!

My advice to any writer who feels blocked? Look around… maybe you haven’t found the right café yet.   

About the Book

Summer People
by Corinne LaBalme

Published 31 August 2022
Wild Rose Press

Genre: Cape Cod Romance
Page Count: 202
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Jessica Stratton’s long-cherished dream of opening her own Folk Art gallery in an idyllic Cape Cod setting finally comes true. However, her start-up is anything but smooth sailing. Her ten-year marriage hits the rocks and, when the hunk next door to her shop – a brooding ecologist on a mission to save the planet – proves too irresistible to ignore, she’s got to relearn the rules of the dating game while working overtime to lure clients to her boutique. Unfortunately, someone’s already far too interested in a 19th century example of advertising art in her collection and will go to any means – legal or illegal – to acquire it. Maybe the planet isn’t all that needs to be saved…

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Excerpt

“To you…” he began.

Jenna leaned forward, both hands cupping her wineglass.

“To you and…” Wait a second! Where was that humongous gem she had on her left hand ring finger this morning? What kind of crazy game was this woman playing with him?

“Yes…?” prompted Jenna.

“To you… and to the unexpected,” said Rick slowly.

“To unexpected pleasures, at any rate,” said Jenna brightly after the pause threatened to become uncomfortable.  “Like this marvelous homemade chili. I think the toast should be to the chef.” She raised her glass and took a sip.

Plan B. What the hell is Plan B? wondered Rick as he watched her intently. He didn’t detect any come-hither in her straightforward gaze. In fact, her smile conveyed nothing except neighborly concern that he might have been struck deaf and dumb all of a sudden. He raised his glass again, took a long swallow, and turned to his plate. Plan B is all hers, he decided.

About the Author

Corinne LaBalme lives in France and loves everything about it… except eating snails. Her articles about European fashion, food and fun destinations have appeared in The New York Times Travel section, Diversion, La Belle France and France Revisited. Her favorite place to write? Any Parisian café with a good croissant connection… 

The setting for SUMMER PEOPLE is founded on childhood memories of vacations on Cape Cod and based on my mother’s (very real) house in Brewster.

The romantic hero of SUMMER PEOPLE — Rick Martell — is the kind of guy who exists only in our sweetest & beachiest dreams…. sigh!

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Giveaway Alert!

Corinne LaBalme will be awarding $10 Amazon or B&N gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.