Thursday, September 28, 2017

Looking for Home by Charlotte O'Shay

Roses and Readers, join me in welcoming Charlotte O'Shay!

I’m thrilled to be visiting the Roses of Prose today.

When I read your blog, I feel roots. I experience the pull, the comfort, the inevitable obligations, and the warmth of family and home. It’s that rare thing we all want but some of us spend a lifetime seeking. A sense of belonging.

The characters in my stories are uprooted, for the most part, whether through choice or just life happening. In my City of Dreams series, they’ve come to New York to chase a career. But though they’re searching for a once in a lifetime love, underneath it all they’re looking for HOME.

My heroine Lacey in A Model Engagement is a Navy brat, and an only child. She takes a dream job in NYC with the idea she will fund her design business but then falls prey to a blackmailer.

Excerpt:

Lacey Lee Reed was at the type of event, which for years had been, if not her life’s blood, then at least her meal ticket. Anyone who knew her, or thought they did, would say she was in her element—smack dab in the middle of a society party with every A-lister in New York in attendance.

But she couldn’t breathe.

The combination of exotic perfumes and expensive colognes in the warm room hit her harder than the kick of a mule. She swayed on her five-inch heels.

Focus, Lacey. You will not have a panic attack in the middle of your best friend’s wedding.

She pasted on a smile as she scanned the sparkling sea of Prada, Gucci, and Dior visible over his head, scoping out her escape.

She inhaled again, slower this time then eased out a steady, candle extinguishing breath. Ridiculous to feel trapped. Another focused breath. She wasn’t alone. Not by a long shot.

She was in the middle of the most enormous ballroom the Pierre Hotel possessed at one of the splashiest New York City weddings in decades. The VIP crowd was nothing new, nothing she couldn’t handle.

It was individual people that creeped her out.

The old Lacey would have told this SOB staring straight into her cleavage where to go. Politely and with every bit of the charm her mama taught her. But that was the old Lacey. 

A Model Engagement
September 20, 2017 release 

Blurb 

Lacey Reed jumps at the chance for independence with a career in the big city. But her naivety and ambition blind her to the lure of a blackmailer.

With her savings gone she has nowhere to turn when she literally runs into financier Connor Devlin.

Though dazzled by Lacey, Connor sees the desperation she tries to hide. He hires her as his fake fiancée. Now Lacey has a job and he has a bandage for a family crisis.

When the blackmailer ups the ante, Lacey resolves to face him down— no matter what the consequences.

Does that mean Lacey will lose the only man who’s ever seen who she truly is?


Buy Links:

Amazon

Nook

The Wild Rose Press



Author Bio and Links: 

Charlotte O'Shay was born into a big family and married into another big family.

The drama! The noise! The inspiration!

Negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in law. After four beautiful children joined the crowded family tree, Charlotte traded her legal career to write about happily ever afters. She lives on the far westside only 3 subway stops from where she grew up.

When Charlotte isn't reading or writing steamy contemporaries featuring heroines in crisis and swoony heroes with issues, she's on the hunt for that perfect pair of sunglasses. 

She LOVES to hear from readers. 

Sign up to my newsletter to find out about giveaways and new releases: http://eepurl.com/b4lbvn

Web: charlotteoshayauthor.com 
Twitter (@charlotte_oshay) 
Instagram (charlotte_oshay_author) 
Facebook (Authorcharlotteoshay)

The City of Dreams series are standalone books linked by the wedding in The Marriage Ultimatum.
Book 1, The Marriage Ultimatum ~ Sabrina & Vlad
Book 2, A Model Engagement ~ Lacey & Connor 
Book 3, An Illicit Affair ~ Honey & Jake

RWA & RWA-NYC


Twitter @charlotte_oshay
Blog/Website
Goodreads


20 comments:

Margo Hoornstra said...

Welcome, Charlotte. I know exactly what you mean about finding a home. My colleagues here are a great support group. Always nice to share the bounty. Loved your excerpt. Best of luck!

Leah St. James said...

Welcome, Charlotte! What a nice message about "home," and so true. "A Model Engagement" sounds fantastic. I love the story settings that take me out of my everyday environment, and NYC A-listers and the fashion world sure do! Wishing you much success with the book.

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

Thank you for the warm welcome Margo!

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

Thank you Leah. New York City is my home but as to the rest I have a vivid imagination!

Vonnie Davis, Author said...

Welcome to the Roses of Prose, Charlotte. I loved your excerpt. We never think of the negative effect a blend of perfumes can have on a person until we walk into a crowded room heavily blitzed with dozens of fragrances. Good luck with your book. Wishing you great sales and positive reviews.

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

Thank you Vonnie. I know what you mean. And if you're jammed into a subway car with those scents yikes, watch out.

JENNIFER WILCK said...

Lovely blog post. There are so many reasons why we all long for home, no matter where we are. Looking forward to your book.

Jannine Gallant said...

I think the sense of home is why I use small town settings. They have that warmth we look for even when a killer is on the loose! Best of luck with your latest release, Charlotte. It sounds like a winner!

Andrea Downing said...

Good to see you here, fellow New Yorker (and fellow Upper Westsider) Your book sounds like a lot of fun. Good luck with it--many sales.

Rolynn Anderson said...

Wild Rose, Roses of Prose...yup, family oriented groups. Welcome! I'm an Army brat with a built-in sense of making a home wherever I land, yet ready to pull up stakes should the need arise. Your character's flexibility as well as her unease is familiar to me. Happy sales to you, Charlotte!

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

Thank you Jennifer. Home is where the heart is trite but true.

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

As I am just starting my writing career using a small town would be quite a stretch for me but I love to learn about life in small towns by reading romances in that setting.

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

Thanks Andrea. Although we have moved again now we are downtown. We are quite the nomads.

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

Thank you Rolynn. I'm fascinated by the challenges you must have faced. I'm going to have to look you up further to read about that life.

Alison Henderson said...

So glad to have you with us today, Charlotte! I'm glad you feel at home here--we're generally a pretty warm and fuzzy group. I've lived all over--including New York City--but have finally settled in Carmel, California, at least for the time being. I like to think I take "home" with me wherever I go. Best wishes on your new book!

Diane Burton said...

Welcome, Charlotte. Fish out of water stories are one of my favorites (to read & to write). It's a great way to describe a familiar scene through the eyes of someone new. Best wishes.

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

Thank you Alison. I do enjoy your FB posts so much. What a beautiful part of the world you live in.

Charlotteoshayauthor.com said...

You are so right Diane. Thanks you for your good wishes.

Katie O'Sullivan said...

Nice post, Charlotte! Really enjoyed your new book and wishing you tons of success! I'm glad you found a "home" with The Wild Rose Press!

Alicia Dean said...

Sorry I'm late, and welcome to ROP. Yes, we are sort of like a family. This is a fantastic group of supportive, talented authors. Your book sounds wonderful...congratulations!!