by: Amy Craig
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance/Christmas/Multicultural
Release Date: August 23, 2019
Amazon | Paperback | Goodreads
Mayor Gloria Holding and British executive Alexander Hayworth are struggling to keep their relationship professional while they work to revitalize a facility in Stoneblock, NJ. She knows everything about her constituents and he likes to keep his distance. When outside activists threaten the project, they devise a solution, but it's not their final call.
Can she learn to trust her abilities and can he find a place amid her impassioned constituents and Mexican-American family? Time is running out as the town council considers the facility project amid a backdrop of snowflakes, tamales, and the optimism of Christmas.
Those alternatives turned out to be 1970s "Christian/Sweet" romances. The heroines had jobs like reporter, teacher, baker, and secretary. I devoured them because the relationship between two characters is the ultimate appeal of a romance. Except for that one about the 1970s hockey player. I kept waiting for him to take his clothes off.
As a writer, I fluctuate between writing sweet romances and contemporary romances. I like the steam, but I also like the humor and obstacles of a slow burn. My new release, A Corporate Courtship, relies on the public spotlight and workplace dynamics to keep Mayor Gloria and British Executive Alexander from tumbling into bed. They work together to revitalize a facility in a small town called Stoneblock, N.J., but not everybody believes their claims.
What’s a reporter, teacher, baker, and secretary to do when considering a plot that relies on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)? I see “conventional” jobs in sweet romances from Hallmark etc., but women have so many career choices. Why don’t we see more leaders in STEM? Oh, because nobody wants to read twenty pages of backstory or scientific discussion. Gotcha. Another reason authors shy away from these plot devices is that it’s hard to write the details without overwhelming the reader.
In A Corporate Courtship, the hero knows his stuff. He’s a chief financial officer with a wealth of experience from working among the plants of the Dynamics Corporation. What does a real municipal plant review look like? Consult the public-facing pages of federal agencies like the EPA. You only need a few facts and a general appreciation of an “industry” to transport readers to a new world. Once you’ve sketched out the plot, social media is full of experts willing to answer subtle questions. The vocabulary of their answers can unlock new layers of your plot. For The Headlands (warning, not a romance), I actually sent a Facebook message to the United States Park Police. And they answered!
Another way of thinking about incorporating STEM is to consider your starting point. If you’re a teacher, think about the technologies you use. What makes an application a necessary teaching tool? What if the app didn’t work one day? Would you close it down or would you tinker with it a little, playing with the settings and trying to get it to function? Maybe you find an unexpected line of text and realize there’s something more going on in the world than test prep. Boom! You’ve got a story. So whether you’re a curious reader or an ambitious writer, the internet is your friend. Start with your area of expertise and drop a pebble in the water, watching as the scope of possibilities expands.
What does Mayor Gloria do in A Corporate Courtship? Well, let’s just say she looks at the residents of Stoneblock and acknowledges they need the Dynamics plant, but they also need something more. She and Alexander develop more than a mutual respect for each other. They’re both working hard, but for very different reasons.
She took another step away from the melee and found her back flush against the solid warmth of a man's chest. What have I done? She turned around and came face to face with the Dynamics executive. A curious expression flashed across his face, but she caught the scent of his aftershave and smiled. The warm, fresh smell complimented his cool confidence. "Excuse me, I'm so sorry."
"Pardon me," he said as he increased the distance between them.
"Who are you?" The challenge slipped out before she could stop herself.
"Alexander Hayworth."
The name should have meant something, but Gloria was exhausted. "What is your role?"
"Corporate observer."
"And when you get back to Britain?"
"Corporate Financial Officer."
Gloria swallowed. "Dynamics has a lot of time and money invested in this project."
"Apparently not enough."
They stared at each other while the press humored Turbon and the plant manager. Outside of the fluorescent courtroom, sunlight revealed streaks of gold in the man's hair. When she looked into his blue eyes, she thought of dark gray clouds rolling across the water. I don’t care if a storm is approaching, something about this man makes me want to throw my cares to the wind.
"Pardon me," he said as he increased the distance between them.
"Who are you?" The challenge slipped out before she could stop herself.
"Alexander Hayworth."
The name should have meant something, but Gloria was exhausted. "What is your role?"
"Corporate observer."
"And when you get back to Britain?"
"Corporate Financial Officer."
Gloria swallowed. "Dynamics has a lot of time and money invested in this project."
"Apparently not enough."
They stared at each other while the press humored Turbon and the plant manager. Outside of the fluorescent courtroom, sunlight revealed streaks of gold in the man's hair. When she looked into his blue eyes, she thought of dark gray clouds rolling across the water. I don’t care if a storm is approaching, something about this man makes me want to throw my cares to the wind.
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Amy Craig lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with her family and a small menagerie of pets. She writes women's fiction and contemporary romances with seemingly intelligent and empathetic heroines. She can't always vouch for the men. She has worked as an engineer, project manager, and incompetent waitress. In her spare time, she plays tennis and expands her husband’s honey-do list.
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