Hi friends,
Happy Wednesday. I’m super excited to have as my guest, my dear writing friend and prayer partner, Becky Wade. We met on a trip to Bethany House Publishers shortly after we both signed with them, and our debut novels released with them on the same day in May 2012. We’ve been encouraging and supportive friends since. Writers definitely need friends like that. People who get our crazy brains and creative spirit.
Today, Becky is sharing about her latest release, Sweet on You. If you haven’t grabbed a copy, we’ve got a fun giveaway for you! Enjoy Becky’s guest post and be sure to enter to win our Book-end Your Summer Giveaway. Becky’s novel kicks summer off and my upcoming novel, The Killing Tide, releases in August when Becky will be giving away a great set of book ends (see below) and copies of my books. Hope you enjoy her fabulous post and hope you all have a wonderful week!
The Book-end Your Summer Giveaway is now closed. The winner is Emilee Douglas. Congratulations, Emilee.
Friends Who Fall in Love
By Becky Wade
I've now published eight full-length Christian fiction romances. But my new release, Sweet on You, is my first attempt at a story about two adult friends who fall in love.
My husband and I were friends for a year before we started dating! I've known other women who ended up marrying men who were first their friends. I've read a few books with this premise and thoroughly enjoyed them. Thus, when I sat down to write Britt and Zander's story, I imagined I had a good handle on my task.
However, as I started writing, I began to flail.
Those of you who read romantic books and watch romantic movies know that conflict is the lynchpin of every gripping love story. My two characters knew each other tremendously well. Britt had liked Zander enormously for more than a decade. Zander had loved Britt secretly for more than a decade. After I put them on the page together, I thought Where do I go from here? and What's the conflict?
I figured out the answers to both of those questions gradually as I wrote and rewrote Sweet on You. In the end, the challenge inherent in the set-up only made the writing process that much richer and more satisfying.
Penning Sweet on You reminded me why it's wonderful to fall in love with your friend. Namely:
1. You can dispense with the get-to-know you chit chat. Your guy friend already realizes that your favorite color is blue, that you get cranky when tired, that you love watching BBC.
2. You don't have to worry that he'll break up with you and run screaming when he meets your eccentric aunt Lucille. He's met your people.
3. You can count on his acceptance of you. He's not going to be surprised by your knack for math or by your fear of roller coasters. The two of you are friends because he appreciates and accepts you.
4. You can trust that the bedrock of your friendship will remain intact over the course of your romance. Years after you start dating or marry, the things that motivated your friendship -- your shared sense of humor, his kindness, your loyalty -- will still bond the two of you together.
In your opinion, what's the best part of falling in love with a friend? Has anyone here dated or married their friend?
Book Overview:
Britt Bradford and Zander Ford have been the best of friends since they met thirteen years ago. Unbeknown to Britt, Zander has been in love with her for just as long.
Independent and adventurous Britt channels her talent into creating chocolates at her hometown shop. Zander is a bestselling author who’s spent the past eighteen months traveling the world. He’s achieved a great deal but still lacks the only thing that ever truly mattered to him–Britt’s heart.
When Zander’s uncle dies of mysterious causes, he returns to Merryweather, Washington, to investigate, and Britt is immediately there to help. Although this throws them into close proximity, both understand that an attempt at romance could jeopardize their once-in-a-lifetime friendship. But while Britt is determined to resist any change in their relationship, Zander finds it increasingly difficult to keep his feelings hidden.
As they work together to uncover his uncle’s tangled past, will the truth of what lies between them also, finally, come to light?
About Becky:
Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves writing funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance! She’s the Christy and Carol award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the Bradford Sisters Romance series.
