Interview: Marilyn Baxter Author of Tea for Two @marilyn_baxter #RLFblog #contemporary

Tea for Two 

Title Tea for Two

Genre short contemporary romance

Author Name Marilyn Baxter

Book heat level (based on movie ratings): PG

Take one tea shop-owning divorcee, add a new-to-town attorney and two meddling grandmothers and the result is a romantic brew that will make everyone's dreams come true.

Interview with Marilyn Baxter

Why did you write this book?

Ever since I experimented with hot tea with milk and sugar after reading a Miss Marple mystery, I've been hooked on tea. Glance around my kitchen and you'll find numerous types of tea and teapots and teacups and saucers. I love to have afternoon tea and was able to do a fancy one at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta last summer and at Fortnum & Mason (the Queen's grocer) in London last fall. So it just seemed natural that someday I'd write about a heroine who owned a tea shop. The plot and characters took a few twists and turns before it finally morphed into Tea for Two, but that's half the fun of writing – seeing just how stubborn and obstinate your characters can be.

What is your favorite genre to read?

Contemporary romance and romantic suspense

What is your favorite character from fiction (not including your own characters)?

It's a tie between Milla Edge in Linda Howard's Cry No More and Blair Mallory in Linda Howard's To Die For. Milla suffered a horrendous loss and drew on strength she never knew she had, then turned her tragedy into a resource to help others. I can relate, not to the same kind of loss, but to discovering inner strength and using that to pay it forward. Blair? She came along when I needed to laugh, and boy did she make me laugh. Most people don't take cheerleading seriously. If they only knew… And thus begins Blair's story.

Do you enjoy films and/or TV shows? Which are your favorites?

I am a crime drama junkie. My DVR is regularly set to record shows like Law & Order: SVU, CSI, Bones, Castle, Rizolli & Isles, Major Crimes and Elementary. I also adore Downton Abbey, and don't tell, but I'm a big Survivor fan. All that scheming and making and breaking alliances – well, it makes my life seem pretty darned normal. The last movies I saw were The Monuments Men, Philomena and Academy Award winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom. Loved them all. Also don't tell, but I'm eagerly awaiting the next X-Men film. Can you say Hugh Jackman? ;-)

What are you working on at the moment, and what are we likely to see from you in the coming months?

I'm in the midst of plotting a story set in Ireland, where I had the privilege to visit last fall. I have a couple plots in mind. I'm fleshing out characters and trying to see who talks loudest. On May 13 I will have a novella released by Boroughs Publishing Group. It's called Better as a Memory and is a story about secret pregnancy, reunited lovers, a matchmaking mother and of course, happily ever after.

Please tell us about your latest book.

Tea for Two is part of Boroughs' Lunchbox Romance line. These are stories between 6,000 and 12,000 words, and are designed to be read during your lunch hour. The various titles already published in the line run the gamut from contemporary to historical to paranormal. There's something for everyone. The package may be small, but inside there's still a central love story and HEA.

Excerpt

Sam nudged Mollie's arm with his elbow as they strolled down the sidewalk after dinner. "You know my grandmother is going to have a field day with this. Us going out to dinner again. You're all she's talked about for the past few days. Now I'm really suspicious she sent me to your shop to try and set us up."

"Oh, I know she did. I figured it out that afternoon when she invited me to tea and made a point to tell me you were single. And my granny was in cahoots with her."

"I emphasized I was not her latest matchmaking project. Apparently she wasn't listening." As they approached his car, Sam pulled his keys from his pocket and thumbed the fob to unlock it. "I should be mad. Somehow, though, I can't muster up a lot of anger since we have this great business arrangement now. I can't believe I already have clients."

Mollie's heart sank. This was all about him and his business? He hadn't really asked her out on a date, had he? She was angry, and right now her anger wasn't directed at her grandmother or Sam's. She was furious with herself for letting down her guard. For believing there might be something more than a professional relationship between them, even though she'd pretended not to want it. How many times had she seen the words Listen to your gut in the multitude of self-help books she'd read in the wake of her split from Philip?

Buy This Book

Publisher http://boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/tea-two

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Two-Marilyn-Baxter-ebook/dp/B00IAQXE1S

Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tea-for-two-marilyn-baxter/1118425451?ean=2940045609685

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/402919

Author Bio

In 2001 Marilyn discovered romance novels quite by accident, which led to a renewed interest in writing. She's had over forty stories published in the confessions and romance magazines and taught a class in how to effectively write for this genre. Her most recent release is Tea for Two, a Lunchbox Romance from Boroughs Publishing Group, and it will be followed later in 2014 by a novella entitled Better as a Memory.

She is a member of Romance Writers of America and her local RWA chapter, Heart of Dixie Romance Writers. Her involvement on the local and national level has combined to give her a great love of the romance genre and to develop friendships that span the globe.

In addition to reading and writing, Marilyn loves to knit simple things, cook in the crockpot and garden in a few pots on her patio. Her motto is "Have passport, will travel," and last fall she added Ireland and Wales to the list of 32 states and 21 foreign countries she has visited.

A native of North Carolina, she came to Huntsville, Alabama by way of Frankfurt, Germany. She has lived here longer than anywhere else and calls it home. After raising two great sons, she loves to dote on her two granddaughters. And somewhere amidst all the above, she fits in a day job as an administrative assistant for a boutique law firm.

Author Social Media

Website http://marilynbaxter.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/marilyn_baxter

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.baxter.372

Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Baxter/e/B00IJIGN9C