CLAIMING HIS CHILD…AT ANY COST
A shocking fertility clinic mix-up has resulted in Luca Moretti fathering a child with a woman he's never met. There's no way the CEO will walk away from his baby girl. But he has thirty days to convince her distractingly beautiful mother to do exactly what he wants.
Widow Claire Douglas is still reeling from the loss of her husband when she discovers a stranger has fathered her child. And the rich bachelor will stop at nothing to gain joint custody. How can she possibly fight a man with such money and power…and a charm she can't resist?
Frankenbachelor
I
was asked to create the ultimate bachelor by taking three of my favorite famous
guys and combining them into one perfect guy. It took me a while to determine
what pieces I wanted. There are so many great choices out there and I'm sure as
soon as someone mentions another great actor, I'll think - oh, can I squeeze in
a 4th or 5th guy? But here's my final result:
- First, we're going to harvest all the best
parts of sexy Brit Tom Hiddleston. I want the smooth voice, the British accent,
the artistic soul, the ability to recite Shakespearean sonnets and make a girl
melt, the romantic at heart, and the accomplished ballroom dancer. Honestly,
Tom is practically perfect on his own.
- Second, we're going to add in a dash of
Chris Pratt. Tom is tall and handsome, but I like a little more meat on my men.
I'm all about Chris's height and build, so we'll take the body, but also, his
great sense of humor, overall goodness and undying devotion to the woman in his
life. I mean the guy dresses up as Starlord and visits kids in the hospital.
I'll take one of those, please! Even before the six-pack, he was a catch.
-
Finally, we'll need a little Matt Bomer. I swear, is there a prettier man? To
quote Lady Gaga in American Horror Story, "your boy has jawline for
days!" Indeed, he does. So, definitely need the face, the dreamy blue
eyes, and the sense of style. He's also a dedicated family man, so gotta love
that.
There!
I can't think of a more perfect Frankenbachelor than this one. Romantic,
talented, handsome, tall, caring, and thoughtful with an accent. Yes! Let's
start mass producing these, Dr. Frankenstein!
Movie
Star Cast
Whenever
I start a new book, I begin with a Pinterest board. I hunt down inspirations
for the characters, the settings and future cover ideas. You can check them out
here - there's one for every book. It really helps me visualize the book as I
write it and hopefully it does the same for the readers as well. It also helps
me because I always have an answer when I'm asked who would star in the movie
about the book!
For
Claire Douglas, I chose Jennifer Lawrence. She had the beauty, the
potential to be both buttoned-up and passionate, and has the fire that a
protective mother like Claire needs.
For
Luca Moretti, I chose a model instead of an actor, but I’m sure he can pull it
off – Raoul Bova. He’s just got something about him that makes you say – yes!
That is my hunky Italian restaurateur. If I found out he was the father of my
child, I’d have a hard time resisting making another one the old fashioned way.
Song
Playlist
Admittedly,
this playlist is a little all over the place. I listen to a lot of different
genres of music and it all comes together into a crazy playlist. Luca and
Claire have a complicated and untraditional relationship, and not one that I
think has been captured in the perfect song. I tried to find songs that
represent their hurt in the past, their willingness to move forward, and
finally to fall in love.
·
Better Love – Foxes
·
The Woman Before Me – Trisha Yearwood
·
Broken - Seether
·
Believe – Cher
·
Bring Me to Life – Evanescence
·
Demons – Imagine Dragons
·
With Arms Wide Open - Creed
·
I’m Ready – Bryan Adams
·
I’m A Believer - Monkees
Bon
Appetit and a Book
The
hero of the book THE CEO'S UNEXPECTED CHILD is the owner of a large
family-style Italian restaurant chain called Moretti’s Italian Kitchen. One of
the featured dishes at the restaurant is cheesecake, which makes a special
appearance in the epilogue. I've personally made a lot of cheesecakes in my day
and this is one of my favorite recipes. There are fancier ones, and more
complicated ones, but this has always turned out for me. It’s a pretty simple
one, although the top is prone to crack. I haven’t had any luck with waterbaths
because my springform pans always leak. So, if the top cracks – put on a layer
of chocolate ganache or fruit topping. Problem solved!
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup margarine
or butter, melted
- 1-1/4 cups sugar,
divided
- 3 pkg. (8
oz. each) brick cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour
cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 can (21
oz.) cherry pie filling or other topping of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven
to 350°F if using a silver 8- or 9-inch springform pan (or to 325°F if
using a dark nonstick 8- or 9-inch springform pan). Mix graham cracker
crumbs, margarine and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Press firmly onto bottom and
2-1/2 inches up side of pan; set aside.
- Beat cream
cheese and the remaining 1 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on
medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Add
eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until
blended. Pour into crust.
- Bake 1
hour to 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Turn oven off. Open
oven door slightly. Let cheesecake set in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake
from oven; cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Loosen cheesecake from rim of pan; remove rim. Top cheesecake with pie
filling just before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
How-To
Tips for Aspiring Writers
There’s
a lot of advice out there for writers that are hoping to achieve publication.
I’ve heard my share, followed some, ignored others. It isn’t a custom fit to
every writer. What I would suggest is that you do two things: read and write.
Read as many different types of books as you can. Find out what you like, what
kind of stories you’d like to tell, and what kind of themes work in that genre.
Then, write like the wind. You probably won’t sell your first book. Deal with
it. Write another one. And another one. And another one. I wrote 10 books and
sold the 11th. I learned something important with every book and
when I did finally get published, the learning curve wasn’t quite as steep. I
was able to take off running and I’ve never looked back.
Love
Lessons Learned
In
THE CEO’S UNEXPECTED CHILD, both the hero and heroine have a good reason to
keep other’s at a distance. Luca feels damaged and doesn’t want a woman to fall
in love with him and sacrifice an important part of her future to be with him.
Claire has been betrayed and abandoned by her husband in the worst possible
way. She’s fought her way through it, but her baby is what keeps her moving
forward. Both characters need to learn to trust their hearts and their
instincts. Luca has so much to offer, but he doesn’t believe that he’ll ever
have real happiness, so he pushes women away. Claire can’t bear to get hurt
again. As they grow to know, and eventually, to love each other, they have to
trust one another to make the right decisions and choose love instead of fear.
Writer’s
Space
I
am lucky in that I have my very own office. I have a great desk setup, a table
to put together prizes and baskets, and bookshelves overflowing with books
(mine and other people’s). In my previous home, my office doubled as the guest
room, so it was harder to get things done. You’ll see my office is filled with
all of my favorite things. I have toys, posters from my favorite films,
stationary stuff, books, research materials... I’ll admit it’s normally not
this clean. It gets a little chaotic, so sometimes, I end up moving downstairs
to work in my favorite chair. Many of my books were written in that big,
oversized blue chair. Not the best for the posture and most certainly not
ergonomically correct, but it works for me.
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