Romantic Reads: The Key to Love

Welcome Betsy St. Amant to the blog!

It's a special day for Betsy because her new novel, The Key to Love, releases today!

Please join me in wishing Betsy a "Happy BOOK birthday!" 

She's celebrating with us today by talking about her book, the setting, its characters, Paris (France) and French-inspired bakery treats like macaroons and Petit fours.

Now here's what's in it for you: Betsy is going to give away one, signed paperback copy of her book to the winner of the giveaway contest! You can enter the contest via the Rafflecopter widget that is located at the end of this blog post.

Now onto the interview ...

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Interview with Betsy St. Amant about her book, The Key to Love:

Alexis: “The Key to Love” is a lovely and unique title for a story! What is its significance?

Betsy: The title is referring to the lovelocks that are featured in the story, where my heroine, Bri, has created her own version of the lovelock wall at her small town Parisian themed bakery after the real lovelock bridge was shut down in Paris years before.

Alexis: What was your inspiration for writing this story?

Betsy: I started with two ideas—one, I wanted to incorporate the concept of the lovelocks, but when I started plotting the story, Paris declared the locks on the bridge over the Seine river an eyesore, and replaced the locks with glass panels. I had to revise my initial idea for the story, so I had my heroine make her own version instead in small-town, mid America! I ended up liking it this way so much better. Two, I wanted an opposites attract trope for my hero and heroine, which is why Bri is girlie and everything romance obsessed, while Gerard is the scorned, permanent Bachelor type who Bri accuses of “making flowers wilt when he walks by.”

Alexis: How did you research this story? Did you travel to Paris (France) and Kansas?

Betsy: I’ve never been to Paris, unfortunately. It’s on the bucket list! But I did a lot of research online and through chatting with people who have been, and I mapped some things out that applied to my story. I’ve been to Kansas years ago to visit a dear friend and loved it. The tulips were blooming when I visited, and I was so charmed with the entire state in general. It seemed the perfect spot to set my fictional town!

Alexis: “Story” is a very cute name for a fictional town! Paint a picture of it with words.

Betsy: Story, Kansas is a town reminiscent of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, where everyone knows who you are, and everyone knows everyone else’s business, but nobody really minds, because it’s all done in love!

Alexis: Let’s talk about the heroine of your story, Bri Duval. What does she look like? Sound like? Act like? What are her primary passions, character flaws and strengths?

Betsy: Bri is dainty and blonde and a huge romantic at heart. She usually bakes in a frilly apron and comfy sweatshirts, and loves the term “wanderlust”—it’s on the wall of the bakery and on a steppingstone leading to the lovelock wall outside. She’s kind and compassionate and knows what she wants—but her flaws come into play in that she’s kept her late parents on such a pedestal, determined to hold out for a love like theirs, that she doesn’t recognize love when it does come her way. She’s placed her identity in the wrong things and begins to lose herself when the pedestal her parents are on starts to wobble.

Alexis: What were Bri’s dreams for her bakery when she opened it and what are her dreams for it now?

Betsy: Bri’s mother, who passed away when Bri was only 18, learned to bake at the same bakery that Bri operates now. It’s owned by two eccentric elderly sisters, Mabel and Agnes, who are not blood-relation to Bri but loved Bri and her mother like their own. They serve as both comic relief and voices of reason in the story, and I love them! They continuously cracked me up. Bri bakes there in memory of her mother, but she’s also trying to save the bakery from being sold to her conniving ex-boyfriend, a town lawyer.

Alexis: Why are petit fours the dessert of choice for Bri? What is her favorite flavor?

Betsy: Since the bakery is Parisian themed, there are a lot of petit fours and macarons! There’s also some decorated sugar cookies and delicious iced coffee and other goodies. Bri spends a lot of time trying to recreate her mother’s macaron recipe, except there’s a problem—she doesn’t know her mom’s secret ingredient.

Alexis: Why did Bri re-create the famous Parisian lovelock wall at her bakery?

Betsy: Bri made the lovelock wall to serve as a memory for her parents’ love story, and to encourage the concept of love and romance in her town. The eccentric bakery owners, Mabel and Agnes, are known around Story, Kansas as matchmakers, so every time they match up a couple, they hang a lock in their honor.

Alexis: Let’s talk about the hero of your story, Gerard Fortier. What does he look like? Sound like? Act like? What are his hopes, life goals, most telling weakness and his greatest strength?

Betsy: Gerard is scorned by love after a failed engagement and a lifetime of watching his mother get dragged around by men. He’s sworn off love and is content to be a permanent Bachelor. His goals are more career-oriented right now, and he’s determined to promote up into his travel magazine’s lead writing position so he can write about things he really cares about—and make more money to help take care of his mom. His flaw is that he tends to run from the hard things and from “putting down roots.” He’s a permanent wanderer.

Alexis: Why did Trek Magazine send Gerard travel to Bri’s bakery to write a feature story about it?

Betsy: Trek sent Gerard to write about the bakery after it went viral from the matchmaking schemes of Mabel and Agnes, and the lovelock wall. Gerard didn’t want to do it, but if he wants the promotion, he’ll have to!

Alexis: What are Gerard’s first impressions of the bakery and Bri?

Betsy: Gerard first thinks that Bri is naïve and a little weak (though he reluctantly notices how pretty she is).

Alexis: How does Bri feel about Gerard when she first meets him?

Betsy: Bri thinks Gerard is a little rude, and a little too rough around the edges. He doesn’t fit her mold of anyone she’d be interested in (though she begrudgingly notices how handsome he is).

Alexis: How does her parents’ true love story affect Bri’s expectations for her own?

Betsy: Bri kept her parents on a pedestal all this time, holding out for a love as perfect as their own. But when that image gets tainted, Bri has to realize who she really is and what she really wants—outside of her parents— and recognize that love doesn’t always look the way she thinks it should.

Alexis: What is the moral of the story?

Betsy: The Key To Love is a story of identity. I hope readers come away from their journey with Bri as she discovers where her identity truly lies, to being encouraged in their own.

Alexis: If you could step into this story as a baker for Bri’s bakery, which one of the desserts on the menu would be your favorite to make and taste? Explain.

Betsy: I’m a sucker for a good petit four, but they’re incredibly hard to make! So, I’d probably just end up buying a few from Bri and binging later that night with a good book. Hehe.

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Author Bio:

Betsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of over fifteen inspirational romance novels and novellas.

She resides in north Louisiana with her hero of a hubby, two total-opposite young daughters, a vast collection of coffee mugs, and an impressive stash of Pickle chips. 

Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored in Christ. When she’s not composing her next book or trying to prove unicorns are real, Betsy can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of a white-chocolate mocha–no whip.

She blogs frequently at www.ibelieve.com, a devotional site for women. 

Betsy is proud to be represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency.

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Blurb for Betsy's book, The Key to Love:

The only thing Bri Duval loves more than baking petit fours is romance. So much so, she's created her own version of the famous Parisian lovelock wall at her bakery in Story, Kansas. 

She never expects it to go viral — or for Trek Magazine to send travel writer Gerard Fortier to feature the bakery. He's definitely handsome, but Bri has been holding out for a love story like the one her parents had, and that certainly will not include the love-scorned-and-therefore-love-scorning Gerard.

Just when it seems Bri's bakery is poised for unprecedented success, a series of events threaten not just her business but the pedestal she's kept her parents on all these years. Maybe Gerard is right about romance. Or maybe Bri's recipe just needs to be tweaked.

Novelist Betsy St. Amant invites you to experience this sweet story of how love doesn't always look the way we expect — and maybe that's a good thing.

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Buy Betsy's book on Amazon, Baker's Books or Barnes and Noble

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Connect with Betsy:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BetsySt.Amant

Twitter - https://twitter.com/betsystamant

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thankful Thursdays: Answered prayers after years of waiting on God

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for answered prayers!

I don’t know where to begin with this blog post to tell my whole story and keep it under 1,000 words. Perhaps I will write a longer blog post sometime in the future but for today, I will keep this short and sweet.

Ya’ll, I have a testimony to share about how God answered my prayers!

My undergraduate degree is in Print Journalism. It’s always been my passion and skill set but after graduating from college and a magazine internship thereafter, it was increasingly difficult for me to land a full-time job with salary in my field of study…until this week!

Now here’s where my testimony gets long but I will try to keep it short, as promised…

After that magazine internship was over (they were not hiring full-time), God led me on a series of detours. First, I felt a strong pull from Him to get trained to become a teacher and help children. It was the same strong pull that I felt to pursue Journalism. So I obeyed and went into training in an alternative certification program that’s similar to Teach for America. However, that journey was an uphill battle and after two years of teaching, the door to having a career in Education closed.

So now that my Plan B (teaching) failed, what was I going to do?

But God had more in store! Only two months after He shut the door to teaching, He opened the door to working for a countywide newspaper! I still remember my first day on assignment. It was like the sun rising! I felt at peace, happy, productive and convinced that I was operating in my calling.

However, after half a decade of working for that newspaper, the company went through budget cuts, which meant that they had to lay off several reporters including me. So then began my search for a new job. At first, I was only looking in Journalism but then I figured that any job that paid the bills would do. So I expanded my career search but to no avail because I only landed short, temporary jobs like seasonal retail for the holidays.

Just when all hope seemed lost, God intervened. He led me to making a new friend, Kristina, who calls herself a “Writerpreneur” and set off a series of events that led me to where I am today!

Keeping it short: Kristina told me to download her FREE book and read it because of its job search related resources. So I did and in that book, there was a list of staffing agencies that represent people who are searching for jobs. The company works as an agent for the job seeker, sending job leads and working as a bridge between the client and the employer.

The agency that I reached out to, found a job placement for me immediately (literally five minutes after they interviewed me and decided to represent me). I accepted the remote job and worked on it for several months until that company decided that they want to promote within so though they replaced me with one of their in-house employees. Needless to say, I was disappointed but I chose to hold on to the fact that God has a plan. And it’s a good plan just like He promises in Jeremiah 29:11.

Let me tell you, when God moves miracles in motion, only He can take the credit because He opens doors that no man can shut.

Such was the case for me just last week (Monday, July 1 to be exact). The staffing agency called me and asked me if I’m interested in short assignment (only four days) working for a media organization that’s located in the city. I said, “Yes.” They said they would alert the employer. Then they called me less than an hour later saying that I got the job for those four days! My Mom keeps pointing out that they didn’t interview me for the job, they just hired me, so that’s a sign that God is orchestrating this behind the scenes.

Today was supposed to be my last day working for this media organization, because that’s what my agency signed me up to do.

But God had other plans! Longer story short, my supervisor called me into an empty office and told me that they want to hire me as a full-time employee! Of course, I accepted!

This whole experience reminds me of what my Grandma used to say, “God may not come when you want Him to, but He’s always on time!”

Trust me, this new job opportunity happened exactly on time! I cannot go into details and still keep this post under 1,000 words.

This is a testimony that was years in the making! I spent three full years without a new day job that provided sufficient and steady pay. My career journey has been filled with highs and lows, hopes and fears. But God knew what He was doing. He gave me the experiences I needed on those detours He sent me on to help me grow and arrive exactly where I need to be today!

I am so grateful that God is faithful!

So that is the abbreviated version of my work related testimony. Maybe one day, I’ll write a book about my journey. But for now, I’m enjoying this moment, appreciating this blessing and encouraging you to wait on the Lord.

Trust, the wait is worth it. So, whatever you’re waiting on God to do in your life, don’t give up or give in. Just trust Him! God’s timing is perfect. I can testify to that fact!

God bless you.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of “God is Love” blog

P.S._ Listen to this song that’s encouraged me in my journey. It’s about taking everything – your worries, sorrows, joys and requests – to God in prayer!