By Narelle Atkins
I’m delighted to welcome Sean and Julia to Inspy Romance today and share our conversation from a café in the beautiful seaside suburb of Manly in Sydney, Australia.
Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia
Narelle sipped her latte. “I love the ocean view from this café. Sean, is this the café where our readers first met you in ‘Her Tycoon Hero’?”
Sean shook his head. “We’re at Julia’s favorite café today because she adores the coffee here.”
“And their service is good, too,” Julia said.
Manly Beach cafes
Narelle nodded and clasped her hands together. “Okay, I’m going to dive right in and ask the question that readers of ‘Her Tycoon Hero’ and the first chapter of ‘Winning Over the Heiress’ would probably like answered. What happened between you two at Ryan and Cassie’s wedding?”
Julia lowered her lashes. “It’s a long story.”
Sean chuckled. “And everyone would already know what happened if you’d included Ryan and Cassie’s wedding in Chapter One of ‘Winning Over the Heiress’.”
“I wrote at least six versions of Chapter One, and the wedding scenes just didn’t work out.”
“And that’s somehow our problem?” he asked. “You’re the author, not us.”
Narelle smiled. “Our reader friends can decide for themselves if they like the final version of Chapter One. In the meantime, you can both give us the scoop on the wedding.”
“Julia, ladies first,” Sean said.
Julia sighed. “The truth is I thought Sean’s life was really messed up back then. He was dealing with some pretty heavy stuff and a lot of people had issues with him.”
Sean widened his eyes. “You didn’t like me at the wedding, even a little bit?”
“Okay, I admit I was drawn to you,” Julia said. “Although, I was in denial of my feelings because I thought you were trouble with a capital T.”
“Which was, unfortunately, true. I’d only just started on my faith journey and had a long way to go.” Sean stirred the froth in his cappuccino. “For the record, I thought you were amazing and a stunning bridesmaid. Given a choice, I would have spent the entire wedding reception with you.”
“Really? I remember some of your family weren’t giving you an easy time.”
“Yep, but I’ve managed to mend most of the fences I’ve broken as a result of my foolish choices.”
Julia held Sean’s gaze, her eyes sparkling. “I’m glad I turned you down.”
“You mean at the wedding, when I asked you out?”
Julia nodded. “I didn’t want to go to a bar or pub with you after the wedding reception.”
“Why did you make that assumption? We could have gone to a café somewhere in the city, maybe with a view of the harbor.”
“You never mentioned going to a café.”
“You never asked for details. An abrupt no was your immediate response.”
Julia let out a soft sigh. “It’s a moot point now, and I know I made a number of assumptions about you that weren’t right. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted. I made my fair share of mistakes, too.”
A hint of a smile tugged on her lips. “Anyway, I really believe the timing just wasn’t right. We both had things to learn and overcome before we could consider forming a relationship.”
He reached for her hand, his gaze tender. “It wasn’t an easy ride but I’m glad we made it through, together.”
Narelle cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt your moment, but our time is up and we need to say goodbye to our reader friends.”
Julia grinned. “Narelle, you always interrupt our moments, but I do hope we’ve answered your question.”
“Yes, thank you,” Narelle said. “It was a pleasure to chat with you both today.”
Sean stretched out in his seat, a contented smile on his handsome face. “Thanks, Narelle. We hope our reader friends will enjoy our story in ‘Winning Over the Heiress’.”
“And catch up with us again, briefly, in ‘Seaside Proposal’, the next book in the series,” Julia said.
CAN SEAN MITCHELL BE REDEEMED?
His new boss, Julia Radcliffe, isn’t so sure. A year ago, Sean walked out on his brother’s wedding—and her. Now the bad boy with the surfer good looks is back and determined to make a new life with Julia. She wonders whether she can truly trust that he’s a changed man.
It took time and faith, but Sean is finally on the right path. And his feelings for Julia have only grown stronger. But when Sean’s past threatens to jeopardize their future, can he convince Julia they both want the same thing—a love that can overcome every mistake?
~~~~~~
I hope you enjoyed my interview with Sean and Julia. Please let me know if you have any questions for them. I’m also giving away a print copy of Winning Over the Heiress (worldwide, wherever The Book Depository delivers) to a reader who leaves a comment on this post and enters the Rafflecopter giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, Narelle Atkins was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia and international locations.
Sounds really well thought out and developed. Would love to read this!
A rocky romance, sounds interesting, I’d enjoy reading it..
It was fun to meet Sean and Julia.
Sounds really good. I like the glimpse into their thoughts.
Well, I certainly like the setting for your conversation in a cafe for coffee! Sean and Julia sound like their problems are big; but surmountable. Their attraction is palatable in the interview you had with them. I’d definitely enjoy this book! Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of this great book.
I read your first 3 books and loved them. Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this one.
Sounds like an intriguing book & I enjoyed the conversation between Sean and Julie! Would love to read more of this to find out the rest of the story. Thank you for a chance to win a copy!
Hi Sonja, I hope you’ll have an opportunity to read my book. Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the drawing :)
Hi D, Yes, the path to true love is never smooth sailing in a romance novel :) I hope you’ll have a chance to read Sean and Julia’s story. Good luck in the drawing!
Hi Becky, I’m glad you enjoyed meeting Sean and Julia :) Good luck in the drawing!
Hi imabrassy1, I had originally planned to write the post in an interview format. But then Sean and Julia started chatting with each other, off-topic, of course, and I decided a snippet of conversation would probably work better. I’m glad you liked it. Good luck in the drawing :)
Hi Faith, Manly Beach is a gorgeous location for a coffee date :) Actually, my husband and I had coffee in a cafe opposite Manly Beach on our very first date, over twenty years ago. I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read Sean and Julia’s story. Good luck in the drawing!
Hi Susan, I’m so glad to hear you’ve loved reading my books :) I hope you’ll have a chance to read this one, too. Good luck in the drawing!
Hi Trixi, I’m glad you enjoyed my conversation with Sean and Julia :) Good luck in the drawing and I hope you’ll have the opportunity to read my book.
HI Narelle! I love the Manly connection in the character conversation. Sounds like another fab read!
Hi Carolyn, It was fun to include Manly in the story and the photos I’d taken there only a few weeks earlier. I hope you’ll have a chance to read Winning Over the Heiress. Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the drawing :)
Thank you Narelle. That is so cool about you and your husband on your 1st date/had coffee opposite Manly Beach. Thank you for the neat personal note.