Nicole and I met at a writers’ conference in Arizona at the end of September. She’s a Chinese-Canadian author who got her start on Wattpad, and she now has ten published books under her belt!
(In the picture below, I’m sitting in the front row, and Nicole is standing right behind me!)
Today, her first book from Love Inspired, Saving the Single Dad’s Bookstore, is hitting store shelves, so I invited her to stop by the Inspy Romance blog for a chat. 😊
This is your first Love Inspired book, but you’ve indie published a few books in the past. Tell us about your writing background and what drew you to Christian romance.
I first learned about Christian romance as a concept when I read Roseanna M. White’s The Lost Heiress. That book kick-started my love of Christian romance, especially Christian historical romances. Before that, I had read secular romances but didn’t know it was possible to write Christian romance or Christian fiction in general.
I’ve always loved reading and writing romances ever since I was a teen, and I started out on the writing platform, Wattpad. Then, I decided to self-publish some closed-door contemporary romances, which I’ve released over the past few years, called For The Record; On The Beat; and Make The Cut. They’re set in Hollywood and the main characters are interconnected friends/siblings.
My other series is a contemporary Christian romance, set in New York, centering on the fictitious Steele family of billionaires. Its first book is The CEO & the Christian Girl.
That’s interesting! My story with Christian fiction is really similar. I didn’t even know the genre of Christian fiction existed until 2017!
We’ve got some other things in common, too. Like me, you’re a Canadian! (Happy Boxing Day, by the way!) Are any of your books set in Canada? 🍁
My new book, Saving the Single Dad’s Bookstore, is set in Canada! Specifically, it’s set in a fictional small town in Alberta, near the Rockies.
This book features a bookstore! Was it inspired by a real-life bookstore you love? 📖
This book was sadly not inspired by a real-life bookstore I’ve been to! But one early reader has told me the bookstore reminds them of Café Books in Canmore, Alberta.
If you could sum up Saving the Single Dad’s Bookstore in one sentence, what would you say?
He’s a reluctant bookstore owner, she’s the manager, and she wants him to fall for the bookstore, but he also falls for her.
What made you decide to write a book for Love Inspired?
I saw that the Great Love Inspired Author Search was happening in January 2022, and I decided to give it a shot! I figured that if they didn’t accept my book, I could try pitching it to other places or self-publishing it. To my great surprise, it made it past the first, then second round of the contest and the next thing I knew, I had a contract!
Woo-hoo—how exciting! 🎉
If Saving the Single Dad’s Bookstore was made into a movie, who would you like to see play the main characters? 👩❤️👨
The cast of this book would have to be Jade Bender playing Gianna, and the sadly deceased Godfrey Gao playing Dominic.
What surprised you most about this story?
I was most surprised by how easily the book flowed! I had a bunch of ideas jotted down, but it was a pretty bare-bones plot. I wrote the whole book in roughly three months, which is faster than I’ve finished any other manuscript.
That’s awesome! I’m usually a slow writer, too. It’s always a treat when a book just flows.
Would you like to share your favorite quote from the book?
“Gianna Marchesi tasted like chocolate and oranges, two things that should have been too sweet together, yet were the perfect combination. This kiss felt like the perfect culmination of a lifetime. A lifetime waiting, of hoping, of knowing what he was longing for but not knowing who to find it in.”
Ooh, I love it! 😍
What message do you hope readers will take away from this book?
I hope they’ll know that God has a purpose for them, and that they don’t have to strive to earn His love.
If you had to choose one favorite character from all of your books, who would it be and why?
My favorite character would be Katerina Devereaux from my contemporary Christian arranged marriage romance, The CEO & the Christian Girl! She has a lot of qualities that I admire and want to emulate; she’s patient, God-fearing, kind, and compassionate but strong.
She sounds lovely. Thanks so much for spending time with us today! Good luck with your book launch!
If you’d like to learn more about Saving the Single Dad’s Bookstore, here’s the blurb:
A doubtful owner. A determined employee. Together, can they build a future?
After inheriting his late grandfather’s bookstore, Dominic Tang must make a big decision: keep it or sell. But manager Gianna Marchesi insists she can prove he should keep Tang’s Terrific Tomes open if he’ll stay in town for two months. Falling for the charms of the store—and Gianna—comes easy. But when property damage threatens his already-tight budget, will Dominic risk everything to follow his heart?
Do you like reading books set in bookstores? What’s your favorite book that features a bookstore?
Meghann Whistler is a wife, mom, and Christian romance novelist who loves writing sweet, happy stories that WON'T make your grandmother blush! When she's not writing, reading, or jamming out to Christian rock music, you can find her enjoying a relaxing evening with her rocket scientist husband (seriously—he's a real, live rocket scientist!) or playing with her three kids.
I am an Aussie but one from the one state in Australia that doesn’t have Boxing day (not that most of us know it.) Proclamation day is the 28th of December the day South Australia became a state but we take the holiday on the 26th so while we don’t technically call it boxing day here most of us do. I really like having the holiday and normally spend it watching cricket but our free to air channels are off the air for who knows how long told it could be up to 4 – 5 days. I found a way to watch but its not been easy.
But I love that the book is in Canada. I flew over Alberta (spent time in BC and Ontaria). I also like bookshops. I find they are great places for cozy mysteries. Barbour had a series at one stage which I subscribed to and Nancy Mehl’s 3 were set in bookshop. Cosy in Kansas. they also have a cat in them so that works well for me too. I know I have read others but these stick in my head.
Welcome to Inspy.
Hi Jenny, glad you are enjoying my home state. Given it was drilled into me throughout every year of schooling in South Australia, Proclamation day celebrates the proclamation of the colony of South Australia. It was only after the Federation of Australia was established that SA became a state. It’s weird being in NSW now because even after thirty odd years I still default to the day after Christmas being a Proclamation Day public holiday whereas here it’s Boxing Day and I still don’t know what Boxing Day celebrates other than the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and cricket matches, lol!
I honestly can’t think of any books set in bookshops, lots of other kinds of shops yes, but not bookshops. Maybe it will come to me later :) What a wonderful interview and I love that you are both Canadian and that Nicole’s Asian heritage is included in her writing. God created so many different races, creeds, abilities etc that it is always exciting for me to find authors that write about society rather than it being white washed. Off to add Nicole’s books to my tbr list – Meghan’s were added at the beginning of her Advent Calendar. Happy New Year!
Glad you have some time off and that you found a way to enjoy the cricket, Jenny! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, Dianne! 💕
I am reading The Bookstore at River’s End by Phillipa Nefri Clark and I am enjoying it.
I love books with bookstores in them!! The Chapel Cove series has a wonderful bookstore with a quirky owner and quirky employees that I love!!! Thanks for introducing me to a new-to-me author!
I haven’t read that one, but I love the title! 💕
You’re welcome, Trudy! I love quirky characters, too! ❤️
Hi, I still need to read a book set in a bookstore. May you and your family have a Blessed New Year.
Thank you, Alicia! Happy New Year! 🎉
I love finding new authors and will definitely look out for Nicole’s books.
I can’t think of any stories I’ve read set ina bookstore but it sounds a great setting. I also love that the hero’s name is Dominic because that’s my son’s name.
How fun, Ruthie! I like reading about characters with the same name as people as I know! I’m always trying to find similarities between them!!!
back in the day we celebrated on the 28th. we didn’t have Boxing day as a holiday unless it fell on the weekend. It actually changed in 1993 when we had it on boxing day. It comes from England when the rich would box up surplus items to give to the less fortunate. I wonder if we ever become a republic if the day will go away considering its an English traditon! (South Australia would be ok as we would still have Proclamation day)
I have read books by ACF Bookens that have a bookstore in them. It is in a small town, and the owner is Harvey. She has two dogs that stay in the bookstore while she is there. These are cozy mystery books.
Yes, I love books that centers on bookstores. I have a few series as well as books that I have enjoyed. There are two cozy mystery series, Addie Foster by Kimberley O’Malley and Addie Greyborne by Lauren Elliott. I also enjoyed a WWII book, The Book Spy by Alan Hlad. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you. Happy New Year.
Hi Jenny!
It is great to hear that you’ve been to Canada! It’s interesting to hear about other December holidays taking place in Australia.
I enjoy cozy mysteries but haven’t read too many (unless Agatha Christie counts) so I’ll have to check out the series you recommended! Cats and bookstores sound like a perfect setting for a cozy mystery.
Nicole Lam
Happy New Year, Dianne! I hope you enjoy my books and I agree with you about God’s creation! I also enjoy finding new authors who write about life as God made it, in all its beauty and with all our differences. I hope you get to read more books set in bookshops in the future!
They sound like fun books, Bonnie!
Hi Debra!
I’m glad to hear you love bookstore-centric books! I will have to check out the ones you recommended so I can read more cozy mysteries!
God bless you and have a happy new year!
Nicole Lam
Hi Ruthie!
How cool that your son is named Dominic–that’s a lovely name! I hope you enjoy Saving the Single Dad’s Bookstore.
Happy new year!
Hi Trudy!
The Chapel Cove series sounds lovely–I adore quirky characters! I hope you enjoy my book.
Happy new year!
Ooh, librarian spies! Fascinating!!!
Hi Nicole its mainly Christmas Day and Boxing day and then New Year but many places will take time off normally Christmas Eve or the day before til the second week in New year. Here many will be closed til the 8th. Some til the 3rd (not sure why Wed instead of the Tuesday) Most of the factories etc will have up to 3 weeks off. Even in my town quite a few businesses are closed til next week. As so many go away. (I am an hour from several beach towns where many go for Christmas – New Year.) Its also school break being the summer holidays.
This year has been one of the colder Christmas days in around 30 years at just under 16C but most felt much colder. and rain on and off most of the day.
I spent time in Vancouver then with a friend in Pemberton and went to Whistler. Also spent time in Gisbon on the Sunshine Coast. I also had a night in Vancouver Island. I really like the west side of the country and hope to get to Alberta one day.
Thanks for that, I always wondered. Maybe if we become a republic I’ll need to move back home, otherwise I’m sure they’ll create some kind of “republic” holiday. Happy New Year.