The Write Escape, will be my first published novel (Interracial, Contemporary Romance), featuring a woman who’s trying getting her life back after everything falls apart.
While Antonia Harper plans her wedding and tries to move up the ladder in her publishing career, she discovers her fiance is cheating on her and her boss has tanked the company. Now she’s jobless and fiance-less in the span of 24 hours. She needs to hit the reset button on her life by taking a solo honeymoon to Ireland. There, she hopes to work on herself and the novel she’s neglected since she got engaged. No distractions; no drama.
The hot Literature professor, next door to her cottage rental, didn’t get the memo though. Aiden Donagh Byrnes is a major distraction with his wit, charm, and green eyes. He’s gone to the West Coast to escape his own problems: exhaustion from teaching and stress from a looming tenure review. While he should be taking time to or work on an article, Aiden finds himself drawn to the pretty girl next door.
How does a black girl from the Midwest become enamored with the rugged west coast of Ireland?
In June of 2017, my husband and I got the opportunity to spend an entire month up and down the west coast of Ireland. We started in Tullycross, moved to Galway, then Dingle, and ended in Limerick. We walked the countryside, sailed blue-gray bays, and drank whiskey. Most of all, we talked, non-stop, to locals who made us feel so welcomed.
At first, I wanted to write about the whole experience through the vein of travel essays. I kept a journal and took all the photos I could (a lot of sheep and rolling hills). I wrote three essays, but I couldn’t get the spirit and romance of the land. So I wrote a romance instead. People say “write what you know” and I chose: Academics, Writing, and (newly-acquainted) Ireland.
During NaNoWriMo, my “Designated Writing-Buddy,” Sandra, and I, got together and made an oath: “Bitch, we’re writing books this year!” AND WE DID! We soon discovered that writing novels in a month was cute, but the editing process is exhausting. It took me a year to clean up The Write Escape, but the process was worth it. I now have an agent, Saritza Hernandez of Corvisiero Agency and a two-book contract with Carina Press. I do hope that you guys love Antonia and Aiden’s love story! You’ll be hearing more about it in upcoming posts…
Charish Reid 