THANKS FOR BEING WITH US TODAY. FIRST, WOULD YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF? WHAT AREA OF THE COUNTRY DO YOU LIVE IN, DO YOU HAVE FAMILY, PETS, ETC.

I’m a single mom of adult twin daughters. I live alone since my girls deserted me for marriage, and my cat went to kitty heaven earlier in the year. Originally, I hailed from New York City but landed on a few mountaintops and a Florida lakefront teeming with alligators before settling in Delaware with my children.

ARE YOU A COFFEE FIEND, OR DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER ADDICTION YOU MUST HAVE ON YOUR DESK AT ALL TIMES?

I am not a coffee fiend, but I require a cup to get moving in the morning. And since I’m a klutz prone to spills, you won’t find my cup on my desk. There are no must-haves on my desk, other than chaos.

IS YOUR EDUCATION RELEVANT TO YOUR WRITING, OR HAVE YOU BRANCHED OFF IN SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TO CREATE? HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BOOK?

I majored in business administration, so writing was not on my radar. It has just evolved. Who Said Forever? is a sweet romance.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOST RECENT PUBLICATION.

Who Said Forever? follows the unexpected romantic entanglements of Cassandra, a woman not keen on men after she dumped her cheating fiancé. Her matchmaking father doesn’t make her life easy and add an out-of-town rancher to the mix, and the woman who dislikes men is suddenly up to her elbows with the male species.

I hope the message it conveys is that one broken heart isn’t a life sentence. The novel is a bit of a rom-com novel with real-life problems.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS STORY? WHAT INTERESTING THING DID YOU LEARN OR RESEARCH TO WRITE IT THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW BEFORE?

What inspired me to write at that time initially had nothing to do with this particular story. First, there was the pandemic, and then I suffered my second bout of breast cancer. To keep from going stir-crazy and doing yet another Word Search book, I sat down at the laptop. And writing a romance novel was my way of vicariously seeking a happy-ever-after in my unsuccessful world of romance.

I am a stickler for accuracy. One character is the lieutenant governor of Florida. The man needed a stately home, and I took to Zillow to find him one. Another character is a rancher from Wyoming. Knowing nothing whatsoever about ranching or Wyoming, I Googled up the specifics of cattle ranching and learned that you need to own at least 10,000 head of cattle to have a substantial ranch. Who knew? And since the novel is set in Tallahassee, Florida, it was necessary to know the logistics of air travel from Casper, Wyoming. I found out there are no direct flights. Air travel between those two cities could use some improvement.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE BOOK FEATURED HERE TODAY? ANY SPECIAL MEMORIES YOU HAVE IN THE CREATION OF IT?

I’m happy that I was able to write an ending that I felt did the characters and the story justice. The one readers would be most happy with.

When I started writing, Who Said Forever? I knew how and where I wanted it to begin and how it would end. What I didn’t know was what would happen in between. I was amazed by the way the story evolved and the direction the character’s lives took.

WHAT DO YOU MOST LIKE ABOUT WRITING? LEAST LIKE? WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE AN AUTHOR?

What I like most is that I feel like I’ve been given a vacation without a return date, tour guide, or a map. I have no set timeline to return, can stop wherever I want along the way, and I am solely in charge of the journey. What I like least is the endless rewrites and edits. The writing bug hit me when I started writing poetry in high school. I began writing novels in earnest about thirty years ago, but life got in the way.

DO YOU BELONG TO ANY WRITING GROUPS? ARE THERE ANY WRITING WEBSITES YOU FIND PARTICULARLY USEFUL?

I belong to a group of writers who meet at the library once a month. There are two moderators who run workshops. I am also a member of AutoCrit, an editorial online program, and attend weekly webinars by their team on how to improve or polish your writing skills. I find both to be invaluable.

IS THERE ANY SPECIAL MUSIC YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO WHILE WRITING?

I prefer quiet when I write. But for a change of pace, as an opera fan, I listen to LaBoheme or Madam Butterfly.

DO YOU BELONG TO A CRITIQUE GROUP?

I do not care for critique groups. They are usually not genre-specific, and the comments are like comparing apples to oranges.

TO ENCOURAGE THOSE STILL ON THE PATH, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR PATH TO PUBLICATION. HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED? HOW BOOKS DID YOU WRITE BEFORE SELLING ONE?? WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE KEY TO SELLING THAT FIRST BOOK?

In the last three years, I wrote three manuscripts. The first two are more of a literary style. Who Said Forever? is quick-paced and contemporary.Through direct submission, I was working with a small press publisher. We parted company when the editor requested a change of style that didn’t represent my writing.Wanting to get this novel out, I chose self-publishing. Who Said Forever? is my debut novel. Since this book is self-published, perseverance, drive, and confidence in my writing were crucial in my novel making it to print.

WHAT ARE YOU WRITING NOW? WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU—WILL YOU BE MAKING PERSONAL APPEARANCES ANYWHERE OUR READERS CAN FIND YOU?

I am working on a Rom-Com. Who Said Forever? is available on Amazon in eBook and paperback, and I am in the process of working with Barnes and Noble for online publication. Book signings at local stores are a possibility in the future.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?

Like me on Facebook: Beatrice Parquet, or follow me at: Beatrice Parquet Author  Get in on the ground level and watch me grow!

A gypsy by nature, Beatrice Parquet originally hailed from New York City before touching down on a few mountaintops and a Florida lakefront teeming with alligators. A “Jackie” of many occupations—Human Resources manager, high-rise building management, and the medical field—she now writes full-time from her Delaware home. She is as comfortable behind a laptop as with a chainsaw cutting down a tree.

Who Said Forever? is her debut novel and was written while undergoing treatment for her second bout of breast cancer treatment. Besides being a novelist, she is a published poet and short-story writer and a single mother of adult twin daughters.