I'm so excited to be able to tell you about a steamy new romance book series I'm contributing to. Over thirty authors with two novellas per month, and one weekend to fall in love...
Who loves the weekend? The thrill of anticipation on a Friday as to what might come to the joy of Saturday where the tale of your weekend's written. Then the come down on a Monday morning, when it all ends and reality intrudes. It's like its own little story with three act structure and all.
Working a nine-to-five day job I'm really lucky to be able to get weekends (I appreciate not everybody has them) and adore the anticipation of what might happen. For some reason everything seems full of possibility and the hope that the weekend will live up to your expectations. So I have a question for you.
Do you believe you can fall in love in one weekend?
I do. That's why I can't wait to for you to hear from author and creator, Lissanne Jones, to tell us about the fabulous new series I'm involved with. Each romance novella is set over one weekend. Friday to Sunday. There, characters meet in exotic locations, and fall in love. A happy ending is guaranteed. Lissanne kicks off the series with One Weekend in Paris. Here, she answers some of my questions about the series and her own story.
I'm so thrilled to have you on the blog! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the books you write?
I currently live in my hometown of Sydney, Australia, but love to travel, journal, and eat more macaroni and cheese than I should. My steamy romances are full of love, laughter, and family. I write the sub-genres and tropes I love to read: best friends to lovers, military men, cowboys, small town, millionaires, romantic suspense.
How did you come up with the idea of one weekend series? What was the genesis of it?
The idea hit me during the height of the pandemic. Nobody could travel, and it made me yearn to explore other places around the world. So the idea for a series of books set in various locations around the world took seed, but I came to realise in 2022 I couldn't write them all on my own. However, I loved the idea of having novellas set over the course of one single weekend in cities and countries all over the globe enough to see if other authors wanted to join me, and I was amazed at how many were on board with the idea! I'm so glad you were one of them.
Thank you! Tell us a little about your story?
My story is set in Paris, one of my favourite cities. It's a trope I love but have never written before: princess/bodyguard. Nyssa is the princess of a small fictional European country, but lives in the U.S. and John is her American bodyguard. They're in love with each other, but neither makes a move because they're both afraid nothing can happen between them. Until it does when they're in Paris for one weekend...
Why do you love the Princess bodyguard trope so much?
I think it's the forbidden aspect of it. She's a royal and there are certain rules and expectations she must follow. Some royal families don't allow members to marry commoners, so Nyssa has additional things to consider than the usual woman. Will her parents approve? What will happen to her professional relationship with John once they cross the line to lovers?
What's your favourite thing to do on the weekend?
I love to watch TV and read romance books. Both are relaxing for me, and they give my creative brain a much-needed break.
If you could travel to any one of the destinations on the lists being written by the authors where would you go?
Oooh, good question! That's a tough one, but if I was getting on a plane right now I'd have to say Iceland. It's one country I've wanted to visit for a long time.
Have you got any overseas trips planned? Can you tell us where and what you're most looking forward to?
I do! In December 2024, I'll be heading to Los Angeles and meeting a good friend who lives in the U.S. there. From L.A., we'll be driving across the country to North Carolina, where I'll be spending Christmas with friends. From Asheville, I head to Denver, Colorado, in January. There, I'll be attending a rodeo and doing a writer's retreat at a real life cowboy ranch! I think the road trip is the thing I'm looking forward to most - it will take us about eight days and since it's right before Christmas, there'll be markets along the way.
Thank you, Lissanne! I'd love to go to Iceland too. I'm desperate to see the Northern Lights. And a writing retreat at a real-life cowboy ranch sound like the stuff of romance writing dreams...
FYI, my contribution to this wonderful new series is due in June 2025 and my one weekend is set in Amalfi in Italy. It's a place I travelled to a few years ago now and I would love to go back. It really kept a place in my heart. My novella is a seasoned romance (the hero is in his forties and the heroine in her late thirties), with some forced proximity and a dash of enemies to lovers. I hope you'll enjoy Lawson and Olivia's story as much as I do.
If you want to check out more information about the series you can find the full list of locations and authors on Lissanne's website. And if you want a copy of her book, One Weekend in Paris, you can find the link here.
So what do you think? Can a couple fall in love in one weekend? Do you have your own stories about that happening? And if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you like to go? I'd love to hear from you here, or on social media!
That's it for me! Until next time, stay safe and sparkle! Love, Kali.
(P.S If you want to keep up with my writing, books or life generally, you can check out my Newsletter, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram)