For Immediate Release–In fall 2010, author Sandra D. Bricker published Always the Baker, Never the Bride (Abingdon Press) as a standalone romantic comedy. The setting (a wedding destination hotel), the heroine (a diabetic pastry chef) and a unique cast of memorable secondary characters blended to create a perfect storm for readers, and the demand for more books in the series was almost immediate.
“The first couple of reader emails came to me even before the official release of the book,” says the author. “They wanted to know what I had in store for Emma and Jackson, and a few of them were interested in visiting The Tanglewood Inn, hoping that it was a real place. It didn’t take long for my editor to recognize the potential for a few more novels in this series.”
This fall, the second of four Emma Rae Creation books hits store shelves. Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride centers around Emma’s best friend from college, a wedding planner returning to the Atlanta area to take a job at The Tanglewood while planning her own wedding. Always the Designer, Never the Bride follows in the spring, and the final novel of the series, Always the Baker, FINALLY the Bride, wraps it all up with the long-awaited wedding of Jackson and Emma Rae.
“I wanted to do something really special for the final book,” Bricker explains. “I think what I’ve come up with is going to excite my readers while rewarding them for sticking with these characters…and with me!…the way they have.”
Now through December 31, a contest is taking place on the author’s website, SandraDBricker.com, where readers compete for the honor of choosing Emma’s wedding cake from a series of drawings provided by up-and-coming Canadian artist Hanna Sandvig. Bricker talked to more than a dozen artists before finding and falling in love with the childlike wonder of Sandvig’s artistry: “Hanna’s talent just embodies the fun and whimsy of Emma’s personality.”
Bricker says she never imagined how loyal her readers would turn out. “I just really wanted to find a way to say thank you in a very personal way. I think this contest is going to fit the bill. The winner will actually be written into the final book as well as receive a preview copy of the novel and a special Emma-inspired confection as well.”