1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Lauren Wallace loves to plan, which is all well and good until that one spontaneous night when she throws caution to the wind, hooks up with her high school frenemy Ethan McAllister, and ends up with a very unexpected pregnancy. How is Lauren supposed to regain order with all of that, plus a tough-love grandmother, two sisters, a town full of busy bodies, and, oh yeah, falling for the absolute wrong guy.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Come What Maybe is set in Seaside Cove, Maine. I LOVE the beach! There is something so romantic and inherently intimate about hearing the waves crashing against the shore and smelling the salt air. Just ask my characters Lauren and Ethan.
4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Abso-freaking-lutely! Lauren Wallace is everything I want to be. She’s an independent entrepreneur who is funny, smart, driven, and organized. Not to mention, she has killer clothes and accessories.
5–What are three words that describe your hero?
Yummy. Yummy. And yummy.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that I was pregnant. Ha-ha! This came in handy since my heroine Lauren is also pregnant. It was fun (and helpful) to put my own experiences into this book.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I try to wait until the end. Editing can take you out of the flow of your writing. Not to mention, I HATE editing!
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
You know – I’m not sure! I love all food (except hot dogs and green beans) and I’ll try pretty much anything (except hot dogs and green beans). Probably pizza because you can do so many different things with it. I just had an amazing pizza with truffle oil and mushrooms that made me super-happy.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
My office is currently in transition. I’m redecorating, adding some shelves, and reorganizing everything. I’ll be sure to post some pics on social media when it’s done. But one thing is for sure, the most important thing in my office is my dog Harry’s bed under my desk. I simply couldn’t write without my furry assistant.
10–Who is an author you admire?
Jill Shalvis – she’s one of my all-time favs! I feel like Jill has such a massive catalog of books. She really seems to chug along and turn out great book after great book. Plus, her social media is fun to follow, and she seems like a really great person.
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts. This was the first romance I ever read. I was BLOWN away! After that, I finished the other books in that series. Then I read pretty much everything Nora Roberts wrote. Then I just started devouring every contemporary romance I could find until the day I thought, hey, maybe I should try writing one of these. Basically, Sea Swept started me on this writing journey that has been fun, difficult, frustrating, rewarding, and all-around amazing.
12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)
It was actually quite some time ago. As Sophia from Golden Girls would say, “Picture it, Virginia, 2020…” It was one of the first weeks of Covid. My now-husband and I were living in a temporary apartment while work was being done on our condo. I was working from home, which consisted of me watching the news 24/7 to try and make sense of what this coronavirus thing was. It was a really scary and unsure time. But then one day, I got news that Liz at Entangled wanted to offer me a contract for three new books. That news couldn’t have come at a better time. Since everything was closed, my hubby, my fur baby, and I had a little party in our temporary abode and turned off the news for one night. (And watched Tiger King instead.)
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Contemporary romance. I write what I like to read.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Star Wars!
15–What is your favorite season?
Fall – You have the cooler weather; you get to break out the tall boots again and go to pumpkin patches and wineries and eat candy corn (one of my fav indulgences).
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With pizza, wine, and my family. If I happen to be at the beach, I won’t complain.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I have a toddler, so I highly recommend Sesame Street, Miss Rachel on YouTube, and Peppa Pig. For books, you can’t go wrong with Llama Llama Red Pajama.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Anything Italian and/or anything seafood.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Bubble bath, baby!!! I’m talking bubbles, bath salts, a great book, maybe some music – pure relaxation.
Runner up: mani/pedi
20–What can readers expect from you next?
Come What Maybe is book one in the Seaside Cove series. Lauren has two sisters and I heard they have their own stories to tell.
COME WHAT MAYBE by Kerri Carpenter
Seaside Cove #1
Social media strategist Lauren Wallace plans everything. But when she returns to the charming—if not too small for comfort—town of Seaside Cove, it’s only about a second before her tough-love Grams is already on her case. So when Grams tells her not to go to that bar, Lauren decides it’s time for a temporary rebellion. Which is exactly when the trouble starts.
Grams was right. The bar was not a good plan. Because suddenly super-cute bar owner Ethan McAllister has gone from being Lauren’s (kind of) high school nemesis to a very unexpected one-night stand. And worse, Lauren’s attempts to resume her ultra-responsible life keep getting thwarted by more unwelcome spontaneity. And a pregnancy.
Now there’s a baby on the way, Lauren’s the talk of the entire town, and all her planning has gone right out the window. All that’s missing is childbirth to make her pain complete. But it’ll be nothing compared to Grams’s reaction when she finds out that Lauren broke the biggest rule of all…falling for the wrong guy.
Romance Contemporary [Entangled: Amara, On Sale: January 24, 2023, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781649371416 / ]
Buy COME WHAT MAYBE: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Love’s Sweet Arrow | Walmart.com | Book Depository | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Kerri Carpenter
Kerri Carpenter began writing in her grandmother’s kitchen at the age of seven in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA. After graduating from Georgetown University, and working at The Washington Post and several nonprofit organizations, she began her freelance writing career. Happy endings called to her so she turned her focus to romantic fiction. Now, Kerri writes contemporary romances, usually set in small towns. She enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous) poodle mix, Harry.
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