The Aspen Grove Anthologies

When the cold weather arrives, I often think of sitting, covered in a warm quilt, reading a book. My favorites are romance anthologies. I got the idea for our Aspen Grove Romance Anthologies on just such a cold night.

I wrote the prologue for the first book and sent it to an author friend, Sherry Derr-Wille. I knew her work, and I felt it would be perfect for the project. She immediately agreed. I asked a mutual friend and another author friend, Christie Shary, to join us. Snowflake Secrets was born.

Unfortunately, our mutual friend became very ill and was unable to continue with the project, so I asked another of my author friends. She agreed, but a week or so later, decided she wouldn’t have the time. Another friend, Luanna Rugh, overheard our discussion and asked me about the project. By the time we finished our conversation, she had already written the first chapter in her head.

One of Sherry’s publishers, Oak Tree Press (now owned by Start Publishing), loved romance anthologies. We had a contract for this book even before we finished it.

We decided to create a fictional town, Aspen Grove, Colorado, as our setting. I had lived in Colorado for a year, Christie’s brother lived there, Luanna had driven through the state several times, and Sherry lived in Wisconsin, so she knew all about seasonal weather. I chose Idaho Springs and Georgetown as the inspirations, but Aspen Grove is wholly fictional.

We had so much fun with Snowflake Secrets, we all decided to do a second. For this one, each of us took a different season and wrote a novella—all of them set in Aspen Grove. In our first book, each of the novellas was written in the first-person voice of the character. For this one, Seasons of Love, we wrote in third-person. (It is the only one of the anthologies written in third-person.) My novella in this one, “Winter’s Song,” is based on a real couple, Dan and Amy. I even play a role in the story. Can you guess who I am?

We liked writing together, and our publisher asked for another. For this one, we each chose a compass direction. I set mine, “Finding Love in Paradise,” in Hawaii and Japan, both places I know well. This book, Directions of Love, won the 2012 EPIC eBook Award for best romance anthology.

I had already written about Christmas, but I felt we needed an anthology dedicated to the season. For this book, An Aspen Grove Christmas, we added Cheryl Gardarian. This was her debut as a published author. This book is Luanna’s husband’s favorite, and Larry has read it many times because he enjoys it, too.

Christie decided not to join us for the next anthology, The Art of Love, so we were back to four authors. We each took an art form, and crafted a story around it. The inspiration for my story was the last name of a friend from work: Amalfatano. It sounded as though it could have been the name of a winery. This novella, “A Shot at Love,” is set in Aspen Grove and the wine country of California and features a photographer.

Number six in the series, and probably the last, came about one day when Luanna and I were talking about the old rhyme: Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, and Something blue. I mentioned that you don’t often hear the last line: …And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe. We called Sherry and Cheryl. Each of us had one stanza we liked best. I took “Something Old,” inspired by my mother’s wedding dress. When the cover artist couldn’t find a photo of exactly the right dress, I sent her a picture of my mother in hers. It is now on the cover of the book.

So, if you are looking for a sweet romance to warm a cold, winter night, or you know someone who enjoys romances, please consider one of these as a gift.

Meet Cheryl Gardarian

Today I invited one of my co-authors of the Aspen Grove romance anthologies to be my guest here. Cheryl Gardarian first appeared in print in An Aspen Grove Christmas (“Christmas Treasure”). She also has a novella (“Chapel of Love”) in The Art of Love and …And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe (“Something Borrowed”). She has since published several of her own books.

When did you first start writing?

I’ve always loved telling a good story, especially if it involves animals of any kind.

Where do you get your story ideas?

Story ideas come to me constantly from everyday life. I now make notes on my iPhone. I’ve actually done hours of research for several books and haven’t ended up writing a single word. They’re set aside as future projects, and may someday come to fruition, or not.

How do you create your characters? Are they based on real people?

My characters create themselves. I practice lucid-dreaming—the semi-conscious state before you fall asleep or when you start to wake up. I allow my mind to wander the future pages of my novel. Some of my characters are extremely insistent, and I’ve been known to rewrite whole sections, or the entire plot to include these obnoxious pests. In the anthology, An Aspen Grove Christmas, each author was to write a love story culminating in a Christmas wedding. My two main characters were all set and falling in love, then a pushy EMT, with a minor part, decided to insert himself into the story and fall in love with the heroine’s best friend. The solution was an unplanned double wedding.

Besides the Aspen Grove romance anthologies, of which you are a co-author, what other books or series have you written?

The first book I wrote is The Unexpected Reunion. My first solo published book, however, was The Cookie Tree. My most recent book is The Cabin.

      

Aspen Grove is based on two Colorado mountain towns. Have you created any other fictitious locations for your books?

All three of my novels have been set in real locations: The Cookie Tree in South Orange County, The Unexpected Reunion in Huntington Beach, and The Cabin in Panguitch, Utah. My current series is set in the Yellowstone area but I did invent a fictional town.

Did you enjoy writing as part of a group? Why or why not?

I enjoyed writing the anthologies. When I was included in An Aspen Grove Christmas, Lorna asked me at the last minute to fill in for another writer. I only had a few weeks to complete a novella. I learned I work well under pressure. The other writers’ stories were already completed, so I was able to read them and use some of the same characters and locations in my novella. I discovered I had a knack for intertwining my story to match the theme of the other authors.

My only complaint about writing the anthologies was since the three novellas were my first works, and they were written in first person, I had a bit of trouble writing a longer novel in third person.

Of everything you have written, what is your favorite book to date?

My favorite book so far is The Cabin. It is my most recent work. I love the plots of my other novels, but in reading them now, I see how much my technique and writing skills have improved, so I’m more critical of them.

Cheryl Gardarian grew up in Huntington Beach, California. Her love of writing started early. However, she majored in the sciences and received a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene at the University of Southern California. A few years later, she obtained her Real Estate Broker license and opened her own office specializing in equestrian properties. Maintaining two careers, raising a son, and caring for a multitude of barnyard animals kept Cheryl busy for many years. Then her creative side beckoned, and Cheryl joined the Lagunita Writers Group. She co-authored three Aspen Grove romance anthologies with several members of the group, and then branched out on her own to write three of her own: The Cookie Tree, The Unexpected Reunion and The Cabin. Cheryl is currently working on a series set in Yellowstone National Park.