Thursday 13: Jenna Bayley-Burke and Caribbean Christmas

Thursday 13 :: Things Jenna researched while writing Caribbean Christmas

The web history of writers is ridiculous, the things we search for are scattered and salacious. The sad part? Hours of resear usually winds up being two sentences in the finished book. (sigh) But, it's fun to know a little about a lot of things.
 

1. Dutch names - I can't start a story without character names. I trip all over myself until I know first and last names.
2. Anguilla - I wanted a Caribbean isle with a community feel. And then I fell in love with the idea of a skinny island with unlimited beaches.
3. Sailing - Hubba Bubba & I did what we thought was a romantic sail, but we ended up squeezed into a tour with a family with a crying baby. So much for date night away from the kids! After that, all my sailing research was online. And from my kiddo who had a crash course in sailing at Boy Scout camp.
4. Crochet - How hard could it be. Well, very. In case you want to try it. You have to have patience and an attention span. I have neither.
5. Bikinis - It all started with a crochet overlay bikini from the Victoria Secret catalog. But then I needed a few dozen designs in my head. Halter, monokini, tank...
6. Hammoks - I had to figure out how to get two people in and out of one. 
7. Remodeling - The roof came off the house (literally) so it had to be redone.
8. Hurricane Luis - I refer to a hurricane that caused damage and loss on the island. Most tropical storms miss Anguilla, but when they hit the flat island, they can be devestating
9. Dutch terms of endearment - I love when foreign languages are woven in. Schatje won out. Mooie was saved for Caribbean Casanova.
10. Holland Christmas traditions - Had to get the name of the cookies right ;)
11. Teak sailboats - Johannes needed a sexy boat.
12. Anguilla Christmas traditions - I want to go to the Christmas village.
13. Bookshelves - Partly for the redesign of the house, and partly to make sure they were sturdy enough to...well, you know.

Thirteen already? I didn't even mention sex on the beach or honey lobster! Oh well, next time.

Jenna Bayley-Burke
www.jennabayleyburke.com

Caribbean Christmas

’Tis the season for unwrapping the gift of pleasure.

Under the Caribbean Sun, Book 1

When Saskia snags a last-minute ticket home to the Caribbean isle of Anguilla, she intends to surprise her workaholic father and to reconnect over Christmas. When she finds he’s away on business, there’s still plenty to fill her time while she waits. Sailing, snorkeling…and an unexpected, very adult attraction to her girlhood crush.

Joe Prinsen is certain Saskia has returned to the island only to ask for money. He feels it’s time she learns the truth about her father’s depleted financial situation from the man himself. And he intends to make sure she sticks around long enough to hear it.

Except the girl he remembers has matured into a devastatingly sexy woman. She's taking all his noble intentions and unwrapping them, one by one, until their shared desire is revealed in the warm Caribbean water. Saskia’s only home for Christmas. And once she finds out the secret he’s hiding, she’ll no doubt leave the Caribbean, and him, for good.

Warning :: The only thing hotter than the tropical sun is the sex—in the surf, on the water, against the bookcase… Readers will be wise to monitor electronic devices, and themselves, for overheating.

Samhain Publishing
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