Thursday, April 29, 2010

Guest Blog: Celeste O. Norfleet

May will bring a new release from author Celeste O. Norfleet, and we're happy to welcome her to the keyboard today talking about Cross My Heart, mothers and Mother's Day. Here she is:

Natalia Coles - A 21st Century Mom

I have been blessed to have had the influence of several incredible mothers in my life. Not only do I still have my mother with me, but my grandmother lived to see me married and happily settled. My aunts and older sisters are also major influences on me. Now, as a mother myself, I find that I have drawn on all my past experiences with these amazing women to raise my children. I have four astounding young people in my life, two already grown and out of the house and two impatiently waiting their turn to burst out into the world. So, the idea of Mother’s Day is pretty high up on my “cool beans” list.

When my editor asked me to write a book highlighting May and Mother’s Day, I was thrilled. In nearly eight years of writing, this is my first Mother’s Day novel. I also saw this as my chance to make a statement about moms and romance. After all, just because we’re moms, doesn’t mean we’re not still sensuous and super sexy women. So, in researching this phenomenal book, I centered my ideas on writing about the modern mother, the mother of the 21st century.
I recently introduced a secondary character in my summer 2009 book, Sultry Storm. This character was instantly popular and I think typifies a mother of the 21st century. I received numerous emails and letters asking me to write her story. So I did. The novel is called, Cross My Heart, and the character’s name is Natalia Coles. Natalia is a working mother with two young sons and a lot of responsibility. When I created Natalia, I searched a wide range of motherly characteristics to include in her make-up. I gave her the controlled intelligence of a Clair Huxtable, the laid back cool of Vivian Banks, the instinctive charm of June Cleaver and the quick wit and inner strength of Debra Barone. I wrote her to be bold and audacious, with enough kick-in-the-butt attitude to challenge and defend any injustice. She speaks the truth and says what was right. I also made her talented, sexy and hot, and gave her an unending supply of inner fortitude.

In other words, I made her a real mom. And just like real mothers everywhere, she does what she has to, to get the job done. Tired of waiting around for Mr. Right, Natalia decides to have in vitro fertilization procedures and start her own family. It’s not that she feels she doesn’t need a man in her life or is giving up on love. It’s that she’s forever moving forward with her life, knowing love will come in time. Natalia continues to show her spunk and independence, but she also shows her vulnerable side. When her sons’ biological father shows up, she quickly learns to set aside her pride and be the best mom and woman she can be. She’s multifaceted and definitely a new kind of mom. She’s every woman and every mother. Cross My Heart is a wonderful story filled with heartwarming charm and loads of super hot romance. Enjoy!

Tell us about your mother of the 21st century.

1 comment:

B. WHITTINGTON said...

My mom was born in 1905, before the depression and before air travel. She was always amazed by progress in the 87 years she lived.

She was the hardest working woman I've ever known. We lost my dad, a WV coal miner with lung disease, when I was two. There were five of us, three girls at home when he died. Her concern was always for her children, we came first no matter what else she had in her life.
She was the brightest, smartest person I ever knew, but went only to the eighth grade. She was full of wit and could crack a joke and get a laugh from the meanest person. She was a news buff and kept me up on current affairs. She was bigger than life and that's the size hole left in my life when she died. I'll visit her grave on Memorial Day and tell her just that.
Blessings! Barb Whittington