Title –
Poplar Place
Genre –
Women’s Fiction, with romance & suspense
Publisher
– Turquoise Morning Press
Release
Date – March 27
ISBN #
978-1-62237-274-4
Buy Links
–
Blurb
Newly
minted librarian, Cara Baker, effectively cuts ties with her tumultuous life in
Pittsburgh, and moves to South Carolina where she embraces
the peaceful, laid-back style of small town living. Everything seems to be
falling into place when Cara finds the perfect house to round out her new
plans. Well… perfect except for the immovable hermit living on the top floor.
She throws caution to the wind, and buys the fabulous house—hermit and
all—without meeting him. By wooing her reclusive renter with notes and
mouthwatering meals, he caves and invites her up to the apartment. Preconceived
notions are blown out of the water, when she finds Danny isn’t the nerdy Mr.
Mole she envisioned.
Unfortunately,
FBI phone calls from her past bring Cara’s summer idle to an abrupt halt. Will
demons from a former life destroy Cara’s tranquility?
Bio
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Ellen Butler lives in the Virginia suburbs of
Washington, DC, and she considers herself an old-new writer. In other words, she’s
old to writing, new to novel writing. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public
Administration and Policy, and her history includes a long list of writing and
editing for dry but illuminating professional newsletters, and windy papers on
public policy. The leap to novel writing was simply a creative outlet for Ellen’s
over active and romantic imagination to run wild.
You can find Ellen’s debut release, Second Chance Christmas, at Amazon.
Professionally, she belongs to the Virginia Writer’s Club, the Northern Virginia
Writer’s Club, and is a founding member of the Tempting Romance blog. When
she’s not writing, Ellen is either, running around after her children,
decorating a neighbor’s house, or holed up in her favorite lounge chair
reading. Ellen is an admitted chocoholic and confesses to a penchant for shoe
shopping. Book club questions for Ellen’s novels can be found on her website.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7377203.Ellen_Butler
I just wanted
to thank the hostesses of Flirting with
Romance for having me. I enjoy reaching out to new readers and am excited
to share my new novel Poplar Place with
them. It’s what I like to call a Women’s Fiction with a Chick Lit style flair,
and is a fun book to take with you on your spring break or summer vacation.
Before we get into all that, I’ve answered a few of the ladies’ probing
questions.
What’s your
favorite body part of the opposite sex?
I would have
to say the eyes. There is something intriguing when you stare into the eyes of
the one you love. So much information can be gleaned just looking into his eyes
– laughter, anger, hurt, joy. The eyes are indeed the windows to our souls.
Hey, baby! What’s
your sign?
I’m a Gemini,
the sign of the Twin. It’s a fluid sign, and I will admit to having a distinct
public vs. private persona. (Some might call it bipolar)
How did you
meet your significant other?
My sister
introduced us via email. So, that’s how our relationship started,
electronically (so 21st Century). We began chatting back and forth
over email until my husband finally worked up the nerve to call me. The rest is
history.
Every so often
my sister holds out her hand and requests her matchmaking fee. I tell her she
can have it on our 50th Anniversary…just to make sure the marriage
took.
What’s your
idea of a perfect date?
I live in the
Washington, DC area, and I absolutely love when spring arrives. The trees are
blooming, the sun is out and there’s no humidity in the air. A perfect date
would happen on one of these beautiful seventy degree days, with a picnic on
the National Mall overlooking the Lincoln Memorial.
If you could
take a romantic trip, where would it be?
Italy. It’s on
my bucket list to take a driving trip through Tuscany, Italy. I want to stay in
wonderful old villas that serve the best Italian meals you could find and drink
all the local wine. And, while I’m there, I’ll visit Rome. See the marvelous
ruins, as well as stopover at the Vatican, and maybe take a selfie with the
Pope!
Flirting
Quickies:
Boxers or
Briefs?
Boxers
Facial hair
or clean shaven?
Clean shaven
White wine
or red?
Red
Vanilla or
chocolate?
Chocolate,
of course!
Sleep in or
get up early?
Sleep in!!
Laptop or
desktop?
Laptop.
I like to be mobile.
Winter or
summer?
Winter.
Cat or dog?
Dog
City or
Country?
City
Backpacking
or luxury hotel?
Luxury
hotel! I don’t like to camp because I don’t like nature. It freaks me out.
Christmas or
Halloween?
Halloween!
Poplar
Place Excerpt
I resigned
myself to returning the FBI phone calls. I couldn’t put it off any longer. Both
Bryant and Hutchins had left phone messages again yesterday, and their
persistence made me nervous. Rolling out of bed, I shuffled downstairs to start
the coffee, my liquid courage. I drank half a cup and dialed. Hutchins didn’t
answer. I braced myself and dialed Special Agent Bryant.
“Bryant.”
“It’s Cara
Baker.”
“Listen, I
have some news. The U.S. Marshals have lost contact with Tony Rizolli.”
I paused to
digest this.
“Cara?”
“You must
be joking! How the hell did that happen?”
“His
tracking anklet was cut, and he disappeared.”
“Do they
think he’s been whacked?”
“They’re
not sure.”
“Why are
you calling me? You do realize I no longer work for the DA’s office.”
“Yes, we
know that.”
Exasperated
I asked, “Then why are you calling to tell me this? Not much I can do.”
“I’m
concerned about your safety. Tony bore a lot of hostility toward you.”
“The FBI’s
concerned, or you’re concerned?”
“I’m
concerned.” He stated matter-of-factly.
“What does
the FBI think?”
“The FBI
thinks there’s a leak in the Marshals’ office and Rizolli’s six feet under.”
“Why does
Tony have so much animosity toward me? He walked into a shiny new life provided
by the American taxpayers.”
“The
money.”
I took a
moment, rubbing a hand across my eyes. “What does he know?”
“We’re not
sure. I think one of the pencil pushers at the Marshals’ office told him about
the Cayman accounts during relocation. There was very little legitimate money
he could take into the program. He wasn’t happy about it.”
I sucked in
a breath. “Agent Bryant….”
“Call me
Tom.”
“Tom, what
exactly are you worried about?”
“If Rizolli
isn’t sleeping with the fish, he’s a loose cannon. I don’t trust him. You may
be in danger.”
“And?”
“And you
need to watch your back. Call me or Hutchins if you see anything suspicious. I
mean anything out of the ordinary. If you see a strange car in the
neighborhood, get the plates and call me.”
“I’ll take
that under advisement, Agent Bryant. What about Denise?”
“She’s
covered. I’ve called in some favors.”
“Fine.
Please let me know if anything new develops.”
