Strawberry Shortcake
October 15, 2024
Welcome to Day 14 of promoting my latest release - Time for Love. I’ve been working on this collection for about four years. The romantic collection has twenty short stories - ten about how a couple got engaged and ten about how a couple met. The story I’m going to talk about today is Strawberry Shortcake, a short story taking place on Memorial Day 2011.
Cam’s dream was always her gluten-free bakery CamCakes. She never dreamed of or planned on love. It just found her, coming through her bakery’s door. She became a single mother to Abby because of who came through that door. Humphrey came through her door to get treats for his niece’s birthday. And then he kept coming back, asking her out. With Abby encouraging her, Cam finally said yes. Eventually, she realized that love had come back through her bakery’s door when he did. Is she ready to take the next step? You’ll have to read the 11th story in the collection to find out.
How does this story relate to other stories in the gagengirl universe?
Most of the characters were created for another story. Cam has a cousin in Pocatello, Idaho who went to the Olympics - Crazy Dreams’ Cassidy Piscina.
In Just a Kiss, Kelly Sargeant names the other three gymnasts who were on the team with her and Susanne McCallum - Kylie, Ashton, & Abby. Abby is Cam’s adopted daughter. This story takes place five years before they go to Rio.
Miguel’s boyfriend Alan and his daughter Shania were created for an older collection of short stories. (Shania appears in one of my upcoming ghost stories.)
Cassidy’s employee Jonah is Let There Be Love’s Jared Murray’s nephew.
And all of the customers were created for a previous story. The only interesting tie to another story is the first customer who comes in CamCakes in the story - Kim. Kim’s younger brother is Mad Dog Chronicles’ Andy Brennan.
What can you share about Cam?
Cam is my second favorite female lead out of all twenty stories in this collection. She adopts Abby, who is the daughter of her former fiancé. How she ended up with Abby is told through flashbacks. CamCakes, her gluten-free bakery, was her dream since she was diagnosed with celiac disease as a child. Because of CamCakes, her life is constantly altered.
And what can you share about Humphrey?
I was watching a lot of Death in Paradise when I named him. It’s actually his middle name. But like a few other characters in the collection, he chooses his middle name over his first name. Humphrey had to ask Cam for a date a few times before she finally said yes.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about this story?
It’s a romance, the story of how Cam and Humphrey got engaged. It’s a story of love after loss. It’s one of my favorite stories. And two of my editors listed it as one of their favorites.
Do you know which story you’ll tell us about tomorrow?
Yes. Tomorrow’s story is Key Lime Pie.
Are you curious about the music that helped inspire me while writing Strawberry Shortcake? Click here to read about it.
