Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester is very happy to shine our Friday spotlight on romance author Tessa Baily. Tessa Bailey is a New York Times Bestselling writer of spicy and swoony contemporary romance. She lives on Long Island with her husband and daughter combatting her insomnia with true crime podcasts and browsing Airbnb’s she will never actually book.
Tessa, Where can people find your work? (Besides Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester–though they should totally check here first!)
https://www.tessabailey.com please!
How can we follow your work and share your awesomeness?
On Instagram: @tessabaileyisanauthor and on TikTok@authortessabailey
For readers unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe what you write? What can readers expect from It Happened One Summer?
I write blue collar heroes—you have to love men who work with their hands! I specialize in heroes that are trustworthy and devoted to the heroine upon meeting her. As far as the women I write, you want to be best friends with them. They have career goals, they’re loyal and have a good sense of humor. My favorite pairing in romance is opposites attract, like in It Happened One Summer with a sea captain and a pampered socialite.
What was the inspiration for It Happened One Summer? What were the steps you took to bring it from initial inspiration to the finished book?
It Happened One Summer was inspired by the television show Schitt’s Creek, specifically Alexis Rose. I loved her character and the way she overcame so many people having low expectations of her. My heroine in It Happened One Summer, Piper, has a similar issue and she’s also a fish out of water in a small town, stripped of money and fame, having to rely on her own grit for once.
What character did you love or hate the most while writing? And why?
I loved writing my hero Brendan because he’s so steadfast and dependable. He’s not a modern man. He’s very much a throwback to a past generation of men that worked on the sea and endured harsh living conditions as a matter of tradition. He does what’s expected of himself without complaint and when he meets Piper, he states his intentions and pursues her one hundred percent. No waffling. I think that’s something women readers can appreciate.
What piece of advice would you want to share with other writers?
Write like your mother isn’t going to read it. That’s the advice I give to most romance writers. I think a lot of us tend to hold back worried we’ll offend someone, but art can’t be tempered or watered down. Write what you want to read—someone else will want to read it, too!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Tessa!
Annie's Book Stop of Worcester 