Bernadette Marie has been an avid writer since the early age
of 13, when she’d fill notebook after notebook with stories that she’d share
with her friends. Her journey into novel writing started the summer
before eighth grade when her father gave her an old typewriter. At all
times of the day and night you would find her on the back porch penning her
first work, which she would continue to write for the next 22 years.
In 2007 – after marriage, filling her chronic
entrepreneurial needs, and having five children – Bernadette began to write
seriously with the goal of being published. That year she wrote 12
books. In 2009 she was contracted for her first trilogy and the published
author was born. In 2011 she (being the entrepreneur that she is) opened
her own publishing house, 5 Prince Publishing, and has released contemporary
titles and began the process of taking on other authors in other genres.
In 2012 Bernadette Marie found herself on the bestsellers
lists of iTunes and Amazon to name a few. Her office wall is lined with
colorful PostIt notes with the titles of books she will be releasing in the
very near future, with hope that they too will grace the bestsellers lists.
Bernadette spends most of her free time driving her kids to
their many events—usually hockey. She is also an accomplished martial
artist with a second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do. An avid reader,
she enjoys contemporary romances with humor and happily ever afters.
What is your name? Do you use a pen name
(if so, why?)?
My
birth name is Bernadette Marie, I’ve dropped my last name.
Tell me a bit about yourself:
I am
the happily married mother of 5 sons! I have been writing seriously since I was
thirteen. I am a proud hockey mom and a second degree black belt.
What type of genre do you write?
I
write contemporary romance, but in the future you’ll see other sub genres of
romance.
What genre to you personally read?
I
like my contemporary romance!
Tell me about your latest?
My
book Matchmakers rereleases on June 13th. This will be my ninth
title with my company 5 Prince Publishing. Matchmakers was my debut novel,
which was published by a now defunct publishing house. I have acquired back my
rights and I’m so excited to bring the series to a new audience. Matchmakers is the first book in the
Matchmaker series.
What sparked your passion for books and the
art of a good story?
The
mini-series! I fell in love with reading books and then watching the
mini-series! Yes, I’m an 80’s child. But I thought that if I wrote a book it
would then become a movie (and I wanted to be an actress, so if I wrote my own
movie, all the better!)
Is there a particular book that changed or
affected your life in a big way?
Aside
from the books you read that make you want to write there is one book,
specifically, that still makes me dig inside and really makes me go hmmmmm
about myself. The book is Tempted by Megan Hart. I have to say, never in my
life have I stayed up for six hours, all night, to read a book. And you
wouldn’t think that AH moment would come from an erotic book, but it did. And
it wasn’t the nature of the book it was the character digging deep into
themselves. It was amazing and it sticks with me.
Is there a message in your book that you
want readers to grasp?
There
is! Inside of each of us is a warrior. Warriors have scars that show that they
survived a very desperate battle. When we cover up our scars we are hiding our
true self. But if we let them be seen then the world knows we survived.
What challenges have you faced in your
writing career?
Rejection.
I think that is the hardest. You know as an author that this is your calling,
so learning someone’s “opinion” of you and your work hurts. You learn to accept
it and use it, but those first stings make some go home crying!
What has been your best moment as a writer?
I
have had so many, I don’t know which would be my best. You begin to think that
nothing will top this or that…and then something does. So my best “latest”
moment was when a fellow author, whom I’ve grown up with and known since we
were five, posted on my Facebook wall that I was listed as one of the top 100
Contemporary Romance in Kindle books and in books! I will admit it took me two
days to comprehend how huge that was! So there is a dream come true and next
week there will be something new that tops it!
Who is your author idol?
It
was Nora Roberts! She got me wanting to write. Since then I have certainly had
my list grow and grow and grow. But without her books in my life, and her
example to follow, I don’t know if I would be where I am if I wasn’t seeking to
bask in her starlight.
Do you see yourself in any of your
characters?
Oh I
think all my characters have a bit of me in them…or a bit of who I wish I was.
Do you feel like your dream has come true
or is there much more to do?
I am
SO living the dream. And again, just when I think there isn’t anything left to
do, there is another quest. Seeing your name in the #1 spot on Amazon is pretty
cool, but do you know how many lists there are? Oh, and I have yet to have my
name on a movie marquee.
What does your workspace look like?
Right
now it’s not too bad, but I have a lot of neatly stacked piles (since I do run
a publishing house.) And my wall is FULL of colourful Post It notes with the
titles of all the books my company has produced in the past few years.
Have you ever had a day when you just
wanted to quit?
Not
as a writer. As a publisher…yes.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I
have 5 kids! I’m usually running around town, or training with my karate.
What are the most important attributes to
remaining sane as a writer?
To
remember that everything is subjective. People are going to hate you and your
stories and if you let that eat at you you’ll lose your mind. Also, you have to
learn to keep on top of things. This industry moves fast. But you also have to
get out of the chair and walk away. Down time is key!
Did you have a moment when you realized you
were meant to be a writer?
7th
grade when I took a writing test and scored so high that they wanted to see
another one. I don’t know the purpose, but I didn’t care. That was my calling.
Show me a picture and let me create!
What advice would you give to aspiring
authors?
Never,
ever, ever give up. There is room for your voice in this industry and if you
let someone tell you your work is no good then you will lose that voice. Keep
working on your craft everyday until you are where you want to be. Any door you
see closing is forcing another to open.
After this book, what is next?
I
have releases, one a month through November. The Matchmaker Series will release
June, July, and August. My Aspen Creek Series will get a new book, On Thin Ice,
in September, and then my Bestselling series, The Keller Family Series, will
have book six arrive in October, followed by another Aspen Creek book in
November. I’ll be very busy this year.
The Book:
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 13, 2013
Digital ISBN 13:978-1-939217-56-1 ISBN 10: 1-939217-56-3
Print ISBN 13: 978-1-939217-55-4 ISBN 10: 1-939217-55-5
Matchmakers
Cellist Sophia Burkhalter thought ten years in Europe
performing with an exclusive ensemble would have made it clear that she wasn’t
a candidate for her grandmother’s matchmaking. After all, she’d walked away
from the man she loved, leaving him back home in Kansas City.
David Kendal had fallen in love with Sophia, a match
orchestrated by her grandmother and his aunt. However, the unexpected
appearance of the daughter he never knew he had—and Sophia’s sudden, subsequent
departure for Europe—thrust him into the role of single father.
Carissa Kendal has only ever wanted the best for her father.
It doesn’t take long for her to realize that the very woman who broke her
father’s heart might be the one to make them a real family.
Can Carissa and the women who originally played matchmaker
to the duo convince them that love is worth a second try? Or will careers and
past mistakes tear them apart forever before they have a chance to reconcile?
EXCERPT OF MATCHMAKERS:
Sophia filed off the airplane
along with the other groggy passengers. The red-eye flight to Kansas City had
knotted up her stomach. What in the hell was she doing back here?
Perfect persuasion and just the
right amount of guilt had gotten her on that plane. Perhaps the tightening of
her stomach wasn’t the flying—it could very well be that she’d returned to the
very place she’d run from ten years ago.
She’d run from a man and
shattered the hearts of people she loved. The guilt stung a little deeper. She
should have come home years earlier.
Sophia followed a small group of
women from the plane into the ladies’ room. Exhaustion weighed down her
shoulders. Within the hour, she’d be at her grandmother’s house, tucked into
her childhood bed, and asleep. In the meantime, she splashed cool water on her
face to keep herself alert.
She dried her face and hands and
adjusted the scarf at her neck to ensure it hid the secret she kept from the
world. She picked up the carry-on luggage at her feet and headed toward baggage
claim.
“Sophia.”
The husky voice was soft and
male and made her knees weak when she heard it. She knew that voice as well as
she knew her own. The knot in her stomach returned, but this time it was like a
fist in her gut.
She turned to see him standing
there in his pilot’s uniform with his suitcase at his side—David Kendal, the
very man she’d run from so many years ago.
He took his pilot’s hat off and
revealed the dark, wavy hair that she’d once run her fingers through. It was
now speckled with hints of sophisticated silver. His uniform was striking on
him—just as it had always been. Even in the early morning hour, she felt her
skin tingle when she looked at his broad shoulders and knew what it was like to
rest her head against his chest.
“David.” His name floated from
her lips in a sigh. Ten years had passed since she’d last laid eyes on him, and
now he was as large as life standing before her.
“I thought that was you on the
plane.” He was walking closer to her, and her trembling knees wouldn’t allow
her to run the other direction.
The scent of his cologne washed
over her. His dark eyes were smoky and wide as she watched him take in the
sight of her.
“You look wonderful.” He stepped
closer, and Sophia gripped her bag tighter and tried to swallow the ball of
fear that had lodged in her throat. He gripped his hat tighter. “I’ve been
following your career.”
“Really?” The muscles in her
shoulders tensed. “Why?”
“Why?” He chuckled and took one
more step closer, and her throat constricted. “Sophia, you’re…” He shrugged as
though brushing off a thought. “You’re very talented.”
Sophia shook her head, trying
desperately to remove all thoughts of him from before—of what she’d lost. She
sighed. “David, it was nice to see you. I really need to get my luggage.”
She turned from him, head up,
shoulders back, and strode toward the elevator, stepping in as the door closed.
She leaned her head against the back wall and closed her eyes.
How was it possible that after
ten years he could stir such feelings in her? Sophia took inventory of what she
was feeling. There was a surge of attraction between them. Then the anger she’d
felt for years accompanied the thought of him. She’d walked out on him. His
betrayal was much stronger than the attraction. It had given her purpose to
make something of herself. Her success as a concert cellist sprang as much from
her desire to succeed as it did from a need to escape her feelings for David.
Sophia opened her eyes when she
heard the elevator doors open. The small group of others who had been aboard
the plane with her stood watching the empty luggage carousel go around. Sophia
waited for her cello case to arrive in the oversized luggage. It killed her to
have to check the instrument, but there were no other choices. It was times
like this she wondered why she didn’t play the violin. She could carry that
onto the plane.
Relief flooded her as a man
brought her the case. She quickly opened it and examined the instrument to
assure herself it had arrived in one piece.
Her trip was to last two weeks.
She’d wanted to pack only one bag, but against her better judgment, she’d
packed two. When the two suitcases dropped to the carousel, she pulled them off
and stacked them. One hung from the other, and she slung her carry-on over her
shoulder. With a grunt, she hoisted her cello to her side. She started toward
the curb to collect a cab.
Footsteps clattered on the tile
floor behind her.
“Sophia.”
She wouldn’t let herself turn to
see him hurrying to her.
“Let me help you.”
“I travel like this all the
time. I do not need your assistance.” Her voice was cold.
“I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I
didn’t offer to help a lady in need.”
“A gentleman?” He’d already
taken her suitcases from her and wheeled them out to the sidewalk. “Mr. Kendal,
I assure you I do not need you.”
“No, you made that perfectly
clear when you disappeared and left your engagement ring in the sink.” He kept
walking, forcing her to follow.
“Where are you going?” She tried
to keep up with him, but his long stride kept him a hefty distance ahead of
her.
He pointed off into the parking
garage. “My car is parked just over here.”
“Your car?” She trotted to catch
up with him. “I’m taking a cab.”
“I don’t want you in a cab in
the middle of the night,” he said, unwavering from his path.
She grunted and quickened her
step again.
“I don’t care what you think—”
“I know.” He darted a stare in
her direction.
Your websites?
www.bernadettemarie.com
Your blog?
www.authorbernadettemarie.blogspot.com
Other websites?
www.5princebooks.com/bernadettemarie.html
Where can your book be found?
@writesromance
Please help me thank Bernadette for joining us today on the blog. Please check out her websites, see her many books and maybe even buy a couple (or all of them :)).
Keep Writing!
Jodie Pierce
