Guest blogger: Sabrina Luna

When I first sat down at my computer to tell Erica and Shawn’s love story in Crazy for You, I knew I wanted it to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I grew up just over the stateline in South Carolina and had visited the Queen City often with friends for special things, like shopping or to see a movie or concert. 

In 2006, I moved here and really got to know her better.  I say ‘her’ because Charlotte has become more familiar to me.  The more I cruise her streets and check out interesting places around the city, I feel a special connection to this city.  So, by starting my story off with my hero’s arrival at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, I knew the Queen City and her smaller neighbor, Pineville NC, would be an ideal setting.

Now, I must confess, there are some fictional elements in the setting too.  All the names of the stores, restaurants and even the hotel that Shawn stays in are fictional.  However, those places are actually based on places in the city I’ve been.  While writing, I could see, in my creative mind’s eye, Shawn and Erica in these settings.  Not only did it make the scene more believable to me, but I sincerely hope it makes the scene more real to you, the reader, too!

Yes, I’ve been to places like Astro’s Lounge, the uptown club where Erica and the bridal party go for drinks and watch a stripper named Fabio.  And the alternation shop and Chinese restaurant in Pineville are loosely based on actual shops in the town just outside of Charlotte too. 

But my favorite location in Crazy for You is the hotel in uptown Charlotte where Shawn stays before the wedding.  It’s based on one of the city’s newer hotels and I actually attended a private pre-bridal shower party in a room very much like his too.  The building seemed to be created with all steel and glass, in which I didn’t personally find cozy, but the high-rise hotel did have a stunning view of the city.

Even though the names of some of the locations are fictionalized, I hope you’ll enjoy a glimpse of Charlotte, North Carolina –the city where I write and live!

Love, Again is a Valentine’s Day anthology from Ruby Lioness Press with a second chance theme. Love, Again releases February 14, 2012. 

Shawn Flint wants to rekindle the spark between him and Erica Kelly when he surprises her and his family by flying into Charlotte, North Carolina for his stepsister’s wedding, but Erica is still cautious, wanting to keep their affair a secret.  Can Shawn overcome Erica’s protests and convince her that he is totally crazy for her?