#SaturdaySpotlight is on Carla Laureano & The Solid Grounds Coffee Co!

Good Morning and Happy Leap Day!

I'm heading to Baton Rouge this afternoon to see my Angel Girl's dance competition. Prayers for safe travels to all of us and the other teams travelling are greatly appreciated. - THANKS!

Today's guest has visited before with other books from her Supper Club series, so please welcome Carla Laureano back with the latest installment, The Solid Grounds Coffee Company.....

Analyn Sanchez can handle the long hours and arrogant clients that come with her job as a crisis management associate at Denver’s largest publicity firm. The high-powered job, expensive condo, and designer wardrobe are all part of her plan to prove to her family that her life choices haven’t been in vain. But when she’s asked to cover up a client’s misdeeds with serious moral and legal ramifications, she can no longer sacrifice her conscience for her career . . . and the cost is no less than her job.

Ever since a devastating climbing accident in South America eight months ago, and a bad decision that dried up his sponsorships, professional rock climber Bryan Shaw has found himself at similar loose ends. When the opportunity to buy a coffee farm in Colombia arises, he jumps on it—only to discover his wandering ways have left him utterly unprepared to run a business.

When Bryan returns home and offers Ana a role in his company as a solution to both their problems, she’s desperate enough to consider working with the far-too-flippant and far-too-handsome climber, even though he’s the polar opposite of her type A nature. As they delve deeper into the business, however, she begins to suspect there’s much more to Bryan than she’s given him credit for . . . and that sometimes the best plans are the ones you never see coming.

 Excerpt (Taken from The Solid Grounds Coffee Company by Carla Laureano. Copyright © 2020. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ana stepped out of her SUV, avoiding a greasy puddle that had formed in the potholed asphalt, and moved toward the back door. Unlocked. She pushed through, the heat from the kitchen hitting her immediately in contrast to the cool outside air. “Hello?”

Melody saw her first. “Ana!” She turned away from what she was doing—labeling large round containers with Sharpies on masking tape—and held her arms out for a hug. “I’m glad you came early. We could use some help setting the table. We’re running behind tonight.”

Ana flicked a glance to the range, where Rachel stirred something in a gigantic pot with a long-handled spoon. They could be behind or on time, but you’d never know from looking at Rachel; in the kitchen, she always had the same measured stance and unreadable game face.

“Hey, Ana.” Rachel offered one arm for a sideways half hug before turning back to her pot. “Sorry, I can’t leave the risotto. How are you?”

“Long, crummy week. I’m glad to see you guys.” Ana inhaled deeply. “Something smells amazing. What are we having?”

“Braised lamb shanks over parmesan-mushroom risotto. My guy brought in some morels this morning, and there was no way I was going to pass them up.”

“I’m hungry already. What can I do?”

Rachel nodded in the direction of the dining room. “Tables are set up and the plates and flatware are on the front counter. Mark folded the napkins before he left, so you can just put those on the plates.”

“Sure thing.” Ana backtracked and put her purse and her wool coat in the staff room, not much more than a closet in the back of the kitchen, and then headed out front to get the tables ready for guests.

To say that Bittersweet Café was her happy place was perhaps an understatement. In the last two years, Rachel had left behind her high-pressure executive chef job and Melody her dead-end position in a chain bakery, then decided to open their dream restaurant together. The way all the details had come together was downright magical; nowhere in Denver’s history had a functional café and bakery materialized in under four months. But Ana had no doubt there had been a healthy measure of divine intervention in the situation. She could feel it in the mood and the atmosphere of this place. Light, welcoming, refreshing. It was no wonder they’d quickly developed a devoted following. They were already in the middle of plans to take over the vacant space in the strip mall beside them and expand to meet their ever-growing demand.

Ana couldn’t be prouder.

If she were truthful, she was also a little jealous. She might be good at her job, and she was certainly well paid, but there was an allure to the idea of working with her best friends, being surrounded by delicious food and baked goods. Too bad she had absolutely no culinary talent. Her mom had made sure she could cook rice properly and prepare Filipino dishes like adobong manok and kaldereta, but her skills stopped there. Considering the fat and calorie content of those foods, she’d left her childhood meals behind in favor of an endless stream of grilled chicken or fish over salad.

Carla Laureano is the two-time RITA Award–winning author of Five Days in Skye, London Tides, and the Saturday Night Supper Club series. She is also the author of the Celtic fantasy series The Song of Seare (as C. E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.

 Thank you so much, Carla for sharing your new book with us! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings.

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Until next time, take care and God bless.
PamT