Author of “Ticket to Paradise,” which features a town based on Santa Clarita, Cherie Claire.
Award-winning author Cherie Claire has set her latest book, “Ticket to Paradise,” in a fictional town based on Santa Clarita; first published as an ebook this summer, the novel is now available in both digital and trade paperback at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
Claire, a Louisiana resident, lived in Santa Clarita for many years and sets the first book in her new contemporary romance series, “The Cajun Embassy,” in a town named Santa Helena, California.
“I lived near Valencia Town Center when I was working for Variety magazine a few years ago,” Claire said. “I cherished my time in Santa Clarita and even though my main character is Cajun and from Louisiana, like me, I wanted to set the story in one of the finest cities in California.”
As the story involves a fictional mayor and community newspaper, Claire renamed the town Santa Helena.
Claire’s current series, “The Cajun Embassy,” follows three Columbia journalism coeds homesick for Louisiana who find comfort at school in a bowl of Cajun gumbo. In each book — “Ticket to Paradise,” “Damn Yankees” and “Gone Pecan” — these dedicated friends make their way into the world of journalism and find that love — and a good gumbo — cures everything.
In “Ticket to Paradise,” main character Elizabeth “Lizzy” Guidry is having the worst day of her life, thanks to newspaperman Martin Taylor, whose editorial has raised the ire of Lizzy’s boss, the mayor of Santa Helena. Martin is on the verge of losing his newspaper, which is why he’s buying yet another lottery ticket the night he runs into Lizzy. Still fuming, Lizzy beats him to it, nabbing the last ticket before the machines close. Topping off Martin’s worst day, Lizzy’s ticket wins. Only she doesn’t know it.
As Martin attempts to romance his way to five million dollars, will he lose his heart in the process? Will they both realize that love, more than money, is the ticket to paradise?
Since “Ticket to Paradise” is the first book in the new series, the ebook’s download is free. The trade paperback edition costs $9.99.
Claire is the pen name of Cheré Dastugue Coen, a native of New Orleans who now lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, where she works as a freelance travel and food writer and author of several travel-related non-fiction books. Claire’s six-book “Cajun Series” of historical romances won numerous awards when it debuted in print by Kensington Publishing Co. All six historicals are also available online.
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
Santa and Ms. Claus will visit the Vincenzo’s Pizza – Newhall restaurant for photos with kids of all ages in a fundraiser for AvenuesSLS.org on Saturday, December 14, from noon to 5 p.m.
The city of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita City Council invite residents to celebrate the holiday season with their friends and neighbors as the Jingle Bell Jamboree returns to the Newhall Community Center on Friday, December 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The weather in the Santa Clarita Valley in December is usually crisp with plenty of warm sun. Now is a great time to set up a plan to maintain your landscape through the winter or make a big change for the new year – like removing your lawn in favor of more colorful and water-efficient alternatives.
Tickets are now on sale for Santa Clarita Transit’s Holiday Light Tour of some of the city’s most festively decorated neighborhoods from Thursday, December 19 through Saturday, December 21.
The Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra will present a free concert by SCVYO's Guitar Orchestra in the Choir Room at Pico Canyon Hall, located on the College of the Canyons' Valencia campus, on Saturday, December 14 beginning at 7 p.m.
The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors on Thursday announced its 2020 Executive Committee, which will help lead the Chamber as it begins a new decade and looks to its centennial in 2023.
Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang will start hiring Real Property Appraisers as of Monday when the official job filing for the positions will open at 12:30 p.m. (PT).
A construction worker suffered serious injuries and remains in critical condition after he fell one story from the roof of the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Pavillion Thursday morning.
Santa and Ms. Claus will visit the Vincenzo’s Pizza – Newhall restaurant for photos with kids of all ages in a fundraiser for AvenuesSLS.org on Saturday, December 14, from noon to 5 p.m.
The city of Santa Clarita’s Environmental Services Division has planned, coordinated and implemented programs during 2019 designed to make the city more "green."
The Los Angeles Rams on Thursday named Andrew Whitworth (pictured above) as its nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide.
The city of Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita City Council invite residents to celebrate the holiday season with their friends and neighbors as the Jingle Bell Jamboree returns to the Newhall Community Center on Friday, December 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For his exceptional contributions to advancing open education around the world, James Glapa-Grossklag, Dean of Learning Resources at College of the Canyons, received the President’s Award for Excellence at the 2019 Open Education Global Conference.
The Selection and Interview Committees of the Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative has chosen local veteran Ernesto Trevizo, his wife Alyssa, and their two children, Sonny and Zachary, as the recipients of a new home valued at $500,000.
Starting Jan. 11, most Santa Clarita businesses will see a nearly 40% increase to their monthly waste-disposal services amid global changes to the recycling industry that are prompting waste-management companies to ask for trash rate adjustments.
The process for how local organizations receive grant funding for arts programs and services for the community from the city of Santa Clarita could soon change with the implementation of a peer panel with outside arts experts.
The Nov. 14 Saugus High School shooting, the shootout in New Jersey and even the reported sighting of a man dressed like the Grim Reaper near a local synagogue, prompted sheriff’s Capt. Robert Lewis to invite Jewish leaders for a sit-down chat Thursday to discuss concerns and reassure them that safety remains his top priority.
The city of Los Angeles sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday over a shift in flight patterns for planes departing Hollywood Burbank Airport that has dramatically increased noise levels for residents and businesses.
Dozens of carolers’ voices filled the streets neighboring Duane R. Harte Park in honor of Gracie Muehlberger, a victim of the Saugus High School shooting, during the “Caroling with Gracie” event that spread holiday cheer while also giving back to students in need.
Two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony charges that they filed false reports and committed perjury relating to traffic stops made in the Santa Clarita Valley in 2016.
The College of the Canyons softball program invites all former Cougars to participate in the 2020 alumni game being held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 at Whitten Field.
The weather in the Santa Clarita Valley in December is usually crisp with plenty of warm sun. Now is a great time to set up a plan to maintain your landscape through the winter or make a big change for the new year – like removing your lawn in favor of more colorful and water-efficient alternatives.
A man identified by investigators as the driver of a Ferrari that slammed into a utility pole on Bouquet Canyon Road early Thursday morning, injuring himself and knocking down the pole, has been cited and released by sheriff’s deputies.
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.