The great-granddaughter of pioneers who walked across the Oregon Trail, Charlotte Rains Dixon considers herself a westerner through and through. Many of her stories are set in her home state of Oregon, where her characters reside in fictional versions of her favorite wine area and coast towns, as well as Portland, where she lives. She is the author of the novel Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior and the forthcoming The Bonne Chance Bakery.
When not writing fiction, Charlotte teaches writing in the south of France, England, and around the Pacific Northwest. She also coaches writers privately. She is Director Emeritus and a current mentor at the Writer’s Loft, a certificate-in-writing program at Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and is the author of a dozen non-fiction books. Her fiction and articles have appeared in numerous publications.
Charlotte lives with her husband in Portland, Oregon, in a multi-generational home that is by turns boisterous and exuberant but seldom quiet. She believes no breakfast is complete without a crossword puzzle to work and no Happy Hour can actually be happy without popcorn.(Wine goes without saying.) Despite frequent stays in France, she regularly fractures the language. She is, however, fluent in Carney. Charlotte writes stories about places you long to live filled with people you’d love to know.
Learn more about Charlotte at her website, charlotterainsdixonauthor.com and be sure to sign up for her author newsletter at charlotterainsd.substack.com.
You can also connect with her on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Wordstrumpet.
Thanks for stopping by! What attracted you to the science fiction genre?
I love reading women’s fiction—it’s my favorite—so it was my first choice to write. Also, it’s my experience that books themselves choose the genre. This was a story that needed to be told with the emotional arc of a women’s fiction novel.
Do you write in any other genres?
Yes, romance. Although I will say that all of my romances tend to straddle the line between romance and women’s fiction. I just can’t seem to resist adding in quirky characters and complications beyond the main romance.
What inspired you to write The Rescue?
I was introduced to the wonders of the macaron on a trip to France several years ago. One bite and I was hooked. Once I returned home, the idea for the book came to me nearly fully formed. A novel about a macaron baker? Why not?
Can you give us your book blurb so others can find out what your book is about?
All Madeleine Miller wants is for her new Portland business, the Bonne Chance Bakery, to be a success. But things get off to a troubled start when her husband Will runs off with an employee and starts his own rival bakery, leaving her hobbled financially—and romantically. Luckily, she has the help of the bakery's endearingly gruff accountant, Jack, and his precocious daughter Daisie. Portland foodies love the bakery's French macarons, but alas, their passion doesn't add up to financial success.
And then one day, world-famous entrepreneur slash actor Richard Bishop appears at the bakery and becomes smitten with Mad's macarons—and her. His offer to franchise the bakery concept feels like selling out, and Madeleine isn't interested. But when she learns of the shady dealings her ex-husband used to fund the bakery, she's forced to accept Richard’s money. She also succumbs to the lure of his romantic interest. Soon she's catapulted into a world of luxury and excitement in Los Angeles as she supervises the opening of a second Bonne Chance in Hollywood.
But in her efforts to save the bakery, will she lose herself? Set in Portland, Los Angeles, and Paris, the novel illuminates the crazy path romance can take us on—and the circuitous route that will lead the way home. With its themes of identity, self determination and following your dreams, The Bonne Chance Bakery is a feel-good novel with a serious message at its core.
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
https://www.instagram.com/wordstrumpet/
https://www.charlotterainsdixonauthor.com/
https://www.letsgowriteworkshops.com/
Where can readers buy your book?
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mr29a9uz
Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/sbrj9r
Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview. What’s next for you?
I have a Christmas novella called Let There Be Snow releasing on November 3. I’m excited about that—I love Christmas stories and I’ve always wanted to write one. I’m in the revision stage on two romances set in the same world and I’ll release those in 2023. I also teach writing in various locations around the Pacific Northwest and Europe, so who knows—maybe I’ll get an idea for another novel while there.
Thank you so much for the interview!
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