Shauna from Warm Springs Writers' Retreat takes the stage

NOTE: Since I'm out of town this weekend at Southern Kentucky Book Fest, I thought I'd give the time to one of my friends, I mean, characters. :) This post was first published as part of the Great Escapes Book Tour for Fatality by Firelight on a blog called, The Bookwyrm's Hoard

Hi, I’m Shauna Marie Clodagh, and I’m the one that makes Warm Springs Writer’s Retreat work like a fine-tuned clock. I’m also Cat’s best friend.

We met in Los Angeles when she started visiting the gay bar where I bartended. No, I’m not outing the girl. She’s as straight as an arrow and is dating that hunk of a guy, Seth Howard. He’s a sweetheart and became a fast part of the Warm Springs team.

I enjoyed working there because I didn’t have to worry about being hit on. Cat came into the place because she liked the location. The girl’s a little naïve. But we had a lot of time to talk and when she got the word that her ex-husband had died and left her this amazing Victorian, I was ready for a change.

So here we are in Aspen Hills, Colorado. The town lives and dies around the college. Covington is a small private school full of privileged brats if you ask me. Although I didn’t go to college, so maybe it’s different when you get to extend your childhood for four more years and still drink at the local bar. I went right to work after graduation at a little restaurant in Ohio. That’s where I’m from. Then I followed a loser out to California. I stuck and the loser left. I liked the weather out there a lot more than Ohio, so I stayed on. Well, until last year.

Colorado’s nice, but this is my first winter. The good thing is we can ski right outside of town. The bad news is I hate driving on the roads when it ices up so I tend to stay at home when the weather takes a turn. And when I’m home, I bake.

I’m always trying out new recipe to use during the retreats. Some of the treats I share with our neighbor, Mrs. Rice. She’s always looking for a new piece of gossip to share or hear.

I don’t think she really knows what to think about Cat, Seth and me. But I feed her, so she’s generous with the town gossip. Of course, she’s not the only source I have. Cat’s more of an introvert. She likes her people in small groups. I love the big party. And I talk to everyone. The library, the grocery store, I even know people at the hardware store. Seriously, Aspen Hills is a very welcoming town.

Come on by one morning for coffee and treats. I don’t know what I’ll have baking in the oven, but I can promise it will be yummy!