For
the past three years, I've had the privilege of getting to know many of the
authors in this new book series through social media, blog interviews, and
other writing collaborations. I've been a part of eBook box sets and
collaborations with several other authors in the past. Most collaborative
projects tend to follow a familiar formula—they're usually connected by a
single genre or centered around a specific holiday, such as Christmas.
This
series, however, is something entirely different. Instead of every book fitting
neatly into one genre, Our House on Jakaranda Laan series offers a
wonderful variety of stories. You'll find contemporary fiction, historical
fiction, dual-timeline novels, and women's fiction. Some books weave romance
gently into the story, while others place it front and center – all in a sweet
and clean closed door romance style.
Yet
what truly connects these books goes far beyond a shared title. Every story is
set in the same fictional South African town of Cedarfontein.
Creating
Cedarfontein was a collaborative effort. The authors worked together to imagine
everything from the town's layout and local businesses to the people who call
it home. There's even a map showing the town's location south of Cape Town.
Because each author is writing within the same community, readers will discover
familiar places and occasionally meet characters from other books throughout
the series.
One of the
most fascinating aspects of this project is that several of the authors don't
live in South Africa—and some have never even visited. That meant extensive
research became an essential part of the writing process. Having South African
authors as part of the team to answer questions and provide guidance has been
invaluable in helping each story feel authentic.
Readers may
also notice that certain words are spelled differently from one book to
another. For example, as an American, I write color, while my United Kingdom friends
naturally write colour.
Both spellings are correct—they simply reflect the author's home country. So if
you spot differences like that throughout the series, don't worry. They're
intentional, not mistakes.
Although all
fifteen books share the same setting, each story stands completely on its own.
There's no required reading order, so you can begin with whichever title
catches your interest. Along the way, you'll enjoy seeing familiar faces and
discovering how the lives of Cedarfontein's residents intersect from one story
to the next.
I chose to join this series because it
challenged me as a writer. My story pushed me well beyond my usual writing comfort
zone. My heroine is from San Antonio, Texas. My hero grew up in King's Cross,
London. They both arrive in Cedarfontein for work and find themselves staying
at a charming bed-and-breakfast run by a couple from Normandy, France. Bringing
together characters from different parts of the world has made this one of the
most enjoyable stories I've written. I'll share more about my own book in a
future post.
The fifteen books are currently available for preorder. Publication releases are scheduled every two weeks between
now and October. Review the basics for
each of the upcoming eBooks through this link below and then go to each of the book
links to learn more about them and choose which story you want to start with
first.
Of course, I'd be delighted if you
started with mine—but whichever book you choose first, I think you'll quickly
fall in love with the welcoming community of Cedarfontein.
Here's the link for all the book details. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7SDQGFC
