Conflict of Interest by Katie Bachand

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About the author:

Katie was born in suburban Minnesota, just outside of Minneapolis. Growing up was a whirlwind of sporting events and family gatherings. Katie tried her hand at writing early on. She created children’s books with friends about beautiful horses and troublesome monkeys – some of which were eerily similar to Curious George (you can decide where the inspiration came from). She also took a stab at poetry that went on to be published in fifth grade. During this early childhood her writing stood second place to two things: basketball and her reading habit. Katie stands at five feet-four inches on a good day. Needless to say she’d need something else to sustain a decent lifestyle. So she accepted her first true loves – The Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew. She experienced early the consequences of staying up too late to finish a good book. After three decades, she has yet to learn her lesson.

Today, Katie lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She shares a loving home with her husband, son, and golden retriever (all of them extremely handsome). With her personal life on track, Katie decided to ruffle some feathers professionally.

After starting her career with high hopes of becoming the next great marketing executive, Katie took a slight detour to dabble in IT. Not all of her decisions have been good ones, but alas, she makes it work.

All-the-while, Katie has maintained an insatiable reading habit. This habit is what lead her to try her hand at writing once again. One day, while walking through her local book store, she realized she’d read all of the books of interest to her. Debbie, Nora, Claire – she’d read them all. She even sped through Patterson and Sanford’s crime and thriller series’. Faced with a decision; she could either buy the latest presidential biography (insert depressing emoji here) or she could pick up that bright, obnoxious yellow, Writing Romance for Dummy’s book (yes, you read that right). She made her choice and to this day doesn’t remember the President that adorned that big auto-biographical book.

Katie maintained her career in IT until the pre-release of her new romance novel Conflict of Interest, book one of a four-part series about four girlfriends who find unwanted, unexpected, and unlikely love.

Katie is a hopeless romantic and romance author at heart. Her romance varies from light and sweet to edgy and sexy. She believes every book that has even a hint of romance is better for it. Though skeptical, she accepts romance might not be the genre for everybody. But she is adamant there is a book out there for everyone. She believes at least once in their lives people should get lost in another world. They should meet characters they love, hate, romanticize, and befriend. She thinks with every book that closes there’s a little bit of sadness in leaving it behind, but she hopes it’s not long before a new one opens.

When she isn’t writing romance, Katie is spending time with her family, in the kitchen or garden, or nose-deep in a good book. Want more? Head over to Katie’s blog to read the ins-and-outs of her life, the ongoing short story series Happy Hour, and to her social media pages to catch her latest updates!

What inspired you to write your book?

I wanted a classy, modern and sophiticated female character to take the lead. She, and her friends, are powerful and distinct, but all have one thing in common – their love and support for each other. It was only natural that these women would need handsome and charasmatic men as their love interests.
I think this book shows you can be successful and not stray from yourself and what you've worked for to fall in love – but also – that it's okay to give a little for love as well. And sometimes, that's how the best of love begins.

Here is a short sample from the book:

CHAPTER 2

“One triple hazelnut latte with cinnamon, for one very depressed face.”
Grace looked at Aimeé and offered the most pathetic smile she could muster.
With a wink, Aimeé set the latte down and turned back to the bar. Over her shoulder, she said, “Closing in ten. Then we can get down to details. Casey and Rachel are on their way. We have important things to discuss.”
Important things to discuss? Her livelihood was important. Jerks. But damn, if she didn’t love them and feel a little curious.
As the espresso machine hissed and blender whirred, she watched Aimeé effortlessly move behind the coffee bar, laughing in conversation with her loyal patrons. All of whom Aimeé knew by name. Grace had seen more than one customer flush at the way their name sang out in the sweet French accent Aimeé had brought with her when she moved to the United States. Aimeé arrived at the tender age of eighteen and brought some coffee and pastry heaven with her. Why and how Aimeé decided on Minnesota, Grace still didn’t know – and it wasn’t for lack of trying – but she couldn’t be happier this is where her dear friend had landed.
Laughter filled the front of the shop. She could only assume one of the loyal patrons was offering a marriage proposal as payment for a black coffee and a butter scone – as many often did.
“For tomorrow’s breakfast.” Grace heard the hoarse voice as she watched an old man lift a folded paper bag and travel cup.
Grace was skeptical the treat would make it until morning. If only he were sixty years younger, he might have a shot with her black-haired, beautiful French friend.
Never before had she seen a more stunning person. Aimeé’s black wavy bob perfectly framed her delicate features. Almost-black eyes and brows added dangerous allure and insane sex appeal to her appearance. One look at Aimeé and you’d guess runway model, not pastry chef.
The chime of the bell sitting on top of the coffee shop door pulled her away from her thoughts. Grace felt the cold gust of wind that accompanied her two friends through the doorway. Completely wrapped up in each other’s words, Casey and Rachel continued their enthusiastic conversation, ignoring the stares that followed them on their path to the table.
“I’m serious. This is a horrible idea.” Casey unwrapped her scarf, her eyes intense on Rachel.
“You brought up the idea. And it is not a very bad idea. It’s simply a little…” Rachel looked up to ponder the correct choice of words and brightened as she found a fit: “A little nudge.”
“A nudge?”
“A nudge.” Rachel confirmed.
“Grace doesn’t need a nudge; besides, I changed my mind. And she has bigger things on her plate right now.” The two stood facing each other after they had disrobed their fall layers and heaved their bags onto the backs of their chairs.
Rachel folded her arms across her chest. She stated her rebuttal as if it were gospel, “There is never too much on your plate when it comes to the matters of the heart.”
Silence fell between the two in the middle of the emptying shop, as they contemplated the end of their conversation.
“We’ll see.” It was all that Casey – the ever-worrying, cynical, and even she admitted, glass-half-empty type – could muster.
Grace, still sitting mutely, having witnessed the intense exchange, moved her eyes from one to the other and back again.
“Hi,” she said pointedly.
Both turned their stares in her direction, having been so caught up in their discussion that they were surprised to see she was present.
“I don’t mean to be nosey, but I thought I overheard my name in there?” Amusement filled Grace’s green eyes as her two friends sat side by side across from her without saying a word. How was she lucky enough to find these fantastic, slightly chaotic, dazzling friends?
When neither of them spoke, Grace tried once more. “I’m curious as to what’s so good that you two are choosing to be up at ten on a school night? Spill.”
Rachel smiled, and Casey raised her hand. Without missing a beat, in the middle of her closing duties, Aimeé called on her from behind the bar like a teacher calls on an eager student. “Yes, Casey?”
“I think we might need a bottle of wine.”
“One bottle of wine, coming up. Be over in five. Any preference?” Aimeé inquired to the group as she ushered out the last of her crowd into the night and locked up the front entrance.
“The alcoholic kind,” Rachel put in, with a wry smile pasted on her face.
“Why don’t you start with the company stuff? Did you hear the rumor today? Wallace Corporation is on the hunt for its next takeover. Does the coffee wonder woman back there know? I’m assuming you’ve been here since you left the office today?” Casey said, always the one getting down to business.
Grace was too tired to ask how Casey knew the company was being sought after by the much larger firm. Maybe she bugged the office, or hacked into the security cameras. Grace didn’t want to know because it would just mean extra work. Sometimes Casey, a brilliant technologist, knew just a little too much about everything.
“Thomas and Jane is a brilliant, sophisticated, and beloved company. Therefore, it is very appealing to larger, poopy-er, corporate-y-er companies. Companies like Wallace, for example.” Grace said with just a tiny trace of bitterness, as she took a sip of her latte.
“Your sophisticated word choice astounds me. No wonder people can relate to you, you can really dumb it down.” Casey grinned as Grace narrowed her eyes in disapproval. So maybe the description was less than elegant? It was what might happen – would probably happen – she corrected herself.
“Want me to screw up some of the paperwork?” Casey offered, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. “Find some dirty gossip on Wallace? Maybe plant an email or five? Couple people pay a fine, go to jail, you get to keep the company, happy ever after.” She waved her hand as if to say, no big deal.
Grace laughed in spite of herself. “Case, I love you. I would love to utilize your hacking skills, but I would also like you not to go to prison.
“Prison? What kind of a hack do you think I am? I’m better than that. And you might want to tell your security team to check their firewalls. And maybe the single sign-on he set up. That should do it, though.”
“I should send you to prison myself. No more snooping.” Grace pointed at Casey, who shrugged innocently.
Huffing out a breath, Grace resigned, thankful for wine and somebody to talk to. “It’s just a bummer is all.”
As Aimeé sashayed over, she presented the wine to the table, the cork already removed. Four glasses and a second bottle peeking out from under Aimeé’s arm followed. Grace eyed the red juice and thought, this night was either going to be really good, or really bad.