Hello! I’m Poppy Minnix, a contemporary and paranormal romance author. I’m so glad to be sharing this super fun title challenge for my novel, CARIBBEAN COMPETITORS. Xiamara is a warrior woman with a goal - win the Moss Monster Meet on her small-town island. Too bad the person who makes her a clumsy, tongue-tied hot mess just showed up and plans to compete. Apollo is stubborn, determined, and has returned to Simona Island for one thing…vacation? These two have a lot of unfinished business to work out!
C is for childhood friends. Xiamara and Apollo were so close as kids, until things changed between them and they left for college.
A is for Apollo, who has returned to Simona Island after a seven-year hiatus.
R is for rum, a staple night-out drink on the resort Island.
I is for Island—Simona Island—the small, private Caribbean location where the story takes place.
B is for boss, the Moss Boss to be exact. If Xiamara wins this year’s Mossy, she’ll earn that coveted title and all the bragging rights.
B is for bets. Xiamara and Apollo have always made bets at every opportunity.
E is for eyebrows. Apollo’s are rugged and sexy, according to Xiamara, but not to her best friend Jose, who prefers the sleek, shaped look to enhance the face.
A is for aromachology, Xiamara’s career. She’s obsessed with scents and how they interact with the body and mind.
N is for nosy island residents. Xiamara can’t stand the island’s pastime of gossip.
C is for clumsy. Xiamara is a strong, agile woman…unless Apollo is around.
O is for ocean, where Xiamara and Apollo spend a lot of time training for the Moss Monster Meet.
M is for Moss Monster Meet, the competition Xiamara is out to win
P is for promise. Apollo promised to return to Xia after graduation, but didn’t.
E is for Ease, the spa Xiamara works at as an aromachologist and massage therapist.
T is for training, something Xiamara has dedicated herself to accomplish every day as she prepares to run the Mossy.
I is for the “I” that does not belong in “team.” Xiamara is used to doing things alone and her way; so when the rules for the Moss Monster Meet change and she’s forced to work with a partner, she wishes she could just be an “I” again.
T is for tropical. From the lush descriptions of the island locations, scents, and weather, you can expect to be immersed in the Caribbean.
O is for open door fun times. That sweet cover doesn’t mean there’s not a bit of spice between the pages.
R is for running, an activity both Xiamara and Apollo love.
S is for stumble, something Xiamara does often when Apollo is around. (Though he kinda thinks that’s adorable. Shhhhh.)
Xiamara Nivar and Apollo Fischer had the perfect childhood friendship, leading her to believe they’d transition to soulmate-status seamlessly. She couldn’t have been more wrong. When it came to a more-than-friends relationship, they were super cringe. No wonder Xia didn’t believe him when he promised to come back for her the night before he left for college. But still, she waited.
After seven years of foolishly hoping he’d keep his word, Xia has put all that behind her. She’s got a career, a cast of colorful comrades, and a competitive streak bigger than the Caribbean Ocean. Winning this year's Moss Monster Meet will be a cinch—until Apollo returns to the small island of Simona.
Not only is she a stumbling, stuttering, shipwreck of a human whenever he’s present, but the unthinkable has happened. Apollo plans to compete in the race, threatening the three-year winning streak that will earn her the coveted title of Moss Boss.
When they are thrust together, Xia can’t maintain her composure—and Apollo knows it. He isn’t above using it against her, either. With the finish line in sight, Xia has one burning question: is it the race Apollo wants to win, or her heart?
Romance [City Owl Press, On Sale: November 22, 2022, e-Book, ISBN: 9781648982620 / eISBN: 9781648982637]
One bleary winter, Poppy Minnix accidentally wrote a novel—a paranormal romance she obsessively typed out in five weeks. Years later, she still barely sleeps, has nightmares of exploding biscuit cans when she does (it's a valid phobia!), and writes every waking minute.
She lives in Maryland with a husband who is far more romantic than she is and two delightful kids who kindly open the terrifying dough bombs for her. They are all kept busy by the best rescue lab-ish mongrel ever, and two cats who think they are dogs.
Along with authoring, she’s also the co-host of Punch Keys Podcast, an encouraging podcast for navigating the writing world.
Her contemporary romcom series, Simona Island, kicks off November 23rd, 2021 with Holiday Hotel, a festive Christmas romp that starts with a breakup escape to a Caribbean island.
Winner of the Toronto RWA 2018 Catherine Award in the paranormal romance category with My Song's Curse, published in August of 2020. Book two arrives in 2024.
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