I’m super excited to be hosting author Glynis Astie today! I don’t host a lot of guest posts on the blog, but I was thrilled to have Glynis share her own personal romance story since I could relate to it so much: whirlwind romance with a guy from far away? People thinking you’re crazy? Wondering yourself if you’re crazy (but never really doubting it)? Yup! Sounds a lot like Jerry and myself! Glynis also wrote an amazing trilogy of novels based on her romance. When you read it, you’ll know just why I asked her to share her love story here today!
Last year, I reviewed the first two books (French Twist and French Toast), and am looking forward to reviewing the final one (French Fry) soon since it just came out this week! If you’d like a chance to read the series yourself OR win a gift card, be sure to enter the giveaway below; you won’t regret it!
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Without further ado, please welcome the lovely Glynis!
Happily Ever After?Everybody loves a good love story, right? I have been lucky enough to have my very own whirlwind romance. The kind that makes your heart swell, your pulse race and your entire body swoon at the fantasy I have been able to live. (Or make you want to smack me across my beaming face, which I completely understand.) My husband and I have such a great story, I simply had to write a series of books about our adventures together. I often tell him that the books in my French Twist series are a kind of love letter to him, but I don’t think he believes me. Very few men have the capacity to appreciate such a romantic gesture. (And far fewer of them would admit it if they did.)But my future didn’t always seem so rosy. I began life as a wallflower and then proceeded to have the worst dating track record of anyone I know. While my friends were dating great guys, I worked my way through a series of jerks. (Cheating, indifference, strange…desires; take your pick!) Consequently, at the grand old age of twenty-seven, I decided I was destined to be a spinster. I even adopted my first cat! Enter my husband–the most charming Frenchman you’ll ever meet. He was (and still is) gorgeous, intelligent, funny and completely genuine. His sexy accent certainly didn’t hurt! He immediately swept me off my feet and we were married six months later.The first year was particularly scary, since we were still getting to know each other. We had been living together (gasp!) for four months before we got married, so the initial stage of the stupid fights had passed. (You forgot to put the cap back on the toothpaste! Yeah? Well, you left your towel on the floor! You know the drill.) However, the speed with which we were married had everything to do with his sudden unemployment, so we had severe financial pressure to add to the mix. Not to mention the rampant green card rumors.Throughout these early days of marriage, I experienced twinges of doubt. There were moments when I thought I had made a hasty decision and there were definitely moments when I thought our relationship would never work, but I couldn’t bring myself to give up. The love we shared–no matter how new–was too strong for me to let him go. None of it was easy. We drove each other crazy as we tried to bend the other to our will. In fact, there were a number of juvenile moments which I will keep to myself because I cannot take the embarrassment of your reading them.Despite all this, we found our romantic moments. We pushed through the difficult times and came out stronger. We somehow managed to be there for each other, even when we didn’t agree, and learned to compromise. Each time we diffused another time bomb I would think, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” I knew my Intro to Philosophy class would come in handy! You gotta love Friedrich Nietzsche. (Although, I must admit, whenever I think of this brilliant quote, I hear Olympia Dukakis’ southern accent as she delivers this line in Steel Magnolias. Don’t tell anyone!)The biggest lesson I’ve taken away from my whirlwind romance is this: Happily ever after isn’t all moonlight and roses. It’s hard work. It’s taking the other person for better or worse–no matter how difficult the worse can be. It’s biting your tongue, learning to be patient and doing your best to embrace someone else’s point of view. It’s being willing to say, “I’m sorry” without resentment and being able to put someone else’s needs before your own. Will you experience your share of misery? Absolutely. But it’s worth it! Finding the love of your life is one of the greatest journeys you will ever take.
About
Glynis never expected in her wildest dreams to be a writer. After thirteen years in the Human Resources Industry, she decided to stay at home with her two amazing sons. Ever in search of a project, she was inspired to write the story of how she met and married her wonderfully romantic French husband, Sebastien, in six short months. The end result became her first novel, French Twist. As this was just the beginning of their epic love story, Glynis continued to chronicle their adventures in the sequel, French Toast and the final installment in the series, French Fry.
When Glynis is not writing, she is trying to keep the peace amongst the three men and two cats in her life, finding missing body parts (Lego pieces are small!), supervising a myriad of homework assignments and keeping a tenuous hold on her sanity by consuming whatever chocolate is in the vicinity.
Note: this post originally had a giveaway, which has now ended. Thank you for entering.
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