Alison Bertuna
Cozy Adult Witchy Romance
THE FULL BLOOM BAKESHOP
Alison Bertuna grew up just outside of Boston; close enough to enjoy the city, but far enough away to avoid developing the accent. Her love of books sprouted from frequenting the library, where her mom would take her and her brother, who were too feral to stay home. She always imagined she would be an author when she grew up—until her teacher read her essay in front of the entire class and the chronically shy girl vowed to never write another word again.
After traveling and living abroad, Alison received her BS in Plant & Soil Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She worked on a vegetable farm for several years while also baking at a café on the weekends. When she won first place in a pie contest (baking, not eating), she pivoted
to become a pastry chef.
Alison lives with her husband on Cape Cod, where she's a stay-at-home mom who lets her own feral children loose in the library. She runs a cottage bakery out of her home with a focus on seasonal ingredients. She writes romance with humor and fantasy elements, because every love story is better with laughter and magic. When she's not writing, she can be found hiking, reading, playing frisbee, or buying herself a lil' treat.
THE FULL BLOOM BAKESHOP is Alison's debut novel inspired by her love of witchy lore, her professional baking experience, and the idea of her sourdough starter becoming sentient.
Pitch
When a baker witch accidentally casts a love spell on the agent investigating her, burnt cookies are the least of her worries when she needs his help to track down her errant mother and stop a magical surge on her island all while trying to ignore her growing feelings for him.
Opening Lines
They say the way to someone's heart is through their stomach. But Millie DeBloom had found a way to speed up the process.
That’s precisely why she was baking an extra batch of doughnuts at five o’clock that morning. And this particular batch required a very special ingredient—one that had been exceptionally tricky to procure. She lovingly took out the folded napkin from the pocket of her apron and set it on the metal table alongside her other ingredients.
Comp Titles
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi