Many of you will know my lovely guest today as author Rhoda Baxter and I’m really lucky to have some of Rhoda’s Smart Girls books waiting for me to read on my Kindle. Today, however, we’re celebrating a brand new book under her name Jeevani Charika. Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Jeevani Charika

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Jeevani and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Oh, thank you. Staying in is one of my favourite things. I have hot chocolate and a fluffy blanket.

You’re my kind of guest. You can come again! Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along a copy of Playing For Love, which comes out today – the 11th of February.

I chose it because it’s my latest book (and therefore my current favourite). Also, it has a very cheery blue and yellow cover. Look.

It is gorgeous. And happy publication day. What can we expect from an evening in with Playing For Love?

Playing For Love is a contemporary rom com about two people with secret online gamer identities. She fancies him online. He’s in love with her in real life.

Oo I like the sound of that! Tell me more.

I’m hoping it will make you laugh a bit, keep you on the edge of your seat wondering when they’ll realise that the person they’re in love with in one world is the same person they keep turning down in the other world … and end up feeling warm and fuzzy about how it all ends.

[*whispers* – there’s a happy ending…  you knew that, right?]

I should hope so too. There’s enough misery in the world so it’s good to know we readers are going to be left happy reading Playing for Love. What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

Cake. I have brought a chocolate cake, with chocolate fudge icing and white chocolate shavings on top. With hindsight, I should have brought some paper plates and forks too. And maybe a bib. Sorry about the mess.

Don’t worry about that. Er, I might have helped myself to some of the white chocolate. Daft question but why bring cake?

Why have I brought it? Well, I like cake. I feel it’s a nice, celebratory sort of food. Not as useful as biscuits, which are my go to food for writing. Biscuits require less commitment from you than cake, so you can eat a packet couple of biscuits while typing. More, if you’re just thinking about the plot, obviously, because your hands are free.

You really are my kind of woman Jeevani!

I don’t play a lot of computer games (although, others in my family do) and I didn’t know that much about Gaming YouTubers.  So when I was writing Playing For Love, I watched a lot of YouTube videos about people who played computer games on YouTube – which got a bit meta after a while. The biscuits really helped me through that. Yay biscuits.

Yay biscuits (and cake) indeed! I think you need at least two cakes to celebrate today’s publication of Playing For Love Jeevani. I think it sounds wonderful. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about it. Now, you slice the cake and I’ll give Linda’s Book Bag visitors a few more details:

Playing For Love

When Sam’s not working on her fledgling business, she spends her time secretly video-gaming. Her crush is famous gamer Blaze, and she’s thrilled when she’s teamed up with him in a virtual tournament.

But what Sam doesn’t know is that Blaze is the alter ego of Luke, her shy colleague – and he has a secret crush too.

Luke has a crush on Sam.
Sam has a crush on Blaze.

How will this game of love play out?

Published today, 11th February 2022, by Harper Collins’ imprint HQ Digital, Playing for Love is available for purchase through the links here.

About Jeevani Charika

Jeevani Charika writes multicultural women’s fiction and romcoms. She also writes under the pen name Rhoda Baxter. Her books have been shortlisted for various awards. One of these days, she’ll actually win one.

Jeevani is British-Sri Lankan. She loves all things science geeky. She also loves cake, crochet and playing with Lego.

You can find out more about her (and get a free book!) on her website, or follow her on Twitter @rhodabaxter and Facebook.