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The Irresistible Mr Cooper is the 15th book authored by Roslyn Carrington. The main story revolves around the relationship between Jenessa Sterling, the sophisticated, successful corporate communications manager of Bianchi’s frozen foods and Mitchell Cooper, the new head of maintenance.
When sudden layoffs tear the company apart, Jenessa and Mitchell find themselves on opposite sides of an ugly corporate rift, with Jenessa struggling to maintain the company’s reputation, and Mitchell putting his career on the line to bring peace back to the workplace and support the people he believes in.
Their relationship doesn’t sit well with the rest of Bianchi’s, either. His staff think he’s sleeping with the enemy. Her people have threatened to sink her chances of attaining the coveted vice presidency if she continues the relationship.
Carrington said that the story shifts the usual idea away from the powerful male boss and swooning secretary scenario. Empowering women, especially women of colour is at the heart of Carrington’s work. Her experience as an author going up against huge publishing houses that segregate content by gender and ethnicity was troubling. She said that for a very long time black writers didn’t have an opportunity to see themselves in many popular books. In addition, she noted that it was only in the late 90’s that publishers like Kensington, BET and years later Harlequin Kimani Romance started to carry books for black writers and readers. Though only recently being published, her latest work has been sitting in her computer for quite some time.
Said Carrington, “I actually wrote it a while ago when I was writing for Harlequin, that was ten years ago. Due to changes in the publishing world, I felt that I didn’t have the power to do my thing. I wrote the book as a form of protest. I was and still am, fed up of the rich and powerful boss and secretary story. The woman does not have to be subordinate. I released it myself to get the experience as a self-publisher. I have clients who are first-time writers so this part of my experience helps a lot.”
As a writer, Carrington said that she gone through three phases-novels, autobiographies and now predominantly, editing and consultation. Her latest autobiographical project is called Call Me Pud: A Memoir by Dr George Laquis. The book is available on Amazon Books and RIK bookstore. All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Cancer Society of T&T. Her passion also lies in the nurturing of new writers.
“I’ve been publishing for more than 20 years and I believe in supporting writers especially new writers,” said Carrington. “I can’t handle the idea of seeing other writers as competition. I feel that I have to share my experience. I’m willing to give away all my secrets. Right now I’m doing editing; I don’t believe artists should be selfish. If you take a protectionist approach the art will never grow.”
Roslyn Carrington is a freelance writer, editor and proof-reader for over 11 years. She is also a former public relations practitioner with 13 years of experience in the energy industry. She has published 14 novels with major US publishers and has ghost-written several memoirs and non-fiction works. She writes for a variety of publications and corporate clients. She is editor of U The Caribbean Health Digest and MACO People magazine, and has edited several others, including The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago and WOW, the Sunday Guardian’s women’s magazine.