'Coffeehouse Angel' is the fifth novel for Selfors, who also has written books for middle-grade children and adults. There's also a photo of the Poulsbo Marina, which inspired the marina where Katrina and Vincent watch Christmas boats. There's a photo of Hot Shots Java, which inspired the coffeehouse setting, and one of the Nordic Maid, which Selfors envisions as the coffeehouse exterior. There's the Poulsbo Sons of Norway Lodge, where Katrina attends a dance with her best friend, Vincent (who not coincidentally is a member of the Suquamish Tribe). On her Web site, Selfors has posted pictures of Poulsbo so that readers can see the places that inspired the novel. A fifth-generation Bainbridge Island native, Selfors said she prefers writing in Poulsbo coffeehouses because she's less likely to be disturbed by someone she knows. Selfors set the book in Poulsbo because she enjoys spending time here. That act of kindness turns Katrina's life upside down, since the man actually is a guardian angel on a break between missions. One day she notices a young homeless man sleeping in the alley behind the shop and leaves him a cup of coffee, a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans and some pastries. 'Coffeehouse Angel' is the story of Katrina, a teenager of Norwegian heritage who works in her grandmother's coffee shop.

'If you're from here, you'll know where the characters are going in the book,' said Selfors. The novel takes place in the fictional town of Nordby, but the town undoubtedly will strike a chord with Poulsbo readers. Katrina is the protagonist in 'Coffeehouse Angel,' which was released this summer and quickly is becoming a sensation on teen blogs. 'I could just see her,' Selfors said, sitting down for an interview in Hot Shots Java where she not only got the vision for her latest novel but where she also wrote the first draft. Author Suzanne Selfors remembers the moment she was struck with the mental image of Katrina.

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors