Millionaire B&B Book Blast

Blurb:
Sadie is a successful romance author. She can write a swoon-worthy man with the best of them but can’t seem to find one for herself. Miles is the cute and wealthy heir to Copeland Press, Sadie’s publishing house. It’s hard to find a woman in his social circle who appreciates a down-to-earth book nerd.

When a twist of fate has Miles and Sadie double booked in the same vacation rental, they decide to share the cabin. Even though Miles isn’t Sadie’s type, she can’t deny the chemistry between them. Sadie’s down for a flirty fling, but Miles has other plans. He’s got a huge crush, and just one week to convince Sadie they were meant for a happily ever after.



Excerpt:
MILES


Chuck grabbed my arm, bringing me to a stop. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“What’s a great idea?” I asked dryly.

“Find Sadie Kent. Ask her out.”

I cocked my head to the side. “And what am I supposed to say? Hi. You don’t know me, but I know all about you. I think you’re awesome and hot, and I’ve been obsessed with you for years. Oh, I’m also your new boss. Want to go out sometime?”

“Exactly!”

“Don’t be dumb.” I jerked out of his grip and pulled the restaurant door open. He walked in ahead of me. “I can’t even say some of that. She’ll think I’m a stalker.”

“You are a stalker,” Chuck stated, rather loudly. The hostess gave us a funny look.

“How many?” she asked.

“Just the two of us,” I replied.

“Would you like a table or a booth?” She smiled sweetly. “We have a nice, cozy spot in the corner. Very private.”

Her implication didn’t register until Chuck jumped away from me. “Gah!”

I laughed and asked, “Can we sit at the bar?” Then I winked for good measure, and she blushed, realizing her mistake.

“Sure. Follow me, please.”

Once seated, Chuck started in again. “I think you should call her.”

“Where am I going to get her number?”

“Ask Madi.”

“No way!”

He picked up a menu and opened it. “As the boss, don’t you have access to Human Resources files?”

“That’s creepy.”

He shrugged. “Hey, you’re the stalker.”

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About the Author:

Robin is an overgrown child who fancies herself a bit of a comedienne. She loves to laugh, crack jokes, create flirty characters, write witty banter and believes in happy endings. Robin lives outside of Phoenix with her wonderful husband, five crazy kids and naughty labradoodle puppy. Millionaire B&B is her first adult rom-com, but she has six YA titles that are equally fun.

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Christmas & Cannolis VBT

Blurb:

With Christmas season in full swing, baker Regina San Valentino is up to her elbows in cake batter and cookie dough. Between running her own business, filling her bursting holiday order book, and managing her crazy Italian family, she’s got no time to relax, no room for more custom cake orders, and no desire to find love. A failed marriage and a personal tragedy have convinced her she’s better off alone. Then a handsome stranger enters her bakery begging for help. Regina can’t find it in her heart to refuse him.

Connor Gilhooly is in a bind. He needs a specialty cake for an upcoming fundraiser and puts himself—and his company’s reputation—in Regina’s capable hands. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for a woman with heartbreak in her eyes or dealing with a wise-guy father and a disapproving family.

Can Regina lay her past to rest and trust the man who’s awoken her heart?

Excerpt:

My father stood at the head of the table, my mother seated next to him. As was also tradition, my father never sat down to eat in his shirt. A bright white wife-beater I knew he got by the gross at a discount dollar store a friend of his owned was his usual table garb. And by got by the gross, I mean it in the literal way. Pop had crates of the shirts stacked in the garage. It didn’t matter that the rest of us were dressed appropriately. Ever since my memory could be counted on, my father sat at a family table sans his outer shirt. Of course if we were at a restaurant or a fancy function like a wedding, he submitted and left it on for decency’s sake. But with family, all thoughts of decency flew out the storm windows. Since packing on a few extra belly pounds over the past couple years, he’d started wearing suspenders to keep his pants up because he hated the confining feeling of a belt.

“Hold hands and bow ya heads,” Pop instructed. We all complied. Pop looked up at the dining room ceiling. As a kid I’d always wondered if he could see God somewhere floating around the crystal chandelier. “Lord,” he said, focusing on the ceiling stucco, “we want to thank you for this food, made by the wife and paid for by my hard work. We want to thank you for our health, the roofs over our heads, the fact we got no bills, ain’t no one doing time right now, and most of all for the love we share as a family. Bless this food, Lord. Amen.”

Why I write about big families.

I’ve written extensively on my blog about being an only child. My parents were divorced early in the 1960’s when it wasn’t the statistic of 1 in 2 marriages ending that way. Both my parents remarried but neither couple had any further children, so I’ve been an only child my entire life. In essence I have 4 parents. You would think that I’d hit the gifts and attention lottery for kids, since I am the only one and get it all.

You would be wrong.

Being an only child – for lack of a better word – sucked. Big time.  It still does and I’m 58 years old now.

As a kid, I desperately wanted older brothers and sisters to learn from, depend on, and love. I wanted that sense of belonging to a group of people who looked like me and shared a history with me.

It never happened.

As an adult with now aging parents – 4 of them! – I long for someone to bounce ideas about elder care, after care, even what do to in a health crisis concerning my parents, off of. I have to make all their decisions and I’m fearful I’m going to make the wrong ones. It would be so wonderful to have another person – or several – whose ideas would help make important decisions easier. It would be so wonderful to have someone else I could trust with my concerns and thoughts and fears.

So, since I never got the one thing I always dreamed of having in my life – siblings – I decided to create my own big families, filled with sisters, brothers, and cousins. In the 4 book series I’ve written so far, all have centered around big families – and by big, I mean siblings in every generation, cousins, extended family – all branches of the family trees.

By writing these families, I have gifted myself with the siblings I always dreamed of having. I’ve created relationships I always wanted and have been able to put into words the things I’ve envisioned saying to a sister, and having a brother say to me. I’ve invented mentors, tutors, tormentors ( as all siblings are to one another at times!), shoulders to cry on, voices to give reassurance, soft places to land when you are in need of falling.

Big families have a different dynamic than smaller ones. There are more people to align with – and against – when topics get heated and situations become problematic. There are more arms to wrap you in hugs, and more smiles to grace you with. There are more protectors, counselors, and wisdom-givers.

And most of all, big families come with unbreakable, unshakeable bonds.

So, because I never had the chance to have a big family growing up, I created them in my writing. Those families, The MacQuires, The San Valentino’s, The Laines, and now the O’Dowds, share love, laughter, longing, sadness and grief. They lift one another up and support each other when they are weak. They fight for each other, fight with each other, and love one another no matter what comes their way. And they do it simply because they are family.

Is it any wonder I love writing about big families?

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Author Bio and Links:

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them.

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, Peggy brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she has created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

Tying into her love of families, her children's book, THE KINDNESS TALES, was illustrated by her artist mother-in-law.

Peggy holds a master's degree in Nursing Administration and first found publication with several articles she authored on Alzheimer's Disease during her time running an Alzheimer's in-patient care unit during the 1990s.

In 2013, she placed first in two categories in the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest: Single Title Contemporary Romance and Short/Long Contemporary Romance.

In 2017, she came in 3rd in the New England Reader's Choice contest for A KISS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS and was a finalist in the 2017 STILETTO contest for the same title.

In 2018, Peggy was a finalist in the HOLT MEDALLION Award and once again in the 2018 Stiletto Contest.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, she is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

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Island Life Sentence VBT

Blurb:

Peg Savage has contractually agreed to move to Key West, Florida. The smudged signatures on the damp cocktail napkin are irrefutable proof.

“An adventure…” her husband Clark says.

Peg can’t swim; she’s afraid of bridges (there are 42 of them); and she doesn’t want to leave her friends. However, after a bottle of Cabernet, a move from Chicago to the southernmost city in the United States seems like the best decision ever.

But now Clark has taken a long term job in Cuba and she’s on her own.

Neither her dog Nipper, nor the ghosts in the attic, offer up any good advice. But how hard can it be living in paradise?

Peg dives into island life but the more effort she makes, the wider her wake of catastrophes. She is tortured by a paddle board, a giant poisonous toad, the local Conservation group, and the patron saint of hurricanes. Not to mention the persistent sweat rash under her left breast.

A tropical depression descends on the island – one that can’t be cured with medication. Peg must gather her strength if she has any hope of surviving the storm.

Excerpt:

The next day, when Clark greeted Peg in the kitchen, his face lit up with hungover happiness. Peg held up the still-damp paper towel contract – black ink sticking to her index finger and thumb.

“Yes, here’s the proof.” She dropped the drunken pact into the desk drawer on top of the crusty remains of past contracts that refused to lie flat. She could just make out the blotchy inked words company, job and dog on the corners of the stacked agreements.

“It’ll be fun, an adventure.” Clark kissed her lips, his breath a mixture of mouthwash and sour bar towel. “I’ll make the arrangements. We can get away at the end of the week.”

Peg wished that he would stop saying the word adventure.

Who has influenced me as a writer

I love humor. Slapstick. Farcical. Burlesque. Dry. Droll. Anecdotal. Sophomoric. Screwball. You get the idea.  I’m attracted to funny people, authors and animals (not necessarily in that order).

I’m hoping you’ve read something (anything) by Carl Hiaasen. He’s a Florida writer who gets it. He’s written many books but two of my favorites are Tourist Season and Razor Girl, (I can’t type the titles without smiling). 

Here’s a quote from Tourist Season:

“Never would she admit to her Otter Creek neighbors that her unhappiness was anything but a widow’s grief, or that sometimes, during Florida’s steambath of a summer, she longed to be back up North, in the city, where one could actually walk to the grocery store without an oxygen tank.”

Razor Girl is based on a real life criminal. A woman drives to the Keys and gets into a car accident while shaving her private parts. When I moved to Key West 5 years ago, this news story is what sparked my desire to create a blog about the crime down here.  www.floridakeyscrimereport.com

And, of course, there’s The Onion. The cleverest people in the world write these articles--the headlines alone are genius.

For example, here’s The Onion’s  Mother’s Day headline:

Mother Given Gift Basket Of Soaps, Bubble Bath Hopefully Takes Hint That She Smells Like Shit

And also this Onion article:

Alcoholic Parent Easy To Shop For

Personally, I don’t know what I’d do without my girlfriends.  It’s important to have tight female bonds.  I’ve realized just because I’ve moved geographically far away from these fabulous women, doesn’t mean we don’t communicate on a regular basis. In fact, we make a bigger effort now that we need to schedule our together time. They listen, laugh and support me unconditionally. I try to do the same for them--but usually it’s all about me.

I worship Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. They’re long time, loyal friends and kick ass comediennes.  

From Yes Please by Amy Poehler:

“You have to care about your work but not about the result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.”

From Bossypants by Tina Fey:

"I was walking home alone from school and I was wearing a dress. A dude drove by and yelled, “Nice tits.” Embarrassed and enraged, I screamed after him, “Suck my dick.” Sure, it didn’t make any sense, but at least I don’t hold in my anger.”

Key West is hugely influential to my writing. Every time I venture out of the house, it’s a story.  Yesterday, a nesting Mockingbird chased the dog and me down the street.  It swooped at my head, pecked at the dog’s butt, then stood its ground directly in front of us on the sidewalk. As my 50 pound (bird) dog cowered in fear behind my legs, I placed my hands firmly on my hips and spoke in a firm tone to the menace, “you know you are like 5 inches tall - right?”  It flapped its wings and made direct beady eye contact.  It was like looking into the soul of the devil.  We about-faced as fast as our 6 legs would take us.

Key West is an island of writers. I am a mere grain of sand in the land of colossal mountains.  I volunteer weekly in Books & Books Key West --my boss? Judy Blume. Last summer,  I sat next to Meg Cabot at a Take Stock in Children symposium. Come on. How great is that?  

Rich or poor, funny or not, one thing we have in common is we all sweat a lot.  It rhymes and is true.

 

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Author Bio and Links:

After raising three boys in the suburbs of Chicago, Carrie Jo Howe now lives in Key West, Florida with her husband and her dog. Her latest novel, Island Life Sentence, is a fictional account of an American Midwestern woman who feels like an alien in the “one human family” of Key West. Carrie Jo’s first book, Motherhood is NOT for Babies, received a rave review (thanks Mom), and works wonderfully as a form of contraception. Her blog Florida Keys Crime Report, tells of all the goings on in the Keys, where bank robbers get away on bicycles, and perps caught with undersized, pinched, out-of-season lobsters get more jail time than drug runners. She is currently working on the sequels to Island Life Sentence.

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Flip the Beat Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR

Molly Ivers thought she found Prince Charming, but without a devilishly sexy accent, and six months ago she gave into their undeniable attraction. But the swarm of ever-present groupies was so not part of the fairy tale. As much as it hurt her heart, she shut out rocker Evan Castle.

Now, on the verge of finishing her graduate degree and moving to Paris—she even hires a French life coach—Molly begins to realize Evan, who hasn't given up on her, might be the man of her dreams after all.

Excerpt:

“Thanks, guys.” Evan’s smooth voice came over the mic while the guitar music died. “We’re gonna take a quick break, but we’ll be back in ten, so stick around.” He hopped off the low stage to scattered applause and whistles. Molly schooled the smirk on her face as he sidled past the flirting girls and made his way toward their table.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Wonder Twins, TWT, Inc.”

He slid into the empty space beside Molly in the booth. She exchanged an amused look with Nell. He’d christened them with the moniker upon moving in. They were never Nell and Molly, but Fischer and Ivers, TWT. Their eye color, skin, and facial features couldn’t be more different, but they were both the same height, petite-figured, and had wide, generous mouths and lots of hair.

“So, where’s the right-wing Republican boyfriend tonight?” he asked.

He stretched his arm over the back of Molly’s seat in a casual way. His forefinger grazed the edge of her earlobe, and a pleasant shiver ran through her.

“I thought you two were attached at the hip.”

Molly went silent and looked at her drink. Great, here it came.

“They broke up,” Nell chipped in.

Molly gave her a look of mock gratitude from across the table as Evan turned to her in surprise. His sexy hazel eyes searched hers. She waited for one of his classic Evan Castle comments, but the solemnity in his expression told her he wouldn’t give any.

He whistled low. “Sorry, Ivers, that sucks. You guys were together for a while.”

She hid her cringe as she took another sip of her drink. “Yeah…” Gulp, gulp, uncomfortable silence.

The drummer in Evan’s band called over to him, and Evan told him he’d be right there. He rapped his knuckles on the table and flashed them both a flirty smile.

“Well, Ivers,” he said as he slid out of the booth. “You’ll have a lot of attention to deal with, now that you’re back in the jungle with the rest of us primates. Do me a favor, eh, and don’t forget to put a bag over your head when you go out from now on, or you’ll have every guy in the room at your feet and beating down your door. Then I’ll never be able to talk to you.” He gave her a cheeky wink and walked off.

Molly turned crimson. Nell mouthed, Wow! as she put her palm over heart, and her jaw dropped open. They watched him walk off.

“What a compliment and a half! I did wonder why you two never got together. He always looks at you like he’s about to walk you against a wall and have at you.”

“What? No, he looks at all the girls like that. He’s just sweet and being a total flirt.” Molly waved it off, but her heartbeat accelerated as she remembered when he had, indeed, taken her against a wall their third time the night they’d spent together.

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Author Bio and Links:

Roxanne D. Howard writes sizzling erotic romance with Boroughs Publishing Group and The Wild Rose Press. She is a U.S. Army veteran, and a Columbia College alumni. She loves to read poetry, classical literature, and Stephen King. Also, she is an avid Star Wars fan, musical theater nut, and marine biology geek. Roxanne resides in the western U.S., and when she's not writing, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, children, and furry companions. Roxanne loves to hear from her readers, and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

Check out the Official Book Trailer on YouTube!

Follow Roxanne's book releases over the next six months. Be sure to add the books to your TBR pile!

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Order Up Blurb Blitz

Blurb:

Nancy Braley is the Chicago Gazette's food editor with a taste for hot chefs and talent for replicating their "secret" recipes. But when she finally gets up the nerve to ask out a hot local café owner, Doug Johnston, she's crushed when he says she's not the "marriage material" he's looking for.

Doug is perplexed by his attraction to Nancy whose take-no-prisoners personality reminds him way too much of his cheating ex. To keep Nancy and his conflicted feelings at bay, he throws out the only excuse he can come up with—she's just not marriage material.

Not one to be deterred, Nancy becomes obsessed with figuring out what exactly that means—partly because she doesn't want to emulate her oft-married but divorce-settlement-wealthy mother, and partly because her attraction to Doug is driving her to distraction. So when a married and very pregnant colleague gets put on bed rest until her baby arrives, Nancy volunteers to feed her family, hoping to get a first-hand look at what marriage is all about. And when Doug's ex opens a new coffee shop nearby, stealing business from his café, it's Nancy who comes to his aid! Eager to call Doug's bluff, can she convince him she's the real deal?

Excerpt:

With a fresh wave of warmth riding up her neck and cheeks, Nancy folded the yolks into the saucepan, whisking the concoction until it thickened just enough to coat the sides of the pan and her complexion had returned to normal. Handing control over to Doug, she watched as he poured the mixture through a strainer into a metal bowl that he had set in the middle of a larger bowl filled with ice water.

With a nod over to the assembled ingredients, Doug instructed her, "Go ahead and stir in the vanilla."

"How much?" Nancy asked before her brain could stop her.

Doug cut her a look from behind his sorry seventies frames that, had he used the measuring spoons she had offered, might have made her knees wobble.

"Trust your instincts."

Shields up, she tipped the vanilla container over the bowl for a quick second before deflecting his mandate with ease. "What is this, Doug? Zen cooking? Next you'll be telling me to use the force."

The whole class, annoying young woman included, snickered.

Successful, award-winning, well-connected professional—1; hunky quiche slinger—zip.

The next thing Nancy knew, Doug was directly in front of her, holding up a spoon half filled with the sauce. "Close your eyes and open your mouth."

"Oh. Uh, well, ok."

Flustered, she had no sooner closed her eyes and parted her lips than she felt the hard tip of the spoon covered with warm velvety sauce on her tongue. Closing her mouth around it, she pressed her lips against it, just tight enough to prevent any dribbles while he pulled it out.

"Now keep your eyes closed and tell me how it tastes."

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Author Bio and Links:

Author of the popular Assignment: Romance series, Barbara was named "Indie Star of 2015" by Publishers Weekly when her first book earned a coveted starred review. A member of Romance Writers of America, she looks forward to the days when her to-do list includes tasks such as “Attend premiere of movie based on my book” or "Accept Godiva's request to be a taste-tester” …much better than “Vacuum hallway” or “Pick up clothes from dry cleaners,” don’t you think?

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The Boyfriend Swap Book Blast

Blurb:

Is Christmas really the most wonderful time of the year? New Yorkers Robyn Lane and Sidney Bellows aren’t so sure. Robyn has always dated struggling creative types. For once, her parents would love her to bring someone with health insurance and a 401(k) to their Chrismukkah celebration. Her actor boyfriend doesn’t qualify. While across town, Sidney’s professional life already belongs to her parents. She’s an attorney at her father’s law firm and she works tirelessly to keep her love life private. If she brings her lawyer boyfriend to their annual Christmas extravaganza, her parents will have the wedding planned by New Year’s Eve.

A mutual friend playfully suggests they trade boyfriends for the holidays. The women share a laugh, but after copious amounts of wine, decide The Boyfriend Swap could be the perfect solution. This way, Robyn can show off her stable attorney boyfriend and Sidney’s high-society family will take no interest in her flaky actor beau.

It’s a brilliant plan—in theory. In practice—not so much. When Will turns out to be the boy-next-door Robyn crushed on hard throughout her teenage years, and Sidney’s family fawns all over Perry like he’s an Oscar-winner rather than a D-list wannabe, one thing is certain: The Boyfriend Swap might just change their lives forever.

Excerpt:

Piling on the incentives, Sidney said, “Have I mentioned the largest practice area in my firm is entertainment law? It’s what both my dad and I specialize in. My father invites his most prestigious clients and business colleagues to Christmas. This means networking opportunities galore for you.”

Perry pressed his lips together, appearing to ponder his next words. “Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll be Sidney’s boyfriend for a few days—in name only, of course.” He shined his baby blues on me. “I’ll miss you, but if it’s what you really want…”

I swallowed hard. It was what I wanted, wasn’t it? Why else would I be on a double date with Sidney, a virtual stranger, and her boyfriend—Will Brady? I’d agreed to lie to my parents, something I never did, just to avoid their blatant disdain for my dating choices. So what if I had an unrequited crush on Will the entire duration of my childhood? I was an adult now, and I was dating Perry. I needed to protect him from my parents’ judgement and maintain my sanity over the holiday weekend. This was what I wanted.

Then why did I feel like I was going to throw up?

“Of course it’s what she wants,” Sidney responded for me.

I nodded timidly. “Sure.” Taking a deep breath in and letting it out, I clarified my answer with a more confident “Yes.” I met Will’s eyes across the table. “As long as Will’s okay with it too.”

“What do you say, Will?” Sidney asked, sounding certain the answer would be a resounding “Yes.”

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Author Bio and Links:

A born-and-bred New Yorker, Meredith Schorr discovered her passion for writing when she began to enjoy drafting work-related emails way more than she was probably supposed to. After trying her hand penning children’s stories and blogging her personal experiences, Meredith found her calling writing romantic comedy and humorous women’s fiction. She secures much inspiration from her day job as a hardworking trademark paralegal and her still-single (but looking) status. Meredith is a loyal New York Yankees fan, an avid runner, and an unashamed television addict. To learn more, visit her at www.meredithschorr.com.

  

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Spooning Daisy NBtM

Blurb:

Her mango chutney is exquisite; her blueberry sauce to die for. But Chef de Cuisine Daisy Moon is a woman without a kitchen after a "bit of trouble" at her last job. Now blacklisted from Seattle to San Francisco, Daisy's sole job offer is from Wild Man Lodge in Otter Bite, Alaska, where the end of the road is just her beginning.

Excerpt:

Max cocked his head at her. No siree, Bob. Daisy Moon was not easy. She was like a 1500 piece puzzle, where all the pieces are really tiny, and similar in shape and color, but are nonetheless different, and it would take weeks, maybe even months, just to get the edges put together. 

"Don't look so surprised," she said. "I know I'm not exactly laid back. Okay, maybe that's being kind," she responded to Max’s smile. "But I'm an incredible cook. And a really good speller. Not to mention having a humongous vocabulary. I came in fourth in the national spelling bee championship when I was fourteen."

Without meaning to, Max pictured Daisy at fourteen, in a prim white blouse and a demure plaid skirt with her hair tied back in a ribbon, triumphantly spelling words like...concupiscence.

"Do I know what men want, or what?" Now Daisy smiled...at herself.

Taking the cue, Max leaned into her and spoke sincerely, but resisted the urge to cup her hand.

"Somewhere there is a man who wants a pretty redhead who's difficult and a great cook with a really humongous vocabulary who can spell...and next time it won't be a cross-dressing felon."

Maggie, thanks so much for stopping by. So, how did you get started writing?

I wrote my first book with crayons—I was six. It was about a boy and his donkey and I threw in a magical tree that disappeared and spoke. It got stellar reviews--my mom loved it. As a Gemini, I tend to have many interests, but writing has been a constant, even as an adult with a career in business. I took several university writing courses, attended RWA conferences, and wrote when I had time. Way back in 2000, I received my first Golden Heart nomination—my second came in 2012—so I’ve been in the writing trenches a long time. Spooning Daisy is my first published romance, but five (unpublished) romances came before it. I suspect most writers have similar beginnings—one day you just start writing.

What was the inspiration for your book?

The original idea (and opening scene) was inspired by my own garage sale, right down to the sheets covering the makeshift plywood tables and the silver-plated chafing dish. As the day progressed, I started thinking “what if…” and the book was born. The primary location of the story, Otter Bite, Alaska is inspired by the very real Kachemak Bay village of Seldovia where I spent summers during my 23 years living in Anchorage. Anyone interested in learning more about this special place can visit Seldovia.com

What’s the one genre you haven’t written in yet that you’d like to?

Mystery, leaning toward cozies. Although I typically have a bit of mystery in my stories, it’s not center stage.


Are there any genres you won’t read or write in? Why?

No horror! Or anything with blood and guts or serial killers, which could include a variety of genre’s, and absolutely no women or animals “in peril.” Again, this could encompass a variety of genres including romantic suspense. I’m tired of the stereotype of women as victims. I like to read at night before I sleep so I won’t write anything that would give me nightmares if I were reading it. Also, I think there’s enough sadness in the world, so I like my stories to be upbeat and funny.   


What are you up to right now? Do you have any releases planned, or are you still writing?

Just finished “Embracing Felicity.” Yay!  This is book 2 in the Otter Bite series. The setting is the same, and we see some of the same supporting characters, but there is a new romance. Environmentalist and shop owner, Felicity Arhnaq is part native (Alutiiq) and her romantic interest is oilman and Scottish transplant, Ian MacIntyre, whom we briefly met in “Spooning Daisy” along with his 10-year-old daughter, Emily. Again, a romantic comedy, right from the start when Ian is attacked by Felicity’s ravens, Orville and Wilbur, and then her eagle, Franklin, steals his shoe. Throw in the legend of Sedna, a 200-year-old mermaid, and there’s lots of fun with mystery and environmental undertones. And for those familiar with Spooning Daisy, we see what’s happening with Max and Daisy since their Happily Ever After.

Anyone wanting to read the first chapter can visit my website. Or, if you sign up for my Once in a Blue Moon newsletter, I’ll be sending out the first three chapters to subscribers.

All right, now for some random, fun questions. Favorite color?

Red.


Favorite movie?

“Local Hero,” an oldie but a goodie, set in Scotland.


Book that inspired you to become an author?

When I was a kid, probably, “All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriot. As an adult, probably “The Mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which coincidentally, I’m reading again after 30 years.

You have one superpower. What is it?

Mind reading. I’m trusting and even gullible, and I’ve been taken advantage of. But I don’t want to know what everyone’s thinking, all the time, so I want to be able to focus it and turn it on and off.


You can have dinner with any 3 people, dead, alive, fictitious, etc. Who are they?

Great question, and one that I haven’t been asked until now. Definitely Winston Churchill. He’s a brilliant orator and inspired writer, and single-handedly united Great Britain during World War II. Also, Jesus. How awesome would that be? (I guess we’ll have “fishes and loaves” for dinner.) And last, but not least, my mom who died 17 years ago. I would so love to chat with her again—I owe her a few apologies. J


Last question: Which of your characters are you most like and how/why?

In Spooning Daisy, probably supporting character Rita, who is second-in-command at Wild Man Lodge. She’s no nonsense, quick witted, and funny (she delivers some great one-liners), and she loves food. She’s compassionate but doesn’t like wallowers, and she’s self-sufficient. I’m not exactly like Rita, or in equal measure, but I’m somewhere in there.


That’s all from me, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by!

Thank you for presenting Spooning Daisy and for this awesome interview.

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Author Bio and Links:

Golden Heart nominee Maggie McConnell spent her childhood overseas as the daughter of US diplomats. Attending college in Illinois, she earned a BA in Art and an MBA while working at the local humane shelter. At 26, she packed her dog and cat into a Ford truck and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska, where she spent 23 years exploring The Last Frontier in a single-engine Cessna. A vegan and animal rights advocate, Maggie provides a sanctuary on her Arizona ranch for all creatures great and small, but her immediate family includes dog Molly, cat Sara, horses Quinn and Teena, and an ever-growing dynasty of chipmunks. Every year, like the Gray Whale, Maggie returns to Alaska.

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