A MATCH FOR MAGNOLIA - Marion Ueckermann - One Free Ebook

Dear Readers, I’m happy to welcome Marion, one of my writer friends who doesn’t live in the US, back to the blog. I’ve loved every book of hers I’ve read. I know you will, too.

Bio: MARION UECKERMANN's passion for writing was sparked when she moved to Ireland with her family. Her love of travel has influenced her contemporary inspirational romances set in novel places. She now lives in South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and their crazy black Scottie, Wally.

Marion, what are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Forgiveness, Acceptance, Not judging, Second chances (I like to think that’s a spiritual theme—after all, Jesus gave us the biggest second chance of all).

That is so true. What other books of yours are coming out soon?

I’m currently working on a story set in the winelands of South Africa titled The Other You. This will be published in a book set due to release in June.

In mid-2016, I hope to release the next two books in the Seven Suitors for Seven Sisters series, of which A Match for Magnolia is the first book. Book 2 is A Romance for Rose and Book 3 A Courtship for Clover.

I’m trading in my day job the end of March to write full time, so all these goals should be easily achievable.

If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

I’d love to spend an evening with my one crit partner, Angela K Couch. It was a great honor to be a runner up behind her in the Writing Up A Storm short story contest and have our stories published side by side this month in the anthology, Dancing Up A Storm. I got to meet Heidi and Janet (two of my four crit partners) last year at ACFW Dallas and be roomies with them. It was great to meet them and spend time with them. Angela was unable to make it. It would be awesome to meet her in person because we’ve been walking the critiquing road together for several years.

Failing that, definitely David Gandy, the British supermodel who was my inspiration for Lord Davis Rathbone, hero of A Match for Magnolia.

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

That’s a hard one because I’m not much into history, but maybe I’d like to go way back to Joseph (the one with the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat). I’ve had some story ideas brewing for years, and he’ll be inspiring the hero for A Romance for Rose, so an interview with him would be pretty insightful right now.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

Never give up! You don’t know when your breakthrough will come. You could quit just when the next try would’ve been successful. History is filled with stories of people from all walks of life—writers, scientists, all sorts—who have tried so many times it makes your head spin, but who finally found success in what they were doing. 

Tell us about the featured book.

Probably the easiest way is with the blurb, but before I do, I’ll give a teeny bit of history. I’d intended to publish my story, Promise of Spring (working title) in the new Love Blossoms boxed set with six other great authors. However, once we’d designed the cover and decided on a title for these spring-fresh romances, I no longer felt this story was the right fit for the set. After some brainstorming, I came up with the idea for the seven-book series of the Blume sisters and A Match for Magnolia was born.

So, now you have the history, here’s the blurb:

Womanizer. Adulterer. Divorced. That is Lord Davis Rathbone’s history. His future? He vows to never marry or fall in love again—repeating his past mistakes, not worth the risk. Then he meets Magnolia Blume, and filling his days penning poetry no longer seems an alternative to channel his pent-up feelings. With God’s help, surely he can keep this rare treasure and make it work this time?

Magnolia Blume’s life is perfect, except for one thing—Davis Rathbone is everything she’s not looking for in a man. He doesn’t strike her as one prone to the sentiments of family, or religion, but her judgments could be premature.

Magnolia must look beyond the gossip, Davis’s past, and their differences to find her perfect match, because, although flawed, Davis has one redeeming quality—he is a man after God’s own heart.

Sounds like a wonderful read. Please give us the first page of the book.

I’ll give you the first scene, Lena J It’s a bit more than one page …

MAGNOLIA BLUME extended her hand and admired the view. Never before had she seen a diamond so big, so pure, or with such flawless clarity. Perfect. As was her handiwork. This had to be her best design ever. Then again, the enigmatic Lord Rathbone, Baron of Levens Hall, was very specific in his requirements for this ring.

“Something different. Something unusual. Something way beyond extraordinary. Something you’d want as an engagement ring,” he’d said as he glanced down at her hand.

The nerve! To presume she was unmarried just because her finger was bare. She vowed then and there to give him something beyond description. And she had. Eventually. Even though he hadn’t acknowledged as much when she’d emailed him her sketches last month. The third set. The ones she’d designed after he’d told her to give him something from her heart, questioning whether everything he’d heard about her was true.

Really? What had he heard? And from whom? She’d ask him today when he collected the ring.

“That’s more like it. Now bring it to life,” his emailed response had read.

Magnolia took that as a yes to proceed with manufacturing.

The baron’s rough diamond had provided the first three Cs for this masterpiece: clarity, color, carat—2.5 for the center stone alone. She made sure the fourth—cut—happened to precision on every stone she faceted from the original rock.

By the time Magnolia gave her handiwork one last dip in the ultrasonic bath this morning, no doubt remained that she had truly crafted this ring from her heart—faith and family, her inspiration in this design.

She dabbed the corners of her eyes with the tip of her finger. The diamonds sparkled with the movement, and her heart missed a beat. What a nice sight that would be to see daily. Alone in her small workshop, she released a sigh.

Davis Rathbone would likely have an entirely different perspective on this ring. Not that she’d ever have an opportunity to discuss his feelings on the design, or her inspiration behind it, even though the piece begged to be examined, debated, and admired for the work of art that it was. He did not strike her as one prone to the sentiments of family, or religion. But, she’d barely met the man, so perhaps her judgments were premature. Hardly likely, though. Magnolia was never wrong about men. Perhaps that’s why she was staring down the barrel of a single thirtieth birthday come autumn. At least she wasn’t the oldest bachelorette in their family.

Did she really need a man in her life, though? She owned a relatively successful jewelry business, as well as a beautiful home in the most scenic part of England—the Lake District. The slate-roofed stone cottage, built on the lower slopes of Skiddaw, overlooked the quaint town of Keswick, her view ending with the still waters of Lake Derwentwater. On the northern side, closest to her house, lush pastures bordered the lake while undulations of mountains faded from green to blue on the other side. Still, it would be nice to have someone to talk to besides her wild hedgehogs when she got home. It wasn’t as if she could cuddle one of those prickly creatures. At least not for long.

Sentiments aside, Davis Rathbone’s fiancée was one lucky lady to have a ring like this. The woman’s fiancé, on the other hand, was a different story. Now there was a prickly creature if ever there was one. Even his dashing looks could not smooth away his bristly nature.

Standing, Magnolia reached behind her back and loosened the bow of her jeweler’s apron. She smiled at the words embroidered in white on the black calico as she draped the garment, last year’s Christmas gift from her shop assistant, Jayne, over her chair. First Class Jeweler. Someone must have thought so to have recommended her services to the baron. But who? Hopefully she’d find out soon enough. Davis Rathbone would be here within an hour.

Still admiring the ring on her finger, she moved toward the door leading from her workshop to the small showroom. She’d show Jayne the final product before cushioning the very expensive item between black velvet in a white ring box, monogrammed MB in silver cursive.

“Tada!” Magnolia followed her outstretched hand through the open door, making an exaggerated entrance into the showroom.

One too many sets of eyes fixed on her, and the sparkly piece she sported.

She dropped her arm to her side, her right hand swooping to her ring finger, as if removing the precious item would help now.

“L–Lord Rathbone, I—”

See, Dear Readers, I told you she could really craft a good story. Now, Marion, how can readers find you on the Internet?

Readers can find me at several places:

Website:         http://marionueckermann.net

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/Marion.C.Ueckermann

Amazon:         http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00KBYLU7C

Google+:         https://plus.google.com/+MarionUeckermannAuthor/

Twitter:           https://twitter.com/ueckie

Pinterest:        https://www.pinterest.com/ueckie/

Thank you, Marion, for sharing this new book with us. I will read it as soon as I finish the book I'm reading on my Kindle right now.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

A Match for Magnolia (Seven Suitors for Seven Sisters Book 1)

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