BUTTERFLY COTTAGE - Carrie Fancett Pagels - One Free Book

Bio: Carrie Fancett Pagels, Ph.D., is the award-winning author of over twenty Christian fiction books, including ECPA and Amazon bestsellers. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn't cure her overactive imagination! A self-professed “history geek,” she resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia but grew up as a “Yooper.” Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time! You can connect with her at www.CarrieFancettPagels.com

Welcome back, Carrie. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon? I’m so excited about getting Butterfly Cottage out there into the world. I pray women will be blessed by its message! Alcoholism is addressed, making choices about retirement, life-threatening illnesses, and making life choices! I also have a dual timeline story, Behind Love’s Wall, in Barbour’s Doors to the Past series. That story includes a subplot about why keeping secrets can impact people well into the future. I also have a subplot with an issue near to my heart—how Lupus when not diagnosed properly can impact behavior and emotions.

Tell us a little about your family. We have a late teen son at home who is also a write. He’s a blessing to me on so many levels. My hubs is working from home. He’s an amazing engineer and a manager, but he’s such a humble guy—he’s also really funny. We have an adult daughter who works in a top-secret field, which is kind of cool, and a new SIL who is an amazing cook!

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how? I have gotten much choosier in what I read because I don’t have as much time. I see that changing when I stop writing.

What are you working on right now? I have edits from Behind Love’s Wall to finish up. I have an audiobook of my Holt Medallion finalist The Steeplechase which will be releasing soon. And I have rights back to two Barbour novellas which will be releasing over the summer!

The only thing I had published last year was a 4-novella collection I published. Four Seasons of Love. They had all appeared in collections that were ebooks, so my readers who don’t have Kindles hadn’t read them. What outside interests do you have? I enjoy walking our dog with my son. I do some beadwork. Hubs and I watch English mysteries together!

How do you choose your settings for each book? Only on the very rare occasion have I written about any place I don’t know and love.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why? Besides Jesus, of course, that would be Lucy Maude Montgomery who inspired my writing.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels? Every new novelist needs to understand the time commitment and have mastered their craft first.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now? He only gives me strength enough to do what He wants me to do and I need to be content with that.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful? Learn your craft, write daily, ask God to show you what you specifically need to do or not do.

All very good advice. Tell us about the featured book. Although this book has a lot of serious topics in it, it is also infused with humor! Life-changing journeys begin when three generations of women unexpectedly spend a summer at the family’s Straits of Mackinac cottage.
Blurb: Three generations of women unexpectedly head out to the family’s cottage at the Straits of Mackinac for a small-town Michigan summer together. Jaycie begins an Archeology internship on Mackinac Island. Her mother, Tamara, takes a break from teaching kindergarteners. And her grandmother, Dawn, struggles with a decision to sell her successful travel agency and possibly retire.
Each has her own journey to pursue during this short respite time from normal life. One of them has a secret that will change all of their lives. Can she make this one special summer to remember or will all be devastated? Faith for family and friends will be tested, with some finally able to put the past behind them and begin anew. (Set in 2018, pre-Pandemic.)

Please give us the first page of the book. (Lena, there are three POVs in this book and each generation of the women has her own first page.)

Dawn

Chicago, Winter 2018

Are you sure you’re really ready to retire?

Dawn Charbonneau crinkled her nose at the first line of the email from the potential buyer of her travel agency. “Oh, boy.” Hadn’t she already answered that question? After all, Barb had been managing the place for the past few years—and she was well suited to buy Dawn out and assume full responsibility.

“What’s up?” Jim, her husband of almost fifty years called from his recliner.

“Aw, nothing.” She closed Barb’s email and opened the next one, a long message from her last high-profile client. “Oh, boy.”

Jim lowered the volume on his Bulls game. “What are you ‘oh boying’ about?”

Dawn hadn’t booked any travel plans for her former clients since easing toward retirement after Jim’s knee surgery—except this one. Barb hadn’t wanted to touch the high-strung woman’s travel plans but Dawn had a soft spot in her heart for this customer. “Do you remember Kay-Leigh?”

“Yup, that supermodel from Europe, right?”

“Yup.” The young woman had been with Dawn since before Kay-Leigh became famous. Separated from her husband, Kay-Leigh had Dawn book a flight from Switzerland, where she was living, to Michigan in July. “It’s my very last booking and I want to make sure things go well for this young woman. I made hotel arrangements on Mackinac Island.”

“Hard to mess that up. Hampy will take good care of her.”

Dawn cringed. “Nope. I put her at the Grand Hotel.” Their friends, the Parkers, owned a resort on the opposite side of the island. They wouldn’t be happy if they got wind of this. “Don’t say anything to Hampy about it.”

“Hampy Parker won’t hear a word from me, but why not put her up over there? More privacy.”

Sounds wonderful. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: www.carriefancettpagels.com

Blogs: Overcoming With God and Colonial Quills

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Thank you, Carrie, for sharing this new book with us. I’m eager to read it, and I will after I meet my contracted book deadline next week.

Readers, here are links to the book.

https://amzn.to/3kdkuWG - Paperback

https://amzn.to/2VzvWBL - Kindle

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