I never considered this question. I suppose authors
subconsciously transfer some of their personality into their characters. For
me, that would be Emily, who’s an aspiring writer.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
Many years ago, a friend and I did a silly stand-up comedy
routine as little old ladies for an Elk’s club talent show. That marked the
beginning and end of my show biz experience.
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
During my twenty-seven-year corporate career, several jobs
gave me the opportunity to dabble in creative writing. It didn’t come full
circle until 2014, nine years after retirement when I wrote my first manuscript.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
My library features a wide variety of authors including Francine
Rivers, David Baldacci, John Grisham, Joel Rosenberg, Eugenia Price (my mom’s
favorite author), and a number of books by talented writer friends.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
I laugh, read, watch movies, and when things get really
tough, turn it all over to God.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
For my main characters, I begin by researching popular first
names in their birth years and in the region where they were born. From that
list I select names that fit their personalities and are easy for readers to
pronounce and remember. Last names are also selected by region.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
In my personal life, it’s my family and celebrating
fifty-plus years with Tim, my high-school sweetheart. Our marriage and love
sustained us through many peaks and valleys. Now, in our senior years, we enjoy
each other’s company more than ever and like to joke that together we make one
whole person. In my professional life,
it’s launching my second career as an author at the age of sixty-eight, proving
it never too late to follow your dreams.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
A dog, a Labrador or Golden
Retriever to be exact. Although we no longer have pets, we’ve had five black
labs over the years. Why a dog? Because they are loyal, lovable, and smart.
What is your favorite
food?
Hmm, that’s a tough question. My favorite meal is cedar-planked
smoked salmon with dill sauce, a salad with goat cheese, dried cranberries, and
sweet balsamic dressing, a sweet potato, and key-lime pie for dessert.
Yum. What is the
problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome
it?
Inexperience. My first manuscript included every mistake new
writers make times a hundred. So, I buckled down, studied the craft, rewrote
the manuscript and began a second. By the time I started number three, I’d
honed my skills. However, I continue to learn.
I started writing in
my 40s. I’m now in my 70s, and I’m still learning. Tell us about the featured
book.
My debut novel, The
Secret of Willow Inn, is the first book in the Willow Falls Series. It
is the story of three women, strangers whose lives are drawn together by a
tragedy and a long-held secret. Pregnant with her first child, Emily Hayes is
eager to help her mother finish transforming an estate into the Willow Inn and
write a novel about Willow
Falls Willow Falls Atlanta Willow
Falls
Please give us the
first page of the book.
As far back as Emily Hayes could remember, her heart yearned for a
sister. She directed her earliest requests to Santa Claus, which made Christmas
mornings a confusing blend of excitement and disenchantment. Later she
bargained with God. He disappointed her too. When she learned where babies came
from, she petitioned her mom with promises to keep her room clean and be the
best sister in the whole-wide world. Nothing worked. At some point the pleas
stopped, but the lingering desire left a hole in her heart.
Thursday morning, she stepped outside
the white-columned-home converted to a hospital and traced her ultrasound image
with her finger. It wasn’t at all what she’d expected. She pressed her hand to
her chest to ease the fluttering sensation, slipped the photo in her jeans
pocket, and texted her husband. Have results.
Meet me in the park in five.
A cool breeze nipped her cheeks and
rustled the new crop of leaves on the mature willow-oaks lining Main Street.
She dropped her phone in her purse, pulled her sweater tight, and crossed the
two-lane road to the sidewalk fronting a grand estate. White columns extending
from a railing supported the roof over the wide, front porch. The home was
weeks away from final transformation to the Willow Inn, thanks to her parents'
first effort to save their town from a slow, painful death.
The second stood next door—an abandoned
four-story brick hotel. All they needed to bring it to life was a boat-load of
money. If everything fell into place, their ship would come before they
returned home. A bird fluttering to a nest in a tangle of ivy summoned images
of new beginnings and eased Emily’s tense shoulders.
She wandered
past the hotel to the adjacent lakeside park and settled on the foot-high
retaining wall at the water's edge. She gazed across the street at the
picturesque, century-old Main
Street
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Readers, here are
questions for you to answer in the comments to be in the drawing.
Who was the Indian chief who rode in Roosevelt 's
inaugural procession?
Who wrote the Star Spangled Banner?
Thank you, Pat, for
sharing this debut novel with me and my blog readers.
Readers,
here are links to the book.
The Secret of Willow Inn (Willow Falls Series)
- PaperbackThe Secret of Willow Inn (Willow Falls Series Book 1) - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.
You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us
where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America . (Comments containing links may be subject
to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the
number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of
eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any
pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on
this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You
will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz,
Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave
your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
