NBTM Tour w/Giveaway: Spooning Daisy by Maggie McConnell

Spooning Daisy

by Maggie McConnell

GENRE: contemporary romance (romantic comedy)

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Maggie McConnell will be offering 1) Nordstrom "Daisy" vegan leather clutch, 2) Nordstrom turtle pin, or 3) Rebecca Minkoff star pendant/necklace to 3 randomly drawn winners (US only; international winners will receive a $25 Amazon/BN GC). Please visit GoddessFish.com to follow the tour, remember the more you comment better your chances on winning.

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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.

Buy Links:

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Excerpt:

His laugh was immediate. Daisy realized how ridiculous her allegation was. Max Kendall's particular brand of woman didn't need lies to motivate her into his bed. His women were fun and adventurous and, unlike Daisy, didn't have impossible expectations.

"I thought we were talking about you," he said with a dying chuckle. "But if you think you're helping the enemy..." With his good leg bearing the brunt of his weight, he rose from the bed. Grabbing the handles on his duffle bag, he slowly stepped toward the bathroom.

"If the lights were dim and the music soft and the wine expensive."

Max turned at the door. "And?"

"And what?"

"I don't believe for one second that you, Daisy, would be undermined by lights, music, and wine."

"And… if I thought you were...special."

"And what makes a man special?"

Daisy hesitated at the fork in her road. She could give Max an honest answer or… "Well, for one thing, he's very forgiving--"

His eyes crinkled as his grin returned.

"--And he would never use all the hot water just to prove some ridiculous point."

"I guess I'm not the only one who has trouble giving a straight answer. See you when the water runs cold." The bathroom door clicked shut.

"And he makes me smile," Daisy murmured, smiling.

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Interview with the Author:

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Returning to Alaska—if only in my mind. The inspiration for Otter Bite comes from Seldovia, a small village on the shores of Kachemak Bay. It was fun to live vicariously through my characters and be back in Alaska.

What inspires you?

Pretty much everything. I wish I could write as fast as I think! I’ll be standing in line at the grocery store and imagine a character doing the same. I watch the checker and I see she’s wearing those skin-tight latex gloves that medical staff wear, and I start wondering why. Does she have allergies or a phobia? When I’m at the barn, cleaning stalls and doing all the chores that are habit, I imagine conversations and dialogue. I look at the ordinary around me and think how to describe it in an analogy. The tarantula hawk (which is a large wasp) glides through the air with the menacing grace of a great white shark.

Who are some of your favorite authors that you feel were influential in your work?

Sandra Brown was the first author I read who seemed to write romance outside the box. I’m sure there are others, but her stories have more going on, and her characters have other interests besides finding love and getting married. Perhaps her character relationships mirror my own life—I had a career and married later than most—so her stories speak to me. Thanks to Ms. Brown’s example, I think I write outside the box. As one reviewer said, my hero/heroine exhibit “atypical” behavior not often seen in romance (but she gave Spooning Daisy 5 stars). So some readers might find this refreshing.

What do your plans for future projects include?

Up next is book 2 of the Otter Bite romcom series, Embracing Felicity. Readers can preview the beginning of the book on my website. I’m also working on a women’s fiction series, with some unusual animal characters, inspired by my Arizona ranch.

Do you ever get writer’s Block? Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?

I usually have the opposite problem—too many ideas! I have to keep a tight rein on my characters or they’ll go off on their own paths and the next thing I know, they’re in Scotland. I enjoy plotting (and sub-plotting) and struggle to follow the KISS principle.

Thank you very much for the interview! And for promoting Spooning Daisy. Maggie

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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.

Social Links:

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