The Secret of Willow Inn Blog Tour with Giveaway :)
Pat Nichols is proving it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
During the spring, summer, and early autumn of her life this side of heaven, she and her high-school-sweethearthusband struggled and triumphed through life’s peaks and valleys. They raised two children, welcomed four grandchildren—one is with the angels—bought a Corvette, and ticked off every item on their travel bucket list. Now approaching her winter years, she ignores the minor aches that come with age and is grateful she can still paint her own toenails and dance with her hubby.
Following twenty-five years in six different management positions with an international beauty company, Pat launched career number two as a novelist and freelance editor. She chose women’s fiction to honor her daughter’s strength in the face of significant health issues and the loss of a child. Her corporate experience, working with hundreds of amazing women from all walks of life, inspires her to create stories about women who confront challenges in the pursuit of their dreams.
Although she writes five days a week, she and Tim—her best friend and number one fan—continue to celebrate their fifty-plus-year marriage. They lead a small group, volunteer for church guest services, participate in two social organizations, and spend time with family and friends. She thanks God for the blessings that brought her joy and the challenges that continue to strengthen her faith, skills, and resolve.
Pat was born in Illinois, grew up in Orlando, and has called Georgia home since the eighties. She lives in an Atlanta suburb, is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Word Weavers, Christian Pen, and Gwinnett Church (a campus of Northpoint Ministries).
***EXCERPT***
The
kitchen door swung open again. Pepper motioned to her friend. “Come
on over and meet Emily Hayes. She's helping her mom transform
Robert's house into the Willow Inn and her husband Scott runs Hayes
General Store. He took over after his father passed away.”
Emily
extended her hand and gazed into Sadie's blue eyes. Crow's feet and
wrinkles on her forehead made her look years older than Pepper, yet
didn't diminish her pretty features. “It's a pleasure to meet you.” Sadie
stared at Emily's hand and kept her arms clamped to her sides. “Your
daddy-in-law always treated me and Mama like hometown folks.” “He
was a charmer, all right.” Surprised by her refusal to make
contact, Emily withdrew her hand and took a sip of orange juice. “Emily
is going to become our town’s most famous celebrity, besides Naomi
Jasper.” “Robert
had one of her paintings.” Sadie pulled the cash from her apron.
“He claimed she’d hit it big someday.” “He
had a good eye. Anyway, Emily plans to write a novel.” Sadie
moved to the cash register and opened the drawer. “I bet she's
itching to know what it's like to live behind bars.” She
transferred the money.
Heat
crept up Emily's neck and warmed her cheeks. She glanced at Pepper
and shrugged.
Sadie
pushed the drawer closed. “I learned how to read people years ago,
it’s an important skill for jailhouse survival.”
Top 10 intriguing facts about Willow
Falls
- Hayes General Store has a more intriguing history than Mast General Store
- Pepper’s Café is the one remaining restaurant
- A famous southern artist was born in Willow Falls
- The town’s only cinema is closed
- The town’s hospital is a transformed southern mansion
- There is one beauty salon, Pearl’s Hair and Nail Salon; AKA Pearl’s gabfest and gossip parlor.
- Patsy Peacock lives in a two-room apartment over her store, Patsy’s Pastries and Pretties
- The town’s pastor owns and operates Nathan’s Antique and Furniture Emporium
- The town’s name is derived from willow oak trees lining Main Street and the waterfall
- A fifty-foot waterfall is a mile from town
TOUR GIVEAWAY
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight February 4, 2019 and lasts through 11:59pm February 11, 2019. Open Internationally. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
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Willow Falls sounds like some of the beautiful mountain towns where I live. We have 2 Mast General Stores near us.
ReplyDeleteDianna