The Fixer Upper (Echo Springs, #1)
by Maggie Mae Gallagher
Published by:
Blushing Books Publications
Publication date: September 6th, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Abby Callier is more in love with Shakespearean heroes than any real man, and she’s beginning to wonder if there is life for her outside the pages of a book. It doesn’t help that her esteemed parents tend to view her as they would one of their science experiments gone wrong. On the eve of finishing her dissertation, she escapes her staid existence to live in the house she inherited from her Great Aunt Evie in the small town of Echo Springs, Colorado. Because, let’s face it, when a woman starts comparing her life to horror films, it might be time for a break.
Sheriff Nate Barnes believes in law and order and carefully building the life you want. In his spare time, he has been remodeling his house in the hope that one day it will be filled with the family he makes. But Nate doesn’t like drama or complications and tends to avoid them at all costs. And yet, when Miss Abigail Callier, his newest neighbor, beans him with a nine iron, he can’t help but wonder if she might just be the complication he’s been searching for all along. It doesn’t hurt that he discovers a journal hidden away by the previous tenant and decides to use Old Man Turner’s advice to romance Abby into his life.
Abby never expected her next-door neighbor, the newly dubbed Sheriff Stud Muffin, to be just the distraction her world needed.
The problem is she doesn’t know whether she should make Echo Springs her home, or if this town is just a stopover point in her life’s trajectory. And she doesn’t want to tell Nate that she might not be sticking around—even though she should because it’s the right thing to do, the honest thing—because then all the scintillatingly hot kisses with the Sheriff will come to an abrupt halt. Did she mention that he’s a really great kisser?
~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Maggie Mae Gallagher~
1) What gave you the inspiration for the storyline?
This is one of the hardest questions. No truly. For a long
time, I wanted to set a series in Colorado. It’s one of my favorite places on
the planet with it’s breathtaking scenery. When I first set out to write The
Fixer Upper, I thought it was going to take me in one direction and it went in
the exact opposite. I thought there was going to be more slap-stick comedy and
it ended up being heartwarming with humor tossed in.
2) Are there any hidden (or not so hidden) themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?
Each book in the Echo Springs Series will be a
complete standalone, although there is a connective thread: the heroes are all
best friends. Nate and Miles grew up together in Echo Springs and went all the
way through school together. They went on to college together. It was while
they were in college that they met Jacob and Sam. They’re kind of like the
Musketeers once D’Artagnan joined the group with an all for one and one for all
comradery. I like the aspect of the male friendships and bonds, the willingness
to have each other’s backs no matter what. And the town draws them all back
together after they each had to go their separate ways.
3) Are any of the characters based on real people you know?
No, I don’t base my characters off real people. Perhaps, some
character traits that I admire or sometimes aspire to be more like. But my
characters, once I give them a name and let them speak, tend to tell me who
they are. It’s weird, I know.
4) Who has influenced you most as a writer?
I would have to say my fellow writers. There are quite a few I just adore
who have inspired my career: Heather Graham, Kristan Higgins, Karen Marie
Moning, Dean Koontz, and this list could go on to infinity.
5) If you could have any three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
Thorin Oakenshield, Aragorn, and Legolas. We would play
Monopoly. I would serve both beer and wine with charcuterie board with plenty
of meats, cheeses, and some sliced veggies for Legolas. And why, because one of
them would take me with them to Middle Earth and make me their queen by the end
of the night. 😊
6) Do you feel that you can ever have too many books?
Nope. Definitely, not. I’m always amazed by the people who
can go to a bookstore and buy just one book. Like how do they not scoop up
every book that catches their interest? I’m the one who has the clerks asking
if I need assistance out to my car.
Author Bio:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Maggie grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Maggie never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Maggie is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes erotic romance under the name Anya Summers. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
Thanks for hosting! ~ Maggie Mae Gallagher
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting today, Jen! :)
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