Readers, please join me welcoming Author Francis Ray who will be guest blogging here today. There's also a giveaway for her book - more below!
And Mistress Makes Three by Francis Ray:
What do you do when after fourteen years of marriage your husband suddenly divorces you, leaving you with two unhappy children, a stack of bills, a house and a yard that needs work — while he happily lives his dream?
Gina Rawlings had better find the answer and fast.
Family has always been important to me and one of the reasons I wrote my first romance. I spent the first twelve years of my life in a town so small that is it listed only on the most detailed Texas maps. No matter, I had a wonderful and adventurous childhood on a farm where my older brother, and the only boy, constantly got me into trouble. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Family meant love and security, and parents who taught their five children that with hard work and dedication you could achieve anything. My daddy was a wonderful man who topped six feet. He rose every morning at 5 AM to take care of the livestock on his farm. My mother would get up shortly afterwards and fix incredible biscuits or pancakes from scratch. Some of my fondest childhood memories are all of us sharing a meal or just hanging out in the kitchen with my daddy looking on with a proud smile on his face. We lived seven miles from town but with horses, a fish pond, sheep, cattle, and vegetable and fruit in season, we were never bored or lonely. We had each other. We had unconditional love.
When I began writing women's fiction, I naturally wanted my characters to have that same sense of family and place. I firmly believe we are shaped - good, bad, indifferent - by our childhood.
In my newest book, AND MISTRESS MAKES THREE, Gina Rawlings is the youngest of three children and has always felt like the screw-up ugly duckling. Her older siblings excelled all of their lives, have wonderful careers, great marriages and beautiful, polite children. To Gina, who never finished college, has a floundering at-home travel business, and is a bit broad in the hips, the end of her 14-year marriage is the latest in a long list of failures. To make matters worse, her ex is living his dream while she struggles to pay the bills and deal with a mouthy teenager who blames Gina for the divorce.
A trip to the newest B&B in Charleston to check out the property for prospective clients (and try to forget it is the day her divorce is final) turns into an unexpected good fortune. Max Broussard, the owner, is gorgeous. But, more important to Gina, he has faith in her and believes she can help him turn Journey's End into the warm and inviting inn he's envisioned. As they work together Gina realized her ex-husband wasn't her only chance at love. However, when her ex re-enters the picture, Gina has to decide if she should be with the man she could love or take back the father of her children for their sake.
I had fun writing this book and doing the research on B&B's. The great food is a tribute to my own amazing Southern mother who is a fabulous cook. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book and Journey's End.
Please visit my web site at www.francisray.com where you can enter my monthly contest to win great prizes and view the book trailer for AND MISTRESS MAKES THREE.
Happy Simmer Reading,
Francis
Family meant love and security, and parents who taught their five children that with hard work and dedication you could achieve anything. My daddy was a wonderful man who topped six feet. He rose every morning at 5 AM to take care of the livestock on his farm. My mother would get up shortly afterwards and fix incredible biscuits or pancakes from scratch. Some of my fondest childhood memories are all of us sharing a meal or just hanging out in the kitchen with my daddy looking on with a proud smile on his face. We lived seven miles from town but with horses, a fish pond, sheep, cattle, and vegetable and fruit in season, we were never bored or lonely. We had each other. We had unconditional love.
When I began writing women's fiction, I naturally wanted my characters to have that same sense of family and place. I firmly believe we are shaped - good, bad, indifferent - by our childhood.
In my newest book, AND MISTRESS MAKES THREE, Gina Rawlings is the youngest of three children and has always felt like the screw-up ugly duckling. Her older siblings excelled all of their lives, have wonderful careers, great marriages and beautiful, polite children. To Gina, who never finished college, has a floundering at-home travel business, and is a bit broad in the hips, the end of her 14-year marriage is the latest in a long list of failures. To make matters worse, her ex is living his dream while she struggles to pay the bills and deal with a mouthy teenager who blames Gina for the divorce.
A trip to the newest B&B in Charleston to check out the property for prospective clients (and try to forget it is the day her divorce is final) turns into an unexpected good fortune. Max Broussard, the owner, is gorgeous. But, more important to Gina, he has faith in her and believes she can help him turn Journey's End into the warm and inviting inn he's envisioned. As they work together Gina realized her ex-husband wasn't her only chance at love. However, when her ex re-enters the picture, Gina has to decide if she should be with the man she could love or take back the father of her children for their sake.
I had fun writing this book and doing the research on B&B's. The great food is a tribute to my own amazing Southern mother who is a fabulous cook. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book and Journey's End.
Please visit my web site at www.francisray.com where you can enter my monthly contest to win great prizes and view the book trailer for AND MISTRESS MAKES THREE.
Happy Simmer Reading,
Francis
Thank you for that entertaining post, dear Author! Readers, your thoughts / comments are most welcome.
GIVEAWAY
The Prize
A copy of this book will go to one lucky reader!
To Enter
- Just leave a comment with your email address in the body of the comment itself telling me : which one of Ms.Ray's books is your favorite. If haven't read any of her books (more details at her website : www.francisray.com) then tell me why you want to win/read this one.
- Please list your email address within your comment so that you can be notified should you be chosen as a winner.
Please leave a NEW comment for each extra entry you do.
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- DAILY ENTRY - Follow A Book Blogger's Diary on Twitter AND tweet this giveaway @callmeabookworm
- 10 ENTRIES - Blog about this giveaway including links to the Sponsor and this giveaway
- UNLIMITED ENTRIES - Comment on any non-giveaway post. Comment here with the title of that post for each you do.
Deadline Midnight CST of August 31, 2009.
Eligibility US only.
Please read the Disclaimer. Good luck!
______________________________________________________________________
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I haven't read her books but would read any of them! Thanks!
ReplyDeletedancealert (at) aol (dot) com
Mary
ReplyDeletezenrei57 (at) hotmail (dot) com
I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading any of her books, but I would sure like to! And Mistress Makes Three sounds like a fun place to start :)
I would like to read this book because I haven't read anything (yet) that is written by Francis Ray and I love to try new authors.
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I am a follower.
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Please include me.
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Technorati fave - bridget3420
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Facebook fan - Bridget Hopper
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I would like this to be the first one of her books I read as sounds like a different take on a common tale
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I'd love to read this book because it highlights a dilemma faced by many women in their marriages - to forgive a breach of trust for the sake of the family or to pursue another relationship that is also a strong relationship.
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I follow ~ megalon22{at}yahoo{dot}com
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Thanks for the chance to win this book, it sounds good!
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This book sounds like an intriquing read, dealing with real life problems!
ReplyDeletemlawson17 (at) hotmail dot com
I would love to read one of her books and I follow
ReplyDeletesheryljeffries at verizon dot com
i haven't read anything by her yet, but the plot sounds interesting. I have a friend who went through something similar to this last year, after putting her husband through medical school and giving birth to their second child, they divorced.
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i follow
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She would be a new author to me but I have heard that her books are wonderful and I would love to read one!
ReplyDeletemarielay@gmail.com
Please enter me, book looks great.
ReplyDeletelizzi0915 at aol dot com
I'm a huge fan of Francis Ray's books. I've read most of her series, but my favorite book by her is Heart of the Falcon. Daniel Falcon, the hero, is just the epitome an alpha male: not caveman, but headstrong, intensely passionate and willing to do anything to protect -- and cherish - - the woman he loves.
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I just clicked to follow you.
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I subscribed to this Feed
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I have been reading her books for quite a while and would love the opportunity to have one of my very own. I think my favorite is In Another's Man Bed.
ReplyDeleteadmin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 1)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 2)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 3)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 4)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 5)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 6)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 7)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 8)
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admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 9)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
I blogged about it here (entry 10)
ReplyDeletehttp://1stopmom.com/giveaways/2009/08/23/and-mistress-makes-three-by-francis-ray/
admin(at)1stopmom.com
Its a nice blog for book reviews and different links for that it provided lots of interesting and useful information.
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Relationships are difficult at best. The more we read about them, the more we see how differently people behave and their reactions. I'd love to read this book.
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I subscribe via email.
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