Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Winning Mr. Wrong by Marie Higgins

Marie Higgin's novel, Winning Mr. Wrong, is a fun read, and as you can see, it has a beautiful cover. I seldom laugh out loud while reading, but I couldn't help a smirk or two at Charley's innocent blunders, one right after another.

Here is the synopsis from the back cover.

Whoever said the quest for love wasn't comical never met Charlene Randall. Charley is looking
for a man who wants to start a family, a man who will take her to the temple. Problem is, she has never dated a man for longer than three months. When she reads an internet article called "Ten Ways to Win Your Man," she decides to try it on her new coworker, Maxwell Harrington. Max was her crush in high school, but the superstar sports anchorman doesn't even remember her.

Enter ladies' man Damien Giovianni, Charley's handsome neighbor, who agrees to help her win Max over. What follows is a hilarious tale of mishaps and misunderstandings where Charley learns that what she really needs may be right in front of her.

I loved the list on how to catch a man. And my favorite line from the book is on page 84 where Charley blotches a great opportunity to talk to Max. She has just fallen and banged her head, so she's a little confused. Max comes to her rescue and she remembers one item from the list.

Give him compliments. Tell him he looks nice. His hair looks good.

"Thanks Max." She paused, trying to think of a compliment. "Um, did I ever tell you I think your butt has an intoxicating smile?"

That didn't sound right. Why weren't her mouth and mind cooperating tonight?

That second line, (with a slight variance on the b-word,) is now often quoted in our house.

I loved Higgin's characters. Though Charley is thirty years-old, she acts nineteen under the spells of her two suitors. Damien starts out as an overbearing, shun-worthy lady's man, but the more I got to know him, he changed, (maybe too quickly) into the kind of guy every girl wants to catch.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes fun, light, clean romance quick reads. I'm looking forward to reading Marie's other novels, Hearts Through Time. and Heart of a Hero.

Read the first chapter of Winning Mr Wrong here.

Watch the book trailer.

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And now for my own interview with Marie Higgins!

Hi, Marie! Thank you for the interview.
First question: Of all the heroines in your novels, which one do you relate to the most?
Well…as funny as it sounds, I do relate to Charlene Randall (Charley in “Winning Mr. Wrong”) the most. I love to make people laugh – just like Charley. Although Charley is a little more clumsy than I am…but still, we like to laugh.

Who is your favorite male love interest in your novels? With which one would you like to ride off into the sunset?
What a loaded question! lol I love all my heroes. Damien (“Winning Mr. Wrong”) because he makes my knees weak. Jesse Slade (“Heart of a Hero”) because he’s rugged and he loves to tease the heroine. And Nick (“Heart’s Through Time”) because he’s soooo dreamy!! I think I add something to all my heroes that will make me want to ‘ride off into the sunset’ with them.

For which novel did you do the most research?
I did more research with my ghost story. I had to make sure the streets nowadays were named the same streets back in 1912. I had to make sure there was still a mansion-style house in California that would have been built before 1912. I looked up websites that talked about how newspapers were run (machines, etc) in that era. I even checked the first newspapers to report the sinking of the Titanic – and sure enough, the first newspaper to report the ship’s sinking stated that all passengers survived. I really had fun with this story!

Considering writing style, which of your novels represents your best?
"Heart of A Hero”. It’s historical, it has humor, action and adventure, twists…and romance. Those are the type of stories I love writing. I also love to write a little mystery into my stories, so "Hearts Through Time" has an excellent mystery, I think.


Will there be another novel by Marie Higgins coming out in the future?
You betcha! At least one, hopefully more. My publisher, Walnut Springs Press, will start work on book #4 any day now – my historical paranormal, “Secrets After Dark”. (so far this title hasn’t changed…) This story is a little different than my others. There’s hardly any humor, but a ton of mystery and…you got it…paranormal! Witches, curses, werewolves…oh my! heehee This story is about a man who is cursed by a witch to shift into a werewolf when he has certain desires for a woman. Needless to say, I've tortured my poor hero! lol Anyway, hero is hiding himself away in the east wing of the family manor so he doesn't get close to any woman. The heroine comes to the manor to find answers about her father's death. She's a very curious woman, and so sneaks into the east wing even though she's been warned not to.
My publisher promised they'd have this story out by October. I can't wait to see the cover!!


Thank you for the interview, Marie.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Clairvoyance

Finished the first draft of my WIP, Clairvoyance. Yeah! Making progress.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Pralines of Prescott, a great chocolate shop!

Since my novel Chocolate Roses is set in a chocolate shop, I'm always excited to find fun shops that specialize in chocolate!

Pralines of Prescott is located on Curley St. inside the Bashford Courts Mall in Prescott, Arizona, and has been in business since 1991. The many items they make include fudge, brittle, caramel, toffee, sugar free yummies and of course pralines.

Family owned by Mary Handley, Irene Handley, (in photo), and Ashley Moser, their chocolates are homemade, and I will add, delicious! Visit their website at http://pralinesofprescott.com/

It is fun to see the transformation of downtown Prescott of the last twenty years. Several years ago, a friend scolded me for going to the antique stores and shops in the rundown old downtown, saying it wasn't safe. Now downtown is bustling with tourists and fun shops from food to crafts and clothing.

If you know of a favorite chocolate shop, please leave its name and location here in your comment.
Thank you!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Great Quotation

"The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."

Margaret D. Nadauld