Spooning Daisy by Maggie McConnell Interview, Excerpt & Giveaway

Spooning Daisy

by Maggie McConnell

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GENRE:   contemporary romance (romantic comedy)

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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.

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Excerpt One:

Max cocked his head at her. No siree, Bob. Daisy Moon was not easy. She was like a 1500 piece puzzle, where all the pieces are really tiny, and similar in shape and color, but are nonetheless different, and it would take weeks, maybe even months, just to get the edges put together. 

"Don't look so surprised," she said. "I know I'm not exactly laid back. Okay, maybe that's being kind," she responded to Max’s smile. "But I'm an incredible cook. And a really good speller. Not to mention having a humongous vocabulary. I came in fourth in the national spelling bee championship when I was fourteen."

Without meaning to, Max pictured Daisy at fourteen, in a prim white blouse and a demure plaid skirt with her hair tied back in a ribbon, triumphantly spelling words like...concupiscence.

"Do I know what men want, or what?" Now Daisy smiled...at herself.

Taking the cue, Max leaned into her and spoke sincerely, but resisted the urge to cup her hand.

"Somewhere there is a man who wants a pretty redhead who's difficult and a great cook with a really humongous vocabulary who can spell...and next time it won't be a cross-dressing felon."

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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.

Interview:

Where are you from?

I was born in Illinois, but raised overseas in Pakistan, Viet Nam, Laos, and Ecuador. I attended college/grad school in Illinois then moved to Alaska where I lived for 23 years, and now I’m in Arizona. Not really sure where I’m from. ;)

Tell us your latest news.

Currently I’m finishing the next Otter Bite romance, Embracing Felicity.

Thirty-five-year-old, part-Alutiiq Felicity lives on Bobrovie Spit and has a curio shop in town named FLuke 11-9. Enter Ian MacIntyre and his 10-year-old daughter Emily. Ian is an oilman whom we met along with Emily in Spooning Daisy. Now he and Emily are back in Otter Bite for the summer, but what’s Ian up to? Looking for the next drilling site where it otter not be? Not on Felicity’s watch! Throw in the legend of Sedna, a 200-year-old mermaid, and it’s romcom with mystery and environmental undertones.

Anyone wanting to read the first chapter can visit my website, MaggieMcConnellRomance.com . Or, if you sign up for my Once in a Blue Moon newsletter, I’ll be sending out the first three chapters to subscribers.

When and why did you begin writing?

I wrote my first story when I was seven-ish about a boy and his donkey. It got rave reviews—Mom loved it. I’ve been writing off and on most of my life, mostly non-fiction magazine submissions, but I got serious about romance and women’s fiction during the last seven years. In 2012, my romance set in Kenya, You Had Me at Habari was nominated for an RWA Golden Heart. I write romance because I think relationships are fascinating and challenging and I write romcom because I like fun and positive stories.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Interesting. Maybe when I put it as my profession on my tax return and started deducting expenses!

What inspired you to write your first book?

My FIRST book was many years ago and it was 600 pages. Yikes! But it was set in Alaska, which is what inspired me to write it. Alaska is a unique setting, almost a foreign location (Hawaii also has this characteristic). When I first moved there, our television shows were 2 weeks behind the lower 48 because that’s how long it took networks to get the reels there! In the winter, I traded fashion for big, thick “bunny” boots and heavily insulated coats. I had room-darkening window shades for the summers and never once wore sandals. I ran the “Glacier Marathon.” It was such a unique lifestyle (still is, but now television has found it and shared it with the world) that it made the setting another character.

What would you like my readers to know?

How very grateful I am to be here. Seriously.

THANK YOU for this interview. 

Website: 

http://MaggieMcConnellRomance.com

Facebook Author Page:

https://www.facebook.com/MaggieMcConnellRomance/

Amazon Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Spooning-Daisy-Otter-Bite-Romance-ebook/dp/B015VA3O10

Barnes & Noble Buy Link:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spooning-daisy-maggie-mcconnell/1122713766?ean=9781601836861

Kobo Buy Link:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/spooning-daisy

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GIVEAWAY 

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).

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