Interview & Giveaway with C.H. Admirand

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome  C.H. Admirand to the blog today 

Can you please share with us a little about yourself
CA: I’ve been married to the man I fell in love with at-first-sight for 33 years. I believe there is the perfect person out there just waiting for each one of us and totally believe in HEAs. I use family names in all of my books and love adding bits and pieces of my Irish ancestry to my characters and plots.

Have you always wanted to be an author?
CA: I wanted to be an archeologist, then a teacher, then an interior decorator—and then I met DJ and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him…no clue what I would do to earn a living so I decided to go to business school…at the time the theory was a secretary would always have a job. Obviously that goes along with the number of years I’ve been married. LOL! It was in 1995 that the writing bug bit me again after running out of romances to read (and re-read) my hubby suggested that I write my own…so I did! The feeling that this is something I was mean to do filled me right down to my soul…it’s definitely a gift to sit down to a blank page and start writing.

Are you a plotter or a panster? And you explain the difference?
CA: I usually start with an idea or a character and then start jotting down ideas longhand. When everything starts to click, I head to my office and start a new file and begin with the synopsis. The early synop will be more general, but as ideas gel and characters start talking to me, I flesh out the storyline and character arc with a 5 to 10 page synopsis. I have an author friend who is a pantser…she sits in front of her computer and starts writing—scary thought if you aren’t hard-wired that way.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

CA: LOL…my family would say it’s that I have the ability to see chickens…I am easily distracted as ideas take hold, something passes by my peripheral vision, or my thoughts just dance off in another direction. This is really useful when writing, but it does take a bit to unravel the threads and weave them where they need to go.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

CA: My latest release for Sourcebooks is the first book in my second series for them—Small Town USA. The first book is A WEDDING IN APPLE GROVE … where love is always in the air and the proof is painted in John Deere Green on the town’s bright yellow water tower. The Mulcahy sisters have taken over the family business, now that their father has retired—family handyman business. They keep the town going, fixing what needs fixing and accepting whatever payment the good folk of Apple Grove have: Mrs. Winter pays with homemade cherry pie, Mr. Weatherbee the windchimes he creates. Meg Mulcahy wonders if she’ll ever see her name up on that water tower, especially since her on again-off again relationship with former high school football hero is transient at best…he plays for the Bengals and breezes into town a few times a year, picking up right where he left off…until Daniel Egan comes to town. He’s the new phys ed. teacher and high school soccer coach who will end up rescuing more than one person in Apple Grove…Meg included…but that would be telling. J

How did you come with the idea for this story?
CA: I have ideas that come to me in the middle of the night, others when I’m sitting with a clean sheet of paper and doodling. Whenever inspiration strikes, be it a character’s name or concept, I jot it down. I have paper idea files and computerized idea files. The paper ones are far easier to find…it’s that chicken-thing…can’t always remember what I saved the ideas under. <sigh>

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?
CA: I’ve just turned in ONE DAY IN APPLE GROVE, the second book in the series and am writing the third book WELCOME BACK TO APPLE GROVE. The second book is the middle sister, Caitlin’s story—she’s known Dr. Jack Gannon all of her life—but it isn’t until the night they both end up rescuing a little black puppy that hearts open to the possibility of love and their lives forever change. Welcome Back to Apple Grove is the youngest sister, Grace’s, story…She’s the only sister who can’t wait to get out of Apple Grove…but finds that dreams aren’t always what one envisions them to be. On a visit home she runs into former FDNY firefighter Patrick Garahan and finds herself tangled up in Apple Grove and sliding toward love.

Who is the one author that you would love to meet someday and why?
CA: I’ve always wanted to meet Judith McNaught and Jude Deveraux. Because I’ve been a member of RWA for years, I’ve already met some of my other favorites: Nora Roberts, Julie Garwood, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christina Skye, Linda Howard, etc. When our kids were babies, my neighbor suggested I try a few romance authors who were new to me: the three Js: Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, and Julie Garwood…I was hooked! I understand that Jude Deveraux will be attending the 2013 RT Convention in Kansas City, MO…I am so there!!!

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
CA: NEVER GIVE UP. Keep writing, don’t let anyone talk you out of your dream. Find a writer’s group, I’d recommend RWA and your local RWA Chapter, and attend meetings, workshops, conferences and conventions and learn all that you can about the craft of writing and the industry. Once you’ve finished that first book send it out…if someone says no…keep going! I was rejected 99 times before I sold my first book. NEVER GIVE UP!!!

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
CA: I actually wrote a list of things to do before I hit 30, I revised it for things to do before I hit 40 and have given up because I still haven’t done anything on that darned list and I’m halfway to 60! LOL! I wanted to go to that fab institution in NYC with the red door…Elizabeth Arden and get my hair cut and makeup done; I wanted to eat caviar and sip champagne; I wanted to attend the Opera…preferably seeing la Traviata. The closest I’ve come is writing a book entitled THE LIST, maybe I’ll revise it and see if I can publish it. I almost forgot…I have this need to visit Ireland, but really, really, really hate to fly…so it’s a good thing I haven’t been able to afford it yet. 🙂

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?
CA: Because I’m on deadline my TBR pile is getting bigger. Here’s are the first 10 books off the pile: Fool for Love, by Beth Ciotta (fab friend and author!), Marrying Daisy Bellamy, by Susan Wiggs; Stygian’s Honor by Lora Leigh; A Lady Never Surrenders by Sabrina Jeffries; The Unspoken by Heather Graham; The Unholy by Heather Graham; Isabel the Invincible by Christine Bush, Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson; Love on Call by Shirley Hailstock, Omid’s Shadow by Hichkass Hamekass. I can’t wait to receive Nora’s last installment in the Boonesboro trilogy: The Perfect Hope; I have it on pre-order 🙂

What is one book everyone should read before they die?
CA: There are so many classics out there that should be read, and at the risk of not being PC, I’d suggest something inspirational—whatever religious inclinations you might have or not have—but something that would give you hope. I know what that choice would be for me, but it wouldn’t be the same for everyone.

What is your favorite time of year & why?
CA: I love early Spring as the Earth is just waking up and snowdrops are poking up out of the snow and early Fall when the Earth is going to sleep preparing for the long winter ahead.

Who is your Celebrity crush?  And what would you do if you ever meet them?
CA: Sean Connery…probably start babbling. LOL!

Is there anything else you would like to add?
CA: Thank you for interviewing me, it’s been a pleasure 🙂

A WEDDING IN APPLE GROVE BY C.H. ADMIRAND

IN STORES NOVEMBER 2012

 Amazon | B&N

He’s not so sure about small town life.

She can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Welcome to Apple Grove, Ohio (population 597), where everyone has your best interests at heart, even if they can’t agree on the best way to meddle. When the townsfolk of Apple Grove need handiwork done, there’s no job too small for the Mulcahy sisters: Megan, Caitlin, and Grace.

Specializing in hard work and family loyalty, tomboy Meg Mulcahy has left behind any girlhood dreams of romance. Enter newcomer Daniel Eagan, looking to bury his own broken heart and make a new start. He’s surprised-and delighted-by the winsome girl with the mighty tool belt who shows up to fix his wiring.

But Dan’s got a lot to learn about life in a small town, and when Meg’s past collides with her future, it may take all 595 other residents of Apple Grove to keep this romance from short-circuiting.

 Praise for A Wedding in Apple Grove:

“A terrifically fun read… With quick dialogue and a homey feel, this is a wonderful book to curl up with. Small-town romance at its best!” —RT Book Review, 4 Stars

“Raw charm… one to read.” —Publishers Weekly

“Sexy and fun… Admirand’s series will be popular, especially with fans of Susan Wiggs and Janet Chapman.” —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C.H. ADMIRAND was born in Aiken, South Carolina, but grew up in New Jersey. She has been delighting readers with her Secret Life of Cowboys Series, featuring three cowboy brothers with Irish charm, and is now working on the next books in her small town contemporary romance series, featuring the town and quirky characters of Apple Grove, OH. She lives with her husband, who is the inspiration for all of her heroes’ best traits, in New Jersey. For more information, please visit www.CHAdmirand.com.

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