Thank you for having me. I’m very excited to be here and so happy that today is release day for my debut novel FIND MY WAY HOME. A contemporary story about a small town Southern gal wanting more from life and thinking if she could only hit the road for the big city, she might find what she’s looking for. *cough, cough* Well, we all know that’s not necessarily true.
Bertie Anderson, wants to make it big as an interior designer. She’s three weeks away from reaching her goal when she’s given the challenge of redesigning the old Victorian in town she’s always dreamed about. But there’s a catch: if she finishes in three months, she’ll be rewarded with a big bonus. Big. Piece of cake, right? It would be if her client wasn’t bad boy Keith Morgan, retired tennis pro and single-dad-on-the-edge.
Keith has moved to Harmony, NC with a huge chip on his shoulder (along with a ton of guilt) to make a better life for himself and his ten-year old daughter. What he’s not prepared for is small town, Southern quirkiness, his aunt’s ultimatum to get married in three months, and his uncontrollable attraction to his maddening designer, Bertie.
The question most people ask me is: how do I manage to do it all? The answer: I’m a ridiculous, obnoxious, multi-tasker. (people who know me will back me up) Like my heroine Bertie, I have a constant need to be doing something…anything. It’s a terrible sickness. How many of you sit and watch TV without doing anything else? (Everyone is picturing a guy they know and love, chilling in front of the TV and drinking a beer.) TV watching allows me time to wash pots and pans, fold laundry or work on a design project. Not sure how I got this way except I come from a very large family (one of nine siblings) of Type A personalities where we all kept busy to avoid things we hated like: picking up sticks, cleaning the basement, sorting through attic boxes, pressure cleaning the house and unloading and putting away four baskets of groceries. We all knew, including our friends, to be scarce on Friday afternoons when my mother would return home with a station wagon full of groceries.
Bertie is always working on a different project like dog sitting, feeding her neighbor, waitressing or decorating for the town festival. She enjoys feeling useful (crazy youngin’!) and she has issues saying no. Where she finds time for her interior design business is a mystery. Except I know exactly…because I’m the same way. Her hunky client, Keith worries that she won’t devote the time and talent needed to renovate his home. He also worries about his unwanted attraction to her and if he can be a good father to his ten-year old daughter…but I digress.
The problem with being a chronic multi-tasker is you never learn to relax and smell the roses…literally. I have to force myself to stop and breathe and actually look at a beautiful sunset or feel the cool breeze or really listen to the story my child is telling me while I read a recipe, text a message, make a list, sweep the floor and toss another load of laundry in the washer. That’s manic! I’m not proud of this ability, because quite frankly, it’s exhausting. But I’m not alone here. Come on…show of hands. Yep, there’s a bunch of you multi-taskers reading this right now, while making a mental grocery list or thinking about checking your bank statement, or remembering you have books due back at the library. Am I right??? *nodding*
I converse with many people (mostly women, because let’s face it…men are anti-multi-task) who are on the same wild ride and manage to work, clean, write, pay bills and build a sea-worthy boat all before the sun sets and they have to start dinner. For me, it has become a way of life. Yes, I’m a writer and love to sit in front of my computer and create fun, fictitious worlds, but I’m also a designer like Bertie, personal chef to several clients, and mother to two great kids who are wonderfully self-sufficient, but still need me every now and then. So, like my energetic heroine, I create pockets of time early in the morning and late in the evening devoted to writing. And when I break and go for walks, I make myself stop…and smell the roses, gardenias, honeysuckle…and remember to breathe.
Thank you again for having me and I hope you enjoy FIND MY WAY HOME with its sparks and laughter.
Find out more at about Michele at her website or on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.
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