Guest Post and Giveaway: CH Admirand, Author of A Wedding In Apple Grove

I've had the pleasure of reading and featuring some of CH Admirand's books here on Wendi's Book Corner, so it is with great pleasure that I get to host a guest post written by her today.

She has just written and released a new book called A Wedding In Cedar Grove, so I had an opportunity to host a guest post and I got to ask Ms. Admirand about the challenges and benefits of writing about a small town.  Here is what she shared with me:

Hi Wendi, thanks for inviting me to guest blog today about the challenges/benefits of writing about a small town. For me, thinking in terms of a small town was very easy. Having grown up on Cedar Hill, a small community of 25 homes on dead-end streets in a tiny corner of Wayne, NJ…if you didn’t live on Cedar Hill, you really didn’t have any reason to drive up there. We always felt as if we were a world away from everyone else in town. We were always the last neighborhood to see the plow whenever there was a snow storm…and boy did we pray that it would be as close to lunchtime as possible so that we’d have to stay home. For the last 30 years, we’ve lived in Lindy’s Lake—a small lake community in West Milford, NJ. The lake had a wonderful mix of long-time residents and new residents just starting out and having families. There were five of us pregnant at the same time, so our kids attended pre-school through high school together. Before pre-school we started our own play groups and then decided our lake needed an arts and crafts day for kids. So many fun activities and all within walking distance to the Manor House…our lake’s community gathering place.

The challenge for me was trying to keep my quirky characters, based on real-life people from sounding too over the top. When my editor and I were first discussing the types of people and setting for the book I started thinking about all of those delightful people I’d grown up with and met over the years. I just had to include the little old man we used to see walking in town…he had a walking stick and was always dressed in khaki jodphers, a white button-down shirt and wellingtons—no matter what the weather was. He looked as if he’d been transported from England to West Milford and would nod regally to passersby. The twist was that I could just see a little old lady dressed in the same attire because she would be running her own garden center…that’s how Miss Trudi Philo came to be. J

The sense of community is what has always been the strongest in the neighborhood where I grew up and where we raised our family, and that is what I wanted to make sure I convey to readers…that marvelous sense that your family, friends, and neighbors care about you and for you. I love embracing that aspect of small town life and hope readers will enjoy reading about small town life in Apple Grove, Ohio.

A WEDDING IN APPLE GROVE BY C.H. ADMIRAND – IN STORES NOVEMBER 2012

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 reams 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.


I'd like to extend my deepest thanks to CH Admirand for taking the time to visit with us!

Giveaway Details: One lucky winner will receive a copy of CH Admirand's A Wedding in Apple Grove.  Open to residents of the US and Canada, enter now through 11/30, midnight EST.


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~ Wendi