Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Secret of Willow Inn by Pat Nichols, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: The Secret of Willow Inn
(Willow Falls #1) Author: Pat Nichols
Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas
Release Date: January 10, 2019
Genre: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction
Two women fighting for their dreams, one who’s long lost hers, are united by tragedy and a long-held secret.
Pregnant with her first child, Emily Hayes is eager to help her mother finish transforming an estate into the Willow Inn and write a novel about Willow Falls’ colorful history. A tragic event threatens her parents’ plans to refurbish an abandoned hotel and transform the obscure Georgia setting into a tourist destination.
Sadie Lyles left Willow Falls a murderer who’d killed the town hero. She returns as a despised felon and seeks solace in the town’s café. Emily struggles to unite the close-knit community and becomes Sadie’s biggest advocate. She strives to uncover the truth about the crime and save her town from dying.
To appease her father, Rachel, a VP in his Atlanta real-estate-development firm, relegates her acting dream to secret performances for imaginary audiences. After meeting charming, flirtatious Charlie Bricker, manager for Willow Falls’ future vineyard, she vows to break free from her father’s control.
The tragedy and Willow Inn’s secret past launch Emily and Rachel on a collision course with destiny and truth.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
EXCERPT
As
far back as Emily Hayes could remember, her heart yearned for a sister. She
directed her earliest requests to Santa Claus, which made Christmas mornings a
confusing blend of excitement and disenchantment. Later she bargained with God.
He disappointed her too. When she learned where babies came from, she
petitioned her mom with promises to keep her room clean and be the best sister
in the whole-wide world. Nothing worked. At some point the pleas stopped, but
the lingering desire left a hole in her heart.
Thursday morning, she stepped
outside the white-columned-home converted to a hospital and traced her
ultrasound image with her finger. It wasn’t at all what she’d expected. She
pressed her hand to her chest to ease the fluttering sensation, slipped the
photo in her jeans pocket, and texted her husband. Have results. Meet me in the park in five.
A cool breeze nipped her
cheeks and rustled the new crop of leaves on the mature willow-oaks lining Main
Street. She dropped her phone in her purse, pulled her sweater tight, and
crossed the two-lane road to the sidewalk fronting a grand estate. White
columns extending from a railing supported the roof over the wide, front porch.
The home was weeks away from final transformation to the Willow Inn, thanks to
her parents' first effort to save their town from a slow, painful death.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pat Nichols is proving it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
During the spring, summer, and early autumn of her life this side of heaven, she and her high-school-sweetheart husband struggled and triumphed through life’s peaks and valleys. They raised two children, welcomed four grandchildren—one is with the angels—bought a Corvette, and ticked off every item on their travel bucket list. Now approaching her winter years, she ignores the minor aches that come with age and is grateful she can still paint her own toenails and dance with her hubby.
Following twenty-five years in six different management positions with an international beauty company, Pat launched career number two as a novelist and freelance editor. She chose women’s fiction to honor her daughter’s strength in the face of significant health issues and the loss of a child. Her corporate experience, working with hundreds of amazing women from all walks of life, inspires her to create stories about women who confront challenges in the pursuit of their dreams.
Although she writes five days a week, she and Tim—her best friend and number one fan—continue to celebrate their fifty-plus-year marriage. They lead a small group, volunteer for church guest services, participate in two social organizations, and spend time with family and friends. She thanks God for the blessings that brought her joy and the challenges that continue to strengthen her faith, skills, and resolve.
Pat was born in Illinois, grew up in Orlando, and has called Georgia home since the eighties. She lives in an Atlanta suburb, is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Word Weavers, Christian Pen, and Gwinnett Church (a campus of Northpoint Ministries).
TOUR GIVEAWAY
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight February 4, 2019 and lasts through 11:59pm February 11, 2019. Open Internationally. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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A nice sweet book, I like the theme. Good one. Cheers on to tour.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Calvin!
DeleteI'm delighted you like the theme and hope you have the opportunity to find out what happens to Emily, Rachel, and Sadie.
DeleteI love stories about inns and old houses.
ReplyDeleteDianna
They're quite fun to read about.
DeleteGood luck!
Me too. There is something intriguing about them. It was fun creating a story about an old house with a mysterious history.
DeleteThanks for sharing the excerpt! It's always nice to get a feel for the author's writing style.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I enjoy checking out excerpts, too.
DeleteGood luck, Heidi!
Thank you for commenting, Heidi. I enjoyed sharing a snippet. I hope you have the chance to find out what happens to Emily, Rachel and Sadie.
Delete