Grocery Girl by Virginia’dele Smith

Please welcome Virginia’dele Smith author of Grocery Girl

Virginia’dele Smith will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Grocery Girl

by Virginia’dele Smith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Wholesome small-town romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing?

I’m an avid reader with an active imagination. I love sharing every thought and notion that comes into my mind. I dream of being a talented storyteller. I kept talking about writing down the ideas that live in my head until finally my family gave me a new laptop for my birthday with direct orders to “Go Write!”

2. How did you come up with ideas for your books?

Characters, dialog, meet cutes, dramatic scenes…they just seem to pop into my head. And once they are there, they are very reluctant to leave. When one absolutely refuses to leave me alone, I know it’s time to write it down.

3. What expertise did you bring to your writing?

People often comment on the strength and obvious love between my husband and me — I like to say that I am living a modern-day fairy tale. I feel like knowing such a great and encompassing love as that makes it easy to write about two people finding their soul mate and having the courage to go after that love no matter what obstacles stand in their way. I also incorporate my own hobbies and activities into my stories through quilts and quilting, yoga, and advocating to end Alzheimer’s disease.

4. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

Keep writing. As long as the characters and their stories pop into my head, I want to keep writing them down. I aspire to hone my craft as a storyteller as I go to make each book more engaging and delightful than the last. I pray that my books provide joy and entertainment, that they remind readers that it’s more than okay to take a few hours for oneself, to sit next to the pool or the fireplace with a great book, and to escape the world for a few hours. I hope that when they turn the last page, they can’t help but smile with a sense of contentment in their hearts.

5. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?

My daughter would be Maree. Although she hasn’t done any acting or modeling since she was in middle school, she was the inspiration for my main character so the part was literally written for her, and she would do an amazing job in the role! For Rhys, I choose Colin Ford. He’s the right age for the role, and he resembles Rhys’s description of being tall, chiseled, athletic, and intense. Plus, he’s a cutie!

6. Do you belong to a critique group? If so, how does this help or hinder your writing?

I don’t belong to a group that simply reviews and critiques, but I do belong to a co-working group of writers that meets via Zoom every morning. They are a huge asset in my writing journey. We are all indie authors, but we write in a variety of genres. We share our struggles and victories as well as what’s working and what’s failing. We bounce ideas off one another and brainstorm to find new twists and fresh perspectives. They are a tremendous source of motivation and inspiration, and someday I’m going to meet them in person and give them the biggest bear hug they’ve ever experienced.

7. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I am a pantser…I write by the seat of my pants without outlines, plans, or notes. Worst of all, the scene that usually pops into my head as a starting point is not actually the beginning of the story which forces me to write the middle before the beginning or ending. The nice part about that is that I get to know the characters a bit before I share their backstory and experiences. The bad part is that I have to straighten out all my thoughts and scenes to make the timeline work throughout the story.

8. Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you’ve gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

Yes, I weave all of my favorite things into my books: reading and writing, quilts and quilting, yoga and football, cooking and baking. I have a weakness for book stories, antiques, boutiques, ball games, and being outdoors. All of these locations pop up in my fictional town and throughout my stores.

9. Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?

Yes, I am currently working on Book 2: In the Trenches which is the story of Maree’s older brother, Max. I am already engrossed in the battle that Max faces trying to convince Maree’s friend, Janie Lyn, that their future is more important that whatever is holding her back from the mutual attraction and sizzling chemistry they both feel. Meanwhile, Janie Lyn is desperate to protect her newfound family of friends and the people she loves…including Max.

10. What is your favorite reality show?

Drive to Surviveon Netflix. It follows the Formula 1 car racing season, and it turned me into an F1 junkie. I cannot wait for the next season to come out! Do not be surprised when one of my books — or a set of three — involve a racing family; I’m thinking two sons and a daughter who all drive how they live: dramatic and fierce. The scenes are already jumping into my mind. Stay tuned…

BLURB:

She inhales life with every breath. He’s suffered a world of pain. Can they rise above tragedy to find their happily ever after?

Maree Davenport refuses to let a tearful past rule her future. After losing her parents at the age of five, the big-hearted fabric designer is determined to embrace her feelings and find happiness no matter what. So when she literally runs over a handsome new firefighter in the produce section, the hopeless romantic is certain she’s just collided with destiny.

Everyone Rhys Larsen ever loved has died. And though he may have hit it off with the pretty girl at the store, the haunted EMT knows better than to let her into his heart. But when an accident leaves her wounded and in need of care, he vows to nurse her back to health.

As Maree struggles to break through the grieving man’s walls, she fears his deep-seated superhero complex will make him unreachable. And as Rhys grapples with trying to protect the beautiful woman from his curse, he worries he’ll have to choose between doing the right thing and true love.

Can this conflicted couple reconcile their opposite takes on adversity and find purpose in each other’s arms?

Grocery Girl is the touching first book in the Green Hills wholesome small-town romance series. If you like strong but vulnerable characters, emotional growth, and quaint backdrops, then you’ll adore Virginia’dele Smith’s celebration of joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

And then her gaze locked with a set of uniquely gray eyes.

Maree had never seen this firefighter before. Their stare held for a smidge longer than a split second. Then he nodded a brief acknowledgment and kept walking. It took her a blink or two — or maybe ten — to get her wits about her.

He was definitely new in town, because there was no way she would have forgotten having seen him before. Taking a deep, intentional breath and with a little shake of her head, she broke out of the mini-trance she’d found herself in, forced herself to refocus, and finished her shopping.

She giggled at herself when she recounted the whole second-and-a-half time lapse of the not-quite interaction to Miss Sadie when she delivered her fruit a half hour later. When Sadie asked what the rest of him looked like, Maree honestly had no idea.

“Miss Sadie,” she confessed, “I didn’t make it past those eyes.”

“Well, that’s surely a shame,” Miss Sadie crooned. “Now you’ll never know if it’s the same fellow when you meet him in town or simply walking down the street.”

She was giving Maree a hard time, teasing in good fun, but Maree wasn’t worried.

“Oh, I’ll know him,” she replied with dreamy confidence. “I’m certain I’d know him anywhere.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Ashli Montgomery is a wife, a momma, and an author whose passion is sharing love stories, books, quilts, yoga, recipes, and all of her favorite things in life. She is quilting to mend the mind by spearheading and educating a community of friends who love quilts and quilting but hate Alzheimer’s disease through Quilt 2 End ALZ, Inc. (https://quilt2endalz.org/) , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit she launched to use her quilting hobby as a platform to advocate for an end to Alzheimer’s disease.

Ashli writes under the pen name Virginia’dele Smith to honor Syble Virginia Tidwell, Adele Gertrude Baylin, and Etta Jean Smith. These three cherished grandmothers were beautiful role models, teaching Ashli to love without judgment and to always put family first. Through Grandma Syble’s journals and appetite for books, through Momadele’s priceless cards and handwritten letters, and through many, many hours of visiting over fabric at Mema’s kitchen island, Ashli also learned to treasure words.

You are invited to join Ashli in Green Hills (https://www.facebook.com/groups/welcometogreenhills) and learn more about Virginia’dele Smith by subscribing to Ashli’s newsletter, The Gazette (http://eepurl.com/gJIDcv), at AshliMontgomery.com.

Website: www.AshliMontgomery.com

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KQDK8D8

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/virginiadelesmith

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/AshliMontgomery.VirginiadeleSmith/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashlim.virginiadelesmith/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeAndCoach

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ashlimontgomery/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/dy4m35uz51h4vasexqwy30e8g?si=0d9ba9c8948d49a4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Virginia’dele Smith will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

RAFFLECOPTER:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4010