Elizabeth Maddrey shares insight into characters’ romances from a six set Contemporary Romance novella collection, Falling for You, which includes her title, Operation Back-to-School. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing for an e-book copy of the collection. Deadline: Oct 8th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Elizabeth:
I always love visiting Shannon’s blog – she has such fun questions. This time around, I’m here to talk to you a bit about a new box set of novellas that I’m a part of. And, since there are six contemporary romances in the set, I thought it might be fun for you to get a chance to meet all of the heroes of the novellas.
I sent an email to each of these guys and asked them to answer the same three questions. I think you’re going to enjoy the individuality of their answers.
- What’s the number two quality you’d require in a mate? (Cause we all know loving Jesus is #1)
- How soon after meeting the heroine did you know she was the one?
- Who said, “I love you” first, you or your heroine?
And so, without further ado, I give you the men of the Falling for You box set (in the order in which you’ll meet them.)
Dr. Owen Pratt, from An Informal Date by Heather Gray, sent me the following answers:
- I want her to accept and love me the way I am without a grand design to change or fix me.
- I had known Kimi approximately nine months, two weeks, and three days before I knew she was the woman God had for me. I’d suspected before that, wondered even. But that’s when I knew for sure.
- I did, of course. Not to imply that the man has to say it first. That’s traditional, though, isn’t it? Although Kimi is much for tradition. She could have said it first. Probably would have, too, if I hadn’t said it right when I did. Kimi is full of surprises. I love that about her. It scares me a bit, too, if I’m being honest. But I love it, and her.
It’s nice to see that Owen wasn’t keeping track with number 2, isn’t it?
Fraiser Campbell, a kindergarten teacher, from Operation Back-to-School by Elizabeth Maddrey, had this to say:
- She’s got to be okay with the fact that I’m an elementary school teacher. I mean, let’s be real, I’ll never be bringing home that enormous paycheck, even if I do ultimately move into administration. I need her to be good with that, ‘cause this is absolutely where God wants me.
- It’s crazy, because I don’t believe in love at first sight as a rule, but…yeah. She dropped her daughter off in my class and that was it. I knew.
- I did, and it drove her crazy. Now, I’ll admit, it was early, just our second date, but I figured since I knew, there was no point in hiding it from her. It freaked her out. Badly. Thankfully she got over it after a while.
I can see how it might be a little odd to have someone say ‘I love you’ on the second date, but I can also see the logic behind not keeping it to yourself.
Next up is Josh Damen, from A (Sorta) Southern Serenade by Krista Phillips. He had some very good answers.
- Number two…that’s hard. I guess I want a girl who is down-to-earth. No drama, no hard-to-get, no frou-frou. A girl who gets her hands dirty and can laugh at herself.
Funny, though. On the surface, Kendra doesn’t seem to meet any of those qualities. In fact, we, uh, didn’t hit it off so well at first for that very reason. But once I got to know the REAL Kendra underneath her polished exterior (which is beautiful by the way!) my heart was lost
- Well, as I said, we didn’t hit it off too good at first. And that’s the understatement of the century. She was a client and I, uh, okay fine. I fired her. Yes, I fired a client.
But God had other plans. The night of our first band rehearsal together (we lead worship together for our church now) I knew in my heart there was something more there. I wasn’t exactly sure what, but yeah. I’d have to say that was the moment I had a glimpse that God might have more than just friendship planned for us, even though my flesh battled against the idea still. Then there was the whole treehouse thing—but I’m not the kind of guy to kiss-and-tell…
- What kind of man would I be if I let her say it first? No, it was me. Granted, I wasn’t at my best at the time. It’s a long story. But yeah, it was definitely me. (Don’t let her tell you differently, either!)
Which brings us to Nathan Vanderwahl from Learning from Experience by Ginger Solomon.
- She has to trust me to do the right thing.
- It took years. Literally.
- Definitely me.
Nathan is a man of few words, but those answers…I’d say Lexi’s found a keeper, wouldn’t you?
Marc Hudson, from The Other Brother by Carole Towriss had this to say:
The quality most important to me in a mate—or even a friend—besides loving Jesus, is the ability to see beyond what everyone else sees. I love people who resist blindly accepting everyone else’s opinions and impressions of others, and instead take the time to get to know them first and see who they really are.
It’s a little embarrassing, but I knew within about ten days of meeting Kendall she was the one, which is so unlike me. I’m the steady one, the brains, the business major. I’m the one who analyzes everything before making a move. But there was something about her … the way she focuses all her attention on the person she’s with, and makes that person feel like there is no one else in the world. That’s why I fell in love with her, and why I’m definitely the one who said it first.
Good answers, Marc.
Last, but certainly not least, is Paxton Rathbone from A Hero for Heather by Marion Ueckermann.
- Compassion
- About two weeks.
- I did.
He’s another man of few words, but he follows through with actions that count.
I hope something in there caught your eye so that you’ll take the time to get to know each of these men and the women who capture their hearts.
About Elizabeth: Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace.
Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey.
Learn more and connect: Elizabeth’s Twitter Elizabeth’s Pinterest Elizabeth’s Google Plus
About the Novella Collection – Falling for You:
Six brand-new, never released before contemporary Christian romance novellas by beloved inspirational romance authors! Get your copy today to fall in love with these fall romances.
AN INFORMAL DATE by Heather Gray
Kimi sells coffee at a hospital kiosk and has a smile for everyone who comes her way. Owen is a research scientist with limited people skills and a fondness for caffeine. How can two such different people go from a shared interest in beverages to a shared future?
OPERATION BACK-TO-SCHOOL by Elizabeth Maddrey
With both her girls in school Shannon Cross is looking forward to being back in the office. But how can Shannon fall for her daughter’s teacher without feeling that she’s betraying her deceased husband’s memory?
A (SORTA) SOUTHERN SERENADE by Krista Phillips
They sing two very different tunes. Can they work together to make a joyful melody?
LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE by Ginger Solomon
An old man and his will change everything for Lexi Ross. Can she survive the memories and learn from someone else’s experience or will she choose to make her own path?
THE OTHER BROTHER by Carole Towriss
Marc has contentedly spent his life in his brother’s shadow—until he meets Kendall. Can she convince him he’s special, when no one else thinks so? And can he convince her she’s already found what she’s searching for?
A HERO FOR HEATHER by Marion Ueckermann
Paxton Rathbone is desperate to make his way home. He has grown too accustomed to the disdain of mankind, which perhaps is why Heather Blume’s kindness penetrates his reserves. But there’s more to Heather’s actions than merely being the Good Samaritan—she has no doubt he’s a gentleman fallen far from grace.
Question for Readers: Do you enjoy box sets where multiple authors come together to bring you new material? Why or why not?
Come back Sept 29th for Brenda S. Anderson!
yes i do because it gets me introduced to new authors
Shelia – that’s why I love them, too! It’s such a great way to find new favorites 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
I like learning about new authors but I sometimes get bored reading the same genre for that many books. I know…I could read something else in between but I usually don’t! If the books are connected, I like a set better.
Yes, I like box sets. More to read. They are specially desired when I am traveling, less books to carry. Box sets that have connected stories are even better. Thanx for the giveaway.
Yes, I like to read box sets. These books all sound like great ones. To me, more books are always better than less. I love to read!! Thanks for this interview and giveaway.
I love collections except they always make me feel guilt. I want to like each story equally because I know how much time and effort each author put into them. But I always like some more and some less because as a reader certain characters and storylines appeal to me more than others. Then I feel guilt about the authors whose stories I didn’t like as much.
Joan – I can relate! But of course, you can always read something else in between, too — I”ve done that with some of the longer boxes that are out there.
Jennifer – Connected stories are fun — those are usually a single author though. It’s a little trickier to do with multiple authors.
Donna – I’m so glad these sound fun! And I’m with you, when it comes to books, there’s no such thing as too many.
Shannon – I have that same guilt. I just try to remind myself they’re books, not my children, so I don’t have to love them equally. 🙂
Thanks for commenting everyone!
I love boxed sets or series where you have different authors telling the stories! It always amazes me how the common theme or thread is woven into the stories and how they flow together so nicely. It also gives me a chance to read new authors.
Great point, Susieq. I don’t know about Elizabeth, but sometimes the authors don’t even really know each other and brainstorm solely online about the book.
Susieq – the theme is definitely fun to work with. And fall is something all the authors in this box enjoy, so it was an easy one 🙂
Shannon – yep, it was all online. The Internet really does make this kind of collaboration easier.
Yes, and this was a wonderful group of authors. I honestly enjoyed each one and now want to read more of their books! All of these answers are so much fun to read!
I read a series of stories before which had been contributed by different authors. I enjoyed reading their different styles of writing which followed a common theme. Carole Towriss is one of my favorite authors, and I look forward to reading stories by others she recommends. This would be the perfect series, “falling for you,” to read over my fall break.
I love the writings of a group of writers. The different styles and voices..great!
Becky – Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Ellen – Fall break is such a great thing, isn’t it? And novellas are pretty quick, so you don’t need a ton of time. I love Carole’s writing too!
Melanie – I love that about boxes, too.
Thanks for stopping by!
I have a winner! Jennifer Hibdon won the drawing. I appreciate Elizabeth for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.