Zoe McCarthy and Free Books!

Fashion model Vivian Day’s Mustang breaks down in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, and her rescuer, Brayden Cole, reluctantly introduces her to a simpler life style.

Before we chat with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of Amanda Cabot's historical romance, Out of the Embers, is:

teamob4@...

Congratulations! We'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's visit again with novelist Zoe McCarthy, author of the contemporary Christian romance, The Irresistible Woman in a Blue Dress (December 2019).

Zoe M. McCarthy was pegged an expressive analytic in a professional personality test. Isn’t that an oxymoron? But it’s true. Zoe couldn’t survive without expressing her creative imaginings. Yet, this retired actuary* and introvert receives her energy from being alone in her home office overlooking the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains.

Believing opposites distract, Zoe has seven indie or traditionally published Christian contemporary romances. Her stories involve tenderness and humor and heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. Zoe also has a book out on writing, Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days.

She and her husband, grandparents of six, enjoy canoeing and spending time at their lake cabin, where she writes during month-long sabbaticals—alone.

*Actuaries perform the mathematical analysis for insurance companies, pricing products and estimating reserves to pay claims.

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

At ages 7-10, I lived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, during the rise of Papa Doc; at ages 15-16, I lived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis; and at age 20, I lived in Bangkok, Thailand during the Vietnam War.

Sounds like maybe someone's parent(s) served our country!

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of The Irresistible Woman in a Blue Dress.

Overworked Chicago fashion model Vivian Day flees a difficult photo shoot in Roanoke, Virginia, and heads for a three-week vacation in Tennessee. But when Vivian detours into the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, her Mustang breaks down on a remote mountain road.

Home-improvement-store manager Brayden Cole gives the frustrated woman wearing a blue gown and flip-flops a ride and, while her car's in the shop, a room at his mother's house in Twisty Creek. Brayden's mother urges him to entertain the big-city woman. Brayden, who considers himself a magnet for women’s woes, reluctantly introduces Vivian to the mountain lifestyle and breathtaking views.

Now, as Vivian experiences the simple mountain life, she realizes her stressful career and demanding agent, who's her mother, are draining joy from her life.

What is it about Vivian that will make your readers care about her?

Although a fashion model in the Chicago market, she doesn’t use her beauty for her personal benefit, and through little fault of her own, she faces tougher problems than the average woman.

If your publisher asked you to write a novel incorporating the coronavirus in some respect, what might you write about?

I’d feature a heroine living in a small Virginia town dealing with job loss, financial issues, and virus exposure by an unwanted old boyfriend. When she has a fever, she seeks medical help. She tests negative, but the new intern doctor at her doctor’s office learns from her records she suffered a concussion from a robbery attack recently. Her beautiful, sad eyes above her mask capture his heart. He becomes her secret champion, leaving grocery bags of food on her doorstep. Then …

Aww, that's sweet.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I recommend Lisa Carter’s Under A Turquoise Sky. Lisa effectively introduced me to the Navajo people in an entertaining and often humorous witness-protection story. Loved the little dog, Taco, and his relationship with the tough protection agent.

Well, that sounds intriguing! What are you working on now?

I just finished and sent to my editor the contemporary Christian romance, Across the Lake, that will first come out in a fall collection in September 2020. I’m now returning to my first speculative Christian novel whose story has captured my creative thoughts.

Where else can readers find you online?

Amazon Author Page
Website: zoemmccarthy.com

The book can be purchased online via the following button:




Readers, if you would like to see a sample reading from the book, you'll find it HERE--Click on "Look Inside."

Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

What are the main ways you find the books you read, i.e. word of mouth, Facebook groups, BookBub, etc.?

Thank you, Zoe, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Zoe has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to her question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE