The Secret of Willow Inn | Spotlight & Excerpt

Welcome to the blog blitz & giveaway for The Secret of Willow Inn by Pat Nichols, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours.

ABOUT THE BOOK

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.

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

Release Date: January 10, 2019

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EXCERPT FROM THE SECRET OF WILLOW INN

The kitchen door swung open again. Pepper motioned to her friend. “Come on over and meet Emily Hayes. She's helping her mom transform Robert's house into the Willow Inn and her husband Scott runs Hayes General Store. He took over after his father passed away.” 

Emily extended her hand and gazed into Sadie's blue eyes. Crow's feet and wrinkles on her forehead made her look years older than Pepper, yet didn't diminish her pretty features. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

Sadie stared at Emily's hand and kept her arms clamped to her sides. “Your daddy-in-law always treated me and Mama like hometown folks.”

“He was a charmer, all right.” Surprised by her refusal to make contact, Emily withdrew her hand and took a sip of orange juice.

“Emily is going to become our town’s most famous celebrity, besides Naomi Jasper.”

“Robert had one of her paintings.” Sadie pulled the cash from her apron. “He claimed she’d hit it big someday.”

“He had a good eye. Anyway, Emily plans to write a novel.”

Sadie moved to the cash register and opened the drawer. “I bet she's itching to know what it's like to live behind bars.” She transferred the money.

Heat crept up Emily's neck and warmed her cheeks. She glanced at Pepper and shrugged.

Sadie pushed the drawer closed. “I learned how to read people years ago, it’s an important skill for jailhouse survival.”

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).

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GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card from the author.

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight October 27, 2018 and lasts through 11:59pm November 3, 2018. Open Internationally. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within a week 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.

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Launch Post @ JustRead Publicity Tours