Author Interview & Blog Only Giveaway - Sweet Southern Trouble by Michele Summers

Sweet Southern Trouble

Author: Michele Summers

Pub Date: May 2, 2017

ISBN: 9781402293641

An ambitious Southern belle

Marabelle Fairchild knows she’s a gal who can get things done. Feeling unappreciated at the exclusive private school where she’s a kindergarten aide and varsity tennis coach, Marabelle determines to score with the next big fundraiser. What she doesn’t expect? A smokin' hot football coach to throw her off her game...

A reclusive NFL bachelor...

NFL coach Nick Frasier is Raleigh’s most eligible bachelor, but he wants to focus on his career…not his playboy status. He doesn’t need a smart-mouthed, pint-sized kindergarten teacher pestering him. So he cuts Marabelle a deal—in exchange for Nick sponsoring a bachelor auction starring him and his gorgeous celebrity pals, Marabelle will pose as his fiancée to ward off unwanted advances.

What could possibly go wrong?

Buy Links:

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters | iBooks | Indiebound

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MICHELE SUMMERS writes about small-town life with a Southern flair, and has her own interior design business in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Miami, Florida. Both professions feed her creative appetite and provide a daily dose of humor.

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Talking with author Michele Summers!

What was your inspiration for this particular novel?

Sweet Southern Trouble was the very first book I wrote and prior to writing it, I used to play around with different scenarios in my head, wondering if I had the nerve to actually write a book. At the time, my son talked football non-stop (still does) and I started asking him questions about different quarterbacks and coaches and he inspired me with his answers. Learning how hard these guys worked to play ball, I thought it would be funny to see how a big, tough football player would deal with a snack-sized, trash-talkin’ kindergarten teacher. On the outside, Marabelle and Nick appear as complete opposites, but they discover common ground as fierce competitors. 

What is your favorite scene in your new release?

Hard to pick just one. But I do like the scene where Nick surprises Marabelle at her family’s home, posing as her fiancé. She’s not too happy about it and once they’re alone, confronts him, but he manages to shoot down her arguments and convince her to accept his help.

“I’m finding you something better to wear. Here. Wear this.” He held out the pink Chanel skirt with the black silk top. “Jesus. Take that awful outfit off. I thought I was watching the Stepford wives downstairs.” Nick reached for a black knit cardigan with pearl buttons and shoved it on top. “And take your hair down. I almost didn’t recognize you.” He gave her carefully arranged helmet head a look of disdain. “And what happened to your freckles? I can’t even see them under that thick mask of gunk. Wash your face and put on about half the makeup you have on now.”

“Are…are…you crazy! It took me forever to transform into this getup. Did you not see how thrilled my mother was?” She pointed up and down at herself with her index finger. “This is who she wants me to be.”

He let the clothes fall on the disheveled mound he had created. “But it’s not you. Why come here and pretend to be something you’re not?”

“Because when you live in the palace, you serve only the evil queen.” Marabelle watched Nick struggle to keep his scowl in place, but he lost the battle, and a huge smile cracked open on his face.

Marabelle tried biting back her own smile and then she wailed, “This is so not funny. You almost gave me a heart attack down there.”

“I could say the same.” He looked pointedly at her knit suit. “I never thought I’d say this, but frumpy Marabelle is better than creepy Marabelle.”

She whirled away and started pacing. “And don’t even get me started on the whole elopement debacle.” He at least had the decency to wince. “Nice cover though. Thank God you think on your toes.” She stopped wearing a hole in her carpet. “How long have you been here?”

“I flew in, rented a car, and got here around four.”

“Not long enough to do too much damage,” she murmured half to herself.

“Yeah, maybe because I’m not lying.”

She blinked several times and then groaned. “How can you say that? I had my whole story worked out. And now this—”

“Jesus, Marabelle. Why didn’t you just ask me? So far, since I’ve known you, I’ve managed to say no to you…oh I don’t know…how about…never.” A wave of shock sliced through her. But Nick showed no mercy. “You still don’t get it. I’m on your team. And that means I’ll back you up and even take a sack for you.”

Marabelle lowered her head and fiddled with the beautiful ring on her finger. Nick was right; he’d been nothing but helpful to her. “You don’t understand…my family. They’re careless—”

“So we deal with it together. You’re gonna become a team player if it kills me.”

Team player? She snapped her head up. She’d played on a team. In her day, she’d been one of the top-ranked doubles partner in the South. “Okay. But I get to call the plays.”

Nick gave a harsh laugh. “Hell no. You suck at it. Now listen up.” He glanced at his watch. “You have exactly twenty minutes to get changed. No fiancée of mine is going to be seen in public wearing that.”

She glanced at the awful suit. “I can’t do it. My mother will kill me.”

He invaded her space, glaring down at her. “Not your call to make. Either you change yourself or I will gladly do it for you.”

She leaned forward, tipping her nose in the air. Nick’s don’t-screw-with-me stare intensified, and Marabelle could tell he meant business.

Dropping her chin, she huffed, “And I thought my mother was bossy.” She snatched up the change of clothes and stomped toward the bathroom door, muttering about arrogant fiancés under her breath.

He chuckled. “Oh and Tinker Bell…” She stopped and frowned over her shoulder. “Put these on, too,” he said, hitting her in the face with her new pink lacy bra and panty. “They’re hot.”

What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be released?

A fun new series set in Miami about a family of brothers, all professional athletes in different sports, all strong-willed, stubborn, and damaged in some way by the sins of their father. And all coming up against their biggest challenge: protecting their hearts from the women who butt heads and lock lips with them and who keep tempting them to fall hopelessly in love. Look for the Silver Starrs series in late 2017.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Lately, I love to sleep because I don’t get enough…ever! When I have free time, I enjoy disconnecting by visiting with friends and family. I walk every morning with my neighbor and it helps clear my head; she’s a great sounding board. In a span of forty-five minutes, we manage to solve all the world’s problems! Sometimes I’ll relax by needlepointing or knitting and recently, I’ve gotten into power tools! I’m coming up with small projects to do around my house just to crank up those tools.

What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?

I’m not very adventurous. And I hate spontaneity. I’m a planner with everything except my writing. (go figure?) I don’t like doing things outside of my comfort zone. And it’s only getting worse the older I get. There’s no explanation for it. My family, on the other hand, plans nothing. They do everything by the seat of their pants and at the last minute. It makes me nuts. They hate my structure and I hate their lack of organization, which is why God put us together or either he has a great sense of humor!

Top 3 things on your bucket list:

1.    Spending a summer in Tuscany.

2.    Learning how to paint…pictures on a canvas, not walls

3.    Hitting the NY Times Best Sellers list

Thanks for having me! Would love to know what’s on your bucket list???

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Giveaway:

one print copy of Sweet Southern Trouble (US only)

To enter:

  Leave a comment about one thing on your bucket list AND email address

Ends:

May 24th 2017 at Midnight