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| With Alice in St. Louis |
I’m pleased today to introduce you to my friend, Alice Wisler’s latest book, Hatteras Girl. I got a sneak peek at the advanced reader copy of this book when I met Alice for the first time last summer at ICRS in St. Louis. She was up for a Christy Award and then stayed to sign books in her booth at Bethany House. We got to hang out for a while, and it’s always fun for me to know the “author” behind the book. Alice is witty, laughs easily, and when we first met, it felt like we’d been friends forever. And that’s a little like what her books are like: friends you’d like to have a cup of coffee with or have over for the weekend.
Here’s my official review of Hatteras Girl:
I’ve been a fan of Alice Wisler’s highly entertaining novels since her first one, Rain Song, came out. She really packs a wallop into her characters, giving them not only quirks, but fears and hopes and dreams, and she’s not afraid to throw a few unpleasant curves their way. In Hatteras Girl, Jackie Donovan dreams of finding the perfect man to marry and one day being the owner of the Bailey Place—a Bed and Breakfast she’s loved since she spent many happy childhood days there.
The only problem is that all of her dates turn into disasters, and the B & B is way out of her price range. Jackie is a features journalist in her Outer Banks beach town, and her assignments with different business owners brings out the local flavor and adds to the plot twists. It made me want to call the airline and schedule a visit right now. The story is sprinkled with a cast of characters who dance off the page: everyone from her Aunt Sheerly and Uncle Ropey to Buck at the Sunnyside Grille to her best friend Minnie whose five-year-old son is more than a handful. And romance for Jackie turns up at the most unexpected time.
It’s a fun book, not too quirky, with plenty of tender moments that had me rooting for Jackie, her friends, and her family. Alice’s voice is lively, her story engaging. Hatteras Girl is the perfect “beach” read – set in the beckoning Outer Banks, it’s a great take-along book for your next excursion.
Hatteras Girl is the featured book for this week on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance so here’s a bit more about the book and Alice.
Hatteras Girl
Bethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010) by Alice Wisler
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Alice J. Wisler is an author, public speaker, advocate, and fundraiser. She has been a guest on several radio and TV programs to promote her self-published cookbooks, Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle. She graduated from Eastern Mennonite University and has traveled the country in jobs that minister to people. Alice was raised in Japan and currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.
Facts about Alice
* Born in Osaka, Japan and lived in Japan for 18 years
* Went to Kyoto International School and Canadian Academy
* Majored in Social Work and graduated in 1983 from Eastern Mennonite University
* Worked at a group home for disadvantaged kids outside of Philadelphia
* Taught English and Culture Orientation at a refugee camp in the Philippines
* Taught English as a Second Language in Japan
* Speaks and teaches on Writing the Heartache
* Has three kids on earth, and one in Heaven
* Recently got married to Carl on 2/7/09
ABOUT THE BOOK
There are two things twenty-nine-year-old Jackie Donovan asks God for: an honest, wonderful man to marry, and to own a bed-and-breakfast in the Outer Banks region. In the meantime, Jackie works for Lighthouse Views magazine, writing articles about other local business owners, and intrepidly goes on the blind dates set up by her well-meaning but oh-so-clueless relatives.
There’s one specific property Jackie dreams of purchasing: the Bailey Place, a fabulous old home where Jackie spent many happy childhood afternoons, a place that has now fallen into disrepair because of its outrageous price tag.
When Jackie meets handsome Davis Erickson, who holds the key to the Bailey Place, Jackie is sure God has answered both her prayers. But as Jackie learns some disturbing details about Davis’s past, she begins to question her own motivation. Will she risk her long-held dreams to find out the truth?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Hatteras Girl, go HERE.
HAPPY READING!
