Thursday, October 31, 2024

Straight Chatting from the Library: Petie McCarty



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW


Can you read in the car?

I am so very lucky that I can indeed read while in the car. My DH and I travel quite a bit, and he likes to do the driving (he claims there are more jackasses on the road when I’m driving than when he’s driving), which gives me chore-free, guilt-free reading time, and there is nothing greater than that. At home, there is always some chore to do and you either give up reading and go do it, or you say “screw it” and finish that amazing book you started a day or two before but feel somewhat overshadowed by guilt over what you are not doing.

What makes you love a book?

When it surprises me. Most authors can guess a plot or plot direction by virtue of their own creative processes. Those carefully honed writing processes make it easier to guess where another author is going with their story, and it’s fun to discover you were right. But the best feeling is when you get an “OMG, I totally missed that! I never would have guessed that!” moment. That is a book that will stick with you forever. Can you say M. Night Shyamalan? (Signs, The Sixth Sense, and my all-time favorite, The Village)

What will inspire you to recommend a book?

If the book makes me laugh out loud, shed a tear, or makes my heartbeat or breath come faster, then that is a recommendable book. Or if I ignore my precious WIP, laundry, chores, and grocery shopping to finish the book then that definitely becomes a recommendable book.

How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

I don’t do them. If I think the book deserves a one- or two-star review, I keep it to myself. If I don’t, I risk hurting another author’s feelings or worse, risk being the straw that breaks the camel’s back and makes them want to quit—if only for a short while. Besides, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder—or in this case the reader—and what I find boring or annoying, some other readers may find awesome.

The longest I’ve gone without reading.

Approximately twelve hours. LOL It’s my treat at the end of the day or anytime I can squeeze it in.

What distracts you easily when you’re reading?

The TV if it’s running in the background can distract me, although I have become fairly adept at keeping an eye on a movie on the TV and still read and pay attention to my book.

The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?

Probably close to $60 because I had a Christmas or Birthday gift card to the bookstore. I always exceed my gift cards.

How often do you skim a book before reading it?

Almost never unless I hated it and wanted the suffering to end. I have been known to sneak a peak at the end to see if a secondary character I love is gonna bite the dust before the end of the book so I can be prepared.

Do you like to keep your books organized?

Heavens yes! Paperbacks shelved by author. My Kindle Fire has 91 Collections for my 826 titles.
Did I mention I LOVE to read?

Your favorite fictional hero/heroine/villain/etc.

I LOVED Archer Hale in the Mia Sheridan book, Archer’s Voice. My favorite all-time book too.

READ THE BLURB


The Cinderella Romances...Fall in love with the fairy tale all over again.

Modern-day Cinderella stories that provide unlimited opportunities to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Cinderella Busted




Once upon a time, in Jupiter Island, Florida . . .

Billionaire developer, Rhett Buchanan, is forced to inspect a shipment of priceless trees and meets the girl of his dreams instead. A bit jaded where women are concerned—since most are gold diggers—Rhett falls head over heels for the Jupiter Island socialite who only wants him, not his money. Except she isn't the glamorous socialite she appears to be.

She's the gardener . . .

Betting on Cinderella




Once upon a time in Biloxi, Mississippi . . .

Garrett Tucker inherits his grandfather's casino empire and steps into the reclusive billionaire's shoes as the new "Prince of Vegas." Discovering embezzlement in his newly purchased casino in Biloxi, Garrett goes in undercover. His prime suspect? The new finance supervisor . . . a feisty brunette who stole his heart at first sight.

Andi Ryan moves to Biloxi to care for her godmother. Taking a job as finance supervisor for the renovated Bayou Princess casino, she discovers someone is skimming from the till. Andi starts her own investigation, worried she will be blamed for the theft when the handsome new owner discovers her godmother likes to gamble.

Industrial espionage is afoot at the Bayou Princess, and Garrett and Andi are soon forced to work as a team to prove her innocence and save the casino before it’s too late.

This swoonworthy modern-day fairy tale joins the other stories in the Cinderella Romances series. Each provides a new opportunity to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Par for Cinderella




Once upon a time in Cedar Key, Florida . . .

Golf resort developer Aidan Cross is at loose ends. Something feels missing from his life, but that something isn't women. He has too many women chasing him now. To confuse things even more, his yacht breaks down off-shore of his next project site in Florida, and Aidan falls for his only competition in the small town—a woman who wants nothing to do with him or his rakish charm.

Casey Stuart is stuck living in Cypress Key, unwilling to abandon her uncle or the golf course they manage together. She doesn't quite trust the stranger Aidan who shows up in town looking for work, and she vows to steer clear of him and the danger their intense chemistry provokes. Aidan’s stay is temporary, and falling for him promises only heartbreak.

But Casey needs Aidan’s help when she discovers Cypress Key’s mayor is making underhanded business deals, and she ends up on the wrong side of the powerful crook. Aidan steps in to rescue her, but secrets from his past threaten to bogey their new-found affair.

This swoonworthy modern-day fairy tale joins the other Cinderella stories in the series. Each provides a new opportunity to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

READ AN EXCERPT from Book Two: Betting on Cinderella


“I want to make love to you.”

Andi stilled.

Garrett mentally kicked himself. He had gone and scared her.

Too much. Too soon.

But he couldn’t make himself move. He could lie here forever with Andi in his arms.

She wriggled from his grasp to sit up. “Um . . .”

“What?”

She looked too uncertain.

Not good.

He was okay with, “Not now, but maybe later.”

“I can’t,” she whispered.

Good thing he was sitting down. The jangle of fear that hit him could have knocked his knees out from under him.

“Can’t or won’t?” he forced out. No maybes on this one.

“Both.”

What the hell? Can’t and won’t?

All his uncertainties flooded back. Flora had said Andi and Peters were just friends. Was that friends with benefits? And what about that damn Drakos pawing her last week? No, he wouldn’t let those doubts crowd them here on the couch.

“Too soon?” he tried.

“Partly.” She looked away, and his heart sank amongst the growing heap of doubts.

“There’s someone else,” he said flatly, working to keep his expression blank and the hurt at bay.

She met his gaze square on then, no doubt trying to muscle her courage. “There’s something I should tell you.”

Damn.

“I’m—” She exhaled hard. “—no good at it.”

What? Is that all?

He fought back a grin of pure joy. “I’ll give you lessons.” He pulled her back for another kiss.

She shoved at his chest. “No. I don’t think I should.”

She flinched at his expression, and he worked to smooth his scowl.

“Go ahead. Spit it out.” Even he didn’t like his tone. “You’re sleeping with someone else, right?”

He should have done his homework before he went off half-cocked with all the flowers and balloons, trying to woo her.

“No, and I should slap you for that, suggesting I’m loose enough to go out with you while sleeping with someone else.”

“Then what the hell is it?” he shouted, forgetting all about Flora at the back of the house.

“I’ve never done it before!” she shouted back.

“What? Slapped someone?”

“No, you jerk. Slept with someone.” This, she didn’t shout.

MEET THE AUTHOR




Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in No Angels for Christmas.

Website: http://www.petiemccarty.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty
Twitter: https://x.com/authorpetie
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094579.Petie_McCarty
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/petie-mccarty
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/petiemccarty

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDHXJCWQ

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5 comments:

  1. Thank you for featuring Petie McCarty today.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing. Sounds really good.

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  3. This should be a enthralling series. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Thank you so much for sponsoring my Goddess Fish series tour for the Cinderella Romances!

    ReplyDelete