WELCOME AUTHOR ANE MULLIGAN

WELCOME AUTHOR ANE MULLIGAN
Friday, September 19, 2014 by Patti Shene

Featured book: Chapel Springs Revival

Author: Ane Mulligan

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

Genre: Women’s fiction

Stand alone or series: Book 1 in the Chapel Lake series

Target age: 35-55

I AM SO EXCITED TO WELCOME AUTHOR ANE MULLIGAN. ANE SHARES SOME INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT CLAIRE AND PATSY, TWO LADIES WHO HAPPEN TO HOLD THE POSITION OF MAIN CHARACTERS IN HER RECENT RELEASE, CHAPEL SPRINGS REVIVAL.

ANE IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY OF HER DEBUT NOVEL, CHAPEL SPRINGS REVIVAL. CHECK BELOW TO SEE HOW TO ENTER TO WIN.

I want to introduce you to Claire and Patsy. They're not quite Lucy and Ethel, but they tend to stumble into trouble and catastrophe. Bighearted and loyal friends, these two lead readers on a romp through miscommunication in marriage.

Years ago, I overheard a gal say she married before learning God had a husband chosen for her.

She said she was going to divorce hers and find the perfect one. I pulled her aside for a "Titus 2:4" moment.

God reminded me of that conversation and I thought what if a woman in her late forties found her marriage is ho-hum? When she became a Christian, she thought life and her marriage would be included in the new creation part. But her thighs are just as big, her husband as ornery, and he won't go to church with her. Toss in a BFF whose husband had grown non-communicative and was never home, and I had the foundation for a story. I ran with it.

From God's nudge and that first "what-if," Claire Bennett, Patsy Kowalski, and the small village of Chapel Springs were born.

Claire is tired of being nothing more than a sheet-changer, a towel-folder, a pancake-flipper. She resolves to emulate her Great Aunt Lola, who refused to be slighted by any man. Why, the first morning Aunt Lola's husband forgot to kiss her goodbye, she packed her bags, went off to Hollywood, and became a big star in silent films. Would Claire really do what Great Aunt Lola did?

When Patsy's nest became empty, she thought her husband would retire and they could finally do some travelling, but he hasn't mentioned slowing down. In fact, he's not talking much at all. When he starts coming home well after she's in bed, she becomes convinced he's having an affair. With Claire's help, Patsy's determined to catch him with the trollop who's trying to break up their once happy home.

As I worked on the plotting and backstory for Claire and Patsy, I saw the same things I'd heard the young women say at church: Patsy focusing on what her husband did wrong, and Claire is trying to find Mr. God-Ordained-Right.

Claire has a tendency to be judgmental. She blurts out exactly what she thinks. She also moves before she thinks, which leads to a number of catastrophes. Patsy tries to hide her troubles; pretend they don't exist and they'll go away. Only it never works.

While Claire is eyeballing and discarding every man she sees, she and Patsy determine to revive their marriages. At the same time, Chapel Springs could do with some reviving. The town has grown shabby and the tourist trade has slipped. Complicating matters are a pair of curmudgeons, the mayor and his cohort, who would prefer to see the town stuck in the fifties and closed to outsiders.

I had so much fun with these characters. Claire is funny, a loyal friend, and someone I love spending time with. Besides, every time she turns around, she's in some kind of trouble. It's a blast just following her.

I do have a sequel called Chapel Springs Survival. Can Claire and Patsy and the town survive their revival? That story grew out of something our son did. While it turned out to be wonderful in his life, the manner in which he revealed it called for Mama's retaliation. It went into a book (insert evil laughter here).

It's my hope that through humor, readers will see God's hand in their choice of a husband. God is a faithful keeper of little girls' dreams for a knight in shining armor.

About Chapel Springs Revival:

With a friend like Claire, you need a gurney, a mop, and a guardian angel.

Everybody in the small town of Chapel Springs, Georgia, knows best friends Claire and Patsy. It's impossible not to, what with Claire's zany antics and Patsy's self-appointed mission to keep her friend out of trouble. And trouble abounds. Chapel Springs has grown dilapidated and the tourist trade has slackened. With their livelihoods threatened, they join forces to revitalize the town. No one could have guessed the real issue needing restoration is their marriages.

With their personal lives in as much disarray as the town, Claire and Patsy embark on a mission of mishaps and miscommunication, determined to restore warmth to Chapel Springs —and their lives. That is if they can convince their husbands and the town council, led by two curmudgeons who would prefer to see Chapel Springs left in the fifties and closed to traffic.

Leave a comment to be placed in the drawing to win a copy of Chapel Springs Revival, between now and Friday, October 3rd at midnight MST. Don’t forget to leave your contact email so you can be notified if you win!

Read about Ane’s writing journey here.

While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, Ane has worn many different ones: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction (try saying that three times fast). She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA, with her artist husband, her chef son, and two dogs of Biblical proportion. You can find Ane on her Southern-fried Fiction website, Google+, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Comments

Marjorie Hill From Walterboro, S.C. At 12/14/2015 8:13:50 AM

Sounds like another of Ane?s fabulous books. I look forward to reading it.

Patti Shene From Colorado At 9/21/2014 5:08:04 PM

Hi Dee, Susan, and Britney. Now that things seem to be in working order again, I wanted to drop in and say thank you to all of you for stopping by to visit Patti's Porch, say hello to Ane, and offer her words of encouragement.

Ane Mulligan From Georgia At 9/21/2014 3:51:21 PM

I think I missed saying hey to Britney! Thanks for your kind words. I think you'll really enjoy meeting those two. They're definitely a hoot!

Ane Mulligan From Georgia At 9/20/2014 5:04:32 PM

I'll keep popping in, Patti! I think we all understand how that can be. :o)

Ane Mulligan From Georgia At 9/20/2014 5:03:40 PM

Thank you, Susan! You haven't heard of me before because this is my debut novel! LOL But there are more to come. :) The sequel is completed and I'm working on the third book in the series. :-)

Ane Mulligan From Georgia At 9/20/2014 5:02:22 PM

I'm delighted, Deb! I used 3 delightful women to get the personality of Claire. I'd love to know your friends if they're like these two. LOL

Britney Adams From Texas At 9/20/2014 4:58:30 PM

Chapel Springs Revival sounds delightful! I can't wait to meet Claire and Patsy!

Patti Shene From Colorado At 9/20/2014 10:53:06 AM

Hi everyone. I'm away from the computer & trying to manage the site from my phone, but a glitch is preventing me from adding the giveaway to the post, but it is on! Drawing will be 10/04!

Susan Snodgrass From Clover, SC At 9/20/2014 10:38:15 AM

I've never read your books, but from hearing what people are saying, I think I need to! What better way to win a copy? Please enter me in the contest.