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Thursday, July 26, 2018

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--GUEST ROMANCE AUTHOR LIZ TALLEY

Meet multi-award nominated contemporary romance author Liz Talley. Her books are set in the South where the tea is sweet, the summers are hot, and the men are hotter. Learn more about Liz and her books at her website. 

Hello, I’m Liz Talley, the author of several contemporary romances and a small town series set in rural Mississippi. The idea for the Morning Glory series came from a mish mash of a favorite movie – Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – and a television show – Sex and the City. I wanted to do a take on the beauty and depth of friendships. I hit upon the idea of a charm bracelet that would be passed around between friends and thought it was…well, charming.

The latest book in my series, Third Time’s the Charm, answers the question of who receives Lacy’s cherished charm bracelet. When Lacy passed away, she willed it to her three friends and told them that once they’d attached their chosen charms to the bracelet, they were to give it to someone who had no hope left.

Enter Sunny Voorhees.

Recently widowed and mourning the loss of her fifth pregnancy, Sunny returns to Morning Glory intent on selling the family home and settling her viper of a mother into a retirement community. But things get complicated fast when her ex-boyfriend’s son runs over her Harley and a homeless stray pup finds her. Sunny doesn’t want to look back, but her past catches up with her, and before long, she wonders if her past is her future.

Morning Glory is an interesting little town. Settled not too far from Jackson, Mississippi, it’s the quintessential country township with a square surrounded by businesses and plenty of quirky personalities. Writing about small towns has always been a delight for me because I’m from a small Louisiana town. I love the idiosyncrasies, the busybodies, the charm and warmth of neighbors who care (maybe too much) and the simple, slower pace of life.

Growing up, I didn’t have much to occupy me in my small town. I biked to the library and sometimes visited the local swimming hole. Okay, it was a public swimming pool, but I walked there, barefoot, no phone, no towel and no fear. I built forts in nearby woods, trampled through pastures, picked my weight in dewberries and baited my own hook.

Growing up in a small town, being a country girl meant shelling butterbeans on the porch, having coffee at friends’ houses, and knowing everybody’s business. There’s an idyllic patina of rosiness that blankets my memories. Things weren’t perfect in a small town, of course, but I can indulge my own penchant for the “good ol’ days” when I write my own rosy version of a small town.

Readers seem to always connect to a small town. Maybe it’s the idea that there’s an Aunt Ruby Jean waiting to give the perfect piece of advice or a meddling ice cream shop owner who things she know better than you, or the chatty mailman who’s the biggest gossip around. Somehow they just sound like good friends.

If you were writing a small town story, what's the most essential place you'd have to have in YOUR town?

Third Times the Charm
A Morning Glory Romance

When you find someone who has no hope left, give the bracelet to her…

Sunshine “Sunny” Voorhees David would rather be dead than back in Morning Glory, Mississippi. But after losing both her husband and a pregnancy, she comes home temporarily to the place she swore she’d never return to. Before she can leave for good, she’ll have to fix up the dilapidated family home, convince her mother to move, and avoid the man who broke her heart.

The mistake Henry Delmar made years ago has always haunted him, and now the woman whose dreams he destroyed is back. He wants her forgiveness, but this new Sunny is nothing like the innocent he remembers. This Sunny is hurt, angry, and has built a mile-high wall around her heart. 

When Henry’s son runs over Sunny’s motorcycle, the stars line up for an opportunity to show Sunny how much he regrets the way they ended. With the help of his children, a stray dog, and the townspeople, Henry must find a way to rekindle their romance and prove to Sunny that she’s right where she’s always belonged…in his arms.

Come back to Morning Glory for puppy kisses, lattes at the Lazy Frog, and a happily-ever-after.

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