Interview with Marian Merritt and giveaway!!!

Marian is giving away a copy of her book -- answer the question in red below. Be sure to include contact information or your entry will be disqualified. 

Why do you write the kind of books you do?
I write books with a Louisiana/Colorado connection. Many are set in Louisiana. I love to share my heritage—I’m a Louisiana gal—with my readers. It’s a great way to let my readers visit Louisiana or Colorado

How has being published changed your life?

Not a whole lot has changed. I guess the largest change for me is that I feel a deep felt gratitude and obligation to my readers. It’s important that I give them what they expect in my stories.

What is your current work in progress?
 I’m currently writing a Women’s Fiction story set in Tuscany, Italy and Mandeville, Louisiana. It’s a story of a marriage that has lost its life and how the main character’s heart is awakened by another man to make her fight for her marriage.

How do you choose your settings for each book?
I choose settings based on places I’ve been or would like to go that touched my heart.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
 I love photography and gardening. Both are ways to keep my creative juices flowing in a different area.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

What advice would you give to a beginning author?
Learn as much as possible from various sources, read a lot, and write, write, write. The act of writing makes writers better.

Tell us about The Christmas Bells of Cavazzale – a brief blurb:

When Charleston Charly Maynard loses her job just weeks after her fiancé calls off the wedding, she decides to visit the cottage in the quaint village of Cavazzale, Italy she’s inherited from her grandmother. She’s hoping the time there will help her to decide what to do about her future. When she meets André Lagneaux, a handsome man from Bayou Country, who is visiting his brother in Cavazzale, Charly ignores the attraction. After all, she's not looking for romance. When André Lagneaux’s parents set up a family trip to Italy, André is eager to spend Christmas with his brother and godchild. Meeting the beautiful American woman at the airport adds to his excitement. He'd loved to get to know her, but her cool demeanor tells him she's not interested. Will she let down her guard and allow them to get to know one another? When Charly finds a prayer in her nonna’s diary that makes her realize God may have His own plan for her future, she must learn to trust. But, what if His plan includes the dark-haired Cajun?

Is there one particular message or “moral of the story” you hope readers walk away with?

That we shouldn’t judge people by their looks and that God has a plan for each of our lives.

What one question would you like us to ask your readers?

What is your dream vacation spot?

Tell us about the giveaway you’re offering. 

Answer the above question for a chance to win a digital copy of The Christmas Bells of Cavazzale.

How did The Christmas Bells of Cavazzale get started?

In January of 2015 I traveled to Cavazzale where my son and daughter-in-law live to greet my new grandson. While there I fell in love with the quaint village and loved that the bells of the church tower rang several times throughout the day. It was a welcome and constant reminder that I was in Italy my dream vacation spot! I knew I had to write a story set there and the bells had to be in it!

While you were writing The Christmas Bells of Cavazzale, do you think it mattered where the book was set?

Yes, I believe setting matters in each of my books. For me the setting is like another character in the story. I love for my readers to feel at home and there’s no better way to do that than to take them to a new place and give them the full experience of the story.

Both of your lead characters have “baggage” that keeps them from wanting to pursue a new relationship. Do you think sometimes we let our past get in the way of what God has planned for our futures?

Yes, I do. We as humans hold onto things of this world and forget how our awesome God wants the best for us and is a forgiving God to those who repent. The problem comes when we don’t forgive ourselves.

Marian Pellegrin Merritt writes stories that blend her love of the mountains with her deep Southern roots. Her tagline, Where the Bayous Meets the Mountains, grew from both loves.

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Women's Fiction Writers Association.

This Louisiana native writes her Christmas romances and Southern women’s fiction with a Louisiana/Colorado connection from the Texas home she shares with her husband and a very spoiled Labradoodle.

Connect with her through Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Marian P. Merritt's Readers Group

Buy links to Marian’s Books: http://www.marianmerritt.com/#!/cnec